Renewables Offshore wind energy

Walney Offshore Wind Farm © DONG Energy

02 | Offshore wind energy

Offshore wind energy | 03

We provide robust engineering design and owners’ engineer services in the renewable energy sector, as well as technical advice on emerging clean energy technologies.

Our cross-discipline experts and specialists enable us to provide the complete range of services in all aspects of renewable energy technology. We have some of the most technically skilled individuals in the engineering sector in areas such as fatigue assessment, finite element analysis, dynamic analysis, computational fluid dynamics and hydrodynamics.

Merging experience and innovation

Our expertise in the offshore environment dates back as far as the 1970s. Delivering engineering projects in the challenging marine environments of the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico

has provided us with a wealth of knowledge that we transfer into cost effective solutions for offshore wind.

By combining our original thinking with these 40 years of offshore engineering in oil and gas, we are transforming the ability of offshore wind to compete with established forms of power generation.

Lessons learned in foundation technology, as well as installing and maintaining assets at sea, guide us in developing a standardised design approach that reduces the cost of offshore wind.

Our in-depth knowledge of offshore engineering and hydrocarbons, as well as power generation and distribution, not only equips us well but drives a sense of responsibility to play a key role in developing the technical and commercial viability of new energy technologies.

Designing energy’s future

By listening and leading across boundaries, bringing lessons learned from established forms of energy to emerging technologies, we are helping the drive towards a low carbon future.

WINDFLOAT SEMI SUBMERSIBLE

FLOATING SPAR JACKET/TRIPODMONOPILE MET MAST OFFSHORE SUBSTATION

We provide the complete spectrum of engineering, design, and asset management services for the offshore wind sector.

CONCEPT DESIGN & STUDIES• Dogger Bank Wind Farm, substation topside and jacket

feasibility study• East Anglia One Offshore Wind Farm, turbine jacket study• Gwynt y Môr, substation topside design• Hywind, transporation concept design• Islay Offshore Wind Farm, turbine substructure selection• Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm, concept and consent

planning• Rampion Wind Farm, met mast and turbine substructure

studies

DETAILED DESIGN• Blyth Offshore Demonstrator, met mast• Galloper Wind Farm, substation topside• Humber Gateway Offshore Wind Farm, substation jacket

CONCEPT & DETAILED DESIGN• Beatrice Wind Farm, turbine jackets • Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm, substation topside

and jacket• Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm, turbine monopiles• Hornsea Project 1, substation topside and jacket• Lincs Wind Farm, substation topside and jacket• Race Bank Wind Farm, substation jacket• Thanet Wind Farm, substation jacket• Walney Wind Farm, substation topside and jacket• WindFloat, hull and moorings

ASSET MANAGEMENT• Offshore wind farm, grouted connection remediation• Offshore wind farm, substation jacket fatigue study• Offshore wind farm, weld defect assessments, fracture

mechanics and fatigue analysis

ATKINS' OFFSHORE HUBS United Kingdom: Aberdeen, Bristol, Epsom, Glasgow, London Denmark: Esbjerg

UNITED KINGDOM

FRANCE

NETHERLANDS

DENMARK

NORWAY

SPAINPORTUGAL

BELGIUM

GERMANY

SWITZERLAND

IRELAND

ITALY



Our rich history as offshore engineers meant we were well positioned to play a leading role in the industry’s development from day one. This extensive experience garnered in the offshore oil and gas sector proved an invaluable foundation for the growth of our offshore wind team. We’ve been at the forefront of the growing offshore wind sector providing concept to detailed design, construction and installation support and asset and integrity management.

We work closely with all the stakeholders in the sector. Providing critical advice for developers in advance of consent and financial close and support to clients through technical approval, certification and construction phases.

We offer the following specialist services:

• Offshore substation design (substructure and topsides)

• Wind turbine substructure and geotechnical design

• Electrical array and export transmission design

• Cable selection and installation assessment

• Onshore substation design and grid connection studies

• Wave and tidal energy converter design

• Geotechnical and geophysical survey specification and data interpretation

• Consents, planning and environmental assessment

• Health & safety planning and CDM assessments

• Project management and cost control• Offshore floating turbines

Day one legacy

We’re working closely with a number of key clients across all stages of the project lifecycle, some of our key projects include:

DONG Energy - offshore substation portfolio We’re currently undertaking the conceptual and detailed design of eight offshore substation platforms (including substructure and topsides) for DONG Energy. These include:

• HornseaProjectOne - three substations with helidecks and refuelling systems

• RaceBankwindfarm - two substations

• Walneywindfarm - two substations

• BurboBankwindfarm - one substation

By delivering a standardised design that will enable a production line approach to fabrication, we are helping DONG Energy to reduce the costs of offshore wind without compromising safety and reliability.

Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm - turbine substructureWe have completed the concept design and are currently undertaking the detailed design of 67 individual monopiles and 67 individual transition pieces.

Through innovation and technical excellence we are expanding the capabilities of the proven monopile foundation to create a “next generation” design. With diameters greater than 7m, the monopiles will be installed at locations with water depths up to 25m – the deepest application of this foundation type to date.

Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm - turbine substructureWe are designing the turbine jacket foundations (including geotechnical engineering) for the challenging conditions at this site, where water depths range from 30m - 55m. Since our involvement began in 2011 we have completed the pre-FEED and FEED design stages and are now progressing with detailed design.

UK offshore wind farm - offshore transformer module (OTM)Siemens’ new OTM is designed to replace conventional offshore substations and reduce the costs of offshore wind energy. We are carrying out the conceptual and detailed design of two OTMs, including the substructure and OTM deck.

WindFloatWindFloat is an innovative floating support structure for offshore wind turbines from Principal Power. A fully-commissioned 2MW prototype was wet-towed and installed off the coast of Portugal. We completed the FEED and detailed design of the hull and moorings and are now involved with the design of 8MW follow-on projects to be installed in Oregon & Portugal.

Galloper Array Offshore Wind FarmWe carried out the detailed design of the topside of the offshore substation, including the helideck. In addition we provided technical support through the construction, installation and commissioning phases.

OURPROJECTS

© Renewable UK


Managing the asset life

Throughout our operating sectors we have asset management teams delivering strategic services to ensure the longevity and efficiency of our partners’ assets. The flow of knowledge throughout our business fosters a culture of holistic best practice, where fundamental asset concerns are managed within the framework of a thorough strategy.

We place the asset lifecycle at the very core of low cost efficient design principles and maintain a transparent collaborative approach to delivering a managed service at all stages of the lifecycle, right through to decommissioning.

Our teams in offshore renewables can provide a full range of asset management services. Notably, our recent experience includes:

• Structural integrity management and failure mode analysis

• Development of inspection and maintenance campaigns

• Design of remedial solutions for grouted connection failure in monopiles

• Geotechnical investigations of scour and exposure of buried cables

Asset management strategiesAt two offshore wind farms, together comprising a total of 150+ offshore turbines, axial slippage in the grouted joints between transition pieces and monopiles (MPs) was observed. This resulted in the internal secondary steelwork welded to the TPs, coming into contact with the MPs, resulting in high stress concentrations around welds critical to the integrity of the primary structures. We were contacted to develop and maintain asset management strategies for all turbines at both of these wind farms.

We assessed historical inspection data and carried out stress analysis and fracture mechanics calculations to predict safe-lives of known and postulated defects. Our conclusions were translated into an asset management strategy with a clear set of guidelines for inspection. This enabled our client to apply the engineering judgement within the strategy without requiring a detailed knowledge of fracture mechanics. We continue to use

the latest inspection data to validate and update the client’s asset management strategy.

Fatigue life studies and managementThe jacket foundations for an offshore substation were fabricated with details that were not accounted for in the original design analysis. Post-installation, the asset owner contacted us to carry out a study to ascertain the true fatigue life of the as-manufactured jacket structure.

We are currently developing detailed structural models using a range of finite element analysis packages to determine the fatigue life of the structure.

In the event that the fatigue life is lower than the intended design life of the structure, we are developing a medium to long term condition monitoring strategy. This will enable the substation to be operated with adequate risk management in place, while a permanent remediation solution is designed and implemented.

Grouted joint remediationAt a number of wind farms the failure of grouted connections between the monopile and the transition piece has caused the wind turbine tower structure to slip downwards. In order to arrest this slippage we have, in parallel with our asset management strategies, designed remediation solutions to provide alternative axial load paths for the primary structures.

Our solutions prescribed the installation of new steel brackets and elastomeric bearings between the transition piece and monopile. The bearings provide a flexible axial load path from the transition piece to the monopile which bypasses the failed grouted connection, allowing for continued operation of the wind turbines and substations to their intended design lives.

ASSETMANAGEMENTPROJECTS

We are the engineers designing, caring for and extending the life of energy infrastructure that will keep homes warm and industry moving.

We have the expertise, the intellect and the drive that can push boundaries to improve lives, to protect our planet and to ensure prosperity through secure and affordable energy.

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For further information contact:

Email: [email protected] www.atkinsglobal.com/renewables

Renewables Offshore wind energy

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