Marine Renewable Energy Systems

Research in this area focuses on the considerable engineering challenges associated with marine renewable energy. PRIMaRE’s research is assisting the development of mooring systems, umbilical connections and the installation and maintenance infrastructure.

The South-West Moorings Test Facility (SWMTF) includes a buoy incorporating motion sensors, a patented tri-axial load cell and structural stress measurement equipment. This allows for detailed understanding of conventional and novel mooring arrangements for wave energy devices. This is complemented by theoretical and numerical studies of wave-structure interactions, which are being used to accelerate device development. Device optimisation, reliability and availability are also the subjects of on-going research projects.

The Dynamic Marine Component Test Facility (DMAC) allows wear and fatigue analysis of marine renewable energy components under dynamic load conditions.

Research capabilities include:

• Hydrodynamic analysis of sea-keeping systems (moorings) for wave-energy converters
• Design of novel mooring systems for wave energy converters
• In-situ observations of mooring loads and displacements for wave energy converters
• Reliability analysis and development of novel reliability models for marine renewable energy systems
• Accelerated dynamic testing of energy converter component wear, fatigue and life
• Modelling, simulation and testing of wavestructure interaction
• Modelling, simulation and testing of tidal current-structure interaction
• Modelling and simulation of wave and tidal energy converter device structural performance
• Modelling and simulation of wave and tidal energy converter device hydrodynamic performance
• Modelling and simulation of the drift of devices that have escaped mooring systems
• Deterministic and stochastic modeling of waves for the prediction of response and power output
• Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling of marine renewable energy devices
• Wave and tidal energy converter device design
• Experimental testing of scale models of wave energy converters for design and performance assessment

• Dr Deborah Greaves, Coastal & Marine Engineering »
  
• Dr Lars Johanning, Marine Hydrodynamics & Mooring »
• David Parish »
• David Raymond, Marine Operations Technician »
  
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• Dr Qingping Zou, Reader in Coastal Engineering »