Intelligent Physical Exercise Training (IPET) in the Offshore Wind Industry: a Feasibility Study With an Adjusted Conceptual Model

Background: Good physical health and capacity is a requirement for offshore wind service technicians (WTs) who have substantial physical work demands and are exposed to numerous health hazards. Workplace physical exercise has shown promising results as a strategy for maintaining and improving physical health and work ability among various types of workers. Therefore, we aimed to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the Intelligent Physical Exercise Training (IPET) concept among WTs in the offshore wind industry.Methods: The present study used a within-subject design to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of IPET (one hour/week individualized exercise during working hours). The intervention period was 12 weeks, with the first eight weeks performed on site as supervised or partly supervised exercise during work hours and the last four weeks planned as home-administered exercise after termination of the seasonal offshore service period. Three assessments, T1 (six months prior to intervention start), T2 (start of intervention) and T3 (end of intervention), of physical health and capacity (self-reported and objective measurements) were conducted and the period between T1 and T2 served as a within-subject control period. Primary outcome was feasibility measured as compliance, adherence, adverse events, and participant acceptability. Descriptive statistics were used to present feasibility outcomes and pairwise comparisons were performed to assess for differences in outcomes between T1, T2 and T3. Results: All WTs at the included wind farm (n=24, age: 40 years (SD±8)) participated in the study. No serious adverse events were reported. Compliance and adherence of 95 and 80% respectively, were reached in the eight-week supervised part, but lower when exercise was home-administered (<20%). Acceptability was high for the supervised part, with 83% indicating that the exercise program worked well and 100% that exercise should be implemented as an integrated part of the working structure. Physical capacity and health parameters collected at T1, T2 and T3 increased before and during the intervention period, indicating seasonal fluctuations in addition to possible improvements caused by the intervention.Conclusion: Implementation of Intelligent Physical Exercise Training on site and during working hours seems to be feasible and well received among WTs in the offshore wind industry.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04995718). Retrospectively registered on August 6, 2021, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04995718?term=NCT04995718&draw=2&rank=1

Floating Wind Turbine Model Test to Verify a MoorDyn Modification for Nonlinear Elastic Materials

As the Floating Offshore Wind industry matures it has become increasingly important for researchers to determine the next generation materials and processes that will allow platforms to be deployed in intermediate (50-85 m) water depths which challenge the efficiency of traditional catenary chain mooring systems and fixed-bottom jacket structures. One such technology, synthetic ropes, have in recent years come to the forefront of this effort. The challenge of designing synthetic rope moorings is the complex nonlinear tension-strain response inherent of some rope material choices. Currently, many numerical tools for modeling the dynamic behavior of FOWTs are limited to mooring materials that have a linear tension- strain response. In this paper an open source FOWT design and analysis program, OpenFAST, was modified to capture the more complex tension-strain responses of synthetic ropes. Simulations from the modified OpenFAST tool were then compared with 1:52-scale test data for a 6MW FOWT Semi- submersible platform in 55m of water subjected to representative design load cases. A strong correlation between the simulations and test data was observed.

Simulation of peak tension loads in Subsea power cables during installation

At present, most of the insurance claims in the offshore wind industry are due to cable failures where a large percentage occurs during the installation of the array and export cables. As the reliability of the cables depends on the location and installation method, it is important to map the risks involved, which can compromise the cable’s integrity in individual projects. This paper presents sensitivity analyses conducted on crucial parameters in the cable laying process, with an objective of successful installation of subsea power cables without any damages to the cable. The analyses focus on the peak tension loads with reference to key parameters as cable self-weight and laying geometry, as well as the cable deployment position on the installation vessel. Finite element analyses were conducted with both static forces and dynamic forces for irregular vessel motions, by the aid of the well-tested software OrcaFlex.

