| NSF Org: |
TI Translational Impacts |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 8, 2022 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 8, 2022 |
| Award Number: | 2214009 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Samir M. Iqbal
smiqbal@nsf.gov (703)292-7529 TI Translational Impacts TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
| Start Date: | August 15, 2022 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $250,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $250,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3124 TAMU COLLEGE STATION TX US 77843-3124 (979)862-6777 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
400 Harvey Mitchell Pkwy S College Station TX US 77845-4645 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | PFI-Partnrships for Innovation |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is the reduction of capital costs for floating, offshore, wind power development. An estimated 60% of offshore wind occurs in deep waters requiring floating units. The proposed technology is adaptable to any type of mooring system for floating structures. This adaptability provides a high degree of flexibility in system design to accommodate environmental constraints and competing ocean uses such as commercial fisheries. The high efficiency and compact design is intended to minimize material requirements (and therefore supply chain issues) and reduce the required number and size of transport and installation vessels, which are critical constraints affecting offshore wind power development. The technology is designed to be installed into the seabed using methods which minimize impacts (e.g. noise) on marine life. This research will also provide training to a postdoctoral student on innovation, intellectual property protection, and commercialization of research products.
The proposed project will focus on the commercialization of a new anchor design for floating offshore wind turbines. A key feature of the anchor is its high efficiency, which permits a compact size that is still capable of resisting the load demand from 15 MW or larger wind turbines. The anchor is installable in virtually any soil profile and can provide a high vertical load demand, overcoming major limitations of most existing anchors. As the load capacity does not depend on transient suction, the anchor capacity does not diminish under sustained loading. The circular symmetry permits use in a shared anchor system when site conditions permit. The anchor can be deployed in catenary, taut, and tension-leg systems, maximizing the flexibility of mooring system designers to accommodate environmental constraints. A key task in this research will be reduced scale model tests simulating the insertion and pullout of the anchor, so installation disturbance effects can be assessed. This project also seeks to refine the structural design of the anchor and the installation follower system with a view toward minimizing fatigue damage. This research may produce an anchor and follower system design fully ready for field-scale pilot tests.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Offshore wind offers a major potential source of renewable energy for the nation. Roughly 70% of the U.S. offshore wind energy is in water too deep for fixed platforms; at these depths wind towers supported on floating structures is the primary alternative. To effectively exploit this resource capital costs for constructing wind farms need to be reduced by about 70%. Additionally, major barriers must be overcome in relation to capabilities of existing fabrication facilities, supporting port infrastructure, and availability of marine vessels to support wind farm installation. With anchors and mooring systems comprising an estimated 15% of required expenditures for wind farm development, the anchor industry must do its share in reducing costs and overcoming the above-mentioned barriers. A major product from a previous NSF research project was a novel anchor, a Deeply Embedded Ring Anchor (DERA), possessing two key features. Firstly, its deep embedment makes it highly efficient, such that a compact anchor can resist large mooring line loads from modern floating wind turbines. Secondly, its geometry permits a shared anchor arrangement, i.e. multiple mooring lines can be attached to a single anchor. These innovations can lead to 75-90% cost reductions. Additionally, the compact dimensions of the DERA permit fabrication in existing U.S. facilities, transport on U.S. highways, handling in existing port facilities, and major reductions in the size and number marine vessels required for anchor deployment. The Partnership for Innovation (PFI) project described herein sought to evaluate the market potential for the DERA, identify knowledge gaps, demonstrate commercialization potential, train a postdoctoral student on entrepreneurship, and promote industry participation and outreach. The research team was led by Texas A&M University (TAMU), in partnership with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Global Maritime to provide industry guidance on acceptance and commercialization of the DERA.
The DERA can be deployed in a variety of seabed soil environments. Installation in soft clays utilizes suction, while installation in sands and interbedded sand-clay soil profiles is achieved by vibratory methods. Thus, the research and development (R&D) effort for the DERA follows two parallel paths, one for a DERA optimized for soft clay applications and one optimized to sand and sand-clay applications. Much, but not all, of the technical studies in this PFI focused on the latter, with key activities including laboratory model tests a sand basin at the TAMU Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) test facility and the development of a vibratory installation model for DERA installation. Preliminary fatigue life analyses of the DERA were also performed.
Major achievements were made on both the R&D and commercialization fronts. For R&D these include the following:
- The successful CIR tests led to a procuring funding from the TAMU Advancing Discovery to Market program to test vibratory installation of the DERA in real-world field tests.
- With the successful conclusion of the preliminary fatigue evaluation, DOE TEAMER funding was awarded to support a coupled analysis of fatigue and corrosion of the DERA in a marine environment.
- Following improvements to the DERA and follower for suction installation in soft clays, funding was procured from the MassCEC InnovateMass program to perform field tests of the DERA at the National Geotechnical Experimentation Site in Amherst, Massachusetts.
- The follower and anchor innovations for the DERA in soft clay also led to a successful DOE proposal to perform field tests at the TAMU Corpus Christi test site.
Major achievements on the commercialization front include the following:
- A spin-off company, Deep Anchor Solutions (DAS) was established.
- A Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant was awarded to expand customer discovery through the Shift Program, refining the business model, and tailoring the DERA technology to meet market needs.
- DAS was accepted into the Greentown Labs Clean Tech Incubator, which provides access to critical resources, mentorship, and a network of industry experts.
- DAS is participating in the Los Angeles Blue Accelerator Program, which allows access to California’s offshore wind energy network and stakeholders.
- DAS was awarded a DOE Voucher for Strategic Fundraising and Planning to provide a roadmap for attracting investment and fostering partnerships.
Last Modified: 11/29/2024
Modified by: Charles P Aubeny
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