In the current stage of the wave energy industry, experimental wave tank testing forms an integral part of WEC device development. The knowledge and expertise acquired by Aquamarine Power was developed in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), with whom the company had a long standing relationship, and this report documents the experiences and lessons gained from over 10 years of wave tank testing in the development of Oyster.
Experiences cover a range of activities through the whole design process, from early concept development through to full-scale model validation. The common themes presented include tank calibration, performance and load testing, installation and decommissioning testing, correlations between a scaled model and full-scale prototype, and the development of new concepts. In addition to the lessons learnt by Aquamarine Power, the report also gives a critical review and assessment of the existing tank testing standards documents.
Note that additional reports, documents and data files referenced here and in the deliverables may not be currently available.
Project Keywords: Testing, Data, Power, Operations & Maintenance, Deployment, Installation, Orkney, C&I, Health and Safety, Lessons Learnt, OWSC
Report prepared by Wave Energy Scotland (WES) to give a summary of the Knowledge Capture documents produced by Aquamarine Power Limited, which cover their learning and experiences during technology development.
Lessons learnt from Aquamarine Power Limited - Offshore Operations Experience, including offshore planning, supply chain, vessel capabilities and weather limitations
Lessons learnt from Aquamarine Power Limited - Experiences of the use of standard off-the-shelf components, materials, and material grades in disturbed water environments
Lessons learnt from Aquamarine Power Limited - Experiences of the supply chain and component supply
Lessons learnt from Aquamarine Power Limited - Experience of maintenance philosophies, considering operational case studies from Oyster 1 and Oyster 800 such as cylinder exchange.
Lessons learnt from Aquamarine Power Limited - Offshore Operations Experience, including offshore planning, supply chain, vessel capabilities and weather limitations
Lessons learnt from Aquamarine Power Limited - Experiences of the use of standard off-the-shelf components, materials, and material grades in disturbed water environments
Lessons learnt from Aquamarine Power Limited - Experiences of the supply chain and component supply
Lessons learnt from Aquamarine Power Limited - Experience of maintenance philosophies, considering operational case studies from Oyster 1 and Oyster 800 such as cylinder exchange.
Guidelines adopted within Aquamarine Power for the design and maintenance of bolted connections and fasteners on Oyster technology.
Guidance outlining good design practice for material selection and assembly techniques of threaded connections.
Calculation sheet for determining fastener tension for a range of materials, lubricants, and locking methodology.
This document outlines Aquamarine Power’s environmental monitoring plans for Oyster 1 during installation and operations.
Review of tank testing and design studies for different concepts of the Oyster flap design.
Foundation loads and performance results from testing of a 40th scale Oyster device, considering four different flap widths.