Recent work and prospective analysis on offshore structures and marine energy harvesting at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto

Abstract Marine energy harvesting and offshore structures for marine renewable energy exploitation rise as a trending topic of both research and industrial activities. However, many challenges are yet to be tackled and solved when it comes to place such equipment and structures at sea. Over the past years the Marine Energy Group at FEUP has been tackling some of those challenges aiming at a better competitiveness of marine renewable energy in comparison to traditional oil & gas sector, which is more mature and developed at this point in time. Additionally, recent findings of this research team have also been applicable to several offshore oil & gas infrastructures. In this work, the latest contributions, projects and research outcomes developed by the team are reviewed and presented towards the enhancement of future research lines and industrial opportunities.

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A Decision Support Tool for Long-Term Planning of Marine Operations in Ocean Energy Projects

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse9080810 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 810

Author(s):

Francisco X. Correia da Fonseca ◽

Luís Amaral ◽

Paulo Chainho

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Decision Support ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

Ocean Energy ◽

Support Tool ◽

Marine Renewable Energy ◽

Marine Energy ◽

Energy Projects ◽

Selection Algorithms ◽

Maritime Infrastructure

Ocean energy is a relevant source of clean renewable energy, and as it is still facing challenges related to its above grid-parity costs, tariffs intended to support in a structured and coherent way are of great relevance and potential impact. The logistics and marine operations required for installing and maintaining these systems are major cost drivers of marine renewable energy projects. Planning the logistics of marine energy projects is a highly complex and intertwined process, and to date, limited advances have been made in the development of decision support tools suitable for ocean energy farm design. The present paper describes the methodology of a novel, opensource, logistic and marine operation planning tool, integrated within DTOceanPlus suite of design tools, and responsible for producing logistic solutions comprised of optimal selections of vessels, port terminals, equipment, as well as operation plans, for ocean energy projects. Infrastructure selection logistic functions were developed to select vessels, ports, and equipment for specific projects. A statistical weather window model was developed to estimate operation delays due to weather. A vessel charter rate modeling approach, based on an in-house vessel database and industry experience, is described in detail. The overall operation assumptions and underlying operating principles of the statistical weather window model, maritime infrastructure selection algorithms, and cost modeling strategies are presented. Tests performed for a case study based a theoretical floating wave energy converter produced results in good agreement with reality.

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The Permitting, Licensing and Environmental Compliance Process: Lessons and Experiences within U.S. Marine Renewable Energy

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14165048 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (16) ◽

pp. 5048

Author(s):

Zachary Barr ◽

Jesse Roberts ◽

William Peplinski ◽

Anna West ◽

Sharon Kramer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Vital Role ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Marine Renewable Energy ◽

Marine Energy ◽

Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽

Practical Experiences ◽

Permitting Process ◽

The U.S

The marine renewable energy (MRE; renewable energy captured from waves, tides, ocean currents, the natural flow of water in rivers, and marine thermal gradients, without building new dams or diversions) industry has a vital role in the U.S. clean energy strategy as we progress to meet U.S. electricity and blue economy needs with renewable, domestic energy sources. However, a thorough assessment of the U.S. marine energy permitting process from the viewpoints of both developers that propose projects and regulators that permit them has not been performed. Sharing practical experiences in this new industry is vital to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the permitting process, identify data and information gaps, develop lessons learned, and advance the industry. This paper is a case study of qualitative findings, lessons learned, and recommendations from guided discussions, workshops, and webinars with both marine renewable energy developers and state and federal regulators that have experience in the permitting process in the U.S.

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University Startup Accelerators: Startup Launchpads or Vehicles for Entrepreneurial Learning?

Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy ◽

10.1177/2515127420931753 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 251512742093175

Author(s):

Lynn E. Metcalf ◽

Thomas M. Katona ◽

Jonathan L. York

Keyword(s):

Return On Investment ◽

Future Research ◽

Uniform Structure ◽

Primary Role ◽

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem ◽

The Past ◽

Mode Of Operation ◽

The University ◽

Insight Into

Over the past decade, universities have invested heavily in startup accelerator programs; however, their role in the university entrepreneurial ecosystem is ambiguous. Are university startup accelerators intended to educate or are they created to facilitate business starts and to contribute to regional economic development? In contrast, most private-sector startup accelerators serve a consistent and differentiated role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem—they provide programming and resources to startups to increase the probability of a return on investment. Understanding the role of university startup accelerators is an important precursor to evaluating their impact and whether or not the return is worth the considerable investment. In this study, we poll university accelerator directors to gain their perspective on the role(s) that university startup accelerators play and to identify how they are structured and operated. Our research reveals a fairly uniform structure and mode of operation. While facilitating business starts is a key role for some, it confirms education as the primary role for university startup accelerators. We outline appropriate means of assessing the learning that takes place in accelerator programs, offer insight into how these findings can help accelerator directors deliver on outcomes and demonstrate impact, and propose avenues for future research.

