The SE40MD is a significant improvement in comparison to manual water sampling collection methods. Traditionally, water sample collection at depth is done manually using a Niskin bottle and this is laborious and inefficient in terms of resources in labor and time.
The fully autonomous SE40MD vessel measures 1.6 m in length and weighs 35 kg. It is easily handled by two people. The vessel can collect up to four one-liter samples or eight half-liter water samples at different depth intervals of 0.5 m down to 10 m in a single deployment. With an endurance of six hours, it is possible to carry out many sample collections. The vessel can be controlled using cellular mobile network which means an operator can monitor the progress from a sheltered control center via an internet connection.
To deploy the SE40MD, a program is used to create the sampling plan of collection at different locations and water depths. The SE40MD then autonomously goes about its task of water sampling. The collection hoses are flushed after each sample collection to ensure no cross contamination of the water sample at the next collection point. After the sampling collection is completed, only one person is needed to transfer the samples from the vessel to bottles for further laboratory analysis. The SE40MD is easily turned around within an hour for further work.
With a position accuracy of less than 1 m and a depth accuracy of 0.5 m, the SE40MD provides excellent comparative analysis of water quality. The data from the computer software can be further collated with the laboratory results for more in-depth analysis ashore.
James Soon, Zycraft’s General Manager expressed: “With increasing industrialization and concerns of microscopic waste, it is even more critical to ensure that drinking water resources are continuously monitored to be safe for human and livestock consumption. Having a system that allows 24/7 monitoring of water is essential as no one should let their guard down. The SE40MD is a unique system that ensures water quality monitoring is performed in an efficient and consistent manner.”
