Objective
Most European offshore wind farms are currently installed within 20 km of the coast in shallow water depths up to 20m. The next generation will be developed at distances of 40 km in sea depths up to 80m. These new locations present technical challenges for engineering and the possibility of new synergies between all marine renewable energy resources including wave, tide and wind. Inspection and maintenance at depth is difficult and the raising of transmission voltages to keep cable sizes manageable is urgently required as the technical difficulty of hauling heavy cables is significantly increased. The availability of self-monitoring connectors to eliminate routine maintenance at greater depths is seen as a potential step-change improvement in infrastructure management and the development of ROV-installable wet-mate connectors as an alternative to dry-mated cable is a dominant industry objective. We will deliver a prototype 33kV hybrid wet-mate connector with a connectivity monitoring system and future-proof features for higher voltage connector technologies. This will lead to efficient power transmission, reduced installation and maintenance costs and precision remote monitoring that reduces routine maintenance and intervention by divers, benefitting health, safety and affordability.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-SME-2012
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Funding Scheme
BSG-SME - Research for SMEsCoordinator
AB23 8GW ABERDEEN
United Kingdom