Project Details
Projekt
Mobile system for in-situ measurement of marine environmental data
Subject Area
Systems Engineering
Term
Funded in 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 556350625
The Chair of Ship Design at the University of Rostock is applying for funding for a mobile system to measure local sea state, wind and current data on board ships or on platforms. The system consists of two components on the sensor side: an X-band radar with a downstream processor unit that measures sea state and current parameters from the radar backscatter, and a high-precision ultrasonic anemometer for measuring wind speed and direction. A server equipped with special software is used to process and store the raw data. Knowledge of local environmental data represents a critical building block on the way to a better understanding of ship performance in real operating conditions. This topic is central in LSB's research portfolio and previous research activities of the applicant. With the introduction of legal limits for CO2 emissions of seagoing vessels by the International Maritime Organisation, factors influencing ship performance indicators such as the Carbon Intensity Indicator have come into the focus of ship owners and designers. The environmental conditions prevailing at a ship's current position are of central importance for these considerations. Waves cause ship motions and, like wind, create added resistance that must be accounted for by increased propulsion power. The local current conditions also influence a ship’s speed over ground. Local wave data in particular are usually obtained from external weather providers and are based on forecast models with a coarse temporal and spatial resolution, sometimes with considerable uncertainties. This leads to inaccuracies in the assessment of the influence on the performance of ships. Another area of application for the requested device is its integration into decision support systems for marine operations on board offshore vessels. Knowledge of local environmental conditions can be used to determine favourable weather windows for sensitive operations such as crane operations or the transfer of personnel to and from offshore wind turbines. Mounted on fixed offshore platforms, the device is also suitable for recording marine environmental data over longer periods of time. This serves the generation of statistical data bases such as wave scatter diagrams (frequency of occurrence of certain wave heights and periods) for a specific sea area. The research vessel LIMANDA of the Interdisciplinary Faculty of the University of Rostock will be used for initial measurement campaigns. However, it is possible with relatively little effort to install the device on board various ships to carry out temporary measurements. Another concrete location for using the device is the research platform at the Nienhagen Artificial Reef.
DFG Programme
Major Research Instrumentation
Major Instrumentation
Mobiles Erfassungssystem für lokale marine Umweltdaten
Instrumentation Group
6670 Radaranlagen (außer Distanzmesser 062 und Doppler-Radar 664 und 886)
Applicant Institution
Universität Rostock
