PES Wind 3 21

THINK TANK High-performance visibility measurement Words: L ibbie Anderson Wind energy is one of the forefront sources society has come to depend on as a clean energy solution. Of course, there are always challenges when it comes to implementing new solutions. Wind turbines are a key component of wind energy generation but are known to have some drawbacks that make them less desirable to the public. 52 PES WIND

THINK TANK A common downside of wind turbines is the proven 42-degree scatter angle to report the speed sampling also allows the sensor to light pollution they cause as a result of their meteorological observable range for fog and respond to suddenly changing conditions. aircraft warning lights. The light could be a snow in the range of 5 to 75,000 meters. After implementing the CS120A, field trials source of annoyance to homes and have shown the sensor’s hardware and workplaces and has been a barrier for the Compared to similar sensors, the CS120A software allow it to work efficiently while deployment of wind farms near populated design measures visibility in a relatively clean working close to aircraft warning light sources. areas. Despite their intrusion during good space because the position of the heads and For aviation applications, the CS120A visibility conditions, the warning lights are body minimize the disturbance of airflow at complies with DWD, UK CAA, FAA, and ICAO necessary for safety and navigation during the measurement volume. guidance and meets or exceeds all turbulent weather. recommendations and specifications. The geometry and downwards-pointing With these intuitive features, the CS120A can These contradicting elements made it sensor hoods help the CS120A avoid the make reliable measurements to assess necessary to develop a system that could common problems associated with sunlight weather conditions. These measurements identify when turbine lights needed to be shining directly into the lens, which caused enable energy providers to adjust warning used in full force and when they could be errors for other manufacturers’ sensors. The lights depending on the situation by ensuring lowered to benefit both aircrafts and sensor is also vibration tested and can accuracy to keep low-flying aviation craft as residents. To do so, Campbell Scientific withstand the large and varying amounts of well as residents in the vicinity safe. developed an affordable visibility sensor that vibration on wind turbines. The societal impact of visibility sensors allows visibility measurements to dim lights is significant. in good weather conditions. The CS120A uses continuous high-speed ‘The main benefit to society is the ability to sampling, which improves the accuracy of generate wind power with as little impact on Campbell Scientific’s solution is the CS120A, the measurements taken during adverse the nearby population while maintaining a high-performance visibility measurement weather conditions, like snow or hail, while safety,’ said Richard McKay, Senior Project sensor. The CS120A sensor has infrared providing reliable readings during more Manager at Campbell Scientific. forward-scatter technology and uses the stable events such as fog and mist. High- According to McKay, not using the visibility sensors on turbines would result in far less renewable energy being generated onshore. This means most, if not all, of the renewable energy would be pushed offshore, causing it to be more expensive and geographically further from the places where much of the energy is needed. ‘Using the visibility sensor allows the density of wind turbines to be higher, spatially, onshore and closer to populated areas,’ continued McKay. These onshore sites are possible because the visibility sensor enables turbines to cause light pollution less often. ‘In addition to the lights flashing in sync, they are also at the lowest light-intensity levels possible based on visibility. These intensity modifications help reduce the amount of light being produced but maintain the safety Libbie Anderson WWW.PESWIND.COM 53

THINK TANK necessary for aviation, especially near warning lights must burn at a fraction of their need to have a system that can notify them densely urbanized areas,’ explained McKay. original intensity depending on visibility. of weather conditions and assess when the lights need to be adjusted. In addition, the sensors can help to detect ‘If the conditions are poor, the lights are on danger for those on site when adverse full power,’ said McKay. ‘When conditions are ‘Germany is currently the only country with weather conditions, such as freezing moderate with visibility above 5k, they are these legal regulations. However, some precipitation, are present. only on at around 30% of their maximum Scandinavian countries are using the same intensity. If the conditions are good with systems as a nice safety feature and ‘Once detected, the sensor then tells the visibility above 10k they can be reduced particularly value the icing monitoring turbine to shut down so there is no risk of even further to around 10% of maximum.’ feature. Canada has also started to use the potentially huge sliding ice sheets falling off same systems to monitor for aviation the blades and hurting people or damaging The intention of the law is to help avoid the safety and icing in Quebec, but neither are resources on site,’ said McKay. unnecessary use of warning lights. This legal obligations in Scandinavia or Canada,’ minimizes the light pollution experienced by stated McKay. In recent years, Germany has implemented the public and enables wind turbines to be legislation to allow for the intensity of the less of a disturbance. To fulfill the [email protected] lights to adjust accordingly to the visibility requirements of the law, turbine operators conditions. This legislation states that https://www.campbellsci.com/peswind2 54 PES WIND



TALKING POINT Critical bolting demands innovative thinking Words: C alum Urquhart & Axel Lycke 56 PES WIND

TALKING POINT The wind industry has a huge number of bolted joint connections and for the most part they are critical to both performance of the turbine and safety of those working on or around it. The primary installation method for assembly of equipment, construction of turbines and for maintenance is the tightening and checking of threaded fasteners, or bolts, because this is a standardized way to design joints which can also be repaired or replaced during the course of the turbine’s entire life cycle. These joints provide structural integrity of the tower, nacelle or blades, they ensure correct performance of equipment, they ensure the safety of both the workers during assembly and construction, and if installed correctly can maximize the lifetime of the turbine. All of this directly impacts the reputation of the torque is achieved by applying oil hands being placed in areas where the torque all stakeholders in the value chain, from pressure via a hydraulic pump. This pressure reaction force is being generated, and so turbine OEM, to service provider and the is then correlated to a torque output so is not finger injuries, are not uncommon. asset owners and importantly has a a true measurement. This can be very significant direct impact on the cost and repeatable but has an extremely slow speed The main alternative to hydraulic torque efficiency of the industry. of operation because to tighten a bolt, the tools, is to use what is known as continuous operator must repeatedly activate the pump rotation tools. These are tools that are Considering the continued ongoing focus to so that the pistons in the wrench will move typically in pistol configuration and are reduce costs and improve efficiency whilst at forward and retract repeatedly back until the powered by a motor, electric or pneumatic the same time securing safety throughout bolt is secured. Furthermore, to use a and have gear box which transmits the force the industry you would expect that there is a hydraulic wrench you also need to have a directly from the motor to the output shaft high focus on bolting operations, however for hydraulic pump, which can be heavy to lift, or and applies the turning force in a continuous the most part this is an area that seems to be to transport, and then of course there is the manner to the fastener. often overlooked. risks involved with working with high pressure hydraulic oil. This type of tool has several significant What is important to know is that the advantages but perhaps the most notable is technology in bolting tools and solutions has Also, because the powerhead or cassettes on tightening speed. As the tool is powered by a accelerated forward in recent years, and the hydraulic wrench systems are relatively high-performance motor, and the gearbox technology that was previously considered small, during operation it often results in turns continuously at high speed upon the pull only applicable inside factories, can also now of the trigger, and there is no ratchet be applied in the field, meaning that sectors such as wind turbine construction, commissioning and maintenance work can really benefit with the same type of highly accurate, ergonomic and productive tools that had previously only been used in fast paced assembly lines. Times have changed, tools must also Since the birth of the wind industry, bolts have been used, and the primary method to install the fasteners has been torque tools. Historically, tools such as Hydraulic wrenches, often referred to as controlled bolting tools, had been used because they were believed to be the only tools capable of achieving the high torque levels required with some degree of accuracy. This resulted in these types of tools being specified in as the approved tools for use in construction and maintenance work. Due to the long service life of a wind turbine, this meant that these tools remained, and indeed remain today in many cases as the tools specified on many applications. However, the use of hydraulic wrench systems presents some challenges. Firstly, WWW.PESWIND.COM 57

TALKING POINT mechanism, then the output speed is multiple training cycle can be reduced and even Although many nutrunner systems have times faster, even up to 100 times faster than minimized as with nutrunners the tool will similar benefits, there is one area that has a a hydraulic tool. If you have a lot of bolts to have pre-programmed tasks, and so is easy to distinct difference that is extremely tighten, as you do in a turbine this can save a use, even for a novice. important and must be understood well. This huge amount of process time and can literally is the difference between ‘transducerised’ translate hours of work into minutes. Besides, the tools, and controllers can tools or ‘current controlled’ tools. With provide feedback to the technicians, with current control, the tools torque The most common type of continuous information such as torque result, batch measurement is a calculation based on the rotation tool, also called nutrunners, in the counting, or even error messages which can correlation between voltage, current and wind industry is electrically powered and so help the technicians to identify faults in the temperature during the tightening. you have a tool with an electric motor, and that bolted joints as the work is being done. This is connected to a controller or drive unit which improves quality by reducing the need for Therefore, the output torque is a calculation connects directly to a power source such as a rework during service checks which also which in consistent conditions such as a test lab generator or to the tower. The controller can saves time and cost. the results are extremely accurate and be programmed with different parameters to repeatable. However, in the field when control how the tool operates. For example, With electrically powered continuous temperatures can vary quickly, or power increasing or decreasing tool speed, counting rotation tools, there is no high-pressure oil. fluctuations in the system can be present, then the number of fasteners, and setting up There is no heavy hydraulic pump to carry. the output calculated torque will also change. different programs for different bolt sizes, There is no twisting set of hydraulic hoses This can be unpredictable, and dangerous, as a flanges or even turbines. What this does is on the floor. There is no noisy pump being tool tested on a test fixture, may not perform take a lot of the decision making away from activated, and the tool itself is typically the same on a flange in a tower. the operator of the tool and puts it in the designed for comfortable use by the intelligence of the tool system itself. This can operator. All of these aspects make the The alternative type of tool is a transducerised really add a lot of value for example when tools significantly more ergonomic and tool which instead has a transducer inside the contractors are hired for bolting work, and safer to use than traditional hydraulic tool to measure the output torque. This is they may need training. Rather than relying on systems and so can reduce work related much more secure as it is a measurement operator expertise for the good result as you accidents, and injury. rather than a calculation. How you can think do with hydraulic wrenches, instead the about this is, it’s like using a current control 58 PES WIND

