Predicted skewed waves – and found them
He solved a 127-year-old physics problem on paper and proved that off-centred boat wakes could exist. Five years later, practical experiments proved him right.
Ship construction and offshore
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Giving ferries wings to optimize wave power
The boat wings started as an unfinished idea in Eirik Bøckmann’s head. Now they’re being mounted on a ferry in the Faroe Islands.
How to make shipping environmentally friendly
We need to cut both global and local emissions from shipping. The picture is complex, but research is showing that there are many ways to meet this goal.
Offshore wind-scientist appointed Mission Innovation Champion
John Olav Tande at SINTEF is appointed Norway’s Mission Innovation Champion for his innovative research and contribution in dissemination. The award was established by Bill Gates and among others former president Obama during the climate summit meeting in Paris, COP 21.
New drones check ships for cracks and rust
Inspecting ship tanks and storage spaces underwater is a challenging task for humans. A start-up company that originated at NTNU is manufacturing autonomous drones that can take over the job – and do it more cheaply.
A first glimpse deep beneath an ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridge
For the first time ever, researchers have been able to peek deep into the mantle of the Earth under an ultraslow mid-ocean ridge, where they have been able to observe mantle melting and growth of the Earth’s crust.
Drones catching drones
How do you catch a drone flying at 70 km/h over a ship? With string.
Ocean life in 3-D: Mapping phytoplankton with a smart AUV
Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food chain but are notoriously difficult for scientists to account for — a little like trying to identify and count motes of dust in the air. A truly independent underwater vehicle shows it can do the job.
Could Trondheim be Norway’s new seabed mining capital?
Stavanger is Norway’s oil capital. Trondheim could become the country’s capital for seabed mining. It will be an important contribution to the UN’s climate goals.
Plans for a 385-metre fish farm facility in the open sea
An entirely new fish farm design, which looks more like an elongated offshore oil platform than a traditional aquaculture facility, may soon be installed in Norwegian waters.
Coastal cruise ships with wings on the bow are on the way
Ships with wings? Researchers are piloting this NTNU-spawned technology on new coastal cruise ships now being tested in Trondheim. The wings – or foils – use less fuel and make the journey more comfortable for passengers.
Getting autonomous vessels and underwater vehicles to work together
An international team of researchers has recently succeeded in getting several autonomous vessels and underwater vehicles to communicate and work together as part of one and the same operation.
Driverless ferries to replace footbridges
Soon the prototype for the world’s first driverless electric passenger ferry will be ready to launch in Trondheim.
Preventing hurricanes using air bubbles
Many people have tried to find ways of preventing hurricanes before they make landfall, resulting in the loss of human lives. Norwegian researchers believe that the answer lies in cold bubbles.
Small satellites offer major commercial opportunities
Small satellites are used mainly to monitor Norwegian territorial waters. However, the scope of applications will widen in the future, and researchers believe that Norway has the expertise to exploit the commercial opportunities these provide.
Fuel of the future
Heavy-duty trucks will soon be driving around in Trondheim, Norway, fuelled by hydrogen created with solar power, and emitting only pure water vapour as “exhaust”. Not only will hydrogen technology revolutionize road transport, it will also enable ships and trains to run emission-free.
Creating systems that understand the Arctic
How can ships travelling in the Arctic maintain their position when ice pushes them in different directions?
Solving equations to steer drones
How do you get a plane-like drone to land with no runway? You use math, of course!
Test site opens for unmanned vessels
The Trondheim Fjord in Norway will be the world’s first technological playground for pilotless vehicles that move below, on and above the water’s surface.
Bombs away— WWII bombs provide living laboratories for cold-water coral reefs
Ocean dumping of munitions from WWII was common in Norway and along the European coast. Some of these bomb dumps offer a natural living laboratory where biologists can study cold-water coral reefs.
Kon-Tiki2 expedition in Heyerdahl’s wake
The Kon-Tiki2 expedition aims to both reinforce and challenge Heyerdahl’s theories – and NTNU will gather unique research material from the major oceans that the expedition crosses
Drilling down to understand sea ice
Global warming is upending virtually everything that scientists know about the Arctic ice cap. During the first half of 2015, a multinational team of researchers froze the RV Lance into the Arctic ice to learn more about how this ice has changed. NTNU researchers were among the scientists seeking to learn more about this changing environment.
Green light for the world’s first intelligent oil pipelines
Electronics installed in Norwegian oil pipelines have been tested both at sea and in transport vessel reeling simulations. All that now remains is to install them offshore.
Predicting a safe lifetime for risers
More than 90 percent of Brazil’s petroleum reserves are found in deep water or ultra-deep water areas offshore. Researchers at SINTEF’s Brazil office are using advanced modelling and testing, including neural networks, to improve the lifespan and safety of a key component used to exploit these deep water reserves.