AHERC at Work: Tanana River Hydrokinetic Test Site Update

Project Description:

AHERC’s Tanana River Hydrokinetic Test Site just outside of Nenana, Alaska, is playing host to a dramatic build out in the summer season of 2014.  The site is being upgraded with office facilities in the form of ATCO trailer units, power has been run to the location and a pontoon barge will be onsite to give hydrokinetic devices a platform on which to be tested in the river.  This effort is all taking place to support a busy testing season which will feature AHERC’s prototype debris diversion system and a hydrokinetic device owned by Oceana Energy Company being deployed into the Tanana River.

Project Update:

Due to recent heavy rain, work at the Tanana Test Site has been stalled for the last week.  While the heavy rainfall continued the AHERC team has been training on the use of the Multibeam Sonar Sounding System.  David Oliver, the director of Benthic GeoScience has been in Fairbanks this week training the team on the installation and use of the equipment/software.  AHERC plans to use the technology to survey the Tanana River at the Test Site and potentially at other AHERC project locations.

Photo: Jeff Roba, Tim Tschetter, and Nick Konefal gather around the boat that AHERC’s Multibeam Sonar Sounding System has been installed onto during their training. Photo courtesy MFrey, ACEP/UAF.