Split-Release Benthic Lander for Diver-Free Seafloor Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deploying benthic microbial fuel cells (BMFCs) and other devices at the bottom of marine environments is costly, time-consuming, and challenging due to the need for divers, which is impractical in deep or sensitive areas, and BMFC anodes are delicate, complicating their installation.
Innovation Solution
A benthic lander system with a frame structure, pressure vessels, and a weight structure that autonomously decouples, allowing for deployment and retrieval without divers, featuring a mat to create an anaerobic environment for BMFC anodes and a timing mechanism for weight release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If divers are used to install BMFC anodes into the sediment, then the installation can be performed manually with precision, but the deployment becomes costly, time consuming, and limited to shallow depths
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the deployment function into separate components: a deployment frame for precise anode installation, a weight structure for controlled sinking, and a timing mechanism for autonomous weight release. This segmentation allows the precision installation function to be separated from the deployment logistics, enabling efficient automated deployment while maintaining installation quality
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment frame acts as an intermediary device between the deployment mechanism and the BMFC anodes. It provides a structured interface that guides anodes into the sediment with proper positioning, ensuring precise installation without requiring diver intervention while maintaining installation accuracy
2Reliability
If divers are used for deployment, then delicate BMFC anodes can be handled carefully, but the operation is restricted to depths less than 100 ft and sensitive areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs autonomous functionality through a timing mechanism that automatically triggers weight release after a predetermined period. The deployment frame self-guides the anodes into position, and the weight structure autonomously detaches, eliminating the need for diver intervention and enabling deployment in deep or sensitive environments while maintaining anode integrity through controlled, gentle placement
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares the deployment frame and weight structure in advance for automated operation. The timing mechanism is pre-set to trigger weight release at the appropriate moment, and the deployment frame is pre-configured with guides and positioning features to ensure delicate anodes are handled carefully during autonomous deployment, expanding operational depth and environment capabilities
3Productivity
If a complete BMFC system is deployed at once, then all components are available immediately, but retrieval requires recovering the entire heavy structure
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the deployment structure into a permanent frame that remains at the deployment site and a temporary weight structure that is released after deployment. This allows the complete BMFC system to be deployed ready for operation while enabling easy retrieval by simply removing the weight, reducing retrieval difficulty without compromising deployment readiness
Solution Approach 2:
The weight structure is designed to be temporarily attached during deployment and then discarded (autonomously released) after the predetermined period. This allows the heavy weight to be used only when needed for deployment, and then recovered (released) to facilitate easy retrieval of the frame and BMFC components, balancing deployment readiness with retrieval ease
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables cost-effective and efficient deployment and retrieval of devices at the ocean floor, ensuring the integrity of BMFC anodes and other equipment, while maintaining an anaerobic condition for microbial activity.
Implementation Method 1
The weight structure is configured to autonomously decouple from the frame structure a period of time after the benthic landing system reaches a benthic floor
Implementation Method 2
The anode electrode is typically buried in the seafloor sediment at a depth sufficient to sustain anaerobic metabolic activity of surrounding microbial colonies. As the microbes consume surrounding nutrients they convert organic compounds into a small, but harvestable amount of electrical energy
Implementation Method 3
The anode electrode is typically buried in the seafloor sediment at a depth sufficient to sustain anaerobic metabolic activity of surrounding microbial colonies
Data Source
AI summary
A benthic lander can include a frame structure that comprises a plurality of frames, wherein each frame is formed with a central aperture, and a first plurality of coupling structures coupling adjacent frames of the plurality of frames. The benthic lander can also include at least one pressure vessel formed with an interior cavity comprising electronics disposed within the interior cavity. Each pressure vessel can be disposed within the central aperture of at least one frame of the plurality of frames such that the at least one frame holds the pressure vessel in place. A weight structure can be disposed underneath the frame structure, wherein the weight structure is removably coupled to the frame structure.