Phase V of the Floating Wind JIP commenced in 2021 and projects are expected to run to the start of 2023. This phase saw an expansion of programme activities with a focus on floating technology fabrication, infrastructure and logistical challenges during installation and O&M phase, fatigue and failure of floating electrical and dynamic cable components and risks of failure associated with mooring systems. Overviews of individual projects can be found below.
Phase V technical studies
Major component exchange with self-hoisting cranes
Turbine mounted crane technologies solve many of the challenges of major component exchange on floating wind turbines, however there are many challenges associated with these turbine mounted cranes that need to be overcome. This project aims to develop a greater understanding of the different technology options and the risks, costs and operational requirements associated with them. The project objectives include:
- A review of different technology options surrounding major component exchange, specifically focusing on self-hoisting and climbing crane technologies
- Key stakeholder engagement with turbine manufacturers and crane technology developers
- Provide solutions to the challenges of different on-site major component exchanges, without the need for heavy-life vessels or tow-to-port operations
Stick building of wind turbine generators on site
Floating wind turbine generators (WTGs) can be assembled both at port or at the wind farm site, where on site installation has the potential to reduce bottlenecks around port facility and availability. The aim of this project is to assess innovative methods to enable WTG assembly at site. The project objectives include:
- Identifying enabling technologies that allow for WTG assembly on-site and define the necessary operational procedures
- Outline the frameworks and limitations for on-site assembly and identify any major showstoppers with respect to costs and logistical challenges
Dynamic cable failure rates and standards
This project aims to identify failure modes of dynamic cables which, due to dynamic environmental loadings are subjected to mechanical stresses throughout their lifetime. The objectives are:
- Review existing failure rates within offshore wind and related sectors to identify specific root causes that have the largest impact on dynamic cable failures
- Provide failure rates that can be used in operational expenditure calculations
- Review and assess existing standards and/or best industry practice used for dynamic cable testing and suggest required amendments to standardise test methods
- Identify criteria and parameters to perform load and fatigue modelling and produce guidelines for how parameters should be adjusted
Mooring systems redundancy, reliability and integrity
The risk of mooring system failures in floating wind farm environments calls for redundancy or large conservatism to be put in place to mitigate. The aim of this project is to further explore high failure rates and the requirements for system redundancy. Project objectives include:
- Investigate the likelihood and impact of mooring failure rates in floating offshore wind systems, and how this varies with different floater types and their respective mooring systems configurations
- Increase the clarity around the definition “redundancy” of a typical 3-line mooring system
- Investigate alternative solutions such as synthetic mooring systems and load reduction devices to understand risks of failures and chance for mitigation
- Assess, compare and challenge (if required) existing standards used in floating wind, and offer guidelines and recommendations for the industry
Fabrication, infrastructure and logistics
As the floating offshore wind sector nears commercial scale deployment a number of fabrication, infrastructure and logistical challenges are expected These areas of constraint are likely to include:
- Facilities for steel and concrete fabrication
- Port facilities for assembly and storage
- Launching facilities
- Transport of large equipment
This project aims to understand common infrastructure requirements for floating wind projects, reinforced through key stakeholder engagement, to ultimately provide clarity on investment requirements to port authorities and a framework for port selection to developers and fabricators.
Fatigue analysis of high voltage electrical equipment in floating structures
There is, to date, limited understanding on the electrical equipment requirements for floating-specific substations and WTGs. This project aims to further understand fatigue analysis of electrical equipment in floating structures.
- Provide a basis of feasibility for the application of electrical components in floating wind, identifying the associated risks and costs incurred
- Obtain a greater understanding of fatigue analysis of high voltage electrical equipment in floating structures, by identifying relevant forces and weak points of electrical equipment sensitive to acceleration stress
- Provide strategy recommendations for the changes required to standards, so they accommodate high voltage equipment and recommendations for the potential design changes
