Above Board Summer Edition 2014/15

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AMC IS A SPECIALIST INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA

Model of innovation

Learning on the job

Visual systems modeller Lee Coogan harnesses her keen eye for detail to make training simulations come to life

A team effort and hands-on approach is used to build and develop practical engineering skills

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#7

SUMMER 2014/15

amc.edu.au

A bi-annual publication of the Australian Maritime College

breaking

the ice Simulation technology could help revolutionise Antarctic expedition training

Ground-breaking: Researcher and trainer Paul Brown is developing models of the Antarctic sea ice and the icebreaker Aurora Australis for his PhD project.

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avigating safe passage through the frozen waters of Antarctica is a challenging task for even the most experienced icebreaker pilots. Antarctic ice is often covered with snow which makes it so tacky in consistency it is referred to as “superglue” or “honey ice”. These characteristics mean Antarctic ice is much harder to break through than its Arctic counterpart. The pilots use radar systems to find the best path or “lead” through the ice – but with more than 90 per cent of an iceberg’s mass underwater, looks can be deceiving. To add another layer of difficulty, when ice is broken it refreezes and the break becomes thicker than the surrounding ice. Pilots must try to avoid these areas by identifying

Picture: Scott Gelston

‘The Aurora Australis uses 24,000 litres of fuel a day and that amount doubles to 45,000 litres a day when she is ice breaking’ leads before they freeze over again. Research in progress at the Centre for Maritime Simulations is striving to better prepare icebreaker crews for these conditions by training them in a risk-free virtual environment. In a world first, maritime trainer and researcher Paul Brown will model P&O vessel Aurora Australis and the Antarctic sea ice for his project, “Can maritime simulation capabilities be developed to provide a valid Antarctic ice training environment?” Mr Brown said virtual training provided a

raft of educational, economic and environmental benefits. “It would be too costly for the crew to do their ice training in Antarctica,” he said. “The Aurora Australis uses 24,000 litres of fuel a day and that amount doubles to 45,000 litres a day when she is ice breaking. As well as that cost, there is the wear and tear on the ship and the impact on the environment to take into account.” A key area of focus will be risk management and contingency planning – for example, what to do if the ship gets stuck in ice.

This scenario was all too real for international research vessels Akademik Shokalskiy and Snow Dragon when both became trapped in the Antarctic sea ice in January 2014. The Aurora Australis was diverted to help but was forced to turn back due to the weather conditions, causing delays to its research program and increasing food and fuel costs. The 52 stranded scientists and tourists were evacuated by helicopter a week later. “There’s no risk in programming this sort of training scenario in the

simulator – the hazards are there but the ship doesn’t get damaged and there is no loss of income,” Mr Brown said. Research supervisor Professor Margareta Lutzhoft said the project had four main elements – the ship modelling, ice modelling, land modelling and weather modelling – and how these interacted to make a valid whole. “The novelty lies in the combination of technical and human elements; most of the research being done is of a more technical or environmental type and no one’s really looking at the role of the humans and how we can support them to be safe, to save fuel and, of course, to protect the environment,” Professor Lutzhoft said.

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above board ❘ Issue 7 ❘ SUMMER 2014/15

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