9a Attachment 6 Buoy Requirements.pdf

Attachment 6 Specifications

Specifications

Global Drifter Program (GDP) Drifter Requirement

Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

The drifters with “mini-drogues” shall include the following specifications:

Drifters shall be built according to the stated principles of construction in Attachment 1, the “SVP Drifter

Construction Manual” (Sybrandy, A.L. and Niller, P.P (1991): “WOCE/TOGA Lagrangian Drifter Construction

Manual”. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, SIO Reference 9116.58 pp., and updated in 2002, DBCP Tech

Document Number 88). This document is provided for general reference only and does not constitute a firm design requirement.

The contractor must provide Lagrangian drifters that are deployment-ready (calibrated, assembled, and tested), equipped with drogue, barometer capable of sampling air pressure at sea-level (optional), thermistor capable of sampling temperature, and magnet-activated switch. The position of the drifters will be determined through either the Argos or GPS satellite system and transmitted using the Argos or Iridium systems. A drogue presence tether strain sensor must also be present unless otherwise instructed by the GDP. Drifters shall be able to operate without exclusions, in all regions of the worlds oceans.

Drifters equipped with barometric ports shall be built according to the stated principles of construction in

Attachment 2, the “Global Drifter Programme Barometer Drifter Design Reference” (Sybrandy, A.L., et al.

(2009)). DBCP Report No. 4, Revision 2.2.

Main Specifications

1. Drifters shall use either the Argos or Iridium system to send data. If using Argos, they shall use a 60 to 90 second repetition rate, with a 100% duty cycle. The transmission power to Argos should be 1 watt or less. The Government reserves the right to take advantage of the best available technology for telecommunications (i.e., Argos III, Iridium, etc.). Should a contractor discover advanced technology, said contractor must demonstrate success and provide technical specifications and performance statistics before utilization.

2. Drifters shall have SST, Tether Strain, and Battery Voltage Sensors. The accuracy of the SST measurements shall be less than 0.1°C (and an accuracy of at least 0.05°C is preferred) and able to operate at least in the range of -5°C to 40°C. The required accuracy for air pressure measurements is less than or equal to 1mbar.

3. All sensor data (water temperature and air pressure) and engineering parameters, including the voltage of the battery shall be polled every 60 minutes and will be stored for transmission and reported through the satellite system of the Governments choice. All the engineering parameters necessary to evaluate the performance of the drifter, including but not limited to the battery voltage, shall be made accessible to the Government in real-time.

4. Drifters will be fitted with diode protected battery packs made of alkaline cells. The battery pack must be able to withstand the mechanical shock on deployment (at least 10m drop) when fitted inside the drifter.

5. Drifters will be powered primarily with batteries and shall not contain disposable lithium batteries. Manufacturer shall provide alkaline battery pack information (including individual battery manufacture and expiration dates, as well as battery pack manufacture date).

6. Drifters shall be built with a holey-sock “mini-drogue” that is a smaller version of the drogue specified in the “WOCE/TOGA Lagrangian Drifter Construction Manual” (Attachment 1). The length of the “mini-drogue” shall be chosen so the drag-area ratio of the complete drifter system is in excess of 40:1. Drifters shall use a “mini-drogue” with a deployed vertical center at 15m depth.

7. Drifters shall self-activate (in less than 30 minutes) after contact with water and shall otherwise be powered down during storage. The minimum required shelf life of drifters is three (3) years.

8. Drifters shall withstand impact with water on deployment from a moving vessel (ship), from heights of at least 10m and cruising speeds of at least 15 knots.

9. The format of the satellite messages shall adhere to the JCOMMOPS guidelines for SVP and

SVPB drifters data sharing (see http://www.jcommops.org/dbcp/data/sharing.html and contacts therein).

Specific “Mini-Drogue” Materials and Construction Specification:

1. The holey-sock shall be made from fray resistant, rip-stop, nylon cloth; diameter <65cm, length computed to provide a drag-area ratio of 40:1, when the surface float is fully submerged. Each segment of the holey-sock drogue shall have a pair of 30cm diameter opposing holes, with these holes offset by 90 degrees from each other from one segment to the next. Drogue shall be centered at 15m.