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Detection of Visual Signatures of Marine Mammals and Fish within Marine Renewable Energy Farms using Multibeam Imaging Sonar

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse7020022 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 22 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Francisco Francisco ◽

Jan Sundberg

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Marine Mammals ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Marine Renewable Energy ◽

Marine Energy ◽

Acoustic Images ◽

Sonar Systems ◽

Sonar Images ◽

Imaging Sonar

Techniques for marine monitoring have been greatly evolved over the past decades, making the acquisition of environmental data safer, more reliable and more efficient. On the other hand, the marine renewable energy sector has introduced dissimilar ways of exploring the oceans. Marine energy is mostly harvested in murky and high energetic places where conventional data acquisition techniques are impractical. This new frontier on marine operations brings the need for finding new techniques for environmental data acquisition, processing and analysis. Modern sonar systems, operating at high frequencies, can acquire detailed images of the underwater environment. Variables such as occurrence, size, class and behavior of a variety of aquatic species of fish, birds, and mammals that coexist within marine energy sites can be monitored using imaging sonar systems. Although sonar images can provide high levels of detail, in most of the cases they are still difficult to decipher. In order to facilitate the classification of targets using sonar images, this study introduces a framework of extracting visual features of marine animals that would serve as unique signatures. The acoustic visibility measure (AVM) is here introduced as technique of identification and classification of targets by comparing the observed size with a standard value. This information can be used to instruct algorithms and protocols in order to automate the identification and classification of underwater targets using imaging sonar systems. Using image processing algorithms embedded in Proviwer4 and FIJI software, this study found that acoustic images can be effectively used to classify cod, harbour and grey seals, and orcas through their size, shape and swimming behavior. The sonar images showed that cod occurred as bright, 0.9 m long, ellipsoidal targets shoaling in groups. Harbour seals occurred as bright torpedo-like fast moving targets, whereas grey seals occurred as bulky-ellipsoidal targets with serpentine movements. Orca or larger marine mammals occurred with relatively low visibility on the acoustic images compared to their body size, which measured between 4 m and 7 m. This framework provide a new window of performing qualitative and quantitative observations of underwater targets, and with further improvements, this method can be useful for environmental studies within marine renewable energy farms and for other purposes.

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DESIGN, ANALYSIS AND FIELD TEST OF A DYNAMIC FLOATING BREAKWATER

Coastal Engineering Proceedings ◽

10.9753/icce.v15.159 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 1 (15) ◽

pp. 159 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D.J. Agerton ◽

G.H. Savage ◽

K.C. Stotz

Keyword(s):

Solid Wall ◽

Offshore Structures ◽

The Past ◽

The North ◽

Production Platform ◽

Floating Breakwater ◽

The North Sea ◽

Floating Breakwaters ◽

Offshore Oil ◽

Permanent Wave

Interest in floating breakwaters has been generated in recent years because the concept offers the potential of providing a less expensive alternative to traditional, solid wall type barriers for providing permanent wave protection to the thousands of new recreational boat harbors and marinas that have been built in the past 20 years. Also, they may be able to provide temporary, mobile wave protection during construction and installation of offshore facilities for oil transfer and production operations, defense facilities and other offshore structures in deeper water (depths exceeding 50 to 100 feet). The engineering director of one of the largest and most active offshore oil producing companies recently stated that they would be willing to pay up to $6 million for a mobile, floating breakwater that had the proven capability to significantly reduce risks due to wave action during offshore erection in the North Sea or elsewhere. Considering the investment in just one deep water oil production platform already exceeds $100,000,000, the worth of such a reusable, wave protection system during the critical erection period of a platform should be large.

