Critical’s work on the Poseidon prototype, situated off the coast of Lolland in Denmark, will “open up an unprecedented level of Integrated Condition Monitoring, ensuring that the facility can be operated efficiently and proactively, with minimal human intervention”.
Poseidon is a concept for an integrated floating power plant that transforms wave and wind energy into electricity in-situ. The wave energy plant serves as a floating foundation for offshore wind turbines, thus creating a sustainable energy hybrid. A 37-metre long offshore demonstration plant was launched in 2008, while a full-scale Poseidon plant measures from 80 to 230 metres in length, depending on wave and wind conditions at the chosen location.
The new monitoring and command and control solutions from Critical will provide advanced Operations and Maintenance (O&M) functionalities that will send early warnings to the Poseidon team of potential problems with the plant so they can be resolved before they cause severe disruption or damage, thereby improving O&M planning and costs.
“Operation, maintenance and survivability are key issues when working offshore. It is essential for FPP that during our technology development we continuously focus on improving O&M,” says Anders Køhler, CEO of Floating Power Plant. “So many renewable energy companies are wasting time and money by relying on sub-optimal technology to monitor and maintain the health of critical equipment and software. These systems tend to be reactive, alerting a team too late when millions of pounds-worth of damage has already been caused and systems have failed,” explained Alexander Hill, UK energy Business Development at Critical. “Offshore equipment is constantly exposed to the natural elements and isn’t always easily accessible so needs to be monitored by sophisticated, proactive systems.
Floating Power Plant’s development of this innovative plant gives us the opportunity to show that the production of green energy can be more efficient by introducing up to date remote structural and condition health data analysis software. Surely if green energy becomes cheaper to produce then more companies will start to realise its business potential,” he added.
Critical has developed significant experience in condition-based maintenance, structural health monitoring and command and control applications through its extensive work in the aerospace and energy industries with AgustaWestland and Energias de Portugal.
Attractive to offshore wind
Poseidon is based on a hydraulic power take-off system designed for location offshore in areas with considerable flux. Poseidon’s float absorbs the inherent energy from the waves, and by use of a double function piston pump it transforms the energy from the wave into water pressure that is then sent through a turbine, thus generating electricity.
By utilising and absorbing the energy of the waves, wave height is reduced significantly, creating calmer waters in front of the plant making the platform more easily accessible e.g. for maintenance purposes.
This effect and the platform’s steadiness makes it attractive to the wind industry as it is an ideal floating foundation for standard offshore wind turbines to capture wind energy in deep water environments.
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