2. Inert ballast material shall be inserted into the lowest ring of the “mini-drogue” of sufficient weight that a net tension of 5lbs/2.25kg. will be exerted by the tether on a surface float.

3. Rings made of schedule 80 PVC tubing shall be used as the circular supporting framework for the drogue. These rings shall be drilled to allow flooding.

4. Attachment bridle of the drogue shall consist of hub and at least 5 spokes of 0.32 diameter polypropylene-impregnated wire rope radials, positively attached and epoxy-restrained at hub to tether from surface float. Radials attach to top PVC ring using abrasion resistant cushions fixed at 90 degrees spacing. 10cm long rubber air hose carroting shall be used to fit where radials enter the hub. Attachment point of tether to hub covered with a minimum of 15cm long polyurethane carrot.

5. The tether from the drogue to the float shall be a least 0.32cm in diameter, made of polypropylene impregnated wire rope. There shall be no sub-surface float attached to the tether.

The carrot to the spherical surface float shall be at least 15cm long.

6. The surface buoy of the drifter should be made with Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and shall be coated with appropriate anti-fouling paint that will provide protection for at least 450 days.

7. Drifter shall be light enough (less than 50lbs/23kg) to ensure that deployments by a single person from a variety of platforms, including Volunteer Observing Ships (VOS), are feasible.

8. The tether should be wrapped and taped with water soluble tape around a water soluble cardboard robe that should be left in place for deployment to prevent tangling. The water-soluble tape should include a “DO NOT REMOVE” diagram (Attachment 3).

9. The water-soluble tape should dissolve quickly after the drifter has been deployed, yet dissolve slow enough to promote the orderly release of the tether and drogue. To protect the water-soluble tape and warning instructions from weather and ocean elements prior to deployment, each drifter shall be wrapped in clear plastic. Deployment instructions (Attachment 4) shall be fastened to the outside of each individually-wrapped drifter.

10. Each drifter shall have the identification (ID) number clearly labeled on the surface float.

Shipping Arrangements

Drifters shall be placed in double walled cardboard boxes to ensure safe air, land, and sea transport (to both domestic and international destinations). Cardboard shipping boxes shall allow easy access for inspection of instrumentation at the point of delivery. Drifter shipments shall be placed on heat-treated pallets, in accordance with international customs clearance requirements.

Drifter shipments shall comply with the Interstate Commerce Commission regulations, uniform Freight

Classification Rules, or regulations of other carriers as applicable to the mode of transportation.

Delivery Schedule

Orders of twenty (20) or fewer drifters shall be delivered within sixty (60) calendar days after award of the order. Orders greater than twenty (20) drifters shall be delivered in increments of twenty (20), with the first twenty (20) drifters to be delivered within sixty (60) calendar days after award of the order and the remaining drifters to be delivered in increments of twenty (20) every thirty (30) calendar days thereafter. Example: Order placed for 65 drifters on 1 July. First 20 drifters due no later than 29 August, with the next 20 drifters due by 28

September, 20 more drifters due no later than 28 October, and the final 5 drifters due by 27 November. The government may specify in an order fewer drifters in each delivery, or to have deliveries over longer time intervals at their discretion.

Other Requirements

Contractor shall complete a specification sheet and submit it to the Government before the Government issues approval for payment and/or shipment of the drifters. Specification sheets shall meet the requirements of the Government and contain all information on the sample specification sheet provided (Attachment 5).

Reliability and Performance Metrics

No more than 4% of drifters per order shall fail on deployment (a drifter is said to have failed on deployment if it lasts less than 72 hours, or does not turn on within 48 hours.

Drifter power/battery life should last an average of 450 days and 90% of the drifter should be functional

(i.e., with all the sensors functioning and the drogue attached) for at least 90 days. With the variation of drogue tension throughout the global oceans, the Government expects drogues to stay attached on average of at least

270 days – longer is preferred. These averages will be determined using the quantity of drifters in each order, public data, or vendor-provided data when available.

Manufacturer shall pay shipping costs and make all shipping arrangements for any defective drifters returned to the manufacturer, as well as pay shipping costs and make all shipping arrangements to return said defective drifters to their previous location.