Wind power is changing the face of the global energy market, with dozens of gigawatts of new capacity being connected to power grids around the world every year.
One of the biggest recent game-changers? Significant advances in floating offshore wind platforms, allowing turbines to be installed further from the shore, where they can catch stronger and more consistent winds.
Of course, behind every watt of power generated lie complex mooring systems that keep platforms secured firmly in place. And the right equipment makes all the difference – so read on to discover three high-profile examples of how Dyneema® fiber is supporting the wind power value chain in world-class mooring rope solutions.
Lowering installation costs for Principle Power Inc.
Located 20 km off the coast of Portugal, the Windfloat Altantic (WFA) project is the world's first semi-submersible floating offshore wind farm, suppling the Portuguese grid with clean energy. The project is supported by low-pre-tension mooring systems, made up of three hybrid catenary mooring lines that help anchor the platform to the seabed, some 100 meters below.
The secret ingredient under the waves? Lankhorst GAMA98® ropes made with Dyneema® DM20 fiber – also known for their use in offshore wind turbines, keel lines, and other highly demanding applications. The unrivaled strength and durability of Dyneema® helped the WFA project obtain a first-class certification for its permanent floating wind turbine mooring systems.
But there’s more. The superior strength-to-weight ratio of Dyneema® supports the use of smaller deck handling equipment and size connectors. The simple pre-installation of the Dyneema®-based mooring system included no pre-stretching and easy hook-up. And because Dyneema®-based lines are more resistant to marine fouling than other solutions, they also contribute to lower maintenance costs.
Optimizing spar design with Stiesdal
The great strides made with wind power technology in recent years have been born out of innovative engineering. Enter Stiesdal Offshore’s innovative TetraSpar “floater” concept – the world’s first fully industrialized floating offshore foundation. The Stiesdal floater is secured using a 3,000-ton keel, keeping the platform stable in rough, offshore conditions. In turn, the keel is connected to the floater by six separate keel lines made with Dyneema® DM20 fiber.
With deep waters and high stakes, Stiesdal’s priority was ensuring the Dyneema® -based lines were up to the task. No worries there: by leveraging insights from our sophisticated rope fatigue models, we optimized the balance between minimum breaking strength and required service life. Thanks to our in-depth engineering knowledge, Dyneema® contributed not only to the project’s DNV E407 certification, but also to a lower levelized cost of energy.
And our support for Stiesdal didn’t end there. We reviewed the system design of keel-lowering lines and hold-back slings used during installation, taking into account functional requirements beyond the load and safety factor. Our recommendations helped our partner optimize the system design – while minimizing the amount of material needed, for a more sustainable operation.
Avoiding the need for costly tensioners for Glosten
Finally, Glosten’s PelaStar: a breakthrough tension-leg platform (TLP) with parallel wound tendons designed by FibreMax. With its design founded on the pillars of robustness, reliability, and a reduced footprint, what better partner to help engineer its tendons than Dyneema®?
After all, synthetic tendons have much lower installation costs than steel tendons – but when you have a statically over-determined system, and given that tendons are never equal in length, steel tensioners are often required for load distribution. Dyneema® DM20 fiber proved to be the perfect solution to this tricky challenge, enabling patented engineering that allows for controlled balancing of the load over all five PelaStar tendons. In other words, the strength and durability of Dyneema® enables smaller systems, with no need for costly tensioners!
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