Annual Report 2017
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DENMARK

Kim Nielsen Rambøll

Aalborg University (AAU) Wave Energy Group, headed by Arthur Pecher and Jens Peter Kofoed, has published a new open access book entitled Handbook of Ocean Wave Energy.

It includes contributions from a range of experts dealing with topics like Cost of Energy, Resources, WEC hydrodynamics, Moorings, PTOs, Experimental Testing and Numerical Modelling.

The book can be downloaded from the link:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-39889-1

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There are a number of R&D projects on-going, one is the co-operative project on “Mooring Solutions for Large Wave Energy Converters” led by AAU in co-operation with Chalmers University, and Tension Technology International and the developers of the WECs Floating Power Plant (FPP), Wave Dragon (WD), Leancon and KNSwing. The objectives of the project are to design, test and develop cost efficient mooring solutions for large, slack moored, floating wave energy converters (WECs), and to build national competences in design and modelling of mooring systems for WECs.


The second project concerns “Resource Assessment, Forecasts and WECs O&M strategies at DanWEC”, also led by AAU with the partners DHI and DanWEC. The project is dealing with a detailed assessment of the Wave Energy Resource of DanWEC, and a tool able to forecast the wave conditions is being developed (AAU, DanWEC, DHI).The new Wave Basin at AAU is included as an infrastructure under the EU supported MarRINET2 programme. So far three MaRINET2 projects have been allocated to AAU.


AAU further leads the project “New Material for Wave Energy Substructures”, a project supported by the Energiteknologiske Udviklings- og Demonstrationsprogram (EUDP). The project runs from 2016 to 2020 (http://www.newmaterialwes.aau.dk/).

The ultimate objective is to develop a new kind of material that will allow protecting the sub-structure of wave energy converters from rust and scour in a completely innovative way. The material proposed for investigation is called Biorock. The novel technology uses electrolysis of seawater to precipitate calcium and magnesium minerals to ‘grow’ a crystalline coating over artificial structures, typically expanded steel meshes of any desired shape and size. At the present stage, after 1 year of laboratory tests at the Chemical Engineering Department, AAU Esbjerg, we are about to deploy two small models in Nissum Bredning and Hanstholm, to monitor the mineral accretion in cold waters.
 

Floating Power Plant A/S (FPP) develops floating wind platforms that integrate wave power. FPP has successfully tested a grid connected ½ scale prototype over 2 years and is currently developing the technology for 3 commercial projects in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The projects are led by project developer DP Energy. Floating Power Plant has been able to access the test facility Oceanide in France, via MaRINET2, to perform tests of sections of their wave energy absorbers in scale 1:30.
 

KNSwing wave energy converter investigates the use of concrete as construction material. The WEC is inspired by early UK concepts from 1978 where similar systems were investigated known as the NEL I-beam Attenuator shaped as a ship with a central buoyancy volume and along each side is placed of Oscillating Water Columns (OWC)

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Floating Power Plant testing a section of its wave energy model

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KNSwing
 

chambers, absorbing the wave energy converted via air-turbines. A 3-meter-long experimental model (the picture) has been tested under the MaRINET programme 2013 and 2015. The results have been compared to theory developed in co-operation with DTU and Development v. Ramboll and Kim Nielsen.