Vectron Measures Tide Speeds
By Marine Technology Reporter
The Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE), in partnership with Nortek Scientific, announced the construction of what is touted as the world’s first instrument to provide high-resolution, real time measurements of turbulent water flow at turbine hub height, called the Vectron. Vectron is designed to capture accurate measurements of turbulence at a specific height above the sea over long periods of time, beneficial to understanding turbine performance. The FORCE test site in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, offers unique challenges and opportunities: the tidal flow boasts 14 billion metric tons of water moving at speeds in excess of five meters per second.
“The Vectron represents a significant international achievement in science, engineering and collaboration – the first continual, reliable measurement of turbulence through the water column,” said Eric Siegel, Innovation Director for Nortek Scientific. Vectron will be deployed on FORCE’s Fundy Advanced Sensor Technology (FAST) platform. The FAST platform is a recoverable instrument platform designed to monitor and characterize the FORCE site. Using a variety of onboard sensing equipment, the platform enables operation and testing of multiple underwater sensing instruments; new instrument improvements for success in high flow environments; new Canadian expertise in site characterization, instrumentation and deployment methods; and new standards for high-flow monitoring – a “black box” prototype for all tidal turbines.
www.fundyforce.ca
(As published in the November/December 2013 edition of Marine Technology Reporter - www.seadiscovery.com)
August 2026
