In order to verify the technical specifications and ensure that the modem can be easily integrated into AWI’s infrastructure, an extensive set of tests was carried out at AWI in Bremerhaven which included a depth rating test to 6000m. The LUMA 250LP’s very low power consumption and compact size make it particularly well suited for long term deployments on battery-powered infrastructure. Hydromea will be demonstrating the modem at Ocean Business 2017 in Southampton.
During the first test carried out at AWI, a pair of modems communicated for several hours in a test chamber pressurized to 600bar and over 5 pressure cycles. During a second test, communication was established in a test tank over a distance of 5m.
All tests were carried out with the modems integrated into AWI’s underwater infrastructure with the modems serving as a drop-in replacement for a cabled connection. This replacement did not require any modification on the infrastructure side.
“The optical link established with the LUMA 250LP modems will allow us to directly communicate with our in-situ lander systems on the sea floor through a ROV. We can now verify the status of our sensors without bringing them to the surface and thus significantly improve our measurements at the seafloor and, at the same time, the efficiency of our ROV and ship time” says Frank Wenzhöfer of AWI’s Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology Division.
“The small size of the LUMA 250LP modem makes integration into our lander architecture very easy. Its low power consumption during standby is key due to the limited battery capacity” says Johannes Lemburg, engineer at the Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology Division.
The successful test demonstrates Hydromea’s expertise in underwater communication and its ability to deliver compact and power-efficient solutions without sacrificing performance.
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