Energy absorbing mooring systems: Risk-based investigation for high intensity typhoon conditions in China (MoTyph)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Exeter
Department Name: Engineering Computer Science and Maths
Abstract
Wave energy technology in China could potentially contribute 13GW of installed power to the country's energy
needs with particular benefit to coastal regions that have limited local energy resources. Commercial wave
energy development in China is hampered by low wave power density levels between 2-7kW/m, an order of
magnitude less than the UK, yet suffers on average from more than 10 high intensity typhoon events a year,
causing extreme wind and wave conditions. This project aims to address the survivability of wave energy converters in Chinese waters during reoccurring high intensity typhoons. The research will explore the development of cost-effective mooring systems.
needs with particular benefit to coastal regions that have limited local energy resources. Commercial wave
energy development in China is hampered by low wave power density levels between 2-7kW/m, an order of
magnitude less than the UK, yet suffers on average from more than 10 high intensity typhoon events a year,
causing extreme wind and wave conditions. This project aims to address the survivability of wave energy converters in Chinese waters during reoccurring high intensity typhoons. The research will explore the development of cost-effective mooring systems.
Planned Impact
The proposed research will directly benefit Chinese wave energy developers in their effort to design the most
cost-efficient, yet reliable systems possible in conditions of tropical cyclones. Specific stakeholder workshops
open to device developers and other interested parties are planned to establish a pathway to impact. If the
proposed research is successful, it will make wave technology in regions exposed to tropical cyclones more cost effective.
It also holds potential for applications in other areas (e.g. floating tidal or fish aquacultures). The
anticipated typhoon risk maps may benefit companies as well as the wider general public utilising or visiting
Chinese waters in reducing their likelihood of typhoon exposure. Finally, the work will benefit UK plc through
exports in technology and expertise.
Journal papers and conference contributions will increase the influence of the research.
To explore and enable further collaboration between the UK and China both teams, and the teams of other feasibility projects funded by this call, propose to align project specific meetings with workshops involving other research groups. Potential options that will be explored include the existing Oxford Tidal Energy Workshop is (typically around end March / early April) and the PRIMARE research workshop (tbc). This represents a forum for technical discussion of preliminary findings; Chinese partners are invited. An earlier workshop is also proposed in China to enable discussion of feasibility project progress and explore wider collaboration opportunities.
cost-efficient, yet reliable systems possible in conditions of tropical cyclones. Specific stakeholder workshops
open to device developers and other interested parties are planned to establish a pathway to impact. If the
proposed research is successful, it will make wave technology in regions exposed to tropical cyclones more cost effective.
It also holds potential for applications in other areas (e.g. floating tidal or fish aquacultures). The
anticipated typhoon risk maps may benefit companies as well as the wider general public utilising or visiting
Chinese waters in reducing their likelihood of typhoon exposure. Finally, the work will benefit UK plc through
exports in technology and expertise.
Journal papers and conference contributions will increase the influence of the research.
To explore and enable further collaboration between the UK and China both teams, and the teams of other feasibility projects funded by this call, propose to align project specific meetings with workshops involving other research groups. Potential options that will be explored include the existing Oxford Tidal Energy Workshop is (typically around end March / early April) and the PRIMARE research workshop (tbc). This represents a forum for technical discussion of preliminary findings; Chinese partners are invited. An earlier workshop is also proposed in China to enable discussion of feasibility project progress and explore wider collaboration opportunities.
Publications
Thies P
(2015)
Component reliability test approaches for marine renewable energy
in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part O: Journal of Risk and Reliability
Ye H
(2017)
Increased chlorophyll- a concentration in the South China Sea caused by occasional sea surface temperature fronts at peripheries of eddies
in International Journal of Remote Sensing
Zhao C
(2021)
System integration and coupled effects of an OWT/WEC device
in Ocean Engineering
| Description | Wave energy technology in China could potentially contribute 13GW of installed power to the country's energy needs with particular benefit to coastal regions that have limited local energy resources. Commercial wave energy development in China is hampered by low wave power density levels between 2-7kW/m, an order of magnitude less than the UK, yet suffers on average from more than 10 high intensity typhoon events a year, causing extreme wind and wave conditions. The collaborative research has quantified the engineering design envelope for typhoon conditions at the Danwanshan Island test site in China. The numerical modelling of a generic, heaving point absorber buoy compared the performance characteristics and mooring loads for conventional and novel mooring designs. The approach explored ideal, theoretical mooring behaviour, as well as practicable achievable behaviour. The physical testing has demonstrated the feasibility of such novel mooring systems to reduce the peak mooring loads in typhoon storm conditions, whilst not hindering the operational performance of the device. The physical tests have also improved and validated the numerical modelling of novel mooring concepts. The project has successfully established the research collaboration between the three partner institutions and associated researches, leading to continued research work, joint publications and collaborative funding applications. |
| Exploitation Route | Information on typhoon occurrence may be used by other users (e.g. shipping industry, environmental researchers). Validated mooring performance is valuable for mooring developers and marine design engineers in order to potentially reduce peak and fatigue loads. Measured motion tracking can be used to characterise and model the mooring performance. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy |
| URL | https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/17665 |
| Description | The results of this project have been used by the National Ocean Technology Center in China to inform the feasibility of marine renewable energy test sites. They also informed offshore engineers and naval architects about the possibility and extent to which extreme mooring loads may be mitigated through novel mooring components. The demonstrated feasibility of novel mooring systems has lead to joint industry project efforts with offshore wind developers, such as MingYang Wind Power. The research results were presented at the Department for International Trade (DIT) 'Powering The Future event' in Shanghai, China on 23/09/2016. Most recently the results have been used to progress UK-China marine energy collaborations as part of a China-Britain Business Council organised mission to marine energy test sites in China, during 15/02-17/02/2017. The project has also paved the way to a subsequent UK-China project for Offshore Floating Wind Energy, involving several industry partners. In particular the Shanghai Design Research Institute (SIDRI) is involved in this collaboration, which will help the future Offshore Renewable Energy planning and deployment in China which holds significant economic and social benefits. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Construction,Energy |