TALKING POINT tool, but then checking it afterwards with a extremely fast tightening speeds. Around 7 To say the Tensor Revo is unrivalled is no calibrated torque wrench. The transducerised years ago, the Tensor Revo was further overstatement, as when put in head-to-head tool simply combines both of these process in optimized for use in field applications such as tests with any other tool of its type, the one operation as it tightens the bolt, thereby flanges, by making it even more compact. tightening speed, torque accuracy and level reducing the need for after checks and The result was a tool that is at least 3 times of error proofing available is superior making providing security that the right result was faster than anything else on the market it best in class solution for any critical high achieved first time. Of course, it also has the making it ideal for applications such as wind torque bolting application. ability to save that data as a digital record tower construction with lots of bolts and which is then fully traceable. where speed is really critical, but joint quality Ongoing innovation and worker safety are a priority. A manufacturing heritage of quality It is clear that continuous rotation tools can and precision The Tensor Revo HA nutrunner system not delivery benefits in operation that translate only reduces process time, but the inbuilt directly into savings on the bottom line for Atlas Copco are the world leader in intelligent intelligence, that it brings from its heritage in operators, OEMs and service providers, in nutrunner systems and have been supplying factory use means that it has very high particular if they have been or still are using them to factories in automotive, white torque accuracy with inbuilt transducer, fully hydraulic tools, and Atlas Copco’s Tensor Revo goods, heavy machinery for many years. programmable tightening strategies, error is best in class when it comes to tools, but Atlas Around 15 years ago a tool was developed for detection, bolt counting and of course data Copco are a company driven by innovation and higher torque applications such as the collection which can be collected at the point working closely with customers. construction of excavators, cranes or mining of tightening without any additional work trucks. It used the platform of highly required, thus it saves time, provides The ‘voice of the customer’ was clear on how intelligent and accurate nutrunners used in security and gives full transparency on all the system could be improved further and this automotive but redesigned for higher bolting work that has been done. led to the development of a new drive unit to torques and more robust use cases. power the tools which is designed specifically Additionally, by using a secondary trigger, the for use in field applications such as wind tower This was called the Tensor Revo tool and it tool becomes free from the risk of finger construction or maintenance to maximize really revolutionized high torque bolting in pinch points, one of the most common robustness, and minimize complexity. factories due to its ergonomic design and injuries in a wind turbine. www.atlascopco.com/ PES talked to Axel Lycke, Global Product controller up until now, which is the most Axel Lycke Manager at Atlas Copco to learn more about advanced and most widely used tool how the new Power Focus XC, can help controller in the world. However, the target, error status this means the Tensor Revo deliver even more benefits to PF6000 controller was designed to be used information is exactly where the user is the wind industry. inside a factory environment, and indeed all working. This creates a simpler housing for major wind turbine OEMs are using these in the drive, which is much more robust. PES: Axel, can you tell us about the latest their factories today. Although it is developments with Tensor Revo tools? extremely advanced in terms of However, we also realized that there was a functionality, we felt it was not optimized need for more detailed information to be AL: Yes, sure. The Tensor Revo tools were for the robust environment for example in available to some users, for example developed around 15 years ago, but remain the construction industry. When we talked tightening strategies during set up, or data best in class for performance even today, to our customers, they told us the loved the logs for analysis. This however was only however during 2020, we introduce some new Revo tools, but they did not love the needed by supervisors or engineers, and gear box designs to make the tool even more controller, as it was perhaps not robust not by the actual bolting technicians. With compact and lightweight, which is important enough, it was seen as complex to program this in mind we developed an integrated with tools that can deliver up to 8000Nm in and offered too much functionality than web server inside the drive, so that any torque. This reduces strain on the was required in the field. Taking this device: phone, tablet etc. can connect technicians, resulting in less absence, higher feedback onboard, we completely directly to the system by simply scanning a productivity, and less errors due to fatigue. redesigned the drive unit with the QR code on the drive and without the need applications in the field in mind. The result for any additional app to be installed. We also implemented a new design of dual was the PF XC which is truly optimized for trigger into the Revo tools, which can high intensity work, in the field on critical This effectively means that any person with eliminate finger pinch points which is a high torque applications. major issue across the industry. During late 2019 we had launched a battery tool to the PES: What were the main changes that market, SRB HA, which had an were made in the new system. Where is ergonomically designed and fully integrated the value for the user? dual trigger meaning that operators hands were safe when the tool was in use. This has AL: Well, where to start?... we have done been a huge success, and so we took this a lot! design and have applied this to our Tensor Revo tools also. Safety is always our priority Firstly, we removed the large display on the and this design is unique in the market front of the drive. This meant there was less risk of damage, and we also felt it wasn’t PES: What can you tell us about the necessary because when using the tool, the new drive unit, Power Focus XC which tool is in the technician’s hand, but the drive we understand is currently in the is located somewhere else, perhaps even launch phase? behind him. AL: Yes, that’s right. It’s really exciting. The Therefore, by having information on the Tensor Revo tools have been working tool housing instead, like torque result, together with our PF6000 tightening WWW.PESWIND.COM 59

TALKING POINT a phone can access the drive information, so using a tool with a drive unit, will mean cramped spaces. programming, configuration, and torque much higher performance due to higher data even when there is no mobile signal on tightening speeds. And secondly, we see that as turbines site. Moreover, because this can be become larger, and there is a drive to reduce accessed on a phone, it can also be sent to Furthermore, with an electric tool with a weight and cost of turbines, we see an any other location instantly. drive, the work can continue without increased demand for bolt tensioning due to batteries requiring to be replaced or the much higher loads required to secure We also increased the capacity of the drive charged, again saving time. the bolts. itself. We had seen that in some applications when operators use the tool on many bolts However, for service work, or for This means that all of these different tool consecutively and in extreme weather maintenance checks, this is where Battery types will continue to be used in the conditions, the tool could heat up and this tools really have an advantage as the construction and maintenance of turbines could reduce the time between service flexibility and ease of movement is much for some time to come. What we do see intervals. To overcome this, we have more important than the tool speed. however is a demand for data being a redesigned the drive to work more efficiently common factor for all types of tooling, and reduce any temperature build up. This results In Atlas Copco we have a full range of tools, so the implementation of integrated in a tool that can harder for longer and will such as continuous rotation tools, and high sensors and data capture on hydraulic mean less service and maintenance is needed. torque battery tools, and now intelligent products such as wrenches and tensioners hydraulic tools, including bolt tensioners, and just as we see on nutrunners and battery Lastly, we also created a unique frame design all of these are needed inside a wind turbine. tools is really important and is happening to house the drive itself. The frame not only right now. means transportation, and movement within What we have done is to make all these tools the turbines, or to sites is easy, but it also compatible so that the user experience is PES: Finally, Atlas Copco are an innovative provides an extra protection to the drive the same regardless of tools, the safety company, with a strong industrial from damage. This makes the work of the focus is the same and of course data can be heritage, how do you see that Atlas Copco technicians easier, and of course reduces the gathered from all to ensure traceability of can contribute to the further development risks of costly damage. process results. of the wind Industry? PES: It sounds really great, and it’s clear Most important is to select the right type of AL: Our vision is to help customer be more the needs of the wind industry have been tool for the right application productive, reduce costs, and ultimately to addressed specifically with this product. help the industry become more efficient. Our However, in recent years there has been a PES: Do you feel that continuous rotation leading market position in other sectors such trend to more battery tools, due to having tools such as nutrunners or battery tools as automotive has been built on working no cables for example. Wouldn’t these be a can be used on all applications in future, closely with customers to bring innovation better option than tools with a drive unit? such we see in factories? that delivers true value to their operations. AL: This is true, that is a real trend, however AL: No, this won’t be the case, and this is We have proven that with major brands over its essential to use the right type of tool on because of 2 main factors. The first being many years, and we believe we can achieve the right application where it delivers the accessibility on some applications means the same in wind by working together to most value. In construction for example, that hydraulic wrenches may be needed due find new innovative solutions and by time is critical, and speed of work is crucial, to their compact nose radius which is demonstrating that our products really sometimes the only thing that can deliver what they promise. physically fit onto a bolt. Particularly in 60 PES WIND

Smart Electric Nutrunner System The worlds most productive high torque nutrunner. Robust and reliable for the most demanding field applications. Quicker.Safer.Smarter atlascopco.com

TALKING POINT Lifetime of pipelines transporting H2 Storage area of H2-ready steel pipes. © TÜV SÜD Hydrogen is regarded as the alternative energy carrier of the future. However, its transport over long distances calls for a special safety concept. Energy managers wishing to transport hydrogen in existing and new pipelines must furnish evidence of their pipeline’s service life by way of fracture mechanics. TÜV SÜD’s experts supply fracture mechanical analyses as well as readiness investigations and assessments. Hydrogen Power Storage & Solutions protection targets. The Zwanzig20 Focus topics addressed by these initiatives (HYPOS), a hydrogen network in Central (Twenty20) programme, funded by the Federal include the new hydrogen infrastructure and Germany, aims at leveraging the potential Ministry of Education and Research, is the existing natural-gas infrastructure. offered by a green hydrogen economy to designed to promote research and Blending of hydrogen into natural gas ensure cost-effective implementation of development (R & D) projects and also drives pipeline networks is another aspect climate-change and environmental- hydrogen technology from production to use. investigated by the initiatives. A significant 62 PES WIND

