Offshore staff
DOCHGARROCH, UK – AWS Ocean Energy’s 16-kW Archimedes Waveswing wave energy converter arrived at Hatston Pier, Kirkwall on Orkney, northern Scotland earlier this week.
It was then transported to Copland’s Dock in Stromness ahead of deployment at the European Marine Energy Centre’s Scapa Flow test site next month.
The 50-ton, 7-m (23-ft) tall, 4-m (13-ft) diameter device had previously undergone dry testing by AWS engineering at Muir of Ord.
Offshore it will be moored to the seafloor on a single tension tetherand will ‘sit’ below the surface of the sea, responding to changes in pressure caused by passing waves.
According to AWS, the subsea location and capability to winch low in the water column allows extreme storm loadings to be avoided, with the system continuing to operate even in rough seas.
Waveswing is designed to react to long ocean swell waves and to short, wind-driven seas, for high energy capture, the company added.
The £3.4-million ($4.6-million) prototype project has funds from Wave Energy Scotland as part of the Novel Wave Energy Converter development program. The demonstration at EMEC is also supported by the Interreg North-West Europe’s Ocean DEMO project.
Simon Grey, CEO of AWS, said: “Our current Waveswing design focuses on remote power applications such as powering subsea oilfield assets and oceanographic monitoring – however the device is suitable for integration into submerged platforms and can be scaled to over 500 kW per unit.
“AWS expects to develop platforms hosting up to 20 units with a potential capacity of 10 MW per platform…Achieving power outputs comparable with offshore wind units is critical to driving down the cost of energy and ensuring that operation and maintenance is practicable in the hostile marine environment.”
Contractors supporting the development include 4c Engineering and Quoceant for the design, Sequentec on the supply of the control system, Malin Marine for the main building and assembly work, and JGC Engineering for fabrication of the anchor frame.
Trelleborg provided the rolling seal and SRP Subsea the Rocksteady mooring connector. Green Marine will manage marine deployment operations.
01/28/2022
