Floating Research Platform
New York Power Authority
St. Lawrence River, NY
In support of relicensing its St. Lawrence – FDR Power Project, the New
York Power Authority (NYPA) required the design and construction of a 270-foot
long x 8-foot wide floating research platform for use on the St. Lawrence
River. The research was designed to evaluate the response of American eel
to underwater lights. The project design and construction required significant
coordination among Kleinschmidt’s fisheries biologists and the Civil, Electrical,
and Mechanical Engineering Groups to ensure that the end result not only
met the biological study needs for which it was designed but also provided
the significant safety and durability measures required.
Kleinschmidt developed a Visual Basic model of an underwater lighting system to determine the type, spacing, and number of lights required to achieve optimal light intensity within the spectral wavelength associated with eel reaction thresholds. This working interactive model helped coalesce size and scope of the project. This required designing a floating observation structure robust enough to withstand the 3 feet per second currents that are common in the St. Lawrence River. A prototype system of helix anchors and chains was designed by Kleinschmidt’s Civil Engineering Group and sized specifically for anchoring the structure at a precise angle relative to the river flow for optimum eel reaction stimulus. Kleinschmidt’s Electrical Engineering Group designed and provided installation/construction oversight of the 100 KW lighting load, electrical service, and protection/ control system. The Mechanical Engineering Group designed all of the individual underwater light mounting structures for the eighty-one (81) 1000W underwater lights. The specially designed aluminum light supports were easily removable and strong enough to handle the underwater vegetation load without bending distortion or transference of vibration harmonics. The Mechanical Engineering Group also designed the research platform’s electrical sub-structures which supported the 4800V breakers and distribution system. The result was a safely installed and effective floating platform which allowed for a successfully conducted biological test.
For more information contact Scott Ault.
