A few months ago the RUL-ET project was born, which aims, through the use of artificial intelligence, to promote the estimation of the remaining service life of anchors and umbilical cords, which are two components strategic for the development of marine renewable energies.
The increase in power of devices used in offshore renewable energy poses the challenge of supporting significantly higher structural loads. This challenge is becoming even greater with the installation of wind farms at increasingly greater distances from the coast and in deeper areas, which floating technologies that can adapt to extreme conditions. Adding to these challenges are the high costs of accessing assets in marine environments and the strong economic impact of any disruption that interrupts energy production.
In this context, AI is emerging as a promising tool for modeling component degradation, although its effectiveness depends on the availability of extensive data, such as time series up to twenty years, needed to estimate its service life. Furthermore, data-driven approaches often lack generality and applicability to specific projects. Even in the renewable energy sector, decision-making does not only take into account economic factors, but also the reliability and performance of critical components.
RUL-ET for the development of marine renewable energy sources
To address this problem, the partners of the RUL-ET project “Remaining useful life of anchorages and umbilicals for offshore renewable energy sources” will develop new approaches based on artificial intelligence and the construction of specialized datasets to lifespan of moorings and umbilicals in offshore renewable technologies. The main objectives of this approach are to reduce the uncertainty in the failure prediction and the estimation of the remaining life of these components, design more accurate predictive maintenance strategies and thereby generate significant operating cost savings.
As a result of the project it is expected that there will be a useful data library intended for estimating the remaining life of anchors and umbilical cables, as well as software library for structural health diagnostics. Furthermore it is will generate three software models aimed at predicting useful lifeuncertainty management and maintenance decision support. Finally, they will be developed four application examples which will include the full definition of two usage scenarios: anchorages and umbilicals, together with the comprehensive characterization of two operational contexts: a base location and a derived context.
RUL-ET represents an opportunity for Euskadi and highlights theThe strengths of the entities of the Basque Network of Science, Technology and Innovation (RVCTI). The consortium consists of six entities: a multi-oriented center: TECNALIA (coordinator); a center for fundamental research and excellence: BASQUE CENTER FOR APPLIED MATHEMATICS (BCAM); two universities: MONDRAGON GOI ESKOLA POLITEKNIKOA and UPV/EHU (with the departments of energy engineering and mathematics); a business R&D unit: VICINAY MARINE INNOVATION and an intermediary between supply and demand: the ENERGY CLUSTER.
He The consortium also has the support of eight Basque entities who are part of the Advisory Committee: CORE MARINE, marine engineering specialized in operational and maritime analysis; DITREL, developer of electrical connectors for floating platforms; IBERDROLA, development, construction and operation of offshore wind farms; IDOM, engineering and development of wave energy converters; INALIA, development of comprehensive structural systems for health monitoring and analysis; and engineering firms developing floating platforms, NAUTILUS FLOATING SOLUTIONS, SAITEC OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGIES and SENER.
The project RUL-ET It has a duration of two years covering 2024 and 2025 and is subsidized by the Ministry of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government, in the within the framework of the ELKARTEK 2024 programme.