Page 37: of Marine Technology Magazine (October 2010)

www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 37

Sikuliaq, which has been commis- sioned by owner, the National

Science Foundation and will be oper- ated by the University of Alaska,

Fairbanks. Kongsberg Underwater

Technology, Inc. was chosen as the scientific sonar systems integrator for the ship. R/V Sikuliaq will have an array of sonar equipment including several Kongsberg Maritime manu- factured systems such as the EM 302 deep water multibeam echo sounder,

EM 710 shallow water multibeam echo sounder, TOPAS PS 18 para- metric sub-bottom profiler and the

EK 60 scientific echo sounder.

DNV Confirms

Seagen’s Performance

Det Norske Veritas (DNV) issued a

Statement of Conformity to certify that the performance of the 1.2MW

SeaGen tidal turbine has been cor- rectly evaluated according to the principles contained in the “Edinburgh Protocol” - the protocol for tidal turbine testing developed by the University of Edinburgh for the

UK Government’s Department of

Energy & Climate Change, and also

EMEC’s own testing protocol.

DNV undertook a detailed review of the measurement program used by

Marine Current Turbines (MCT) for determining the performance of the company’s SeaGen tidal energy tur- bine which has been operating in

Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough since 2008. DNV has verified that the measured results have been cor- rectly obtained and interpreted.

Some key results that came from this program indicate that SeaGen has met its design goals with the peak efficiency for both rotors on both tides averaging 48% (Cp = 0.48) and the best result was a peak efficiency of 52% and worst peak was 45%. The corresponding overall system efficien- cy, including all losses in the genera- tor, gearbox and power electronics, was found to be in the range 40 to 45%; that is the proportion of energy in the flow of water intercepted by

SeaGen’s rotors that can get delivered as electrical energy into the grid.

Peter Fraenkel, Technical Director of

MCT, said “Our engineering team are delighted that SeaGen has been shown to deliver such good results.”

SeeByte Supports Local Charity

SeeByte announced its support for four of its staff-members in their suc- cessful completion of the Wan Day Scottish Adventure Race. Battling the elements, team SeeByte X cycled, ran and kayaked through the unforgiving terrain of the Pentland Hills in an effort to raise funds for Erskine, a local charity which provides respite and long term care for ex-Service men and women in five care homes throughout Scotland.

The event, which took place in late summber, tested the physical and ori- enteering skills of the SeeByte team, taking them on a 5 hour expedition through the Scottish countryside. Gaining tenth place of the forty-four teams entered, SeeByte X raised more than $1,240 for Erskine. “Although each of us enjoys outdoor sports, it really motivates you to go that extra mile when you know every penny of sponsorship is going to such a worthwhile charity. The generous donation from SeeByte was greatly appreciated by all involved. Hopefully we can make it a yearly event, and now that the benchmark has been set our sights are firmly placed on beat- ing our efforts of this year.” said Chris Haworth, SeeByte X team-member.

Sales Manager, Ioseba Tena, who was responsible for SeeByte’s contribution to the sponsorship said: “We are very proud of the team’s efforts. Erskine is a vital contributor to the support and care of those Scots affected by war, and SeeByte fully supports their hard work.”

If you would like to contribute to SeeByte’s efforts in raising funds for

Erskine, you can still do so by sponsoring online at: http://www.justgiving.com/SeeByte

Photo cour tesy SeeByte Ltd.