TALKING POINT factor in this context is how hydrogen affects hydrogen embrittlement. This process other materials. The H2-PIMS project occurs when hydrogen atoms form on the focuses on developing a pipeline integrity metal’s surface. If this atomic hydrogen management system (PIMS) to operate starts to diffuse into the metal lattice, natural gas lines with hydrogen-rich gases instead of forming H2 molecules on the and on preparing a guide to converting material’s surface the hydrogen atoms will existing pipelines to hydrogen transport. recombine into molecules inside the When is infrastructure suitable? material, resulting in gas bubbles or Germany has a track record of changing the material separation (cracking) and thus fluid transported in pipelines. When first ultimately embrittlement. Defects in other installed, pipelines transported what was words, locations with high mechanical known as ‘town gas’ produced from coal, stresses are particularly vulnerable to already containing hydrogen to a certain hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen- percentage. However, they have carried induced cracking. Carbon steels display natural gas since the 1950s. In the event of a particularly reduced fracture resistance transition to hydrogen, the tried-and-tested and accelerated crack propagation even at pipeline infrastructure can also be used to low partial pressure. The German transport this new form of energy, a major Association of the Gas and Water Industry advantage for the managers of the German (DVGW) is subjecting pipeline steels to pipeline network. However, in spite of the comprehensive experiments to test their pipeline network’s general suitability, some properties under exposure to hydrogen. aspects need to be considered. Initial material parameters are expected to The installation and operation of energy- be published shortly. supply infrastructure falls under the scope of the Energy Management Act (EnWG) [3]. Fracture mechanics: the gold standard Applications involving a maximum permissible operating pressure exceeding 16 Prediction of the pipeline service life requires bar additionally fall under the scope of the detailed information concerning the High Pressure Gas Pipelines (GasHDrLtgV) materials used and the pipeline’s state of [4]. The technical requirements have been condition. All influencing factors need to be defined in the standards of the German taken into account, including assessment of Association of the Gas and Water Industry the installed components and their state of (Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfachs condition, but also the materials used and the e.V. (DGVW)). At present a change in fluid, actual stress to which they are exposed. TÜV which may adversely affect the pipeline, is SÜD reviews the documentation of the considered a major change and necessitates planning, installation and operation of the notification in accordance with EnWG/ pipelines to be converted and also performs GasHDrLtgV. The technical specification non-destructive and destructive testing relevant to the conversion of an existing of materials. pipeline to hydrogen or the construction of a new pipeline are described in DVGW Using fracture mechanics, which describes Worksheets G409 [6] and G463 [5]. the failure of cracked components under The right type of steel is essential static and cyclical loads, the experts furnish The harder the steel and the rougher its evidence of pipeline safety and function. If surface, the more susceptible it is to the fracture-mechanics parameters required for the prediction of service life Figure 1: Sample calculation/analysis of integrity for a defined defect with the help of an FAD diagram. (fracture resistance and the parameters of © TÜV SÜD the crack growth rate) of the materials used are not known, these parameters need to be determined in the laboratory under hydrogen atmosphere. Depending on the number of load cycles during the service life, the experts then determine the residual service life of the pipeline and define the intervals for the periodic inspections during operation. The failure assessment diagram (FAD) shown in the following figure is one of the key components of fracture mechanics analysis. The FAD limit curve draws the line between the acceptable (below) and the unacceptable crack size (above). The blue point in the Figure 1 identifies a specific case of assessment (defect geometry, load, component geometry and fracture resistance). This can be used to draw conclusions about critical crack depths and critical static load or critical fracture toughness (three points on the FAD limit curve). Working with the consideration of a semi-elliptical internal axial crack, the WWW.PESWIND.COM 63

TALKING POINT Dr Albert Großmann Jan Sachse Dr Johanna Steinbock acceptability is analysed for the crack start at existing pipelines through their paces. The die Elektrizitäts- und Gasversorgung the internal surface 0° and the deepest point specialists sit on all relevant committees and (EnWG)’, 07/2005, mit Änderung 08/2020. of the crack 90°. carry out their own research on the topic, from design to market launch. [4] B MJV (2019), Bundesministerium der Expertise along the value chain Justiz und für Verbrauerschutz, References Verordnung über Gashochdruckleitungen TÜV SÜD offers third-party expertise, (GasHDrLtgV),05/2011, mit Änderung supporting safety concepts and fracture- [1] A PI 579-1/ASME FFS-1 (2016), ‘Fitness- 05/2019. mechanical analysis of hydrogen pipelines For-Service’, ASME - The American and thereby contributing significantly to the Society of Mechanical Engineers, [5] DVGW G463 (2020), Arbeitsblatt: development and establishment of safe and Washington D.C., 06/2016. „Gashochdruckleitungen aus Stahlrohren climate-friendly future energy supply. In für einen Auslegungsdruck von mehr als feasibility studies, the international provider [2] ASME B31.12 (2019), „Hydrogen Piping 16 bar; Errichtung’, 02/2020. of testing, inspection and certification (TIC) and Pipelines’, ASME - The American services investigates whether the fluid in Society of Mechanical Engineers, New [6] DVGW G409 (2020), Merkblatt: existing natural-gas pipelines can be York, 12/2019. „Umstellung von Gashochdruckleitungen changed to hydrogen. TÜV SÜD also aus Stahlrohren für einen supports managers with defining specific [3] BMWi (2020), Bundesministerium für Auslegungsdruck von mehr als 16 bar für measures to establish an integrity concept Wirtschaft und Energie, den Transport von Wasserstoff’, 09/2020. for operations. However, the experts also ‘Energiewirtschaftsgesetz – Gesetz über address new pipelines as well as putting Words: Dr Albert Großmann, Expert High-Pressure Gas Pipelines, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service Jan Sachse, Team Lead Pipelines, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service Dr Johanna Steinbock, Expert Fracture Mechanics Analysis, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service Contact: The scanning-electron microscope image shows hydrogen pores, hairlines: crow’s feet, and open grain TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH boundaries. © TÜV SÜD Westendstraße 199 80686 Munich Germany +49 89 5791-2176 [email protected] www.tuvsud.com/de-pipelines 64 PES WIND

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TALKING POINT Havila Jupiter and PLP240 on Kincardine (3) 66 PES WIND

TALKING POINT Tried, tested, improved: adapting and developing processes and assets for the offshore wind industry Words: R ob Lindsay, Business Development Manager, Global Offshore With a focus on a greener, cleaner future, governments, environmental charities, energy industry bodies and major energy companies are imposing ambition carbon reduction targets. This has increased the impetus on innovation within the offshore wind industry, and with it, an onus on a reliable and cost-effective supply chain. The International Renewable Energy Agency One of the greatest challenges for floating Rob Lindsay has reported that a green energy transition offshore wind is ensuring a cost-effective will only be possible with a significant scaling construction campaign. work in >500m depths. up of offshore wind capacity. For offshore wind, the global cumulative installed capacity Following initial successful small-scale Adapting existing assets, innovating new would need to increase almost ten-fold by floating offshore wind sites, including assets, such as their PLP240 pre-lay plough, 2030, to 228 GW, and substantially towards demonstration projects and prototypes, and transferring skills, enabled Global 2050, with total offshore installation nearing floating offshore wind is now recognised as a Offshore, with deep roots in traditional 1000 GW by 2050. commercially viable option. The Levelised energy markets, to adapt into the emerging Cost of Energy (LCOE) is predicted to drop to floating offshore wind market. In order to achieve this, the next phase of the a global average of €40 per MWh by 2050 if energy transition will require continued the technology overcomes its main The company has a strong track record of implementation of new technologies, such as challenges: confidence and costs. floating offshore wind cable installations floating offshore wind, which is offering new possibilities for wind farm locations. To mitigate the challenges and risks during According to DNV GL, the technology is the construction phase, which can lead to predicted to grow globally, rising from increased costs and risk of downtime, approximately 130MW today to more than employing reliable contractors with a proven 10GW in 2030 and 250GW by 2050. track record in floating technology is paramount, and will ultimately influence the With more than 80% of the world’s best wind success of this burgeoning industry. resources located in vast areas of deep, open water, floating turbines and technology will Global Offshore, part of the Global Marine prove to be critical in unlocking the most Group, has already utilised their experience potential from renewable power offshore. and specialist skills gained through decades of cable installation, maintenance, and repair Floating technology enables developers to for the oil & gas and renewables industries, in construct further from shore, unlocking a range of floating offshore wind projects. In areas previously unsuitable for offshore addition, with Global Marine Group’s 170 renewables construction, but like any years of experience in the telecoms industry, innovative solution, it also comes with and access to a dedicated team of in-house challenges, including those also seen at marine engineers, Global Offshore has the fixed-bottom sites. requisite expertise and prior experience to WWW.PESWIND.COM 67

TALKING POINT using a variety of tried-and-tested Phase one, which commenced in 2018, saw stiff, boulder clay through to gravelly, cobbly techniques from oil & gas markets, including Global Offshore provide cable installation, sands and low strength clay, exceeding the use of dynamic risers to allow for including the use of a dynamic riser to allow theoretical performance while increasing platform movement, buoyancy modules and for platform movement, trenching of the overall efficiency. dynamic cabling. 18km export cable, and cable protection using rock bags and a cast iron split pipe. Where jet lowering was required, progress With cable faults accounting for ~80% of rates of 350 – 450 m/hr were maintained: offshore wind insurance claims, it is vital that Phase two, which included the installation of greater than those which could have been adequate cable protection is ensured. In an export cable and five array cables, was maintained for jet burial alone. Furthermore, recent floating offshore wind projects, completed in September 2021, with Global laying the cable within a trench has provided an Global Offshore has tracked their Offshore utilising the learnings from the pilot element of protection and stabilisation of the performance data and established how they, project to improve their practices. Global product, and lay speeds of 400 – 700 m/hr are and other companies in the industry, can Offshore employed the PLP240 plough to possible with accurate touch down monitoring. achieve an appropriate depth of burial and pre-cut and boulder clear the export route, sufficient cable protection for floating complimented by the Q1400 trencher, which Global Offshore have also had the ability to offshore wind projects. was used in isolation in Kincardine 1. compare the benefits of a combined approach with the PLP240 and Q1400 In 2019, with time and cost efficiencies for The PLP240 used alongside the Q1400, against Q1400 alone while performing the their clients in mind, Global Offshore showed significant improvements in installation and burial of a cable parallel to introduced the PLP240: a uniquely designed progress rates and burial compared to and within the same corridor as one the Pre-Lay Plough engineered to reduce the post-lay mechanical cutting solutions company installed and buried a few years operational risks of cable burial by reducing traditionally used. previously. With Q1400 alone, in hybrid the time taken for this process, as well as mode, an overall depth of lowering of 1.0m enhancing and complimenting the existing The PLP240 has the ability to simultaneously or greater was attained for 30% of a route burial solutions available. clear boulder targets ahead of the plough containing stiff and over consolidated, share whilst pre-cutting a Y profile trench, gravelly pebbly clays, dense sands and The PLP240 has successfully completed maintaining a share depth at or below the underlying bedrock. The time taken from three pre-cut campaigns totalling more than minimum value required to attain target the commencement of lay to completion of 300km, in some of the most challenging depth of lowering for over 99.5% of the total burial was 18 days. On completion of the seabed conditions for burial. One of these length ploughed. This helps to ensure that second cable, combining pre-cut trenching projects was Kincardine Floating Offshore depth of lowering is met following lay or jet with Q1400 in jetting configuration, the Wind Farm, which at 50MW capacity, is lowering through infill material, where overall depth of lowering was improved to currently the world’s largest floating required. The majority of this work was >96% at or greater than 1.0m, in an overall offshore wind farm and has turbines 15km completed in a single pass, attaining time from start of lay to completion of jet offshore, in waters 60-80 metres deep. progress rates of 100 – 500 m/hr, in seabed burial of 8 days. types ranging from dense sands and very 68 PES WIND