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Additively manufactured nano-mechanical energy harvesting systems: advancements, potential applications, challenges and future perspectives

Nano Convergence ◽

10.1186/s40580-021-00289-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ammar Ahmed ◽

Ali Azam ◽

Yanen Wang ◽

Zutao Zhang ◽

Ning Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Energy Harvesting ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

Optimal Strategies ◽

Point Of View ◽

Future Research ◽

Energy Scavenging ◽

Renewable Energy Resources ◽

Future Perspectives ◽

The Usa

AbstractAdditively manufactured nano-MEH systems are widely used to harvest energy from renewable and sustainable energy sources such as wind, ocean, sunlight, raindrops, and ambient vibrations. A comprehensive study focusing on in-depth technology evolution, applications, problems, and future trends of specifically 3D printed nano-MEH systems with an energy point of view is rarely conducted. Therefore, this paper looks into the state-of-the-art technologies, energy harvesting sources/methods, performance, implementations, emerging applications, potential challenges, and future perspectives of additively manufactured nano-mechanical energy harvesting (3DP-NMEH) systems. The prevailing challenges concerning renewable energy harvesting capacities, optimal energy scavenging, power management, material functionalization, sustainable prototyping strategies, new materials, commercialization, and hybridization are discussed. A novel solution is proposed for renewable energy generation and medicinal purposes based on the sustainable utilization of recyclable municipal and medical waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, recommendations for future research are presented concerning the cutting-edge issues hurdling the optimal exploitation of renewable energy resources through NMEHs. China and the USA are the most significant leading forces in enhancing 3DP-NMEH technology, with more than 75% contributions collectively. The reported output energy capacities of additively manufactured nano-MEH systems were 0.5–32 mW, 0.0002–45.6 mW, and 0.3–4.67 mW for electromagnetic, piezoelectric, and triboelectric nanogenerators, respectively. The optimal strategies and techniques to enhance these energy capacities are compiled in this paper. Graphical Abstract

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Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Scale Assessment of Marine Renewable Energy Structure in a Tidal System

10.21926/jept.2101012 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Aurore Raoux ◽

◽

Ilan Robin ◽

Jean-Philippe Pezy ◽

Anne-Claire Bennis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Wind Farm ◽

Scale Effects ◽

Structural Characteristics ◽

Tidal Energy ◽

Ecosystem Approach ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Future Research ◽

Energy Structure ◽

Marine Renewable Energy

The French coast of the Atlantic and English Channel (EC) is promising for the development of Marine Renewable Energy (MRE), including wind, wave, and tidal stream, due to the high velocity of currents in some parts of the area. This paper, focusing on wind and tidal energy, discusses how the implementation of MRE converters influences biodiversity, and vice versa, through biofouling and reef effects. The understanding of these interactions requires the knowledge of the hydro-sedimentary conditions and the macrofauna. The research on these topics, performed at the Continental and Coastal Morphodynamic laboratory (M2C) (UNICAEN, France), is presented through a multi-disciplinary approach by i) studying the hydrodynamic conditions and the macrofauna in Alderney Race, ii) studying the biofouling effects on tidal turbines and their influence on the turbulent wake, iii) assessing the hydro-sedimentary impacts induced by the offshore wind farm, like scouring, and iv) taking an ecosystem approach on MRE, such as the reef effect. From an ecological perspective, the reef effect can be responsible for changes in the structure and function of the ecosystem. Although several studies have analyzed this effect at the species-or community-scale, the propagation of the reef effect at the ecosystem-scale remains unclear. Thus, understanding these ecosystem-scale effects is urgent for future research. From an engineering perspective, biofouling changes the structural characteristics (i.e., supplementary mass) of the converters and thus, affects their performance.

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The Forest, The Trees, The Bark, The Pith: An Intensive Look at the Circulation Rates of Primary Texts in Ten Major Literature Areas at the University of Oregon Libraries

10.5703/1288284317145 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jeff D. Staiger

Keyword(s):

Latin American ◽

Academic Libraries ◽

Turnover Rate ◽

Circulation Rate ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Needs ◽

Intellectual Community ◽

The Past ◽

Subject Areas ◽

The University

This poster looks at the circulation rate for literary primary texts, which constitute a unique area of collecting in academic libraries: while they do not in most cases meet immediate research needs, it is assumed that libraries ought to acquire them, for reasons including future research needs, preservation of the cultural record, and the ability of members of the intellectual community to stay current, those these remain primarily tacit. The circulation trends of contemporary literary works in ten areas of literature (English, American, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin American, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian) over the past twenty years at the University of Oregon Knight Library are presented and the circulation turnover rate (CTR), for each of these subject areas are presented. Sample graphs allow for the comparison of circulation rates and numbers of books across time, and serve as examples of the utility of such visualizations of the numbers. The key question raised by the study is what makes a good CTR for a particular region of the collection? The poster concludes by summarizing the considerations that bear on the interpretation of the CTR as an index of how the collection is “working.”

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