Workpackage 4: Hyd0rodynamics, Moorings and Foundations
Summary
Leaders: Dr Rob Harris and Dr Karl Stephen (HWU)
In addition, Colin Bullen, Dr Melissa Bowen, Professor Jonathan Side (HWU) and Professor Nigel Barltrop (Strathclyde/Glasgow)
Overall Goal: To provide design expertise and guidelines for the analysis of MEC systems resulting from the investigation and assessment of the hydrodynamics associated with MEC devices. Focus of the work aimed at wave and current loading, mooring dynamics, environmental and system modelling.
Introduction: The design and development of marine renewable devices requires a clear understanding of the environment and its resulting imposed loading on such structures. MECs require to withstand specific environmental loadings and their moorings and foundations in turn require unique characteristics. The combination of wave and current loading is of particular importance, especially for moored tidal energy convertors (TECs) where such combinations can impose high cyclic loading. The understanding of the interactions of waves and currents, are already part of a Total PhD study and further studies of the hydrodynamic implications of rotors for moored TECs are currently being addressed. The long-term environmental assessment is to be addressed through wide spatial-scale measurement of wave and currents as well as storm surge modelling. A springboard proposal (RASCAL PF) is currently being finalised to undertake studies of wave and current monitoring for the Pentland Firth.
Outputs: Reports and publications
Resourcing: 1 RA at HWU/ICIT