Measurements & Instrumentation

Current speed and wave measurements are critical for assessing the resource and hydrodynamic characteristics at an MHK site.  Sandia’s team has the capability and sensors/instrumentation for conducting field- and laboratory-scale measurements, such as ADCPs, ADVs, echo sounders, and a survey boat.

Wave and current energy converters withstand millions of load cycles throughout their lifetime. Mechanical and structural load measurements are essential for design validation, certification and structural health monitoring of the device. Sandia has been assisting industry partners to measure and monitor loads in both laboratory- and field-scale testing, using load cells, torque transducers, fiber-Bragg grating sensors, and distributed fiber optic sensors.

Related Efforts

• Roza Canal project
• Roza Canal hydrokinetic testing – rotor torque and thrust measurements
• Verdant RITE site project
• DOE Reference Model project
  • DOE RM1 & RM2 testing at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnessotta
  • DOE RM2 testing at University of New Hampshire
  • DOE Reference Model 2 blade strain measurements
• Advanced Materials project
• Ocean Renewable Power Company FOA 1663 support – embedded fiber optic sensor for rotor strain measurements
• Mooring load measurements using underwater wireless telemetry
• WEC hull strain measurements using fiber Bragg grating sensors
• Development of IEC -3 Mechanical load measurements