Marine and Maritime Technology
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The future of aquaculture? ( 27/12/2005 ) Free-range farmed fish. Sea cages that sail off to the south and deliver their fish by themselves. Large autonomous fish farms that float unmoored in the sea. This could be the aquaculture of the future. More in the NTNU/Sintef research magazine Gemini
The future of maritime technology? ( 27/12/2005 ) A spectacular platform has been designed to drift across the oceans of the world with the aid of the currents and the wind. More in the NTNU/Sintef research magazine Gemini
UNWANTED TRAWL CATCHES ( 27/12/2005 ) The oceans' wild fish resources are limited, so it is critical that trawl nets do not catch unwanted species or small/under-sized fish. The water flow in and surrounding a trawl net's construction is an important factor in this context. Arne Fredheim's recently completed doctoral work at NTNU involved developing an approach for calculating the water flow in and around trawl nets. The methods can be used to design trawls that will prevent undesired catches, as well as for the design and control of water flow through nets intended for fish farming. (Story form Gemini )
"TENSEGRITY"– SPACE TECHNOLOGY IN THE OCEAN (27/12/2005) In their search for better solutions for the aquaculture, fishing and offshore industries, researchers are about to adopt a new design principle known as “Tensegrity” which enables plants to bend with the wind without breaking, and allows them to return to their original shape afterwards.
The ambition of NTNU and SINTEF is to utilise this type of construction at sea. Traditionally, designers have enabled marine structures to withstand loads by making them strong. Smart structures represent a different philosophy of design, one that prefers adaptation and cooperation to raw strength. The researchers envision slender, intelligent structures that adapt to wave loads instead of fighting them. One of the aims is to develop “smart” sea-cages for fish farming. If necessary, a smart aquaculture sea-cage will change its own shape, so that it reduces the cross-sectional area that it presents to the waves. If there is little current and thus relatively little oxygen available to the fish, it will increase the area turned towards the direction of the waves. (Story form Gemini )
Engineering feat of the year (19.12.2005) The leading Norwegian technology review – Teknisk ukeblad – has awarded a ship design the title “Engineering feat” of 2005. The Ulstein Group has developed the X-Bow design (pic. Ulstein Group). Chief designer is the NTNU alumni Øyvind Gjerde Kamsvåg. The price will be formally awarded at Kursdagene in Trondheim in January 2006.
Aquaculture Centre of Technology (19.12.2005) Finally a five-year planning period is over. The Aquaculture Centre of Technology (ACT) will be in operation from the summer of 2006. The centre will be committed to the testing different technologies with relevance to aquaculture, such as automation of flexible structures, instrumentation, environmentally friendly technology, functional designs, security technology and the testing of new materials, says Alexandra Neyts, which is the project director of Design ACT. 45 million kroners are to be invested into the facilities over the three-year period. The EU framework programme supports the Centre, along with NTNU, SINTEF and municipalities and regional authorities. More (in Nor.) on this story
Cybernetics to the rescue (19.12.2005) Former students fresh out of cybernetics studies at NTNU, have developed a promising prototype for a new kind of search light. This will automatically lock on to a person floating in the sea. The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue has expressed its interest in the invention. The search light will be able to operate with no human assistance. The product will be able to compensate for the vessels movements in the sea, while an IR-camera will provide for a “lock on target” function. Of course, the technology can be used to follow any kind of object at sea. The students behind the idea have established the company SEC to develop and marked the product, which is patented in Norway and in the US . More on this story in TU (Nor. only) | Department of Engineering Cybernetics has many cross-disciplinary projects with the maritime research community |
CodTech (09.12.2005) Codtech is a research programme focusing on juvenile cod. The main objective of the programme is to contribute to further technological development and education of highly competent doctor and master candidates in the field of intensive marine juvenile technology, with main emphasize on cod. Learn more about Codtech.
Sailing along smoothly (10.06.2005) Norway 's rich maritime history has helped shape its destiny. Researchers and research facilities, including the Maritime Research Institute backed by the Marine Technology Centre at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim , are dedicated to building the next-generation super-ships. See what the English-speaking daily Gulf News has to say about Norway 's maritime industry and NTNU.
Rolls Royce Marine goes Norwegian ( 13/05/2005 ) Rolls Royce recently established its first Norwegian research centre at NTNU and Marintek in Trondheim . The model for cooperation with academia is called University Technology Center (UTC). Rolls Royce has worked with NTNU on earlier occasions, and knows that the ships and structures research groups possess the skills Rolls Royce needs. The UTC is labelled "Propulsion in a Seaway." Press release | Universitetsavisa (m/ web-TV fra åpningen) | Dagens Næringsliv.
