Developing a power monitoring and protection system for the junction boxes of an experimental seafloor observatory network

A power monitoring and protection system based on an embedded processor was designed for the junction boxes(JBs) of an experimental seafloor observatory network in China. The system exhibits high reliability, fast response, and high real-time performance. A two-step power management method which uses metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors(MOSFETs) and a mechanical contactor in series was adopted to generate a reliable power switch, to limit surge currents and to facilitate automatic protection. Grounding fault diagnosis and environmental monitoring were conducted by designing a grounding fault detection circuit and by using selected sensors, respectively. The data collected from the JBs must be time-stamped for analysis and for correlation with other events and data. A highly precise system time, which is necessary for synchronizing the times within and across nodes, was generated through the IEEE 1588(precision clock synchronization protocol for networked measurement and control systems) time synchronization method. In this method, time packets were exchanged between the grandmaster clock at the shore station and the slave clock module of the system. All the sections were verified individually in the laboratory prior to a sea trial. Finally, a subsystem for power monitoring and protection was integrated into the complete node system, installed in a frame, and deployed in the South China Sea. Results of the laboratory and sea trial experiments demonstrated that the developed system was effective, stable, reliable, and suitable for continuous deep-sea operation.

IEEE 1588 based time synchronization system for a seafloor observatory network

An IEEE 1588 based application scheme was proposed to achieve accurate time synchronization for a deep seafloor observatory network based on the communication topological structure of the Zhejiang University Experimental and Research Observatory.The principles of the network time protocol(NTP)and precision time protocol(PTP)were analyzed.The framework for time synchronization of the shore station,undersea junction box layer,and submarine science instrument layer was designed.NTP and PTP network signals were decoded by a PTP master clock on a shore station that receives signals from the Global Positioning System and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System as reference time sources.These signals were remotely transmitted by a subsea optical–electrical composite cable through an Ethernet passive optical network.Accurate time was determined by time synchronization devices in each layer.Synchronization monitoring experiments performed within a laboratory environment indicated that the proposed system is valid and has the potential to realize microsecond accuracy to satisfy the time synchronization requirements of a high-precision seafloor observatory network.

A Remotely Operated Serial Sampler for Collecting Gas-Tight Fluid Samples

This paper describes the design, construction and preliminary test results for a gas-tight serial sampler intended to be deployed at seafloor for long-term operation to take time-series fluid samples from deep-sea environments such as cold seeps, water column and hydrothermal vents. The serial sampler is a modular system that is based on independent and identical sampling modules, which are designed to collect six 160 ml gas-tight fluid samples maintained at high pressure to a depth of 4000 meters. With two working modes, the sampler can be deployed either with seafloor cabled observatory for remote control or as a stand-alone device for autonomous operation. A prototype of the instrument has been constructed and tested on the MARS cabled observatory for two months. The laboratory and field tests proved the success of the design and construction of the serial sampler, and indicated the potential for future ocean sciences.