1. PROVOR / ARVOR ARGO profiling floats
Jérôme SAGOT
Nke instrumentation
Hobart, March 2017

2. A long partnership A family of floats
1st float MARVOR : multicycle Rafos float in 90-94
PROVOR for ARGO program in 99
Sliding along a cable POPS, MOPS (under ice operation)
ARVOR for core ARGO
PROVOR for BGC applications
Technology based on
flotation engine technology enabling a capability to be deployed worldwide without ballasting
development methodology including all phases until sea trials.
 availability of high-performance offshore lagrangian floats.
Since 90, a long and constant industrial partnership between
NKE IFREMER and now with LOV and UPMC..

3. Nke Float Family Type Nke models Comments ARGO TS, 2000 m, Argos
Arvor-L, Arvor,
Provor CTS3
Argos 2
ARGO TS, 2000 m, Iridium
Arvor-I
Provor-I
Up to 2000 pts in a profile
Iridium SBD
ARGO TS, DO, 2000 m
Provor-DO Provor-DO I
DO, Argos2
DO, Iridium SBD, 2000 pts
ARGO TS, 4000 m
Deep ARVOR
Iridium SBD and DO
BGC, TS, 2000 m
Provor CTS 4
Biogeochemical sensors
Radiometer, fluorometers, transmissometer, nutrients .. pH ( soon )
Iridium rudics
TS,Tu,Fl ,DO ,400 m
Arvor C
Coastal applications
Polar
PROVOR SPI
Polar application, TS, DO, NO3, pH
Acoustique spectrum, 1000 m
Provor A C, AB
Hydrophone, data processing, Iridium transmission
TS, Sea water density
Provor NOSS
Sea water density sensor

4. ARVOR & PROVOR Provor CTS3 Arvor CTD Sensor SBE 41 CP
Sea bird CTD with pump
Engine
high pressure hydraulic pump
Weight
34 Kg
 50 Kg
20 Kg
Tx mode
Argos 2
Iridium SBD & rudics
Argos 2 & 3
Iridium (SBD)
Dimensions
F 17 cm
L 170 cm
F 11 cm
L 120 cm
dedicated for multi-sensors embedded with good payload capacity
CTD optimized float for Argo applications
Radio link BT for user parametric setting

5. ARVOR & ARVOR-I ARVOR dedicated to core-ARGO program 20 Kg
Able to operate between fresh water to Without preballasting
Up to 250 days
3 typical zones (0-10m, m, m)
Up to 200 CTD points per profile
Time at surface : 6-8 hours (Argos 2) with data compression
ARVOR-I specific features
Up to 300 days, 100 pts, 2000 m.
Short-Burst-Data (SBD) with 300 bytes messages.
GPS receiver integrated
All parameters can be modified after deployment (2 ways capability with SBD telecommand send by )
Time at surface : < 30 mins
ARVOR _ ARVOR I

6. Arvor I wmo #6900794 255 Cycles Profile depth 600 m / 9 2000 m
Parking depth
400 m

7. Provor CTS3 particular technical features
Oil volume 3 liters
200 cc to move from 2000 meters up to near surface
Buoyancy system
PROVOR is able to operate from fresh to dense sea water
(1000 to 1038) without user ballasting
 Easy additional sensors integration
by using additional buoyancy
 increased embedded battery, +66 % 100 Ah for sensors
oxygen optode directly mounted on upper end cap
Same improvements than Arvor
deployment procedure : simplification and sturdiness

8. Provor DO Provor DO Provor DO-I
up to 220 pts at 2000 meters
TC Phase (C1Ph – C2Ph)
Argos transmitter
Provor DO-I
Up to 250 pts at 2000 meters (10 day cycle)
Up to pts in the column
C1 and C2 phase, optode temperature
Iridium sbd

9. Arvor & Provor Evolutions
Deployment Procedure Simplification
Ice detection function (based on Ice sensing
Algorithm – ISA) with SBD message storage for
transmission on following cycles
Up to 2015 pts per 2000 m (Iridium)
Up to 300 profiles
@ 100 pts, 2000 m,10 days cycle period
Bi-mode for ARGOS float
Optode optional
2nd technical message added
Timing resolution more accurate

10. Arvor & Provor Evolutions
Elevation of the DO sensor to obtain a calibration in air when surfacing : required by ARGO DO community Mounted on all ARVOR & PROVOR with optode sensor

11. PROVBIO & PROVNUTS (based on CTS3)
Nutrient sensor SUNA from Satlantic
ProvBio
Development started in 2006
Provnuts
nke instrumentation
Pictures CNRS/UPMC  ANTOINE POTEAU

12. Provor CTS4 Base for BGC float Bio Geo Chemical
Two electronic boards architecture
control vector : hydraulic, transmission, mission
acquisition unit : sensors supply management, acquisition (6 serial, 2 Analog), data processing
High sampling resolution possible (2 sec -> ≈ 20 cm as spatial resolution) for all sensors
Increased battery capability (vs CTS3)
150 Ah  250 Ah > 100 Ah for the sensors
Transmission by using optimized rudics mode vs std rudics
Ice Sensing algorithm (ISA) integration on progress in 2017
With LOV more than 110 produced
Approx profiles performed by LOV floats
Deployed by France, UK, India, Italy, China, Norway, Romania, Bulgaria

