Altair > Case Studies > Leveraging IoT for Success in Tidal Energy Marine Operations

Leveraging IoT for Success in Tidal Energy Marine Operations

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Technology Category
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Virtual Private Cloud
  • Sensors - Flow Meters
Applicable Industries
  • Marine & Shipping
  • Renewable Energy
Applicable Functions
  • Maintenance
  • Product Research & Development
Use Cases
  • Indoor Air Quality Monitoring
  • Outdoor Environmental Monitoring
Services
  • System Integration
  • Training
About The Customer
OpenHydro is a DCNS company that specializes in the design, manufacturing, and installation of marine turbines generating renewable energy from tidal streams. They are a world leader with a vision to deploy tidal turbine farms throughout the world’s oceans to silently and invisibly generate electricity with minimal impact on the environment. OpenHydro is part of a joint venture, Cape Sharp Tidal, which aims to deploy a grid-connected 4MW tidal array in the Minas Passage, located in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. This project has the potential to be one of the world’s first interconnected multi-megawatt tidal arrays, providing energy to more than 1,000 customers initially.
The Challenge
Dynamic Systems Analysis Ltd. (DSA) has been providing software solutions to the marine renewable energy industry for nearly a decade. Their ProteusDS and ShipMo3D simulation software tests virtual prototypes of vessels and equipment operating in ocean conditions. These virtual prototypes are crucial for the tidal energy industry as they help answer questions related to engineering design, planning, training, operations, and safety. Understanding the dynamic effects of ocean current, wind, and waves can significantly reduce the risk and uncertainty of vessel motions and loads on equipment in an ocean environment, leading to safer designs and lower risk and project cost. However, one of the biggest technical barriers the tidal industry faces is installing and maintaining turbines and cables in challenging sites like the Minas Passage. Traditionally, sea trials and experience would have solely guided marine operations, but there are many unknowns and little experience in working in extreme tidal environments.
The Solution
DSA partnered with OpenHydro, a DCNS company that specializes in the design, manufacturing, and installation of marine turbines generating renewable energy from tidal streams. OpenHydro is part of a joint venture, Cape Sharp Tidal, aiming to deploy a grid-connected 4MW tidal array in the Minas Passage, located in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. This project has the potential to be one of the world’s first interconnected multi-megawatt tidal arrays, providing energy to more than 1,000 customers initially. To overcome the technical challenges, a combination of marine experience and advanced engineering analysis with tools like ProteusDS were used to ensure the successful installation and maintenance of equipment to safeguard the economic viability of the tidal energy project.
Operational Impact
  • The use of DSA's ProteusDS software and advanced engineering analysis significantly improved the operational efficiency and safety of OpenHydro's marine operations. The software helped identify optimal tow arrangements, verify hydrodynamic and tow loads, and determine the deflection of the turbine and loading on the winch and lifting lines. This led to a reduction in operational risk and increased control over the marine operations. Furthermore, the software provided in-depth 3D visualizations of all critical simulations and an in-depth final report that can be used to inform OpenHydro operations in Minas Passage and in other projects across the globe with similar environmental conditions.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Reduced operational risk of ferrying OpenHydro’s turbine to deployment site by identifying optimal tow arrangement.
  • Identified less stable tow arrangements which provided less overall seakeeping control of the Scotia Tide.
  • Verified the hydrodynamic and tow loads on the critical electrical export cable during lowering of the turbine.

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