Responsive mooring systems for floating renewable energy facilities

As renewable energy structures move into deeper water, the now established fixed foundation concepts must be replaced by anchoring systems. Current mooring systems are designed to resist peak design loads, which can lead to expensive mooring systems. This project will investigate the potential of a mooring system that absorbs some of the peak dynamic loading, such that smaller loads are transferred to the anchor, enabling smaller anchors that will be more cost effective and safe. Development of more efficient mooring systems is particularly important for the transition to renewable energy since the lower energy yield per structure compared to oil and gas producing structures requires many hundred more structures to be moored to the seabed for the same total energy yield.
The project hypothesis is that responsive mooring systems can provide a feasible option to reduce anchor size for floating facilities.
This project will involve investigation the relationship between mooring line ductility and platform response through numerical analysis and experimental testing. The University of Southampton has extensive hydrodynamic and materials testing facilities and one of the largest supercomputer facilities in the country.
Maritime Engineering at UoS is co-located with Lloyd's Register's Marine division on the Boldrewood Innovation Campus providing the opportunity for this project to include development of design guidance for the adoption of responsive mooring systems.
The outcome of this project will be development of an effective responsive mooring system and design methodology that reduces the size of anchor required for floating facilities.