New Generation Offshore Communications Technology Links Wireless to Fiber

By Vincent Grymonprez, C.E.O., Rigmesh, Inc., Houston, TX

Complex challenges demand new solutions. In the deepwater offshore arena, exploration continues to move into increasingly remote areas, many with a myriad of technical challenges to overcome. This has led to a growing demand for more bandwidth to handle complex, multifaceted communications between multiple vessels and subcontractors at the offshore location, coupled with the need to be able to communicate reliably with onshore personnel.

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Intelligent, Self-Healing Mesh Networks

By Brian Lavallée, Director of Submarine Industry Marketing, Ciena

Fueling Borderless Communications
Globalization is fueling our dependence on the global network that encompasses our planet, creating an essentially borderless information-sharing network. A conservative increase in bandwidth demands of 50% CAGR is resulting in undersea cable upgrades—from 2.5Gb/s and 10Gb/s to 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s channel rates—bringing transported capacities to unprecedented levels. The unabated bandwidth demand growth is primarily driven by more users coming online with faster broadband connections, coupled with increasingly popular video-centric content. Although meeting this demand growth is a popular topic within the submarine networking industry, open discussions on how this significant increase in undersea cable capacity will be protected has been overshadowed. Traditional ring-based protection pales in comparison to the improved level of network resilience offered by self-healing, mesh-based networks implemented with an intelligent Control Plane.

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Challenges and Promise of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

Challenges and Promise of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

Duke Hartman, Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc.

Overview

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a process that generates electricity using temperature differences that naturally occur in the ocean. The surface of the tropical ocean captures and stores solar thermal energy in its upper layers 24/7, year-round, that can be converted to electricity using a power cycle. An offshore floating OTEC plant pumps deep cold seawater and warm surface seawater through heat exchangers to boil a refrigerant that drives a turbine to generate electricity. Rising electricity costs, increased concerns for global warming, and a political commitment to energy security have made OTEC attractive in tropical regions where a high percentage of electricity production is oil based. OTEC power plants operating a few miles from the coast could furnish baseload electrical power at a predictable cost with no significant air pollution.

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For more than 25 years, Ocean News & Technology has been the preferred news publication to the global oceans industry. Executive-level personnel, including owners, CEO's, presidents, managers, scientists and engineers turn to ON&T for concise news and up-to-date technology information.

Published 11 times a year in digital and print formats, Ocean News & Technology features news and technical articles for the broad spectrum of the oceans industry, including ocean science, offshore energy, communications, defence, subsea survey, underwater vehicles, underwater imaging, marine technology, and maritime security.