Romax Technology, a leading product engineering and technical solutions company, will be at the forefront of an innovative project addressing the feasibility and design of a deepwater turbine. The project, one of four announced this week by the Energy Technology Institute (ETI) as part of a potential £1.1 billion fund, is aimed at supporting the achievement of the UK’s challenging targets for the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Project Deepwater Turbine aims to design and determine the feasibility and potential of an integrated solution for a 5MW floating offshore wind turbine for use at depths of between 30 and 300 metres. With shallow water sites for offshore wind farms in increasingly short supply, the project has the potential to open up new possibilities for the deployment of offshore wind energy.
The consortium will be led by Blue H with representatives from UK groups including Romax Technology, BAE Systems, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS), EDF Energy and SLP Energy.
Romax Technology will be providing assessment of the drivetrain concept and detailed lifecycle analysis of the gearbox, including gearbox and bearing supply-chain analysis. The drivetrain is a critical turbine component and its design requires particular consideration of the additional loads associated with a floating platform – an area of technical expertise for both Romax’s engineering team and software.
Romax will also instrument a prototype turbine to measure drivetrain loads, alignment and vibration.
The project will be funded by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a unique partnership between global industries and the UK Government. ETI revealed funding for its first four projects this week, all with the ultimate aim of providing the public with more affordable, low carbon electricity. Three of the projects are focusing on designing cutting edge offshore wind turbine technology, while the fourth will demonstrate a new commercial scale tidal turbine.
Dr David Clarke, the ETI’s Chief Executive Officer said: “The projects being announced will demonstrate new technologies which can deliver significant cost savings compared to current renewable energy sources. Through the skills, capabilities and market access of our members, we have the potential to deploy new technologies on a mass scale. Rapid, widespread deployment is critical if we are to address effectively the challenges of climate change.”
“The project is a unique opportunity for Romax to utilize our proven expertise in drivetrain engineering whilst developing our knowledge of large offshore wind turbine systems,” says Romax Director of Wind Energy, Andy Poon. “With a consortium made up of leading renewable energy companies, this project has the potential not only to influence the development of offshore wind technology, but to also help re-establish turbine manufacturing in the UK.”