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INGETEAM predicts the performance of offshore wind farms with INGEOCEAN
06/08/2021

INGETEAM predicts the performance of offshore wind farms with INGEOCEAN

  • The tool facilitates strategic decision-making during the installation and operation of offshore wind farms as well as reduces costs and risks, thanks to the accurate prediction of optimal weather windows for operating on fixed or floating offshore wind platforms.
  • Ingeocean offers a set of innovative technologies for offshore wind farm simulation, integrating environmental databases, advanced software and Ingeteam's wind farm operation experience and know-how.

 

 

 

Ingeteam has developed a set of innovative technologies for the optimisation of activities related to the operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms, reducing uncertainty and operating costs. Ingeocean, as an advanced software tool, integrates historical environmental databases, and enables analysis of different scenarios, facilitating decision-making during the construction, operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms.

Offshore wind energy is one of the renewable energy sector's main commitments for the coming decades. Offshore platforms make it possible, producing a greater amount of wind energy in less time, but they require a large investment due to the marine environment where they are installed. Construction, operation and maintenance-related activities require specialised vessels and qualified equipment, with more complicated and unsafe access for technical personnel.

To improve decision-making both before and during platform installation and operation, Ingeteam has developed Ingeocean in conjunction with the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the University of Cantabria (IHCantabria), an advanced tool aimed at analysing variables and influencing factors, to support the parties involved (investors, developers, builders, supply chain, etc.) by answering questions such as: what type of offshore wind project should be implemented? Where should it be located, and what should its characteristics be?

This innovative tool analyses, on one hand, the usual wind turbine operational errors, and on the other hand, a series of meteorological and environmental factors such as waves, currents, and wind, as well as the offshore behaviour of the system comprised of the auxiliary vessels and wind farm structures during personnel transfer between them. Thanks to indicators such as average repair and wait times, as well as other dynamics specific to the offshore environment such as navigability to the farm, it is possible to statistically analyse different technical O&M alternatives in the face of a wide variety of possible operational scenarios for the farm. This facilitates decision-making during the preliminary phases of the development of an offshore wind farm project, as well as during its construction, operation, and maintenance.

Ingeocean not only facilitates decision-making during the development of an offshore wind farm but also reduces operation and maintenance costs by providing accurate information regarding the best times to carry out such tasks.

Ingeocean is a pioneering and innovative tool that constitutes an important advance in the sector. Compared to other tools that focus solely on the analysis of metocean parameters, this innovative solution integrates data and statistics on the reliability of critical wind farm elements and considers the offshore behaviour of the vessel-platform system, thereby providing a realistic picture of the phenomena that take place and the risks present. It also provides a reliable picture of the cost projections associated with such activities, enabling the customisation and optimisation of operation and maintenance strategies for any offshore wind farm.

 


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