Project description
Effective anchor solutions for floating offshore wind turbines
Offshore wind is a clean and renewable source of energy, now exploited using bottom fixed turbines in shallow waters. Floating technologies, at present in a pre-commercial phase of development, would allow the wind market to grow significantly, encompassing deeper waters and higher wind speeds. The EU-funded SEAFLOWER project aims to support the development of floating solutions from the geotechnical standpoint, contributing towards overcoming some of the current technical barriers of wind energy exploitation in deep waters. The objective is to define a numerical procedure that can store the experience maturated in the oil and gas energy sector and the most recent research findings on anchor foundations to make them available to the needs of the offshore wind energy market.
Objective
Actively taking part to the debate on the future energy supply in Europe, SEAFLOWER proposes strategies to exploit anchor foundations for floating offshore wind turbines. Effective solutions can be drawn from the offshore oil and gas industry, where they have been made available over the last three decades. Offshore wind energy developments have distinct requirements on anchoring systems, and a systematic study to aid with a rational transfer of technology between the two energy sectors has not yet been undertaken. SEAFLOWER focuses on this, through a Finite Element (FE) study built on a rich database of consistent experimental evidences. To account for the uncertainties intrinsic to any offshore foundation problems and any technology transfers, an innovative probabilistic framework is used, using meta-modelling techniques. The objective is to define a numerical procedure that can store past experience on anchor foundations and make it available to the needs of the floating offshore wind market. SEAFLOWER addresses the actual phase of FOWT pre-commercial development and the procedure overall contributes towards overcoming the actual technical barriers to the deployment of offshore wind in deep waters. The research builds on the collaboration of internationally renowned institutions: the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems, University of Western Australia (COFS, outgoing, Supervisor Christophe Gaudin), the National Institute for Environmental Science and Research, Université Grenoble Alpes (IRSTEA, secondment, supervisor Franck Bourrier) and the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna (DICAM, return, supervisor Laura Govoni). With SEAFLOWER, through continuous research and training, the experience researcher also challenges his ambitious plan to forge a career in academia, building new knowledge on his competences and skills, while tackling one to the most important societal issues of our century.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologycivil engineeringwater engineeringocean engineering
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciences
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energywind power
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
40126 Bologna
Italy