NEMOS, a German wave energy developer, has begun with the components testing for the full scale prototype device expected to be deployed in summer this year.
Parallel to the endurance testing of the NEMOS 1:5 device at Nissum Bredning test site in Denmark, first components of the full scale prototype are being tested on various test benches, according to NEMOS.
The testing of belts and gear shafts as well as ropes are being performed under full operating loads. Sprinkled with saltwater and under realistic conditions they already have been moved millions of cycles over pulleys with various fibres and coatings.
The components are being tested on the novel setup NEMOS team developed in October 2015, which allows belt testing at 200,000 bending cycles a day under extreme forces. This means that it tests 10 times faster than it would be the case during application at sea, NEMOS states.
The tests are realised in cooperation with Liros GmbH at the Institute of Mechanical Handling and Logistics (IFT) of the University of Stuttgart, within the joint research project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
Furthermore, a floating service platform has been prepared for different kinds of work on the NEMOS full scale prototype. After the installation, it is now located in the Danish harbour of Hanstholm ready for anchor-pulling tests and installation works.
Due to a specifically developed lift frame, anchors and construction parts of 25 tons can be lifted as well as lowered to the seabed, according to NEMOS.
In an interview with Tidal Energy Today, Jan Peckolt, Managing Director at NEMOS, said that the full scale device would be installed during the summer 2016 at DanWEC test site in Hanstholm, off the Danish west coast. The testing is expected to continue throughout 2017.
NEMOS wave energy system consists of an elongated floating body which is connected to the seabed by three ropes.
The movement of the waves causes the device to transmit mechanical energy to a generator which is positioned at any suitable offshore structure.