Product Adoption Case No. 2 [Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology] Small Valve and Pump

Contributed to the miniaturization and energy efficiency of the "Carbon Dioxide Observation Buoy" by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has been using ships to observe the concentration of carbon dioxide in the ocean in order to more accurately grasp the distribution of carbon dioxide absorption and release on a global scale. However, feeling the limitations of traditional methods, they developed a "carbon dioxide observation buoy" that observes while drifting on the ocean surface. Our products were incorporated into the core flow cell part of this buoy. Traditional devices required several gas cylinders, and the overall size of the equipment was approximately 1900mm in height, 1200mm in width, and 600mm in depth, making it large, heavy, and expensive. The newly developed device is called the "carbon dioxide observation buoy." By exchanging carbon dioxide with the surrounding seawater through a gas permeable membrane, the pH of the pH indicator solution changes as carbon dioxide enters and exits, resulting in a change in the color of the solution. By using a micro pump to supply the pH indicator solution, a valve for replacement, and a flow cell for measurement, and by manifoldizing the flow paths connecting these components, we contributed to miniaturizing the interior of the buoy, reducing its size to a diameter of 260mm and a total length of 600mm. The completed measurement device successfully conducted a year-long drifting observation in the Southern Ocean.

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