Session: 09-09-01 Hybrid Energy: Hybrid Marine Renewables

Submission Number: 180157

Assessment of Mechanical Joint Performance on Hydrodynamics of Floating Offshore Solar Structures Using Repurposed Wind Turbine Blades 

Wind energy, one of the most popular alternatives to fossil fuels, aligning with the United Nations net-zero goals, has grown rapidly onshore and offshore. However, the 20–25-year lifespan of wind turbines raised the concern of decommissioning a huge amount of non-biodegradable wind turbine blades. Repurposing these blades offers a sustainable solution, and their geometry and material properties make them suitable for offshore applications such as floating solar platforms. The concept of reusing wind turbine blades in an offshore solar platform has been introduced in the previous study, and the hydrodynamic behaviour of a single solar platform constructed from wind turbine blades was assessed as a proposal for their sustainable reuse.

An offshore solar platform is a technology that is generally deployed in arrays, rather than a single platform. Therefore, to develop the proposed single-body concept into a viable solution, it must be expanded into an array configuration. In such systems, multiple bodies are connected using mechanical joints, introducing additional important factors such as the presence of one body affecting the hydrodynamics of another. Furthermore, the type of joints between two bodies affects the hydrodynamic behaviour of each individual platform and, finally, the total system. Hence, to develop an array of platforms, studying the joints and how the type of joint affects the hydrodynamic behaviour is crucial. This understanding is also essential in further fatigue assessment studies for both joints and platforms, as well as the performance of the total system as an energy generator system in general.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of different types of mechanical joints on the hydrodynamic behaviour of two-body floating structures and their interactions using the Boundary Element Method. To assess this, two floating solar platforms constructed from reused wind turbine blades are modelled and connected in various configurations, such as a rigid joint, a hinge, a spring-type joint, and a spring–damper joint. The hydrodynamic response of the two-body system is evaluated under different loading conditions, and the performance of the overall system is compared in each case and according to the relevant loading conditions. This assessment not only compares different types of joints but also shows which motion is affected more in each case.

Presenting Author: Zohreh Adibi Pour Queen's University Belfast

Presenting Author Biography: Zohreh Adibi Pour is a PhD student in Civil Engineering at Queen's University Belfast, where she
is conducting research on carbon footprint reduction by repurposing fibre-reinforced plastic
(FRP) composite waste for marine renewable energy applications.
Her background is in ship and offshore structural engineering, offshore structure and
shipbuilding, marine structural design, finite element analysis, and the assessment of vibration
in the propulsion systems of ships. Zohreh earned her Master of Science in Naval Architecture from
AmirKabir University in 2018 and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering at
Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology in 2015.
Her research interests bridge the gap between innovative engineering solutions and sustainable
development, particularly in marine and renewable energy fields.

Authors:

Zohreh Adibi Pour Queen's University Belfast
Madjid Karimirad Queen's University Belfast
Daniel Mcpolin Queen's University Belfast
Astley Hastings University of Aberdeen