| Impact Types | Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | (FLOTANT) - Innovative, low cost, low weight and safe floating wind technology optimized for deep water wind sites |
| Amount | € 4,944,957 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 815289 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 04/2019 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | Dynamic Load Reduction and Station Keeping Mooring System for Floating Offshore Wind |
| Amount | £649,669 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 103889 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2017 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Description | Innovation in infrastructure systems Round 2 |
| Amount | £249,399 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 103889 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2018 |
| End | 09/2020 |
| Description | Joint UK-China Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) call |
| Amount | £170,644 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/R007519/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2017 |
| End | 07/2020 |
| Description | Resilient Integrated-Coupled FOW platform design methodology (ResIn) |
| Amount | £811,976 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/R007519/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2017 |
| End | 07/2020 |
| Description | United Kingdom Centre for Marine Energy Research (Supergen 4) |
| Amount | £58,113 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/P008682/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2016 |
| End | 09/2018 |
| Title | Motion capture of mooring lines |
| Description | The purchase of a moton tracking system to enhance the experimental tests on mooring lines allows a new field of research tests that allow to infer the 3D position of any test sample during the experimental testing. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Improved test methods to instrument and measure during experimental testing. Increased capability to validate software models through detailed monitoring of experimental behaviour. |
| Title | Tharmal imaging |
| Description | Purchase and extensive use of themral image camera have enbaled the enhanced investigation of test samples that are undergoing accelerated component tests. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Improved capability for thermal imaging of test specimens that are under test for offshore energy applications. This opens up the enhanced investigation of mooring line dgradation and failure mechnisms due to friction effects. |
| Description | NOTC - State Oceanic Administration |
| Organisation | National Ocean Technology Center NOTC, China |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Detailed mooring analysis, Feasibility of novel systems for Chinese test sites |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of detailed marine test site information, including |
| Impact | Detailed feasibility study report. Redesign of envisaged installations. The National Ocean Technology Center informs the State Oceanic Administration on matters of Renewable Energy. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | SCSIO |
| Organisation | State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Hydrodynamic Load analysis for floating marine energy devices during Typhoon Events |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of expertise and data of typhoon events in South China Sea |
| Impact | Detailed technical report on typhoon frequencies and load impacts / mitigation for marine energy devices Identified new area of research - Algae bloom potentially caused by wave activity. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | BBC Radio Cornwall Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | BBC Radio Cornwall had a thematic week around water and wanted a research story on marine renewable energy. They interested to hear about the ongoing research with Chinese collaborators in Cornwall and broadcasted a 2:30 minute piece on the 2nd November 2015. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0356487#play |
| Description | BBC Radio intefview Conference June 2015 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | BBD Radio Cornwall approached me to report on an international conference that was to be held at Penryn Campus. They were keen to report on international reach and international visitors of Cornwall in light of the marine renewable industry. They broadcasted 2min piece on 16th June during breakfast radio. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Beijing collaborative workshop (UK-China) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 15 academics attended an international collaborative workshop titled "China-UK Collaborative Workshop: Marine Renewable Energy", comprising UK and Chinese instititions outside the funded award in order to scope and develop the collaborative research interests. Workshop was held in Beijing, China, 16th -18th March 2015 and initiated several pathways for further collaborations that are being explored. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | British Embassy Marine Energy Mission - China |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The British Embassy (Beijing) invited me to join the Marine Energy Mission to China between February 15th and 17th, 2017. The mission visited Qingdao in Shandong Province and Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, two of the three key regions designated by China's central government to test and harness China's marine energy resources. China is actively developing its approach to marine energy, making this a key juncture at which British companies and universities can make an impactful statement of intent as world leaders in the field. The visit will provided opportunities to meet key stakeholders in this emerging industry-including prominent State Owned Enterprises looking at investment, innovative private companies, leading research institutions, and key policy makers at the provincial and national level. Qingdao has also indicated specific interest in energy storage and control systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.emec.org.uk/ai1ec_event/marine-energy-mission-to-china/?instance_id= |
| Description | PRIMARE Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | A delegation of Chinese collaboration partners have visited the University of Exeter during an international conference hosted at Penryn campus. The conference was aimed at marine renwable energy industry and academic sector. The visit featured presentations from the delegation, a site visit to a marine energy tet site and sparked increased interest and the identification of future collaboration areas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.primare.org/sites/default/files/PRIMARE%20conference%20timetable.pdf |
| Description | Powering the Future - Delivering the UK-China Clean Energy Partnership |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Over 100 attendees from industry and policy decision makers attended this government-level event, organised by RCUK China. It featured ministerial support for offshore energy collaboration. It resulted in strong political support for further offshore energy developments between the UK and China. Moreover, several industrial partners that would benefit from the research were identified. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/poweringthefutureworkshop/ |