Farming cod for the future ( 22/03/2005 ) Fish farming - primarily of salmon - is a major export industry in Norway . The farming of cod has for many years now met serious problems towards being a large-scale and profitable industry. Especially the steady production of cod fry has proved to be a challenge. The goal is to make cod farming as big an industry as salmon has been. "CODTECH - A process oriented approach to intensive production of juveniles with emphasis in cod"- is the name of a project addressing this problem. CODTECH has developed a model that describes the optimal breeding conditions for cod juveniles on the basis of already existing knowledge. This according to the project leader, professor Yngvar Olsen at the Department of Biology. The project follows a "cybernetic model", in the sense that the researchers seek to automate the production process, by eradicating as many of the coincidences as possible. The project includes biologists and engineering scientists like. Their cybernetic model would be impossible to develop with only one of the disciplines, according to Olsen. ( From the newsletter of "Havbruk" at The Research Council of Norway) Research: More on CODTECH | Fish farming and aquaculture | Cod | Cybernetics
Shipping accidents don't just happen; they are caused (11/02/2005) A forth of the world's shipping fleet causes more than half of all shipping accidents on a global basis. The safest forth of all ships represents only seven per cent of the accidents. This leads MSc. Torkel Soma (30) to believe there is a great potential for improving the fatal statistics in his doctoral thesis: "Blue-chip or sub-standard - a data interrogation approach to identify safety characteristics of shipping organisations"
Making food from water ( 28/01/2005 ) Invisible but invaluable: raised in steel tanks, a tiny marine creature is capable of producing Omega-3 fat, a product in great demand. "To put it very simply, you could say that we are trying to produce fish feed and dietary supplements from seawater", says SINTEF's Jose Rainuzzo. The marine and maritime research community at NTNU has many joint projects with SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture . Research: Biotechnology | Aquaculture | Food
One herring, two herring ( 28/01/2005 ) Counting fish is difficult. But in the future laser technology may make the task fast and efficient. The new laser is mounted in the belly of a plane that flies just 300 metres over the surface of the sea. Laser counting technology isn't yet fully developed for commercial use, but the prototype is already cheaper and quicker than current tallying techniques. Lidar (light detection and ranging) is a kind of radar that makes use of laser light instead of radio waves. This is a project from the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications . Research: Lasar technology | Fish enumeration | Electronics
Super fast cargo ship( 28/01/2005 ) If you take a Polynesian canoe, add creative engineers, modern propulsion technology and advanced calculation programs, you get a pentamaran.
The pentamaran or super fast cargo ship of the future is constructed and designed at MARINTEK in close co-operation with English consultancy company Nigel Gee and Associates Limited. The final polish of the ship, which has the descriptive name Seabridge, is currently taking place at the Ship and Ocean Laboratory in Trondheim .
The ship is 300m long, as slim as a pen and crosses the Atlantic Ocean in less than a week - even if it is fully loaded with heavy articulated lorries. The boat has five hulls. The main hull is so long and narrow that it requires four support hulls to maintain stability. Two of the support hulls are under the water, while the other two are just above the surface. With its special form, the vessel can maintain a speed that other cargo ships can just dream of: a cruising speed of 40 knots (75 km/h). With such velocity, the enormous cargo ship will compete with land transport. The idea is that it will transport heavy cargo along the coat of the United States , in the Mediterranean and between northern and southern Europe to relieve the increasing congestion on the roading network. (From Gemini .)
Study of seagoing motorway ( 28/01/2005 ) The limitations imposed by the highway network will not set a ceiling on Norwegian exports of fresh fish. Analyses carried out by SINTEF and a number of Norwegian industrial companies conclude that medium-fast vessels sailing from Western Norway to the Continent could offer a competitive alternative to trailer transport.
The figure shows a preliminary vessel design produced by Rolls Royce Marine. So far, the conclusions reached by the study are that: Sea transport would involve shorter transport times than road transport. Shipping is competitive with road transport even at less than 50% capacity utilisation. This means that vessels could travel back to Norway empty. A speed of 22 - 28 knots would provide good stability - i.e. not too much shaking of sensitive cargoes. Weather statistics for the North Sea show that only three percent of all sailings of such vessels would result in delayed arrivals. Logistics specialists and technology development experts are working side by side on the project.
Naval architects from Rolls Royce Marine have fed the project with preliminary designs for a medium-fast fresh-fish vessel, while specialists on cargo-carriers have also submitted proposals for technical solutions. All the data supplied have been used as a basis for the financial calculations. The project is being financially supported by the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Shipowners' Association. (From Gemini.)
Dynamic positioning ( 19/12/2004 ) A Norwegian developed simulator for vessels with dynamic positioning systems provides increased safety and reduced costs offshore, writes Teknisk ukeblad . A dynamic positioning system automatically and stably holds a vessel on a defined spot. Marine Cybernetics - a start-up from the NTNU and SINTEF research environment - is behind the product CyberSea Simulator. Statoil, DNV, Kongsberg Maritime and Norwegian authorities did the testing of the equipment. Research: Dynamic positioning systems | Offshore engineering | Cybernetics
Wave energy ( 19/12/2004 ) A Norwegian industrialist and investor is putting new hopes in wave energy. A technology based on use of a modified offshore oil platform with "bathing balls" attached underneath has already been launched outside Karmøy on the Norwegian coast in one third sized model. Full-scale platforms are due launched in 2005. These will go through extensive tests before that time, with the help of Centre for Ships and Ocean Structures at NTNU. Research: Wave energy
Last Updated: 09.10.2006
