BlueNewables Successfully Completes WIND-bos Spar Platform Testing
The future of Offshore Wind Farms is changing rapidly and dedicated technology development companies like BlueNewables make way for new innovative designs to support the booming Floating Offshore Wind Industry.
The WIND-bos Spar Platform allows access to deep-water sites and ease turbine set-up which may in time offer a lower-cost alternative to fixed-bottom foundations, given the potential for standardisation of foundation designs and the use of low-cost, readily available installation vessels.
Testing
A highly devoted team, existing out of Acciona (SP), DTU (DK), Centec (POR) and BlueNewables (SP), successfully finalised the scaled tests of the BlueNewables developed WIND-bos spar platform which is specially designed to support Wind Turbines on Floating Offshore Wind Farms.
The tank testing campaign was carried out in Oceanide BGO testing house in France, as part of MARINET2 project, funded by the European Commission.
All tests resulted promising, demonstrating full alignment with the numerical calculations. The model has accurately replicated stability parameters, natural periods and provided valuable information about hydrodynamic damping, both with and without the presence of the “damping plates” designed by BlueNewables.
The main outcomes and findings show an unrivalled response of the floater under extreme and operating seastates, hence, positioning the WIND-bos as an optimum solution for the blooming floating wind sector.
The next step comprise the calibration of numerical models and subsequent validation of tank tests results. The Portuguese and Danish researching institutions, CENTEC and DTU, are contributing with their experience performing fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic models in FAST and HAWC2 respectively.
BlueNewables’ industrial partner, Acciona, is witnessing the progression of this project as part of their global strategy:
“scanning the floater´s market, benchmarking solutions and establishing future collaborations with technology developers.”
This project is part of BlueNewables’ roadmap to develop innovative technologies for the marine renewable energy sector. Within a few months, the WIND-bos will be ready to reach the next level on their commercialisation strategy. Investors and/or companies interested in the floating wind sector will find a robust, versatile, and inexpensive solution ready to tackle the upcoming challenges of the floating wind sector.
About BlueNewables
BlueNewables is a highly skilled engineering consultancy at the cutting edge of the innovation within the blue economy. We support the marine renewables energy sector with technical know-how, advice and holistic approach
