Wave & tidal power |
j University’s Geotechnical Engineering Group to aid the development of a new ‘vibro-installed’ anchor system for marine energy applications. This will form part of a high-capacity mooring system supporting wave energy developer, CorPower Ocean, with its first commercial scale demonstration project, HiWave-5, launching in Portugal later this year. The €3.7 million UMACK Project will also benefit
from the university’s experimental and physical testing facilities, developed as part of the Scottish Marine and Renewable Test Centre (SMART). UMACK Project Manager and CorPower Ocean Head of Projects, Matt Dickson, said that the partnership marked a ‘significant breakthrough’ adding greater resource and expertise in the field of geotechnical engineering and science to the UMACK project team. UMACK is described as presenting a step change
in technology for the ocean energy space addressing issues around affordability, durability and reliability of marine power system’s mooring and anchoring. The UMACK solution is being developed to supersede widely used ‘gravity-based’ anchors – reducing capital expenditure, installation and operational and maintenance costs by more than 50%. The consortium’s work with the University of Dundee is focusing on a novel ‘vibro-installed’ anchor system and involves scaled anchor centrifuge testing and advanced computational modelling. The full-scale prototype anchor consists of a 1.5m diameter plain pile like structure with the novel UMACK pile tip end piece attached at the end which is then gradually vibrated into the seabed. The novel UMACK pile tip design reduces soil resistance, enabling the anchor to be driven to the desired project penetration depth. Once the vibration stops, the UMACK anchor solution mobilises a large wedge of earth to provide a very large tensile capacity. The solution replaces the need for gravity-based anchors and also alternative large diameter plain pile anchors which are driven straight into the ocean floor, a noisy process known to be detrimental to marine life. Large diameter plain piles are also expensive, often forming in the region of 30-40% of development costs of a new offshore generation site.
Modelling work is now underway at 1/50th scale
Below: Eco Wave Power is examining the feasibility of installing the Eco Wave Power technology at Israeli navy bases
to rigorously test the technology and understand optimum configuration for ease of installation, adaptability to different seabed types and maximum uplift capacity. 3D-printed metal anchors are also being subjected to thousands of cycles of wave loading to assess lifetime performance.
The UMACK Project is led by a European consortium including geotechnical specialist Ternan Energy, wave and tidal energy developers CorPower Ocean and Sustainable Marine Energy Limited, mooring experts TTI Marine Renewables, EMEC and marine renewable energy modelling experts from the University of Edinburgh.
Israeli Navy Eco Wave Power has entered into a collaboration
agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defence for the Israeli Navy to examine the feasibility of installing the Eco Wave Power technology in their navy bases. According to the terms of the agreement, Eco Wave Power will begin the procurement and deployment of wave measuring systems to collect extended wave data, in one to three potential locations in the Navy bases, while the Navy will secure all permits for the deployment of the wave measuring equipment. Upon identifying the most suitable locations for the
installation, and provided that the technology is found to be feasible for the proposed locations, the Navy and Eco Wave Power will work towards the next step of the collaboration and potential deployment. Inna Braverman, Chief Executive Officer of Eco Wave Power stated: “We are very pleased to announce this collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Defence and the Israeli Navy, who are global leaders in cutting- edge technologies. This is an extremely important collaboration as it indicates the potential for future contracts with navy bases worldwide, which can become significant participants in the global fight against climate change, while representing a new market segment for wave power.”
Project scale up Minesto’s 200kW tidal energy site in Vestmannasund,
Faroe Islands, could be expanded to a 4MW commercial array, a site extension analysis has concluded, with the marine energy developer recently signing a two-year extension of its Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with electric utility company SEV for the site. The PPA with SEV was first signed in February 2020 and comprises up to 2.2MW installed capacity of Minesto’s ocean energy technology in the Faroe Islands. The first phase of collaboration between Minesto and SEV, to integrate tidal energy through Minesto’s Deep Green technology in the Faroe Islands, has focused on an EU-funded project where two grid-connected DG100 systems have been installed and operated in the Vestmannasund strait. As part of the final delivery of that project,
a site extension analysis concludes that the Vestmannasund site has merits for a commercially viable smaller array of up to 4 MW. “In addition to the proposed larger 10+20MW
site in Hestfjord, where we have completed site measurements and work to optimise array design configuration, the same analysis of the Vestmannasund site shows more favourable conditions for upscaling than previously known. This strengthens our project portfolio with another commercial opportunity for an early – or even first – array build out of Minesto Deep Green systems. Combining that opportunity with the current DG100 site in Vestmannasund is a very compelling path
42 | October 2021 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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