Data Returns and Reliability Metrics From the Indian Deep Ocean Wave Measurement Buoys

Reliable performance is the key requirement for deep ocean wave measurement buoys as failures lead to loss of data and expensive reinstallations. From more than 0.37 million demanding offshore wave measurement buoy-hours, the data returns from the buoys operating in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea were 88% and 95%, respectively. The mean time between failures of the buoys was 1.8 years in the Bay of Bengal and 3.8 years in the Arabian Sea, and the mean time to restore was 90 and 68 days, respectively. The offshore failure events, the technical developments for improving the performance, and the strategies adopted to mitigate the failures are presented in detail. The significance of the technical features incorporated for improving the reliability of the wave measurement buoy subsystems is quantitatively represented through fault tree modeling and simulations based on standards and the field failure data.