Spain’s Saitec Engineering is launching its first offshore wind medium-scale prototype: BlueSATH.
The project is scheduled to go online during the first quarter of 2020 in the open sea waters of Santander Spain for a 12-month period after which the prototype will be completely decommissioned.
Testing will take place in real sea environment with the deployment of a 1:6 scaled prototype of a 10MW wind turbine using SATH floating technology, an acronym of Swinging Around Twin Hull which has been validated in several water tank tests since 2014.
The main objectives of the BlueSATH project cover the SATH platform validation of its response and dynamic behavior. The aim is to obtain models that allow for structural optimization, enabling cost reduction and validating structural turbine integrity.
Additionally, the variables which better predict damage on different structure elements would be identified so the structural life cycle can be appropriately forecasted through a series of sensors. Furthermore, the demonstrator’s logistic and transport challenges and risks would be monitored in the course of its transport from manufacturing/assembly setting to its final operation location.
Regarding wind turbine operation and maintenance, the necessary operations would be established, in order to ensure its optimal performance owing to platform accessibility system.
The obtained results and findings will be applied in the following 2MW real-scale model to be installed on the Basque Marine Energy Platform (BIMEP) in 2021.
The Abra of Sardinero in the city of Santander is the selected deployment location due to its meteoceanic conditions (which make it suitable to create a real scaled environment. A number of companies from the Cantabria Region are taking part in the project such as Santander Port, IHCantabria, DEGIMA, and ASTANDER y ACORDE.