dotOcean has designed an innovative geotechnical profiling system for deep sea waters, the Deep Sea GraviProbe.
The system’s cone is lowered in the underwater sediment layer, analyzing those layers during intrusion.
Under its own weight it penetrates loose and consolidated mud layers and measuring dynamic tip resistance as a Qc value. The data acquired from the cone, on-board accelerometers, inclinometers and pressure sensors is determining the geotechnical parameters of the intruded medium (Qc over depth and Su over depth).
The system is capable of collecting data at 5500 m depths and has a measurement resolution of 100 Pa.
A regular A-frame can be used and there is no need for a dynamic positioning vessel. Furthermore the Deep Sea GraviProbe does not need a data cable, all data is stored internally.
This new approach results in a rapid deployment and in a high data collection rate. Only 10 seconds is required for one measurement, so in a single day data more than 100 measurement points can be collected.
The instrument is complementary with classic seabed CPT’s and gathers strength information of seabed intrusion depths from 0 to 4 meter at operational depths from 1 to 5500m. The profiler can gather valuable information on the seabed to support offshore construction, manifold and cable installation, mining and anchoring.