TALKING POINT Havila Jupiter and PLP240 By using the PLP240 alongside the Q1400, globally capable of effectively servicing, the well-established telecoms market, in Global Offshore was able to reduce the repairing and replacing subsea cable in deep which cable maintenance agreements e.g. timescale from 18 days to eight. water, this increase in faults will pose a ACMA, are commonplace. significant risk to the industry if repair and Utilising specialist assets and highly skilled replacement works do not benefit from By establishing maintenance agreements personnel during the installation phase is not reduced timescales. with these suppliers, wind farm owners and the only critical element for successful To decrease the financial impact of cable operators can reduce transmission outage growth of the industry, it is also pivotal to damage, the offshore wind industry could durations by approximately 60%. lower the cost of energy by reducing the risk utilise learnings from the extensive history of of downtime and unplanned maintenance the fibre-optic cable industry to replicate Therefore, it is pivotal that offshore owners through effective cable monitoring. cable maintenance best practice. prepare by ensuring strong maintenance and With ~10 cable faults currently reported repair agreements are in place with key The European Commission forecasts that every year, there is an urgent financial need suppliers who can ensure quick response times the increase in offshore capacity will require to actively mitigate the risks of cable and reliable repairs or replacements, to limit up to 1000 more offshore substations, cable damage, by drawing on the lessons learned in the financial impact of any cable damages. routes and onshore substation connections by 2050. Therefore, demand for offshore grid PLP240 Control Cabin www.globaloffshore.co.uk infrastructure, including subsea cables, is expected to rise. The latest edition of Westwood’s Subsea Cable Tracker H1 report revealed that demand for subsea cable is forecast to grow by 17% annually, totalling 46,470 km over the period 2018-2022, a 71% growth compared to the 2013-2017 period. Maintaining, protecting, and preserving a wind farm’s subsea cabling is key to lowering the LCOE. If a single 6 MW wind turbine, with a capacity factor of 40 percent, goes offline, the loss in revenue can exceed £10,000 per day. On average, one repair per year is required for every 413km of inter-array cable and for every 1000km of export cable. In a 2019 report, RenewableUK estimated that over 9,600km of array cables and 6,750km of export cables will be required, respectively, between 2020 and 2024, which would mean an additional 29 cable faults every year. With fewer than 20 versatile cable ships WWW.PESWIND.COM 69

TALKING POINT Wrestling risk in green projects: take time to think before acting Words: M att Lewy, energy partner at law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, and David Robottom, director at consultancy ROOTT The increasing attention given to large-scale renewable energy projects over the last five years, has been driven primarily by larger companies. This has included specialist renewable energy organisations, such as Vestas or Orsted, alongside traditional oil and gas companies who are increasing their focus on renewable investment and generation. 70 PES WIND

TALKING POINT Some smaller organisations, both upstream infancy and many of its subsectors have yet technology or technology which is being energy producers and members of the supply to demonstrate long-term investor returns, adapted from other sectors. For example, chain, are also getting involved for both especially outside the confines of the use of marine gearboxes in wind corporate sustainability and commercial government revenue support. The best turbines as a first stage towards creating reasons. Many will be new to the field and will projects will probably succeed, but the lighter, more corrosion-resistant have limited internal resources to devote to euphoria of green development must be replacements. Sponsors must recognise opportunity evaluation. balanced by the need to make sound how much of the development in their strategic and financial decisions regarding particular project is evolutionary and Any energy-related project comes with its project investment, based upon thorough therefore carries lower risk, and how much fair share of risk. The generally high potential and timely due diligence (DD). represents a step change in technological margins in conventional energy projects are development and hence represents a the reward for the inevitable failures or cost Main areas of risk in renewable energy greater risk to investors. over-runs that are the nature of such a projects: complex business. Supply chain: in the well-developed and Technology: much of the renewable energy mature oil and gas business, even in The renewable energy sector is still in its industry is based upon either new periods of industry consolidation, there WWW.PESWIND.COM 71

TALKING POINT are normally enough suppliers to generate Matt Lewy David Robottom competitive price pressures. This is certainly not yet the case in, for example, Will there be guaranteed demand for the spill renewable energy than to turn down large scale wind or solar projects where renewable power or product in the time base load power plants, for example. the number of Tier 1 suppliers is limited. frame expected, and can any such Supply bottlenecks are increasingly likely prediction be underwritten, through Political: the support for green energy as demand for components and skilled subsidy or otherwise? How will renewable developments may be attractive to labour expands; a difficulty which is energy supply be rationed if there is politicians, but the costs and compounded by Covid-related supply insufficient demand at any moment? consequences of renewable power constraints and geopolitical supply risks. integration are often underplayed. The dangers of having a sole-source for Infrastructure: countries’ national grids are key elements of the project are significant typically based on a more predictable mix of To what extent does the project rely on and must be managed. fossil fuel, nuclear and hydro plants which political goodwill, current regulation and/or can be called upon, and will normally deliver, subsidies? What effect might a change of Planning permissions and the consent at short notice. government or policy have? Does the process: project managers need to cover project become independent of subsidies, the full consenting processes in their risk Wind and solar energy are by their nature and how viable is this from a modelling and assessments and factor in both cost and both intermittent and also uncertain, bankability perspective? If so, can the date time delays, should any of the steps result weather forecasts can change up to the last of this independence be brought forwards in additional consultations or even court minute, and grid operators are already by careful management and planning? hearings. They also need to estimate the having to make investments in likelihood and potential impact of local infrastructure to accommodate increasing Based on UK experience with prior opposition, particularly for onshore shares of renewable energy. Their ability to iterations of renewable subsidies, sponsors projects and the onshore components of do so, and the costs involved, are should be aware that government support offshore projects. In the UK for example, significant risks for the project developer can change or even be withdrawn at large onshore infrastructure requires and cannot be ignored simply because they relatively short notice. government level approval, which can be lie outside the immediate boundaries of the very time consuming and expensive to project. Grid operators may find it easier to Project risk evaluation obtain. And as the offshore wind industry had found when looking for locations for Having identified the universe of risks, these their onshore substations, as more projects must now be assessed in the traditional way are consented there is risk in the interplay by plotting likelihood versus potential impact between them and in cumulative planning on the project and the investment. assessments. In our experience, this is best done as a Market development: these are the risks of team exercise and not left to one in-house the future direction and pace of risk expert. development of the power market in a country or region. It is established that At the level of the company board, the role of once crude oil is produced and treated to a Non-Executive Directors is important to saleable quality, the product can be traded bring outside experience and challenge, globally; DD need not consider much particularly if the company’s executive beyond the price risk during the life of the management has a strong bias towards project. Not so with renewable energy, project acceptance or rejection. which is both temporally and spatially restricted in its market. Looking For green projects diligence requires not only downstream at the energy market is normal financial accounting but also therefore vital. estimates of carbon production along the complete supply chain. The financial and carbon DD should encompass the entire lifecycle of the project, from sourcing raw materials through to decommissioning. It should cover the possible risks at each stage, particularly exit risks for the sponsors. 72 PES WIND

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TALKING POINT Bringing it all together ESG reporting and regulatory burdens, and better prepared for the demands of project how these are likely to develop over time. management, but will also have a much more In their enthusiasm to pursue a new green ESG reporting and DD are increasingly credible story to tell its stakeholders and the project, management must be wary of being becoming an annual requirement, rather than wider public. seduced by the ‘emperor’s new clothes’. Early something to be considered as a one-off movers in many areas of green technology when an investment decision is made. A full Using senior expertise and minimising the and power supply may do well, but equally and ongoing analysis of the supply chain is number of professional interfaces is crucial may be disappointed, especially as the also critical. to avoid missing risks and to increasing speed number of quality assets utilising proven of operation. technology is finite, and the number of Contractual implications potential investors and counterparties The authors would be happy to discuss and growing. Larger corporates are more able to Desk work to evaluate project risks has to be expand upon any of the issues covered. write off failures as part of the cost of market translated into robust and practical contract entry, but smaller investors don’t normally terms. In the first instance, this involves www.womblebonddickinson.com/uk have that luxury. The DD process has to be identifying which of the parties, if any, has optimised to reduce the chance of failure, control over the risk. Ideally contractual risk About the authors particularly if renewables represent a new exposure should be minimised, or at least area for the organisation. borne by the party best placed to do so. Matt Lewy is a partner at law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, specialising in Not enough boards, in our experience, follow Directors or senior commercial staff who have energy and natural resources. WBD up risk identification with the creation of an intimate knowledge of the business should provides comprehensive legal services robust alternative plans for each of these work hand-in-glove with their lawyers when from seven cities across the UK and 19 main risks. In the current business climate, drafting agreements to ensure that contracts offices in the US, including energy this certainly includes identifying supply seek to reflect the risks being taken by each hotspot Houston. The firm has been chain bottlenecks, multi-sourcing of critical party. An integrated legal/commercial immersed in the energy sector for components and careful stock management. approach yields real benefits in this process. decades, giving the team great depth of experience across the various different All too often the corporate risk register gets And finally… forms of energy and power. stuck in a cupboard and only dusted down for the next board meeting. It is a living Investments in the fast-moving area of David Robottom is a director of ROOTT, document, especially in an unfamiliar renewable and sustainable energy will break a consultancy serving the upstream and business area. Each main risk should have a new ground for many organisations. midstream energy chains and the single owner inside the organisation whose Navigating the risks which such projects add emerging renewable power sector. It responsibility it is to raise concerns promptly to the corporate slate takes teamwork and provides expert advice in the areas of and to keep colleagues informed of progress strong, committed advisors. M&A, contract negotiation and crafting and problems. Participants should also be plus project and portfolio analytics. aware of current national and supranational Having gone through the rigorous process outlined above, an organisation is not only 74 PES WIND

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THINK TANK Floating offshore wind an essential component of decarbonisation efforts Words: Z hang Minghui, Offshore Wind Segment Lead, APAC, Energy Systems, DNV Benoit Nguyen, Head of Renewables, APAC, Energy Systems, DNV With the Paris Agreement strengthening the global response to climate change, countries around the world are facing increasing pressure to phase out carbon-intensive fuels in favour of clean energy. 76 PES WIND

