NOWITECH Annual Report 2015

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Annual Report 2015 23 NOWITECH Norwegian Research Centre for Offshore Wind Technology
is expected to also in the future be a useful
reference for O&M model benchmarking and
verification. A poster has also been prepared
on this same subject, and this won Best Poster
Award during DeepWind’2015.
• Bjørgum, A., interview by Monika Seynscheat the German radio station Deutschland-
funk: Nanopartikel schützen Rotorblätter vor
Erosion (Nano particles protect rotor blades
from erosion), Oct. 2015. This radio interview
with Astrid Bjørgum, senior advisor at SINTEF
Materials and Chemistry, gave insight in how
nanoparticles as developed in NOWITECH WPB,
can help to protect the rotor blades of wind
turbine from droplet erosion.
WPB researchers are active in international
cooperation: SINTEF Materials and Chemistry
cooperates with DTU on determination of
cohesive fracture mechanical laws for laminated
composites, Figure 10, and takes part in the EERA
Wind Sub Programme “Structures and Materials”
where they contribute with the work related to
composite materials and coatings. SINTEF Energy
Research is involved in the IEA Wind Tasks 26
and 33 on, respectively, “Cost of Wind Energy”
and “Reliability Data”. SINTEF Energy Research
and MARINTEK participate and organize the
so-called “Offshore wind O&M modelling group”
together with EDF R&D, University of Strathclyde,
University of Stavanger and NREL. A workshop
on Reliability Data and Maintenance Modelling
with more than 40 international participants was
co-organized by IEA Wind Task 33, Fraunhofer,
NOWITECH, NORCOWE, LEANWIND and EERA in
Berlin, 23 September, 2015.
Two software tools for simulation and
optimization of offshore wind farm operation,
maintenance and logistics have been developed
in WP B (NOWIcob and vessel fleet optimization
tool, Table 4, #4 and 5). The tools can, for example,
be used for estimation of operational costs and
availability, to find the optimal maintenance fleet
size and mix (ships, vessels, helicopters, etc.) or
to estimate the cost-benefit of new of improved
technical solutions and innovations. The tools areused by NOWITECH industry
partners and
others accord-
ing to license
agreements.
During 2015 the tools have been further
developed together with the industry partners
and in the EU FP7 project LEANWIND. A validation
and verification workshop was arranged in May
2015 with participants from DNV GL, Kongsberg,
Statkraft and Statoil.
The remote presence concept consisting
of a remotely controlled robot in the nacelle
(Table 4, #7)
has been further
developed
by Norsk
Automatisering
AS and NTNU
Postdoc Øyvind
Netland (former
NOWITECH PhD
student). Field tests of the system have been
started in 2015 in a wind turbine at Ørlandet, and
a new company EMIP AS has been established to
commercialize the system.
The spinoff company Seram Coatings AS with
former NOWITECH PhD-student Fahmi Mubarok
and his NTNU supervisor Nuria Espallargas, has
further developed the thermally sprayed silicon
carbide coating
technology (Table
4, #8) in direction
of a commercial
product. In 2015
Seram Coatings AS
won Startprisen
and the Academic Enterprise Awards (ACES) in
Barcelona and professor Nuria Espallargas won
“Best Young Innovator”. In recent media coverage
the potential for the innovation is reported to be a
billion business with multiple application areas.
Figure 9: Seram Coatings AS won the 2015
against stiff
competition from three other university start-ups
from France and Sweden.
In recent media coverage the
potential for the innovation is
reported to be a billion business
with multiple application areas.
The remote presence concept
consisting of a remotely controlled
robot in the nacelle has been
further developed by Norsk
Automatisering AS and NTNU.
Two software tools for simulation
and optimization of offshore wind
farm operation, maintenance and
logistics have been developed.