BIG PARACHUTE SEA ANCHOR TO BE USED FOR THE OCEAN CLEANUP
Dec 3, 2019
The Ocean Cleanup places Fiorentino’s Para-Anchors through a series of tests.
Can a parachute sea anchor help stabilize unmanned plastic collection systems floating on the ocean? Will it work in storms? What about calm sea conditions? Those are the questions The Ocean Cleanup wanted to find out. Fiorentino’s new YouTube video “Testing Big Parachute Anchors for Big Ocean Projects” shows what happened during initial testing from a 240 ft. (73 m) Maersk workboat. Rigging procedures, an unexpected tangle, and eventual success prove the giant para-anchor’s capability.
The Ocean Cleanup LLC wanted to be sure Fiorentino’s custom built para-anchor would work in tandem with their garbage collection system. The says Fiorentino Research and Design expert Zack Smith. “The main concern was keeping the big chute open in calm seas. This is important in order to reduce shock loading on the 011/B system,” claims Smith. Shock loading can occur if the parachute canopy is completely closed and then suddenly jerks open by stronger wind. Following several test deployments, a number of floats and weights were added to improve system performance.
To check out the initial testing of the Fiorentino para-anchors visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4VF-rqlVPU
