Hydrosphere supplies buoys for Met Office

Hydrosphere has a three year contract to design and supply IALA compliant deep ocean moored buoys to the Met Office. The DB 8000 buoys will be deployed to replace those currently installed at marine automatic weather stations extending from the Bay of Biscay to the northwest of Scotland.

The first of these buoys has been installed at Turbot Bank off Milford Haven and a second buoy at K7, a station situated halfway between Scotland and the Faroes. The extreme weather conditions of this location mean that the data buoy is exposed to waves of up to 20m and wind gusts of 100+ knots. The robust design of the DB 8000 enables it to withstand these conditions and last for long periods without interim servicing.

The buoy’s 3m diameter hull is constructed from multiple section polyethylene floats that are bolted around a central steel structure, with through-hull access for underwater instrumentation and cabling. The large marine grade aluminium towers of the DB 8000 allow their large equipment payloads to be placed in a protected location.

The meteorological sensors and antennae are mounted within a strong protection ring whilst still allowing exposure to the elements that they are installed to measure. A large range of batteries, solar panels and other sensors can be fitted. The modular design of the DB 8000 means it can be tailored to customer requirements, making it a flexible platform that is highly suitable for the next round of offshore wind farm data buoys.