© Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc.
Semi-Annual Newsletter
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ALOHA!
Although this year has had its fair share of challenges, Makai has been fortunate to remain fully operational and hard at work solving some of the world’s toughest ocean engineering challenges. As a business we remain humbled by the events around us, while keeping an eye forward on the opportunities that may come from having to adapt our past ways of working together. Here is a review of what we’ve been up to since the last newsletter. We wish you all the best, and to take care and stay healthy.
Makai completes NOAA prototype of a high-reliability multi-use line cutter to release protected species from fishing lines.
Makai’s TFHX TM heat exchanger technology continues to be recognized as an innovative technology, including winning contracts, grants, and awards.
Makai’s cable software MakaiLay Power was used to install a 37km power cable in challenging waters between the Scottish mainland and the island of Hoy, in Orkney.
Makai’s renewable energy division has been busy on several projects including an ocean energy study for a Caribbean Island, a SWAC district cooling study for Kona, HI, and on-going work for the ARPA-E MARINER program.
Makai continues development of a remote subsea anchoring and micropiling system with prototype demonstration planned for 2021.
The subsea technologies group was recently awarded an SBIR to develop a software system that incorporates machine learning and multi-modal sensor fusion algorithms.
Employment
Be sure to take a look at any current openings, and keep an eye on our employment webpage for future opportunities.
We wish you, your businesses, and your families the best during these tough times.
With Aloha,
The MOE Team |
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Makai Develops Line Cutter for Protected Species Safety
Makai has built and tested a prototype line cutter, and has successfully demonstrated the ability to cut fishing line remotely.
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Under a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) award, Makai’s team of engineers developed a novel remote line cutter used to safely release protected species caught in fishing lines. The system developed allows fishermen to remotely cut fishing line close to the hook to reduce the risk of animal entanglement from excess fishing line. The longer the line, the higher the likelihood that the line will become entangled around the animals’ appendages and prohibit them from being able to move or feed effectively.
Makai’s system allows the fishermen to cut the line without bringing the animal aboard the vessel. Using existing methods, fishermen can attempt to bring the animal as close to the vessel as possible, but this can be difficult and can further injure the animal.
Makai is excited to be working on this project to assist the protected marine species around the world from death or injury due to bycatch.
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Makai’s TFHXTM Technology Recognized for Innovation
The TFHXTM has won the 2019 TechConnect Innovation Award and 2020 TechConnect Defense Innovation Award. |
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Makai’s novel Thin Foil Heat Exchanger (TFHXTM) has received TechConnect Awards for two years running! We are proud to announce our selection as a 2020 TechConnect Defense Innovation Awardee. The annual TechConnect Defense Innovation Awards recognizes the top 15% of submitted Challenge technologies as ranked by the Selection Committee. To learn more about the Virtual Defense TechConnect Summit and Expo, one of the most well-attended defense events of the year, click here.
Makai’s Director of Heat Exchanger Marketing and Strategies, Ingrid Hillhouse, will be attending the Virtual Innovation Summit & Expo on November 17-19, 2020. A pitch video for the TFHXTM will be presented during this expo on November 18 from 4:00 - 4:30 PM. If you are attending, don’t miss the video, and be sure to reach out to Ingrid in the virtual networking portal to discuss how the TFHXTM can be leveraged for your application.
Makai was also recently awarded a Phase II SBIR by the Army to develop the TFHXTM for ground vehicle cooling. Makai would like to give Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) a big Mahalo for their support of Makai’s work during the Phase I of this project. Makai received the Hawaii SBIR grant from the State of Hawaii & HTDC to support the Phase I development. This grant and HTDC’s continued support allowed Makai’s engineers to advance this technology in the Phase I, to a level that would otherwise not be possible. |
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MakaiLayTM Power Used for Pentland Firth East Installation
The MakaiLay software is able to account for cable deflection due to the current in real time by incorporating current profile measurements from a vessel-mounted ADCP.
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As part of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ (SSEN) Pentland Firth East project, a 37 km subsea power cable was installed between the Scottish mainland and the island of Hoy, in Orkney. Global Offshore completed the installation using the Normand Clipper with support from Makai’s experts and MakaiLayTM. The cable was installed to a maximum depth of 90 m, with the majority of the route between 70 and 80 m water depth. The strong tidal currents in the region of the lay, were particularly challenging during this installation, with surface currents periodically exceeding 3 kts, and currents at depth exceeding 1 kt. The Pentland Firth is known to have one of the most powerful tidal currents in the world.
While Global Marine already utilizes MakaiLayTM software for telecom cable installations, the Pentland East installation marked their first use of the MakaiLayTM Power Module. The MakaiLayTM Power Module contains an additional suite of tools designed to address specific issues faced during power cable installations.
Read more about this project here. |
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Caribbean Island Ocean Renewable Energy Study
Makai is studying the potential for an offshore OTEC system to provide usable baseload power for an island in the Caribbean.
