skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Verification of a rapid mooring and foundation design tool

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Exeter, Penryn (United Kingdom)
  2. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  3. Tension Technology International Ltd, Eastbourne (United Kingdom)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Marine renewable energy devices require mooring and foundation systems that suitable in terms of device operation and are also robust and cost effective. In the initial stages of mooring and foundation development a large number of possible configuration permutations exist. Filtering of unsuitable designs is possible using information specific to the deployment site (i.e. bathymetry, environmental conditions) and device (i.e. mooring and/or foundation system role and cable connection requirements). The identification of a final solution requires detailed analysis, which includes load cases based on extreme environmental statistics following certification guidance processes. Static and/or quasi-static modelling of the mooring and/or foundation system serves as an intermediate design filtering stage enabling dynamic time-domain analysis to be focused on a small number of potential configurations. Mooring and foundation design is therefore reliant on logical decision making throughout this stage-gate process. The open-source DTOcean (Optimal Design Tools for Ocean Energy Arrays) Tool includes a mooring and foundation module, which automates the configuration selection process for fixed and floating wave and tidal energy devices. As far as the authors are aware, this is one of the first tools to be developed for the purpose of identifying potential solutions during the initial stages of marine renewable energy design. While the mooring and foundation module does not replace a full design assessment, it provides in addition to suitable configuration solutions, assessments in terms of reliability, economics and environmental impact. This article provides insight into the solution identification approach used by the module and features the verification of both the mooring system calculations and the foundation design using commercial software. Several case studies are investigated: a floating wave energy converter and several anchoring systems. It is demonstrated that the mooring and foundation module is able to provide device and/or site developers with rapid mooring and foundation design solutions to appropriate design criteria.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind and Water Technologies Office (EE-4W)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1429742
Report Number(s):
SAND2017-2398J; 651459
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment, Vol. 232, Issue 1; ISSN 1475-0902
Publisher:
SAGECopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 4 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (3)

The Slow Drift Oscillations of a Moored Object in Random Seas journal June 1972
Mean drift forces on arrays of bodies due to incident long waves journal December 1987
Mean drift forces on a slowly advancing vertical cylinder in long waves journal July 1990

Figures / Tables (16)

Figure 1(p. 2)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 4)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 5)figure Figure 3
Table 1(p. 7)table Table 1
Table 2(p. 7)table Table 2
Table 3(p. 8)table Table 3
Figure 4(p. 9)figure Figure 4
Table 4(p. 10)table Table 4
Figure 5(p. 11)figure Figure 5
Table 5(p. 12)table Table 5
Table 6(p. 12)table Table 6
Table 7(p. 12)table Table 7
Table 8(p. 12)table Table 8
Table 9(p. 13)table Table 9
Figure 6(p. 14)figure Figure 6
Table 10(p. 15)table Table 10

Similar Records

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING