Project

This project aims at designing mooring system for floating wave energy converters (WECs) using a design approach based on numerical uncertainty quantification to estimate loads to a given tolerance level. This approach is to be compared to traditional deterministic approach with safety factors in terms of cost of the designed system. This is to be achieved by: (i) using an uncertainty quantification (UQ) toolbox based on general polynomial chaos (gPC) into a state-of-the-art mooring dynamics solver; (ii) to perform detailed numerical investigation on the influence on snap-loads on the mooring design. All parts aim at providing a base for lowering the economic cost of the mooring system.

In an effort to minimize the costs of offshore wind parks, the present research deals with optimizing a certain aspect of the support structure, namely the approach to scour. Scour is the phenomenon of seabed changes in the vicinity of the support structure that arises when the support structure disturbs the local flow sufficiently much. Scour is particularly evasive because in case of current, the flow disturbance can be intense and dig a hole comparable to the horizontal extent of the support structure. This usually implies a considerable loss of stiffness, ultimate strength or lifetime of the support and super structure. In case of waves, however, the flow disturbance can be much weaker and even backfill the hole with soil. The ability to accurately forecast this development of the geometry of the scour hole becomes central for obtaining both a safe and cost-effective solution. In practice, scour forecasts facilitate the comparison between a scour design based on either deployment of scour-protection or enhanced structural design. The broad goal is to develop a method that produces accurate scour forecasts for offshore wind parks. The present research investigates more specifically which parameters are suitable for characterizing the scour geometry during both scouring and backfilling and how the parameters develop in time for a given sea state. The present research is restricted to treat a monopile in sand since this is a common and potentially cost-saving case.

The shipping industry's plans to replace fossil fuels with green fuels have several well-described climate and environmental benefits, but far less well-studied are the possible environmental risks linked to a large-scale use of green fuels in ships. Sufficient knowledge of the physical and chemical properties, toxicity to the environment, as well as dispersion and degradation dynamics of the green fuels in the environment are therefore fundamental prerequisites for the shipping industry to implement the green transition with minimal risk of simply replacing one problem with another.

In this project, we will carry out the first in-depth mapping and environmental risk assessment of potential derived environmental effects that may arise from both emissions to the atmosphere and discharges to the marine environment from these green marine fuels. The project includes, among other things, a thorough review of the properties of the green fuels in both air and water, experimental studies on the impact on aquatic organisms, natural degradation mechanisms, the spread in both the atmosphere and marine environment during normal operation and in the event of accidents/spills, as well as life cycle assessment (LCA).

The work package explores the application of the new developments in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to improve accident analysis completeness and predictability. The findings will be illustrated by analyzing ongoing safety challenges in constructing, operating, and maintaining energy hubs in the North and Baltic Seas. Energinet and its partners (research collaborators involved in development of the energy hubs) have suggested the analysis of diving and deck operations during the installation, maintenance, and repair of subsea cables and operations related to ship traffic.

SDU Maritime research platform is an interdisciplinary research platform with researcher from four different faculties at SDU (Health, Humanities, Social Science and Engineering). The work is related to research in the maritime part of the offshore sector. The topics cover a wide range of disciplines as e.g., sustainability, safety, risk, human factors, history, logistics, business, regulation, naval architecture, energy, and maritime operations.