THINK TANK Onshore and offshore wind power, especially facilities. This technology has the potential the past decade and established itself as large-scale floating turbines, can play a to harness wind power at greater ocean one of the most cost-competitive, resilient leading role in the clean energy revolution, depths, providing large-scale renewable and low emissions power sources in the with global capacity expected to increase power to help countries meet ambitious world, according to the Global Wind Energy tenfold in little over a generation. decarbonisation targets. Council (GWEC). Falling hardware prices and growing New versions of floating wind turbines and Over 733 GW of total wind generation confidence from investors have seen seabed moorings can tap wind power in capacity has been installed worldwide as of onshore wind farms become a popular and water depths of over 50m or more, opening end-20202 of which 95% is onshore wind and cost-effective solution. Fixed offshore up large swathes of deep water zones to the remaining 5% offshore wind. The vast technology is also maturing at a significant renewable power generation for countries majority of total installed capacity is located pace and will be an important part in the new that have limited onshore space for in Asia: 322 GW, followed by Europe: 208 GW, energy mix. However, as fixed offshore wind large-scale solar or wind. North America: 139 GW and 54 GW in the rest turbines need to be sited in relatively shallow of the world. water, with depths of up to 60m, their scope For example, deep waters and strong winds is limited. make Japan one of the most attractive As of end-2020, China led in over-all countries in the world for commercializing installations with 282 GW, followed by the With higher capacity factors compared to floating wind energy. Once floating wind United States:118 GW, Germany: 62 GW and onshore wind or solar, offshore wind provide technology has moved past the India: 39 GW. greater energy reliability to emerging demonstration stage to become commercially markets where power demand is growing, viable, Japan expects to add over 1 GW per Offshore wind has enjoyed a bumper year especially if aggregated over large year of the technology up to 2040. globally in 2020, driven by a surge of geographical areas1. renewable energy capacity auctions, Growth potential favourable feed-in tariffs (FITs) in countries To access the huge potential of offshore wind globally will require large-scale, floating Through technological innovation and 2 p25: www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/ economies of scale, the global wind power Publication/2021/Apr/IRENA_RE_Capacity_Statis- 1 gwec.net/global-wind-report-2021 market has nearly quadrupled in size over tics_2021.pdf WWW.PESWIND.COM 77

THINK TANK such as China and a 67% reduction in the Benoit Nguyen Zhang Minghui levelized cost of high-performance, thanks to giant offshore wind turbines, according to In Taiwan, additional subsidies for floating Transition Outlook7 predicts that it will make BloombergNEF. The first half of 2020 alone wind projects are currently not available. As up 20% of all offshore wind resources by saw US$35 billion allocated in financing to such, the bulk of the initial applications for 2050. This implies capacity of 250 GW by the offshore wind, a rise of 319% year-on-year the upcoming round 3 auctions which middle of this century compared to just and well above 2019’s full-year figure of focuses on projects from 2026 onwards are 34 GW today. US$31.9 billion. expected to be based on fixed bottom technology. The round 3 auctions will be With each doubling of installed capacity, Despite the Covid-19 pandemic denting highly competitive and will most likely be offshore wind costs fall by around 16%, a cost electricity demand, nearly 100 GW of new oversubscribed. Taiwan’s offshore wind learning curve driven by technology wind generation capacity was installed allocation plan for 2026-2035 proposes a improvements, more effective worldwide in 2020, a 59% year-on-year total of 15 GW of new capacity to be added. manufacturing, economies of scale, broader increase, driven by a surge of installations supply chain efficiencies and competition. in China and the US3. The world’s two For China, most offshore wind projects are largest wind power markets installed nearly still focused on shallow water where fixed DNV expects nine capacity doublings 75% of new installations in 2020 and now bottom installations are suitable. While a between now and 2050 for floating offshore account for over half of the world’s total floating wind turbine was installed this past wind, which will see costs fall to around €40 wind power capacity. July off the coast of Guangdong Province, it (US$ 47) per MWh. Most of these doublings in was deployed mainly for demonstration capacity will take place over the next decade This year looks set to be another record year. purposes. Commercial scale deployments which will be when most cost benefits are In the first half of 2021, nearly 7 GW of wind of offshore floating wind (>1GW) are only realized. Within 10 years, DNV expects that power capacity was auctioned globally, a expected after 2030. Initial plans for such offshore floating wind will be close to half of 160% year-on-year increase compared to Q1 projects are being considered in the today’s cost levels. 2020. With 3.9 GW awarded in Q1 2021, Qingdao area. offshore wind accounted for the majority of Demonstration to commercialisation the sanctioned wind power capacity4. By 2050, up to 50% of floating wind capacity demand is expected to come from Asia Getting large-scale floating wind This year and next, the IEA is predicting that Pacific countries as decarbonisation efforts generation to a bankable scale will require a global offshore wind capacity additions will across the region gather pace5. coordinated effort from governments, increase 60% to over 10GW, with China regulators, investors, developers, expected to account for nearly 60% of this as According to the International Energy shipyards and customers. developers rush to take advantage of FITs Agency (IEA), the offshore wind energy before they expire at end-2021. market is expected to grow faster than the It will also require a consolidation and onshore wind sector, driven by rising maturing of the complex technology In Asia, Japan and Korea are also set to cost-competitiveness, with an average LCOE required for various components, including commission smaller projects for the first of US$50/MWh being within reach. the foundations (floaters) which sit on the time in 2022. water’s surface. Finding ways of mounting a The International Renewable Energy Agency tower and turbine in deep water Both Japan and Korea have implemented (IRENA) forecasts global weighted average environments are where most R&D is initiatives aimed at supporting floating capacity factors for onshore wind will currently focused. offshore wind. In Japan a feed-in-tariff is increase to 32-58% by 2050 and to 43-60% available for floating wind projects while an by 2050 for offshore wind6. There are also engineering and modelling auctions scheme has been implemented for challenges associated with concrete versus fixed bottom projects. Such is the potential and growing appetite for steel foundation structures, wave and wind large-scale offshore wind that DNV’s Energy motion and load variables, network stability In June, the proposal for a 16.8 MW floating and transportation issues associated with wind farm off the coast of Goto City in 5 d nv.com/Publications/the-unstoppable-rise-of- supplying power into the onshore grid. Nagasaki Prefecture was confirmed in floating-offshore-wind-episode-1-196832 Japan’s floating wind auction. Once built, Around 40 different floater designs are being this will be the country’s first commercial 6 irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publica- explored with four basic technologies at a floating offshore wind farm. The coast of tion/2019/Oct/IRENA_Future_of_wind_2019_ Goto City has a water depth of 100 - 150m, summ_EN.PDF 7 dnv.com/energy-transition/index.html which will require floating solutions as fixed substructures will not be economical at such depths. In South Korea additional RECs are awarded for every MWh of offshore wind generation compared to onshore renewables like solar and onshore wind. However, investors are still seeking clarity on guidelines and are pushing for additional support. Ulsan in South Korea has been receiving much attention as a floating wind hub with the numerous collaborations observed between international investors and local developers. 3 https://about.bnef.com/blog/global-wind- industry-had-a-record-near-100gw-year-as-ge- goldwind-took-lead-from-vestas 4 https://gwec.net/wind-power-auctioning-bounc- es-back-with-160-year-on-year-rise-in-q1-2021 78 PES WIND

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THINK TANK Global Wind Capacity Forecast. Source: DNV Energy Outlook Report, 2021 commercial or pre-commercial stage: for the floating offshore wind sector, North America (NAM) – United States floaters with spar, semi-submersibles, leveraging their understanding of floaters, and Canada barge-mounted turbines and tension-leg substrate structures, anchoring and offshore platforms. Determining which ones will power interconnectors. Latin America (LAM) – the region become the dominant technologies, some of stretches from Mexico to the southern which may be suited to specific areas such as Floating wind power is expected to be a tip of South America typhoon zones, will be critical in advancing driving force to change the energy paradigm the sector to a commercial stage. from a largely fossil fuel-driven energy Europe (EUR) – all European countries system to one based on renewables, enabling including the Baltics but excluding Thereafter, standardisation of design offshore wind to make up a significant share Russia, all the former Soviet Union concepts and certification against an agreed in the global energy mix by 2050. Republics and Turkey standard will be required to build stakeholder confidence in the technology and move to As the push for hydrogen-driven societies Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) – the region mass production. Collaboration and gathers pace, large scale floating wind could consists of All African countries except integration across domains will also be be used to produce electricity which in turn Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and needed to build an effective supply chain and could be used to produce hydrogen for Egypt create a thriving industry involving turbine export. In this regard, the repurposing of manufacturers, shipyards, cable offshore oil and gas platform in regions such Middle East and North Africa (MEA) – manufacturers and substation providers. as Australia’s Bass Strait could form part of a Morocco to Iran, including Turkey and hydrogen export infrastructure system. the Arabian Peninsula Spar and Semi-Sub are popular architectures in Asia and are being considered by a number DNV looks forward to continuing working North East Eurasia (NEE) - Russia, of international developers who are strong closely with stakeholders across industries Mongolia, North Korea and the former advocates of these technologies. to accelerate floating offshore wind Soviet Union states except the Baltics development which offers much potential for In the offshore space, the oil and gas space-constrained nations to achieve carbon Greater China (CHN) – Mainland China, sector’s longstanding experience of neutrality while meeting growing power Taiwan, HK, Macau deep-water conditions is a major advantage, needs close to demand centres. coupled with their significant balance Indian Subcontinent (IND) – India, sheets and an incentive to transition to For more information on DNV’s offshore and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri cleaner business models. onshore wind power capabilities, please visit: Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives www.dnv.com/power-renewables/ There are early signs that energy majors are generation/wind-energy.html South East Asia (SEA) – region stretches looking at repurposing the oil and gas space from Myanmar to Papua New Guinea and includes the Pacific Ocean States OECD Pacific (OPA) – Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea 80 PES WIND