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| Makai is part of a team that was recently awarded a contract to study the use of renewable energy systems for an island in the Caribbean. Makai’s role on this project is to determine the financial and technical feasibility of using Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) on the island. As part of this study, other offshore renewable energy devices, including offshore wind and hydrokinetic energy conversion systems will be reviewed for their potential use on the island. |
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Kona District Cooling Feasibility Study
The SWAC system being studied will utilize the existing deep seawater pipelines at NELHA’s HOST Park.
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Makai is working on a feasibility study for R.M. Towill analyzing the potential use of a Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) district cooling system for the city of Kona, HI. This project is funded by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA). The facilities at NELHA’s Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park (HOST Park) currently utilize SWAC for cooling.
The study is focused on analyzing the feasibility of leveraging NELHA’s deep seawater pipelines to provide district cooling to the city of Kona, HI. A system of this kind would provide the area with a more efficient means of cooling. |
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Makai Begins Work on Phase II of ARPA-E Award
Makai will support the construction and installation of a pilot macroalgae farm and supporting equipment off the coast of Kona, HI. |
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Makai was recently awarded the Phase II of the DoE ARPA-E MARINER program, with the goal of developing technologies for large scale macroalgae (seaweed) cultivation within the US EEZ. Under the Phase II effort, Makai will finalize the offshore farm designs that were developed in Phase I, and assist with a pilot system test off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.
The construction of the pilot system is planned to start in 2021 and will include all offshore farm systems including upwelling pump and pipe, main farm lines, moorings and anchors, and all other support systems. The system is expected to be fully installed and begin producing macroalgae by Q4 of 2021. |
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Makai Continues Development of RAMPS
Makai has developed the full system design for the Remote Anchoring and Micropiling System (RAMPS). |
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Makai continues development of the Remote Anchoring and Micropiling System (RAMPS) under an ongoing project with the University of Hawaii’s Applied Research Lab. The team recently completed the full-scale system designs, and has begun prototype fabrication. Makai expects to perform an in-water demonstration of the full system in 2021.
RAMPS is intended to replace traditional moorings and anchors that are often large, heavy, and costly to install with a strong, compact, and easily installed anchor point that can be installed on the seafloor remotely. This system is expected to dramatically reduce marine construction costs. Although the project’s target application is for wave energy converters, this system has applications throughout nearly all marine industries, including buoy moorings, pipeline anchoring, and other marine renewable energy system anchoring. |
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| Makai Awarded SBIR Contract for Machine Learning |
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| Makai has been awarded a Phase I SBIR to develop a subsea mapping software that incorporates Machine Learning (ML) and multi-modal seafloor sensor fusion. We are excited to work on this and future projects leveraging these new computing tools in the world of ocean engineering. Makai foresees several areas related to our work that could benefit from ML and Augmented Reality, and are determined to use these tools wherever applicable to meet our clients’ needs. |
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Employee Spotlight:
In-Chieh Chen
Ocean/ Mechanical Engineer |
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In-Chieh joined Makai in 2009 as an ocean/ mechanical engineer. She attended University of California, Berkeley, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, then University of Hawaii, Manoa, where she received her Master of Science degree in Ocean and Resources Engineering.
In-Chieh’s role at Makai for the last 11 years has been as an ocean/ mechanical engineer in Makai’s Ocean Energy Research Center (OERC) group. In this role she has worked on a number of projects, mainly around Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) and heat exchanger research and development. In-Chieh has been involved in OTEC system development, corrosion testing, thermal and performance modeling, and heat exchanger development. She was instrumental in the development of Makai’s novel and award-winning Thin Foil Heat Exchanger (TFHXTM) technology.
When In-Chieh is not advancing Makai’s technologies, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and hiking with her dogs. |
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What are you working on?
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If you have a project related to the ocean, we can probably help.
We are nimble, creative, cost-effective, and most importantly, our designs last.
We'd love to discuss your project that might involve:
Subsea Pipe / Cable Systems
- Pipeline designs
- Cable designs
- Micro fiber optic cable systems
- Cable planning and installation software and services
- Survey support
Energy Systems
- Cooling water intake and screen designs
- Heat exchangers
- Bottoming cycle power plant designs
- Energy storage designs
- Offshore wind / wave / tidal engineering
- District cooling designs
- Engineering & economic modeling
Marine Vehicles & Buoys
- Underwater vehicle design
- Sonobuoy component design
- Submarine Launch, Recovery, Transport vehicles
- Naval architecture
General Engineering Support
- Corrosion R&D and testing
- Materials Testing
- Environmental consulting
- Physics-based modeling
- Software development
- GIS software and services
- Value engineering
Please call or email us today for a free consultation about your project. |
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Aloha!
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© 2020 Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc.
41-305 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo, Hawaii 96795 USA
www.makai.com |
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