In February, Michigan Technological University's Great Lakes Research Center hosted marine technology startup company Seatrec, providing a test site for its prototype Arctic Power Station — a novel thermal energy harvesting system designed for the Arctic environment.
The largest and deepest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior is a scientific gateway to the Arctic. With its vast, frigid waters, powerful storms, and seasonal ice cover, Superior mirrors some of the extreme conditions of the far north. Michigan Technological University's proximity to Lake Superior is a distinct research advantage, making it a natural test bed for Arctic research. The GLRC's Frozen Marine Testbed is a cost-effective place for companies and organizations to deploy and validate their technology before testing in remote Arctic regions.
Early this year, Michigan Tech's Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) served as a test site for Seatrec, a California-based innovator in thermal energy harvesting solutions. The Arctic-like environment allowed the company to identify all the potential risks and failure points of its latest technology before taking it up to the actual Arctic, which can be challenging from both cost and accessibility standpoints.
During Seatrec's visit, researchers recorded an air temperature of minus 29 degrees Celsius (negative 20.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and a water temperature of zero degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit).
"With harsh winter temperatures often dropping well below freezing, along with the vast waters and extensive ice cover of Lake Superior, our region provides an unparalleled testbed for Arctic technologies," said Pengfei Xue, associate director of the GLRC and professor of water resources in Michigan Tech's Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering. "By leveraging our Frozen Marine Testbed, we offer an exceptional environment to validate technologies like Seatrec's power station in an accessible yet Arctic-like environment, reducing risks before deployment in the high Arctic."
During the month-long field test, GLRC and Seatrec team members successfully deployed, operated and recovered the Arctic Power Station (APS) prototype in harsh winter conditions ranging from blizzards and subfreezing temperatures to sunshine. The GLRC's team facilitated a pre-deployment design review to help Seatrec optimize the system for survivability in Great Lakes winter conditions. They also assisted with shipping logistics, received freight and hosted Seatrec's engineers on-site with full access to workshop space, tools and technical staff.
The APS was deployed within the deep-water takeout well located on the GLRC's seasonally frozen pier, with additional infrastructure provided for power and network connections. Throughout the test, GLRC engineers supported routine system maintenance, monitored environmental conditions and provided boots-on-the-ground troubleshooting to ensure smooth operation and documentation. Simultaneously, the Seatrec team monitored the system's performance remotely from the company's California headquarters. Additionally, the GLRC team's expertise in ice safety and winter field operations helped Seatrec's team gain hands-on experience to prepare for future Arctic deployments.
The GLRC also supported project collaborators from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in conducting a demonstration and test of the station's ability to power a suite of ocean sensors — including underwater hydrophones, an omnidirectional sound source and a cryophone on top of the ice. The test proceeded flawlessly, with no interruptions or evidence of electrical interference in the data. NPS researchers recorded sounds of personnel walking on the ice at various times, passing snowmobiles, and holes being drilled through the ice by the research team, along with several unidentified sounds that are still under review.
Through rigorous testing in a challenging real-world environment, the Seatrec team was able to take the APS prototype from a controlled laboratory environment to an outdoor environment much closer to the Arctic Ocean. "We enjoyed working with Seatrec's team and their novel marine energy harvesting technology," said Travis White, research engineer and test support manager at the GLRC. "We're glad we could help them validate their system in a real-world environment and prepare for next year's Arctic deployment. We wish them success in that endeavor and look forward to seeing the next iteration of their technology."
Over the past decade, the GLRC's Frozen Marine Testbed has supported a wide range of Arctic-domain research — from sensor and energy technology development to under-ice autonomy and physical ocean science. "Michigan Tech is often called 'the Arctic you can drive to,' and the GLRC is a big part of that," said White. "With state-of-the-art facilities, direct access to authentic cryospheric environments, and a team of experienced field operators, we provide researchers the opportunity to rigorously test and refine their technologies under realistic polar conditions. Our commitment to advancing polar research not only strengthens individual projects but also fosters collaborative innovation for future Arctic and Antarctic endeavors."
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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