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THINK TANK Using the correct planning and smart route engineering to open up more seabed real estate for future offshore wind sites Words: F rancis Dick, Route Engineer, OceanIQ Performing in-depth analysis on over 6,000 surface and sub-surface boulders, examined alongside a vast amount of bathymetry data, enabled OceanIQ Route Engineers to safely plan the array cable routes and seabed preparation plans for the 72 turbine Danish Kriegers Flak site. OceanIQ’s parent company, the Global environments that standard ploughs designed shaped trench and depositing the spoil heap Marine Group (GMG), was appointed by to work in mostly sands and clays, find difficult separately to the edges of the trench. The Vattenfall to deliver the route clearance and to navigate and effectively work in. cable is then laid inside the trench, where, cable installation campaign at Danish depending on conditions and risk profile it Kriegers Flak, an offshore wind farm located The implication of using existing ploughing may either be left as-is or subject to in the Baltic Sea, southeast of Copenhagen. approaches with time consuming multi-pass operations to achieve a required depth of The new development consists of 72 turbines boulder clearing and trenching on the Danish cover by backfilling operations or by using linked to two offshore substations, splitting Kriegers Flak project were economic and the Q1400 trenching system to jet the cable the site into two areas: Kriegers Flak A and environmental, taking too long and costing within the trench itself. Kriegers Flak B. Together the sites called for too much, whilst producing large amounts of a total of 72 inter array cable routes; a CO2 and NOx. As this marked the PLP240’s first project, large-scale project requiring detailed some trials of the asset were undertaken on analytical work in order to determine the The PLP240 Pre-lay Plough, was engineered similar seabed conditions ahead of the main most economically viable routes for the and built for OceanIQ’s sister company, work beginning. A small amount of each of entire site. Global Offshore, alongside Vattenfall and the tasks involved in the project was Osbit, specifically for use on this project. The completed on separate trial routes that the Developing an asset that was perfect for PLP240 facilitates pre-lay trenching allowing PLP240 could complete final testing on. the job the required pre-cable installation intervention on the seabed to be done in a Understanding the design parameters of Wind farms are increasingly located further single pass, saving time, costs, fuel and the specialist assets utilised on the project offshore where seabed environments are emissions. The asset is able to clear boulders, more challenging and often consist of surface and subsurface, whilst Before route engineering could begin, design boulders, boulder clays and glacial tills, simultaneously cutting a graduated ‘Y’ parameters needed to be established with consideration for the capabilities of the 82 PES WIND

THINK TANK PLP240 Pre-Lay Plough equipment intended for boulder clearance Gaining a full understanding of the seabed, was conducted to highlight the auto-picked and the digging of the cable trenches. The boulder distribution and density survey targets (boulders) that fell within the PLP240 in boulder clearance mode is able to buffer. These boulders were then analysed achieve a clearance corridor of 16m, remove To achieve the final boulder listing, the and categorised by their size and mass to boulders up to a maximum of 2m in width and findings from the route survey, which determine the clearance method required. make cable turns on a 50m radius. incorporated side scan sonar and multibeam data, had to be refined in order for OceanIQ A significant number of boulders in the The Utility ROV Grab to be used for the Route Engineers to only see those boulders corridor were deemed too large to be removal of the larger, heavier boulders that which fell within the parameters of the removed by the UTROV Grab, however the couldn’t be ploughed, was confirmed as PLP240’s clearance corridor. A 16m buffer was auto-picking software that generated the being able to pick a boulder that was a added around the initial cable route position original listing misidentified some clusters of maximum of 2.5m in length and weighing a lists (RPLs), in accordance with the width of small boulders as large, singular boulders. maximum of 10 tonnes, as long as two the PLP240’s blade, and spatial intersection High-res bathymetry of the site was inspected opposing arms could safely close around it. This meant that boulders greater than 2.5m The initial route survey shows boulders identified in and around the proposed cable routes, signified by the red in length but under 2.5m in width, or vice lines, and the 16m buffer zone, highlighted in green, surrounding each route: shown left.. Spatial intersection versa, could still be picked if they weighed was completed to refine the targets: shown right less than 10 tonnes. Final project deliverables The ultimate goal of the boulder analysis work was to identify where on the cable routes the PLP240 would be able to clear boulders, where the UTROV Grab would be able to pick them, and where any remaining boulders too large for either of those activities would be left, requiring an amendment of the cable route itself. The process was iterative, with the cable route designed with all boulder and bathymetry data collated from within the PLP240’s 16m cable corridor analysed, and the cable route adjusted based upon the results. This process was repeated until all immovable boulders were avoided and all other boulders could be ploughed or picked, which would then provide the team with the final cable routes. WWW.PESWIND.COM 83

THINK TANK Large boulders deemed immovable required the Boulder density heat map cable route to be amended in order to avoid these obstacles and find the most viable route. Once these decisions had been made, the final route position lists (RPLs) could be generated in order to clarify the findings and reclassify inter array cable routes also had to avoid much quicker. those which had been miscategorised. the potential unexploded ordinance (pUXO) targets identified by a thorough UXO Building boulder density heat maps to Once the recategorisation was complete, the survey campaign. predict asset performance and speed few immovable boulders that remained were routed around and avoided by the PLP A number of boulders around the offshore Boulder density heat maps and route profile corridor. With the final routes engineered, substations were not identified by the charts, which could be used to predict the the final boulder listing was established auto-picking software and needed to be PLP240’s performance and speed across the resulting in a full boulder pick list for the grab manually identified from the high-res site, were used to create charts depicting and a list of boulders for the PLP240 to clear. bathymetry. Using calculations taken from 1km segments of each cable route. The the water depth data and the mean depth of maps, which heavily utilised GIS software to This detailed analysis led to a boulder risk the surrounding seabed to determine the automate the process of creating 234 mitigation strategy based primarily upon boulder heights, the process was automated, individual charts covering all cable routes avoidance of larger or heavier stones whilst and the utilisation of Geographic Information across the entire wind farm, provided a retaining routes which maximised the burial System (GIS) software made the process useful source of information that the crew potential and protection for the cables. The aboard the vessels could refer to during plough operations. Boulder density & route profile charts presented in 1 km segments along all cable routes Guaranteeing long-term system viability with proper planning In total, the route engineering and boulder clearance work on the Danish Kriegers Flak project took almost two years to complete and was hugely beneficial to the final cable installation project which has since been completed by OceanIQ’s sister company Global Offshore with support from CWind, also part of the Global Marine Group. OceanIQ’s highly knowledgeable route engineering department provide a wide range of services designed to support subsea cable networks across the lifecycle of each system. Thorough survey and route engineering work, alongside access to the most comprehensive subsea datasets and technical experience able to effectively interpret that data, can ensure the longevity and viability of a system, whether it be in the initial planning phases or in an existing system that is currently operational. www.oceaniq.co.uk 84 PES WIND

OFFSHORE WIND CONSULTANTS Our services include: GEOSCIENCE CONSULTANCY GROUND MODELLING SERVICES MARINE ADVISORY & METOCEAN DATA ANALYSIS & CONSENTING SUPPORT SITE CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT JACKUP PENETRATION SUPPORT SERVICES ANALYSIS FOUNDATION ENGINEERING OFFSHORE PILE DESIGN CONCEPT, FEED & DETAILED GEOPHYSICAL & GEOTECHNICAL SUBSTRUCTURE DESIGN ASSESSMENT CABLE ENGINEERING PILE DRIVEABILITY STUDIES OFFSHORE SURVEY MANAGEMENT OFFSHORE SITE IDENTIFICATION www.gdgeo.com UNIT A2 | NUTGROVE OFFICE PARK | RATHFARNHAM | DUBLIN 14 | D14 X627 | IRELAND | T: +353 (1) 207 1000 | E: [email protected]

ASK THE EXPERTS A digital world Stefan Weber, Managing Director of Windsourcing.com returns to PES to discuss the logistics of supplying spare parts and repair products as and when they are needed, wherever that may be. How big a role does digitization and automation play in making all the pieces of the puzzle fit? PES: It is lovely to welcome you back to PES until March. We did not see a decrease in the year, we have been busy quoting, Wind Stefan. I trust you are well and orders or sales last year, as projects seem to processing orders, and as always, business is good for you? have shifted regionally. continuously expanding our product line. Stefan Weber: Thank you very much. We are However, we feel that many projects were on PES: 2021 has been quite a year so far hasn’t also happy to talk to you again. hold due to Covid last year and that many of it, with lots of developments continuing to our customers wanted to pick up the pace impact on the wind sector and, of course, For us, the season started as early as and complete their projects as quickly as the effects of the Covid pandemic still being January this year, whereas in previous years possible. Therefore, since the beginning of felt. We’re over half way through the year the first repair projects were not served 86 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS Stefan Weber now, so looking back so far how have things In addition to this development, we are also SW: Yes, absolutely. We think the season will been for Windsourcing? receiving more and more inquiries from new last as long as the weather allows. Since we customers via our website and the online supply customers for worldwide projects, SW: As already indicated, the first half of the product catalogue, which we can supply with this means that this year, for the first time, year already went very well for us. We were able spare parts and repair material. So, our main the season can go far into December for us. to increase the number of orders compared to sales channel, the website and thus the the previous year and already reached the online shop, is doing a good job. PES: And then looking forward to 2022 and previous year’s result at the end of June. beyond; are there any particular trends you Of course, our team in Hamburg is also busy. can predict that we might see, particularly In February 2020, we launched our online We take care of the day-to-day business, talk in relation to your field of work? store for customers from the EU and are to customers, follow up on deliveries, etc., but really surprised how well it was accepted and we also work on strategic issues that SW: We think that logistics will play an even used from the very beginning. The number of constantly develop Windsourcing.com as a more important role in the future than it orders placed via the online store is rising company, such as supplier development, already does. We changed our logistics continuously. Meanwhile, several orders are further development of the product portfolio. partner in the first quarter of this year to be received daily via the online store, which we even more competitive. can transfer to our warehouse and ship with PES: Do you expect the outlook to remain just a few clicks. similar to this for the rest of the year now? The process of sending orders and packing instructions to our warehouse is automated, which not only gives us time advantages, but also makes processes more traceable and even less prone to errors. We have also adapted some processes in our online shop as well as in our internal ERP system to serve our customers even better. A second trend we can observe in our ‘spare parts distribution’ area is even closer relationships with our customers. GEV Wind Power EU, for example, has named us a preferred supplier this year, and so have other customers. This spurs us on to continue working hard to improve our business. When we talk about spare parts supply, we are talking about a holistic system that has to work. This starts with the cooperation with our supply partners and goes all the way to the delivery of the ordered goods to our customers. PES: Is sustainability in the supply of spare parts being given the focus it deserves do you think and is this likely to develop further in the future? SW: Yes, we can agree with that. Sustainability is an important topic in general and will also play an important role in spare parts supply. This starts with research and development as well as manufacturing of WWW.PESWIND.COM 87

