EurOCEAN 2000 - Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee

3. Status of the project in the second quarter of 2000-04-27
3.1 The second quarter of 2000, the last year of the project which was extended to Dec. 31,
2000, is characterized by
• full scale onshore tests of the HYACE tools, the autoclave downhole rotary corer (HRC),
the autoclave percussion corer (HPC), to be also used in softer sediment as a downhole
actuated push corer, and pressurised core transfer mechanism, including a laboratory test
chamber, LTC,
• by preparation of the deepsea technical feasibility test with ODP´s RV "Joides Resolution"
on Leg 191, July-September 2000 in the Northwest Pacific,
• by finalization of delayed ancillary tasks and subwork packages, preparation of the project
termination, documentation, further uses and further project development.
3.2 The full scale onshore tests in ITE´s facilities at TU Clausthal, Germany, had started with
tests of subsystems and with an additional vertical motion simulator developed and
provided by IFREMER in late February. At he same time, the core transfer mechanism
and the laboratory storage chamber were built and tested.
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The downhole rotary corer was further assembled in March. Since April both systems, the
downhole rotary corer and the downhole percussion corer are being tested. The test series
include:
• functional tests of all systems and subsystems, including the core transfer mechanism,
• tests and parameter determination of both tools in simulating sediment, frozen fine
sand, stiff clay; parameters being rpm, thrust, torque, pump pressure and flow
variations; cuttings removal, core recovery (quantity and quality),
• performance optimization, documentation,
• establish assembly, operation, handling and maintenance details for the operation
handbook,
• final safety checks and verification (TÜV),
• performance demonstration to partners, ODP, the EU and other interested parties.
3.3 Preparation for deepsea technical feasibility testing of the downhole systems and the core
transfer mechanism aims at ODP´s Leg 191, and technical feasibility testing on the
Shatsky Rise in the NW Pacific in particular. This Leg is scheduled for Yokohama /Japan,
July 14, to Guam, September 15. Test drilling will take place in (indurated) carbonate
sediments in 2000-3000m of waterdeepth. Altogether 72 h of testing are being planned.
Goals will be:
• technical/ functional performance in the ODP standard scientific drilling system,
• pumping down of tools, landing, coring, drilling, core retrieval, autoclaving, tool
retrieval on board, core transfer to laboratory pressure vessels,
• performance parameters, depending on geochemical properties,
• operational, handling and performance optimisation,
• completion of the draft operational manual,
• preparation of gas hydrate applications (ODP Leg 199, fourth quarter of 2001, Gas
hydrate Ridge/ Oregon and further gas hydrate applications).
Alternatively , technical feasibility tests on ODP Leg 194, Marion Plateau, east of
Australia, are considered for the beginning of 2001.