Mooring System Supply and Anchor Design for WindFloat Atlantic Project

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the mooring system supply and management model and the design of anchors for a semi-commercial Floating Offshore Wind Farm (FOWF): WindFloat Atlantic. A Project Management and Engineering (PME) model has been developed and employed for effective delivery of various components involved in the mooring package. The goal of the development is to prepare the mooring system supply chain and be ready for commercial scale FOWF developments. The anchors for the WindFloat Atlantic FOWF have been designed and installed with limited and sparse data. The anchor design and qualification methodology developed for the project is proven by the successful installation of anchors in record time. The overall mooring system supply process is explained and the critical elements on engineering, testing, certification, trial fits, documentation, and logistics are highlighted. The PME model for WindFloat Atlantic mooring project is introduced. The anchor design for the project is explained. The anchor design is based on a model developed for limited and sparse geo data. The engineering geological and geotechnical characterization with limited soil data, the definition of soil design bounds and identification of geotechnical risks are explained. The results show that the PME model is successful in the management of the numerous components, stakeholders, and interfaces. As a post project extension, the PME model is supplemented by an electronic equipment marking and identification system suitable for permanent mooring application. This extension is expected to improve HSEQ, traceability and identification therefore avoiding risks and increasing efficiency in farm scale mooring system deployments, inspections, and maintenances. The regulatory approval and the successful installation of anchors proves the effectiveness of the applied anchor design methodology. The results show that the anchor type selection and anchor sizing are highly dependent on the mooring design conditions, applicable class rules, and the geotechnical risks within the windfarm development area. The value of laboratory scale model testing under the simulated mooring tensions and in comparable soil conditions has been demonstrated as a further risk reduction measure before the actual offshore installation. The mooring system delivery and the offshore installation of the project anchors are completed successfully in a noticeably short time proving the effectiveness of the applied models and design methodologies. The PME model and the anchor design methodology developed for WindFloat Atlantic project are expected to improve the delivery time of the mooring system and anchors, and to reduce the cost of overall package for the farm scale FOW developments. It is expected that the experiences gained in this project and the methods developed will help accelerating the launch of the FOWF projects.