13. CTS 4 Firmware (1/5) Profiles Setting
Up to 10 independent Profiles per cycle
Each profile has specific :
Drift & Profile depth
Day & Hour on surface
Transmission or not
1,2,3 & 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12,13&14 15
& 19
Cycle
Profile 1
Profile 2
Profile 3
Time Scale
Depth
Drift depth (Profile1) –>PM5
Drift depth (Profile2)-> PM10
Drift & Profile depth (Profile3)-> PM15 &16
Profile depth (Profile1)->PM6
Profile depth (Profile2)->PM11
Hour & Day on surface (Profile1)
->PM3 & 4
Hour & Day on surface (Profile2)
->PM8 & 9
Hour & Day on surface (Profile3)
->PM13 &14
Schematic representation of a BIO-ARGO 's cycle (ex with 3 profile) during the Mission

14. CTS 4 Firmware (2/5) Sensor Settings
Each Sensor has its own parameter set
5 independent zones
Each zone give user choice for :
Sampling period (Raw data) for each phase
Threshold (zone separation for treatment)
Treatment mode (Raw data, average, average + Median + standard deviation) for transmitted data
Power mode (Continuous or pulsed to save energy with low resolution)
Time Scale
Depth
Profile N (in 1..10)
Sensor i Zone 1
Sensor i Zone 2
Sensor i Zone 3
Sensor i Zone 4
Sensor i Zone 5
(D1)
(D2)
(DP3)
(DP4)
(DP5)
(A5)
(A4)
(A3)
(A2)
(A1)
(Pa2)
(DPa5)
PC i 0 14 _
PC i 0 9 _
PC i 0 19 _
PC i 0 24 _
PM 6 (1st profile)

15. CTS 4 Firmware (3/5) Sampling modes
slice N-1
slice N+1
slice N
Mean or
Mean + median + Stdev
Medium resolution in continuous mode with small depth slices and high sampling rate
Low resolution in pulsed mode with large depth slices and low sampling rate
Sensor Off
Sensor On
Sensor Sample (= Raw DataData Point)
D e p t h
Raw data
Highest resolution in continuous mode with sub meter depth slices (20 cm) and highest sampling rate
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 4
Zone 5
Off
Pulsed
Continuous
In each Zone, Sampling Periods are specific (User Choice) for each phase :
Descent to Park
Drift to Park
Descent to Profile depth
Drift at Profile depth
Ascent

16. CTS 4 Firmware (4/5) Data Treatment processes
Transmitted data can be treated on different ways :
Raw data (All samples)
Average on slices
Average on slices with
standard-deviation and median
Each Sensor has own treatment mode (per each of the 5 zone from water column)
=> Compromise between High resolution and transmission cost, at user choice depending on interest area in water column
Sensor Data Type
Data Type
CTD (Average) 1
CTD (Standard deviation+ Median) 2
CTD (Raw datas) 3
Oxygen (Average) 4
Oxygen (Standard deviation+ Median) 5
Oxygen (Raw datas)

17. CTS 4 Firmware (5/5) GUI : Graphic User Interface
Ex : SBE-41CP parameters screen
Ex : Profiles screen
New PC software that enables Graphical visualization of complete cycle and generation of
Configuration file to be load by BT link
Iridium Telecommand file to be transmitted to the float by iridium link before and after deployment

18. Provbio II (based on CTS4)
Standard Sensors:
CTD  SBE41CP
Optode Sensor  Aanderaa
SUNA Nutrients  Satlantic
B pack  Satlantic and Wetlabs
OCR504 sensor Irradiance & PAR
CROVER Transmittance
ECO Chlorophyll, CDOM and backscattering
Other sensors
ECO-FLBB 2k Wetlabs
ECO- FLBBCD Wetlabs
Trilux Chelsea
Cyclop 7 Turner design
Turbidimeter Sea Point
Seafet Seabird (forecasted)
....

19. Data processing and decoding
Contact Hervé Claustre and Antoine Poteau
Coriolis BGC data integration in progress

20. Reliabilty Longevity examples
WMO : 561 profiles (4 profiles/cycle), from 2012 to 2016 – (CTD, DO, Chl-a, CDOM, backscatter, irradiance, transmissometer)
WMO : 455 profiles (1 profile per cycle & per day), from 2012 to 2014 – (CTD, DO, Chl-a, CDOM, backscatter, irradiance)
WMO : 164 profiles since deployment on 23/10/2012 (10 days cycle period), (CTD, DO, Chl-a, CDOM, backscatter, irradiance, nutrient) still active

21. Why is CTS4 a good platform ?
PROVOR CTS4 is a flexible & reliable platform for BGC application because of :
Sampling possibilities (high resolution) enables great investigations for science
Engine reliability prooved at sea in any kind of density conditions (REX > Profiles)
High payload capacity for sensor equipement
Optode elevated with mast for « In Air » calibration at surfacing
Optimized rudics transmission for reduced cost charge
High power battery pack available for sensors

22. Merci
Thank you
march 2017
nke instrumentation