ASK THE EXPERTS products and leads up to packaging and information is purely automatic. facilitates application and thus ensures transport to the customer. absolute process reliability while minimizing Automation is also an important issue when it waste. Windsourcing.com has been offering PES: How important is the continuous comes to adding new items to our portfolio. this product exclusively as a distributor for automation and digitalization of internal These item data must be provided to us the after-sales market of the wind industry processes to ensuring that the logistics of digitally so that we can automatically upload for years. your job all run smoothly? them into our system. This also works very well with our supply partners. PES: And where does Windsourcing fit in SW: You might say that the end-to-end with this? What’s next for you that we can automation and digitization of internal and All in all, we can state that the wind industry, look forward to hearing more about next external processes is Windsourcing.com’s just like all other industries and areas of time we catch up? DNA, alongside the product portfolio and public life, is moving towards further supply network tailored to the wind industry. digitization and automation. AG: We believe that Windsourcing.com has been going in exactly the right direction By this we mean that since the company was PES: What’s next for the after sales market since the company was founded. Today we founded, our goal has been to move away of the wind industry do you think? see that digitalization, automation as well as from traditional sales structures to digital holistic thinking and working, in sales channels. Our website is our main sales SW: The market will of course continue to partnerships with supply partners and channel. We have tens of thousands of develop in view of the addition of wind customers, are the ingredients of successful articles online, and we are constantly turbines in recent years. In particular, the and sustainable working. updating and editing their content. This is repair and maintenance of offshore wind how customers around the world find us turbines will become even more important. For this reason, we think that Windsourcing. when they are looking for specific spare parts com fits very well into this market and its or repair materials for their wind turbines. The use of wind power, especially on the development due to its many years of open sea, demands the highest standards of experience, with a comprehensive product The digitization of internal processes such as corrosion protection due to the mechanical portfolio, coupled with the structure and quoting, order processing and transmission of as well as climatic conditions. A long and thus processes of the company. shipping information to our warehouse is profitable service life of the turbines can only another important aspect that makes our be achieved with conscientious maintenance. Also, in the next years Windsourcing.com will company and our work increasingly profitable. The turbines cannot simply be removed, be an important and reliable supplier of spare especially on the high seas. All work has to be parts and repair material for wind turbines The more tasks are standardized and carried out on site in wind and weather - onshore and offshore, worldwide automated, the more time we have for often by industrial climbers who can only strategic issues such as supplier handle heavy tools and materials to a limited As always, we have interesting projects in the development, marketing, strategic extent. In addition, protective coatings must pipeline and are supplying more and more purchasing and customer care. dry and cure quickly due to the weather. markets worldwide. For this reason, we will certainly have interesting things to talk about PES: What changes would you like or expect Here, for example, manufacturers of spare again next time. to see here to make things even better parts and repair materials are also called when you’re dealing with external partners upon to bring product developments to PES: Will you be visiting HUSUM Wind such as logistic partners? market that meet the special needs of in September? service personnel on wind turbines. SW: As already mentioned, we have been SW: Yes, we will be there and we are really working with a new logistics partner since One of our supply partners, Sika, has already looking forward to it. We are especially March. This partner has already automated developed a special product for corrosion looking forward to meeting customers and many processes internally. That was an protection in the onshore and offshore area, business partners in person again after such important aspect for us. Another decisive SikaCor® SW-1000 RepaCor, taking into a long time. We will be on site with the entire point was that the new logistics partner is account the special requirements. The team and are always available to make an willing and able to connect its system to our coating dries four hours faster than appointment for a meeting during the fair. ERP system via an interface, so that the conventional systems. The practical transmission of shipping orders and item packaging in the form of mixing cartridges www.windsourcing.com/en/ 88 PES WIND

FLEXIBLE PROJECT SERVICES TURNKEY CREW TRANSFER VESSELS OFFSHORE WIND TRAINING COMPLETE O&M SOLUTIONS 24/7 365 day service Pre-emptive and reactive repairs and maintenance Flexible and able to mobilise quickly to minimise asset downtime Fleet of fuel-efficient crew transfer vessels Experience at more than 60 offshore wind farms globally PACKAGES E: [email protected] W: www.cwind.global

TALKING POINT Lidar lives She may have started life in rural England, but today ZX Lidar’s Unit #106 is tramping the complex terrain of Greece, as she helps to pioneer the country’s clean energy transition. ‘Eunice’ may be named after a sea nymph, but she’s really a star when it comes to understanding the wind. 90 PES WIND

TALKING POINT Starting life in the Malvern Hills of Western live with her new family, leading renewable standout choice for gathering wind resource England, ZX Lidars unit #106 was always energy developers the Eunice Energy Group. data. Eunice is now a wind measurement expected to be a traveller and it wasn’t long veteran but is still providing a top-class before she had traded the rolling hills of the Today, nearly 15 years later, she is still there service helping to optimise the latest wind UK for the far more challenging landscape of travelling the Greek islands and helping to developments alongside existing wind farms Greece. Now named after one of the mythical map the nation’s wind resources as it pivots across the region. Nereides - sea nymphs of Greek legend towards a clean energy future. Indeed, the - ‘Eunice’ was soon on her way to Athens to capabilities of a wind lidar make it the The only choice The first stop on her travels was the headquarters of Eunice Energy Group in Athens. The first and only energy company in Greece to generate power exclusively from renewables, Eunice Energy Group is one of the region’s premier renewable energy companies and holds a significant position on the international energy map. With many years of experience in the development of innovative and integrated solutions for the production and use of renewables, the group executes large-scale PV, storage and wind projects. Eunice Energy Group also manufactures EV chargers and its own in-house wind turbine, the EW16 Thetis, as well as working in the emerging fields of smart energy management and e-mobility. Putting innovation at the heart of its business and facing increased demand for wind measurement campaigns within its project development pipeline, the Group looked to expand its capabilities. Faced with the challenging Greek topography, Eunice Energy Group soon determined that its many hills and cliffs make much of the country virtually off limits for the installation of a typical met mast for a wind measurement campaign. In such a complex landscape even the most sophisticated software isn’t capable of accurately interpolating met mast data to deliver the necessarily low-uncertainty needed. At some wind farm locations, the hub height of one wind turbine could be at the same elevation as the foundation of its neighbouring machine, which might stand on an adjacent hill. Lidars, with their unique capabilities, are particularly well-suited to the Greek topography though. Using a low-power eye-safe laser, lidars can record detailed wind speed and direction characteristics beyond 200 metres of vertical height. This is way beyond the blade tip height of even the tallest wind turbine today and far exceeds the capabilities of conventional mast-based anemometers. Armed with this knowledge and considering it vital to record data at the specific locations desired, Eunice Energy Group looked at ZX Lidars technology. Lidars can be moved around a site easily and quickly and don’t need any major ground works like the concrete pad that is often required for conventional met masts to be installed, for example. Eunice and all her sister lidar machines are thus blessed with inherent flexibility, moving around a site as required and recording data WWW.PESWIND.COM 91

TALKING POINT across the full swept area of a turbine rotor available from lidars when considering field masts, the standout operational benefits and beyond, even for the much larger wind deployments. Lidars need just two staff to of lidar in terms of meeting Eunice Energy turbines anticipated in future. Able to define install whereas conventional met masts Group’s wind measurement requirements wind characteristics well above the height of might need six or more. In addition, there are meant a machine-like Eunice was the only a conventional met mast, lidar capabilities fit significant health and safety advantages as viable solution. well with the broad trends for ever bigger lidars do not entail working at height. wind turbines. Eunice Energy Group concluded that while With a robust and self-contained PV and the initial outlay is greater for a lidar, the Not only is lidar technology future proofed, battery power supply ideal for the overall life time costs are significantly lower. they become increasingly cost-effective Mediterranean climate, Eunice is easy to The depth and duration of the technical given that met masts must become far taller power at the remote off-grid locations support offered by ZX Lidars made another to eliminate uncertainty in wind shear for typical of Greece and this represents another compelling part of the choice for lidar. With larger wind turbines. This dramatically major benefit. some 15 years of service already under her increases the cost of a met mast, especially belt and still going strong, Eunice is proving once it goes above the typical 30-60 metre With better, safer and faster measurements, this was the right decision. height, and taller structures also require a crucially Eunice also provides trusted, larger concrete pad to stand on. Increased bankable, data. Accepted by both the wind Casting light on wind mast heights also necessitate a switch to industry and the financial sector, IEC- more expensive lattice-type structures compatible measurements from lidar lie at Having established unimpeachable rather than the standard and lower-cost the heart of Eunice’s special talents. Indeed, credentials, Eunice took her first trip to one tubular-type masts. so good is the data from lidar that a of the most up-market districts of Athens. subsidiary company of Eunice Energy Group, Her first deployment came in mid-2016 and It means the data that lidars deliver can help EuniLab, can use the information to plan its was on the roof of the Eunice Energy Group to determine the exact location of the largest wind farm installations, with all HQ just a stone’s throw from the residence of wind turbines for optimum power generation measurements meeting IEC standards. the Greek prime minister. Her initial across even the most difficult sites. installation meant she could also call the Having considered a number of President of the Republic and the Greek There are also time and resource savings alternatives, including deploying more met Parliament her near neighbours. 92 PES WIND

