OceanPack™ flow-through (inline) systems are also known as “FerryBox” or “Underway” systems. They measure all types of environmental parameters in sea water or fresh water such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH value, pCO₂, turbidity, nutrients and many more. A separate 19″ cabinet is available for high-precision wet-chemical nutrient analysis. Samplers for water (SubCtech’s ship-water-sampler) or filtration units for micro-plastics (SubCtech’s MP-Sampler) can also be operated.

In contrast to classical in-situ probes, all probes in the OceanPack™ are directly accessible and protected, service is simplified, and unattended operating times increase significantly.

Standardized technology for exact measurements

OceanPack™ systems can be used on any type of ship, in containers or laboratories, for science, authorities or industry.

OceanPack™ systems are standardized in 19″ technology to enable high modularity and simplified cost-efficient maintenance. In particular, simple operation on board under difficult conditions and short service times are essential features.

Our latest OceanPacks™ generation is the result of a continuous process of optimization and quality control. During the design process, we put emphasis on reliability, robustness, user-friendliness and cost-effectiveness.

To operate, OceanPacks™ are simply switched on or off without any further setup procedures. A control lamp signals with green “ok” and red “error” or “warning”. The operation and display of operating states can also be carried out by remote controls, e.g. by the ship engineer or from the ship’s helm or water laboratory.

The front door has an inspection windows so that the status can be checked quickly during routine tours by technicians. The OceanPack™ is protected against water jets, and still splash-proof even when open. Dampers protect against shocks and vibrations on ships.

As requested by our customers, we made all probes inside the OceanPack™ easily accessible. We streamlined the service procedures, resulting in significantly increased unattended operation times and reduced operation costs.

All components of the larger rack systems are mounted on movable drawers, the side doors can be removed. This means that all components can be reached on board even in confined spaces.

Due to our long-lasting expert-knowledge we are able to design a tailored underway system for your vessel. A purpose designed water supply is key for quality measurements. Our OceanPack™ can be connected with the ship’s sea water supply or rely on its own pumps. We offer solutions for installations below and above the water line and provide advice in the best applied pump technology: depending on your setup we install maintenance-free circulation pumps, self-priming membrane pumps or low-flow peristaltic pumps.

State-of-the-art technology for unattended functionality

The multi-stage automatic cleaning allows unattended automatic operation for several weeks. An effective control of biofouling is achieved by a combination of fresh water rinsing, (UV) light exposure and environmentally friendly cleaning solutions (e.g. acid). The autonomous operating time depends on the environmental conditions such as sediments. If necessary, automatic cleaning takes place in the port before switching off.

All tubes and cables have quick connections and can be removed without tools. Efficient air venting (debubbling) is carried out with our debubbler mBubbler®, which was specially designed for dissolved oxygen (DO) or pCO₂ gas measurements. The entire water cycle is closed and gas-tight to the environment. Additional space in the debubbler can be used for the installation of additional sensors.

Thus, all sensors measuring in the exact same water mass what is beneficial for the scientific interpretation of the data.

In order to improve the system stability and uninterrupted operations, we optimized the power supply unit of the OceanPack™ system. This equipment contains a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) and buffers small power failures by the ship. Also, it shuts down the system in the event of a larger power failure or in-port. This is essential for some sensors and analyzers. The entire internal supply of all components takes place via a 24V DC power distribution to keep power supply disturbances away from the sensors.

The measurement, control, data storage and data transfer is carried out by the new NetDI® controller. Operation is intuitive, analogous to that of a Smartphone. Therefore, no special knowledge is necessary for the basic operation. There are no viruses, constant updates and crashing computers. Since the NetDI® platform is also used for our offshore Oil+Gas products, the technology is well certified and long-term available.

Almost all probes or analyzers can be operated with the new NetDI® controller. The NetDI® controller can operate up to 30 serial interfaces (RS-32, RS-485 – galvanic isolated). Analogous inputs with 24bits (18bits effective) are also available.

The data is internally recorded on an up to 32GB HDSD card in a standardized readable ASCII file / CV format. All transmissions are made according to the NMEA-0183 standard – SubCtech is a member of the NMEA Association.

A 7″ touchscreen gives you full control of the system by providing a comprehensive overview of the operating status and all incoming data. If required, deep diagnostic menus can be used. Configurations can also be changed using simple, intuitive menus.

Updates and new configurations are imported via the USB port. Data files and log files can also be downloaded. A complete remote operation via Ethernet / WLAN or satellite telemetry is planned.

The SubCtech pCO₂ analyzers with NDIR LI-COR® Biosciences LI-850x or laser-spectrometer Los-Gatos greenhouse-gas-analyzers are fully integrated. Based on the same hard- and software platform as the OceanPack™, our pCO2 analyzers shares the same features as user-friendliness, robustness and easy-handling. The control and operation is also carried out with the NetDI® controller with its own 7″ touchscreen. The flat silicone membrane equilibrator (patent pending) with quick-change cassette has a fast response time and extremely long life. It is robust against sediments or bio-fouling.

Qualification with optional regular calibrations and reference measurements with external standard gases ensures a high-quality level, and the measurements can be recorded in the SOCAT database.

The OceanPack™ systems are available in different versions for different spaces and different applications.

“As a result of advices made by SEABIRD, JCOMM’s Ship Observations Team and new scientific partner GEOMAR, the development and maintenance of the flow-through system was outsourced and is now fully realized by SubCtech.

• A preconsulting session on our construction site in France was organized within a few days.
• The existing OceanPack system was redesigned.
• The micro-version comes with pump, debubbler, filter, flowmeter and datalogger that fit exactly our requirements.
• The system and its integrated pCO₂ sensor were delivered on time by SubCtech’s manager Stefan Marx to our construction site.
• SubCtech installed the Micro-OceanPack and assisted during all test and result sessions at sea and in Paris.

The OceanPack represents a milestone for the SolOceans one-design.“

M. Kramp, Oceanology International 2010, Conference