The Ocean Builders’ team is about to achieve a breakthrough in the future of Ocean living. Indeed, we continue the preparations to connect the underwater room to the EcoPod to make our new Pod prototype whole: the Alpha Deep.
The center spar, home to the incredible underwater room, is already floating on the water. The living unit, freshly moved out from its factory home, has been carefully loaded onto the barge. Thus, the next step is to connect the two elements, but to do this at sea is very complicated. That is why we have decided to do a practice run of connecting the Pod and the spar.
To do so, we took advantage of perfect weather and a very calm sea to launch the operation at sunrise to carry out our well-thought-out plan, and make sure the EcoPod lands perfectly onto the spar. While it might sound like a simple “fitting” operation, the reality is way more complex. Our engineers have worked very meticulously for both elements to fit with each other, all of which while conducting such an operation at sea. That is the reason why we decided to do a trial operation before really connecting the Pod and the underwater room.
Tools and material, check. Pump generator and Barge fuel tanks, check. Pod batteries, check! The checklist was more extensive of course, but this practice was not only done to connect Pod and spar, but to practice installation procedures, hence training the crew in the process.
Assisted by two boats, the barge has been placed near the spar, which ballasts were previously partially emptied to lower the underwater room, and allow the Pod to be leveled.
As the spar approached, anticipation built among the crew members. Months of preparation were about to culminate in this practice run, before our final big day. With the spar positioned beneath the pod, a critical point in the operation had been reached. The team carefully maneuvered the pod over the spar with delicate and precise movements.
Upon contact between the pod and the spar, the crew initiated the inflation of the trim tanks with air. If required, they also added air into the lifting bags. The system was finely tuned, and it responded exactly as intended, lifting the pod off its support.
With the pod now safely suspended above the spar, the next phase of the operation commenced. Air was gradually removed from the trim tanks until they were empty. Then, the crew started filling the air once more, ensuring the pod’s steady ascent.
The process continued as water was pumped out from the front tank and air was adjusted, first from the lifting bags and then from the trim tanks. It was a delicate dance of buoyancy and precision, all leading to a specific waterline.
The entire air system was designed with a singular purpose: to prevent wave-induced banging. The careful engineering and execution of the system paid off, ensuring the pod’s stability and safety.
We were very satisfied with how everything responded and we successfully connected the Pod with the spar. Galvanized by the success of this practice run, we are confident that we will succeed when the time really comes to create a wonder of technology, to turn your Ocean living dream into reality. You won’t have long to wait because the whole team has only one goal in mind: to finalize the first Pod Alpha Deep!