TALKING POINT However, this glamourous beginning soon delicious, whereupon it became inoperable. nowhere near retirement. She continues to changed with deployment in the field where Her custodians soon learned to cover the hold her own in front-line service with she swapped the glitz of presidents and prime cables with protective plastic tubes to ward off support from ZX Lidars and retains strong ministers for more earthy neighbours of any goaty attentions and these guards became links with her birth family who are always sheep and goats. Indeed, with wind power a a key adaptation to her new rural home. ready to offer advice and technical guidance relatively unknown development her new when needed no matter how far she roams. family were initially concerned that her Since those early days Eunice has grown to be strange looks could prompt suspicion and a family favourite among the Eunice Energy She plans to continue working for as long as even violence. Certainly, Eunice resembles a Group with engineers, developers and possible, continuing to explore the winds of rather strange lunar lander or even a space customers all admiring her unique strengths Greece and operating as a loyal partner to probe more suited to the landscape of distant and capabilities. Playing a key role in Eunice Energy Group and their customers with Mars than the hills and valleys of Greece. evaluating the bulk of Eunice Energy Group’s the help of ZX Lidars, her friends, and family. existing wind power capacity, Eunice has Fearing that local people could have damaged been at the heart of the planning campaigns Better, faster, safer and often cheaper than this relatively expensive piece of equipment, for countless new wind power projects conventional approaches for wind Eunice Energy Group recruited local across Greece. Working for both Eunice measurement campaigns, Eunice could be shepherds to guard her and ward off any Energy Group and others she also conducts considered as a movable 200 metre met unwanted attention. Eunice was supremely power performance audits of wind turbines mast. Given she has already delivered well unconcerned though and if there were any and executes third-party measurement over a decade of service, Eunice clearly disgruntled locals, they certainly never made services under the Eunilab brand. represents great value. Indeed, Eunice can be an appearance. thought of as very similar to renewable Life as lidar energy systems themselves, initially more Nonetheless, she didn’t escape unscathed expensive but ultimately capable of given that some wild goats found the cable A pioneering and outdoorsy individual, with delivering many tangible long-term benefits. connecting the lidar to her power supply more than 14 years of exemplary service Eunice remains in robust good health and is She also continues to play a key role in the spirit of innovation that is key to the success of Eunice Energy Group. She supports their smart energy management and distribution system known as S4S: Storage for Sustainability, Smart Grid, Solutions, Security, for instance. First implemented in the archipelago of the Dodecanese, the island of Tilos became the first energy autonomous island in Europe using S4S technology. Eunice Energy Group shares a vision for everyone to have the opportunity to become an independent and autonomous energy ‘NetProsumer’. Typically eco-conscious, NetProsumers strive for energy autonomy and independence through renewable energy and associated technological advances. Eunice Energy Group aims to achieve this goal through a smart energy management system but combining wind, PV and storage into a community-based energy trading platform requires precise information. For the substantial wind power element of this plan, it is Eunice that will supply this vital data. By helping to Greece to develop and more efficiently use ever greater volumes of renewable energy, Eunice and the lidar technology she holds was and still is the perfect partner. She has been so successful that Eunice Energy Group intends to expand its lidar contingent and adopt some of her younger sisters to help build a future in which every Greek household and business has a renewable energy role. As an innovator, pioneer, and reliable partner, Eunice has already played a key role in leading the county’s green transition. But as a traveller roaming the hills of ancient Greece, she knows that it’s not always the final destination but the journey that counts and Eunice, a wind lidar, is a big part of the journey to clean energy for all. www.zxlidars.com WWW.PESWIND.COM 93

ENABLING THE FUTURE OF OFFSHORE WIND Six out of ten offshore wind turbines in Europe are shipped from the port of Esbjerg in Denmark. As such, the port of Esbjerg plays a crucial role in realising the EU’s ambition of installing offshore wind turbines with a capacity totalling 60 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050. Achieving these ambitious targets will require close and smart collaboration across the supply chain. From production and storage to shipping. This is exactly where Port Esbjerg can contribute, because all this already takes place at the port today. Port Esbjerg is a reliable partner and the facilities at the port are scalable and sustainable. Together we can make the future greener. PORTESBJERG.COM

THINK TANK High temperature epoxy resin bushings for windfarm transformers Turbine designs continue to grow in power size, while reducing the space provided for the transformer in the nacelle area. This presents several challenges in transformer bushing designs, one of which is the considerable increase in the ambient temperature. As a result, H-J has developed a new high-temperature epoxy used on transformer bushings to help transformer manufacturers match their high-temperature insulation systems. This new high-temperature epoxy is suitable capable of delivering high dielectric and Insulator, Bushing, Power Transformer, for continuous use at 155°C, thus allowing mechanical strength in high temperature Switchgear. users to pack more power into smaller environments. This paper summarizes a footprints by running the systems hotter. brief history and current state of epoxy I. Introduction H-J currently produces bushings with component insulation with commentary on proprietary epoxy blends for 105, 120, and advancements made for applications Epoxy materials have been used in electrical 155°C maximum operating temperatures. requiring enhanced material performance insulation applications in North America for high temperature applications. since the 1960s. Advancements in materials The following paper created by H-J’s leading to improved performance have led to Engineering team would provide details Index Terms: Epoxy, High Temperature, steady growth of epoxy use in insulating about this very important topic and we are pleased to share with you. Component Type Typical Applications Material / Environment Abstract Switch & Bus (Standoff) Switchgear Bis-A Epoxy – Enclosed Insulator Bus Duct Applications. Electrical insulating component design has become increasingly challenging due to Roof Entrance or Cover Switchgear, Distribution Cycloaliphatic Epoxy – rapidly changing requirements in power Mounted Bushings Breakers Outdoor Applications industry applications. Cost reduction and increased performance requirements Transformer Bushings Distribution transformers Cycloaliphatic Epoxy – present new challenges for traditional Power Transformers Outdoor applications insulation solutions. Modern insulating Separable Connector component designs must push the limits of (Deadbreak Bushing) Distribution transformers Bis-A Epoxy – Enclosed dielectric performance while maximizing Switchgear applications. mechanical strength characteristics in a host of environments. In particular, the Cycloaliphatic Epoxy – recent advancements in the use, size and Outdoor Applications scale of renewable energies such as solar Cycloaliphatic Epoxy and wind power necessitate enhanced performance epoxy insulating materials SF6 compatible Epoxy WWW.PESWIND.COM 95

THINK TANK component design since that time. The Cantilever withstand test In all cases, these operating conditions are design flexibility facilitated by the use of a in stark contrast to typical component cast resin system has provided many temperatures are more commonplace. design criteria. advantages over traditional insulating materials. Initial applications using • E volving technologies and applications: The H-J Family of Companies chemical Bisphenol-A (Bis-A) materials in basic the significant rise in solar and wind engineers have developed and implemented enclosed applications evolved to outdoor, generation activity has brought about epoxy formulation solutions to meet these UV-exposed applications with the new equipment design challenges in both more demanding requirements. The basic development of cycloaliphatic epoxy transformer and switchgear design. challenge was to design a formulation materials. Epoxy materials are now found in a Transformer applications have challenged capable of withstanding high ambient and wide range of electrical insulation designs to become compact with high continuous operating temperature for applications in varied environments including operation at high currents, often in component designs. This led to the outdoor, UV-exposed; high contamination overload conditions. Extremely high development of an epoxy system capable of environments; high ambient temperature ambient temperatures in excess of 40°C operation in these extraordinary conditions, environment; and, gas insulated systems are common, and in some cases up to while maintaining the required electrical and such as SF6. Typical epoxy materials and 75°C in continuous operation in mechanical performance. Developed as an environments are: enclosures where traditional cooling enhanced Bisphenol-A epoxy system, the methods are not possible. • Bisphenol A: indoor applications or fully-enclosed, outdoor applications without UV exposure. • Cycloaliphatic: outdoor applications with UV exposure. • SF6 compatible: gas insulated systems. Some examples of typical applications and materials used are: II. Trends Continued advancements in equipment design and the evolution of new applications have created a need for epoxy materials that exhibit enhanced properties with respect to electrical, thermal and mechanical performance. Most recently, a trend towards higher operating temperatures exceeding most common industry temperature classes of 105°C and 120°C has necessitated the development of epoxies capable of operating at significantly higher Tg (glass transition temperatures) and HDT (heat deflection temperatures). Tg and HDT properties are more clearly defined as follows: A. Glass transition temperature (Tg) Is the temperature range in which a material alters state, going from a glass-like rigid solid to a more flexible, rubbery compound B. Heat deflection temperatures (HDT) Commonly referred to as heat deflection temperature or heat distortion temperature is the temperature at which a polymer deforms under a specified load.’ The HDT, is a useful indicator of the temperature limit above which the material cannot be used for structural applications…’ [1] The primary drivers for this trend of higher operating temperatures are: • E quipment design: cost reduction efforts and space limitations have led to smaller equipment footprints with reduced cooling capability; and, requirements for more efficient component designs with current carrying components operating at higher current densities. Hence, higher ambient temperatures and component operating 96 PES WIND

THINK TANK H-J high voltage test lab Standard Units Values material provides Tg and HDT performance Dielectric Properties above 155°C class operating requirements. Volume Resistivity ASTM D257 Ω-cm@ 25 ° C 5.7x1015 Achieving these higher material ratings Dielectric Strength ASTM D149-09 allows component operation at or above Dielectric Constant ASTM D150-11 V/ MIL 0.125” THICK 680 155°C with no detrimental effect on the Dissipation Factor ASTM D150-11 structural performance of the material. Incline Plane Tracking ASTM D 2303 @ 23 ° C, 600 Hz > 4.0 Suitability for operating above the 155°C Mechanical rating may be application and component Properties @ 23 ° C, 600 Hz 0.01 geometry specific. MINUTES @ 2.5 KV >500 III. Material data and test summary Flexural Strength ASTM D 790-10 psi 13000 A series of material tests were performed proc A psi >22,000 to verify suitability of the enhanced Bis-A Compressive ASTM D695-10 psi 7,600 epoxy system in these applications. The Strength ft-lb/in2 0.32 tests summarized below verify the Tensile Strength ASTM D638 technical characteristics of the material and confirm its suitability for application in IZOD Impact ASTM D256-10 insulating component design in these Resistance method A operating environments. The results meet or exceed requirements for the Continues operation ASTM D 3801, IEC °C >155 environments outlined in this document. temperature, Class 707, ISO 1210 1/4” Thickness V0 Tests performed include: Flammability Test % wt. 0.1% ASTM D570 IV. Designs and applications to date: high Water Absorption operating and ambient temperatures As previously outlined, a prime driver for the evolution of higher operating temperature requirements has been newer technologies including wind and solar generation. Component development specific to these sectors includes: • Transformer bushings: typically high current carrying capability or high voltage application, coupled with high ambient temperature environments. WWW.PESWIND.COM 97

THINK TANK H-J examples of bushings • High overload applications: customers • C able termination bushings used in solar component design meet these challenges. require frequent overload capability with inverter applications. The design flexibility offered by epoxies, limited loss of life which conventional coupled with the availability of material rated epoxies cannot meet. V. Summary and conclusions for high operating and ambient temperatures, continues to make epoxy insulating solutions • S eparable connectors such as deadbreak Trends toward more optimized equipment a preferred choice for insulating component bushings used in wind farm transformers design and new technology applications designs now and in the future. and solar applications. continues to drive research activities to ensure that insulating materials used in REFERENCES Webpage: [1] P olymer Properties Database 2015, Available: https://polymerdatabase.com/ polymer%20physics/HeatDistortion.html Words: Mark Pattison, Product Specialist, The H-J Family of Companies, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, [email protected] Eugenio de Zamacona, Chemical Engineer Manager, The H-J Family of Companies, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, [email protected] Luis Osorio, Engineering Manager, The H-J Family of Companies, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, [email protected] Jeff Door, R&D Manager, The H-J Family of Companies, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, [email protected] IR test image 98 PES WIND

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