Fault Detection and Condition Monitoring of PMSGs in Offshore Wind Turbines

Research on fault detection (FD) and condition monitoring (CM) of rotating electrical generators for modern wind turbines has addressed a wide variety of technologies. Among these, permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) and the analysis of their electromagnetic signatures in the presence of faults deserve emphasis in this paper. PMSGs are prominent in the offshore wind industry, and methods for FD and CM of PMSGs based on electromagnetic measurements are extensively discussed in academia. This paper is a concise review of FD and CM in wind turbines and PMSGs. Terminology and fundamentals of PMSG’s operation are introduced first, aiming to offer an easy read and good reference to a broad audience of engineers and data scientists. Experience and research challenges with stator winding failures are also discussed.

An Expert-Driven Probabilistic Assessment of the Safety and Security of Offshore Wind Farms

Offshore wind farms (OWFs) are important infrastructure which provide an alternative and clean means of energy production worldwide. The offshore wind industry has been continuously growing. Over the years, however, it has become evident that OWFs are facing a variety of safety and security challenges. If not addressed, these issues may hinder their progress. Based on these safety and security goals and on a Bayesian network model, this work presents a methodological approach for structuring and organizing expert knowledge and turning it into a probabilistic model to assess the safety and security of OWFs. This graphical probabilistic model allowed us to create a high-level representation of the safety and security state of a generic OWF. By studying the interrelations between the different functions of the model, and by proposing different scenarios, we determined the impacts that a failing function may have on other functions in this complex system. Finally, this model helped us define the performance requirements of such infrastructure, which should be beneficial for optimizing operation and maintenance.

How important are ports for the offshore wind industry?: the case of Spain

Offshore wind is becoming a new technology to develop a better sustainable world. Its progress is linked to the use of port facilities, where the offshore wind farms can be stored or pre-installed. The aim of this paper is to analyse the storage space availability for ports in terms of being used for the new offshore wind sector. The case of study will be focused on analysing the port facilities in Spain, country with a great offshore wind resource in some specific areas. Results indicate the ports that can be used for the development of offshore wind in Spain. This work is important in order to establish a roadmap of the offshore wind business in Spain, which can repair the economic and social damaged due to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Enhancing Vocational Training in the Post-COVID Era through Mobile Mixed Reality

COVID-19 and the resulting restrictions have had a massive impact on engineering education, particularly vocational and practical aspects of training. In this study, we present a novel mixed reality (MR) tool to simulate and guide learners through a simple fault diagnosis task of a three-phase power supply. The tool was created as a web-based application that could be accessed from budget smartphones in order to cover the majority of users. Comparisons were made between novices using MR guidance and those with more experience in the task who did not have additional guidance, finding that the novices outperformed the experts across all metrics measured. This indicates that MR could be a valuable tool to supplement traditional vocational learning methods, particularly at a time when physical access to equipment and facilities is scarce. MR has applications across the engineering industry, but the target task of a three-phase power supply was chosen as it has particular relevance to the offshore wind industry, which faces a shortage of skilled engineers and technicians in the coming years.

INSTALLATION OF SUBMARINE CABLES IN THE OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

"This article presents the main methods of installing submarine cables used in the offshore wind industry and the impact they have on the marine environment. From this article, the reader will be able to understand the basic principles that are taken into account from the design phase of a submarine cable, principles that seek to streamline their installation, operation and maintenance and their impact on the marine environment. Given the scale of the development of the wind industry, especially offshore, the length of submarine cables that provide energy transport from the wind farm to shore consumers is also constantly growing. The construction and operation of offshore wind energy systems has been and continues to be regarded with scepticism by environmental activists. Despite the undeniable benefits of this renewable energy source, the impact on the marine environment must also be taken into consideration. We studied the most efficient methods of installing submarine cables in the offshore wind industry – study which also includes analysing the behaviour of submarine cables and analysing ships’ movement during cable transport and installation. This article is only part of a major research on the installation of submarine cables in the offshore wind industry. In terms of the frequency and relatively short duration of submarine cable installation operations, on a small strip of up to 8m, the disturbances and impact caused by these operations are considered minor and are preferred compared to bottom trawling operations and dredging, which are repetitive and more extensive. A single impact, such as cable burial operations, is preferred to continuous, multiple or recurrent impacts. [1] "