Page 46: of Marine Technology Magazine (September 2022)

MTR 100 “from data bubbles” (pencil-like capsules containing SD

ENDURUNS cards) that can be ejected from the AUV when needed or in

Over in Europe, combining hydrogen powered, long-endur- an emergency.

ance AUVs with hydrogen powered support USVs is the goal

The prototype AUV, being developed at Graal Tech in Italy, of the collaborative ENDURUNS project.

The consortium includes space, defense, marine and drone with completion expected by Q1, 2023, is planned to have a glider mode, to conserve energy, using propelled mode when technology companies, universities, institutions, consultan- performing seabed surveys or inspection tasks.

cies, a certi? cation body and a port from Greece, the UK, Ko-

The 8m-long prototype USV will be electrically powered us- rea, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Lithuania, Belgium ing a combination of hydrogen PEM fuel cell, Li-ion battery and Cyprus. and thin ? lm solar cells. It will provide the required high-res-

Their goal is a 5.5m-long, hydrogen fuel cell powered hybrid olution geotagging data, mission maps and mission locations

AUV, with a Li-ion battery for supplementary power, in case and will be able to dock and recharge the AUV’s battery when of failure or emergency, and energy management for the pro- its hydrogen has been exhausted.

pulsion system and sensors.

This summer, the USV left the shipyard of Tuco Marine -

It will be partnered with a USV that will follow the AUV at the surface to transmit data from the AUV to onshore, ProZero Workboats in Denmark and arrived in Chania, Crete.

There, it will have its systems, including instrumentation and also allowing for mission parameters to be changed. Accord- ing to the ENDURUNS website, it will also retrieve data the hydrogen PEM fuel cell, integrated, followed by testing over winter.

The ENDURUNS AUV, being developed at

Graal Tech.

Courtesy ENDURUNS 46 September/October 2022

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