Redundancy in Hydrographic Surveys: Why it Matters and How Surfbee FlowSeeker Ensures It
In the world of hydrography and water velocity profiling, precision and reliability are non-negotiable. One key principle that bolsters these vital traits is redundancy – the incorporation of backup components or systems to increase reliability and reduce the risks associated with single points of failure.
This principle is especially critical when it comes to the operation of autonomous marine vessels such as the Surfbee FlowSeeker. Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) that are carried onboard these vessels are often extremely valuable, making the safety and successful retrieval of the vessel a top priority.
The Surfbee FlowSeeker incorporates a unique design feature to address this very need: the Auxiliary Propulsion Unit (APU). The APU is mounted on top of the vessel, providing an additional layer of propulsion redundancy. In the event that one of the primary thrusters becomes jammed or disabled while the boat is in the field, the APU can be activated to navigate the boat back to shore safely.
But why is redundancy so important?
Risk Mitigation: The primary benefit of redundancy is that it reduces the risk of total system failure. With an additional propulsion unit, the risk of losing control of the vessel due to a malfunction in the primary thruster system is significantly reduced.
Cost Efficiency: ADCPs are expensive pieces of equipment. Ensuring their safe return prevents the high costs associated with equipment loss and replacement.
Data Integrity: In the case of a malfunction during a survey, redundancy allows the vessel to complete its mission, ensuring that the valuable data gathered is not lost or compromised.
Increased Confidence: Knowing that there is a backup in place in case of failure can greatly improve confidence in the deployment of the vessel, especially in challenging or hazardous water conditions.
Maximized Operational Uptime: Redundancy allows for continued operation even in the case of a component failure, which means the work can go on, and downtime is minimized.
Surfbee is committed to developing reliable, robust solutions for hydrography professionals. That’s why we’ve designed the FlowSeeker with an APU to provide a fail-safe against potential primary thruster failure. This backup system ensures that no matter the circumstance, your FlowSeeker can be safely retrieved, and your expensive ADCP equipment protected.
By incorporating redundancy into our designs, we strive to provide peace of mind to our clients while offering the best, most reliable autonomous marine surveying solutions on the market. Watch our latest video [insert video link here] to see the Surfbee FlowSeeker’s Auxiliary Propulsion Unit in action.
At Surfbee, we are charting the course for safer, more reliable hydrographic surveys, one autonomous boat at a time. Stay tuned as we continue to innovate, providing state-of-the-art solutions for the world of hydrography.
