Apollo says trials of the PALM Quick Connection System (QCS) for floating offshore wind have been successful.
The program in Orkney, northern Scotland, ran from the end of March to the end of May, and it was designed to demonstrate the capabilities of the system to withstand real-sea conditions.
The QCS, developed under the Wave Energy Scotland Quick Connection Systems project, is designed to improve hookup and disconnection of cables and/or moorings for floating offshore renewable energy devices.
It is said to lower operational costs through enabling quick connections via the winching action of a conventional tow tug, with no need to tow devices to port for maintenance. This can be costly because of the required marine spread and lost power generation time.
The system is also said to allow connection and disconnection in higher sea states and removes the need for connections to be performed on deck.
PALM QCS is a mechanical system that can also incorporate electrical wet mate connectors. During the recent trials in Orkney, the system withstood Storm Kathleen and proved its capabilities during multiple connect and disconnect operations.
