A deep-ocean penetrator telemetry system

The use of seabed penetrators-streamlined free-fall projectiles of up to 20 metric tons-is a possible method of disposing of high-level nuclear waste by embedment in deep-ocean sediments. In order to determine the feasibility of such a technique, penetrator simulation studies have been conducted. Approaches to transmitting data from measuring instruments carried onboard a model penetrator are briefly reviewed. A description is then given of the super-Doppler penetrator telemetry system that uses a 12-kHz frequency-shift-keyed acoustic link to effect telemetry from within seafloor sediments and then vertically upwards through the ocean. A consideration of system performance is presented, in the light of trial results obtained during cruises in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea