A buoy-mounted wind profiler for remote measurement of ocean winds

Quadrant Engineering has recently developed a compact, low power, marine boundary layer radar wind profiler (MBL Profiler) suitable for installation on a small boat or on a buoy. The MBL-Profiler utilizes high-efficiency radar and data acquisition componentry to minimize power consumption, with the radar and data system requiring approximately 60 W for full power operation. Additional power of about 15 W will be required to operate a low power PC and telemetry system. If used intermittently, (30 minute consensus wind estimate, every 2 hours), the system will draw less than 20 W average power, making it suitable for battery-powered operation. Motion compensation is achieved entirely in software. During data acquisition the position of the antenna is constantly monitored by storing the output of two tilt sensors and a compass. This is sufficient information to provide an accurate estimate of average wind speed and direction