CoreIntegrity gives floating offshore wind a high-tech boost

Floating offshore wind has certain advantages over bottom-fixed and onshore wind. The turbines can be located far offshore in deep waters, giving access to stronger, more consistent wind. High wind speeds, however, put a strain on mooring systems, which have a high rate of failure in ocean industries.

“On a commercial scale, a floating offshore wind farm could have hundreds of mooring lines, many more than typically seen in the oil and gas industry. Since floating wind is in its infancy, new technology is needed to address the unique challenges it is facing,” says Overgaard.

CoreIntegrity is an integrity management tool for offshore industries, particularly floating wind farms. The tool combines advanced global motion sensors and subsea acoustic sensors to provide insight into how the asset behaves in the water. CoreIntegrity measures both positioning and movement, from the mooring and dynamic power cables all the way up to the turbine.

“This methodology is especially crucial for monitoring and maintaining the integrity of mooring lines and dynamic power cables. CoreIntegrity accurately calculates real-time tensions and fatigue life of the mooring system. We can even predict values up to a week in advanced based on weather forecasts,” says Overgaard.

The system gathers high-quality data on the forces affecting wind farm assets, performing continuous condition monitoring. After the data is analysed using advanced algorithms, the results are presented in real time via the CoreIntegrity User Interface, keeping owners updated at all times.

“We not only provide data through our sensors, but we translate it into analytical models. This gives asset owners crucial knowledge about parameters such as peak loads, stress loads, corrosion time, and much more,” says Overgaard.

CoreIntegrity reduces operating costs in floating offshore wind, increasing its competitiveness in the global energy market. For instance, there is less need for physical inspections and maintenance of wind turbines, and a heightened capability for targeted predictive maintenance.

“Inspection, maintenance and repair and subsea operations are costly. Our sensors and data analytics provide far better information than sending divers or remotely operated vehicles underwater with cameras. Owners can identify and mitigate potential problems before they happen,” says Overgaard.

“Our tool also lowers the risk of investing in floating wind,” he adds. “We turn complex data into simple and tangible reports. This gives owners genuine control over their assets to a degree never possible before.”

Moreover, the accumulated data will be used in the future to optimise the mooring design of floating wind farms. Understanding the movements of floating assets will allow CoreMarine to enhance entire floating offshore wind production models.

The floating offshore wind market is projected to grow dramatically in the coming years, from USD 1 billion in 2019 to USD 59 billion by 2027.

While the company’s current market focus is floating wind, the technology has been used in offshore aquaculture and oil and gas with great success.

“Offshore aquaculture requires better monitoring and analysis solutions as the industry moves farther offshore in harsher weather conditions,” he adds.

Established in 2016, CoreMarine is an ocean engineering company with offices in Norway, Spain and Australia.

“Scotland is the largest market for floating offshore wind right now. Norway, Spain, France and the UK are planning to develop new floating wind farms in the next few years, but there is also an emerging market in East Asia and the US. Our existing customers and collaborators all emphasise the need for a solution such as CoreIntegrity,” says Overgaard.