Resinex supplied syntactic foam modules to ensure net lift at a depth of 6000 meters, for two ROVs used by the German research institute Geomar.
Resinex has provided syntactic foam modules and floats to guarantee buoyancy at 6000 m depth for two elevators used by Geomar Institute during the expedition SO242-2 in Ecuador in summer 2015.
The Geomar expedition SO242-2 took place between 28th of August and 1st of October 2015 and led from Guyayaquil, Ecuador, into the Peru Basin in the southern tropical Pacific and back to Guyayaquil.
The two elevators were used to transport ROV-modules, sampling and experimental gear to the seafloor and back to the surface and to increase the efficiency of the ROV’s bottom time, during cruise SO242-2.
Whereas the first elevator has been used already on several cruises together with ROV KIEL 6000, the second one was newly designed in view of the large number and variety of different modules to be used during this cruise.
Both elevators were equipped with Resinex blocks of syntactic foam for floatation rated at 6000 m depth, with direction finding beacons for location at the seafloor, with dual KUM releasers and manual emergency release with ROV, together with flasher and radio beacon for relocation on the sea surface during recovery by using Resinex floatation line.
During the cruise, various equipment in different combination had to be transported by both elevators, either to be deployed and put back on the elevator by the ROV and/or used mounted permanently on the elevator and filled with samples by the ROV or attracted by bait.
Careful planning was needed to use the available space and payload of both elevators, secure the equipment during descent and recovery as well during ROV operations by the pilots.
In the middle of the elevator a box with a Resinex flotation line is visible, which can be released by the ROV pulling the orange line to facilitate the recovery of the elevator at the sea surface. Resinex confirms its capacity to produce syntactic foam modules up to 10000 m with ad-hoc shapes for customers.
