MSE leads new project investigating Screw Anchoring for Marine Energy Devices (SAMED)
All marine and offshore renewable energy devices need fixing to the seabed, whether by a rigid foundation structure or a flexible mooring system. The high costs of anchoring and associated installation procedures are currently one of the major barriers to marine energy device deployment, and to 'deep' water offshore wind deployment.
The SAMED project will validate novel anchoring technology using helical screw piles. A critical element of this technology will be the subsea tooling for installation of screw piles, such that the need for large, expensive installation vessels is avoided. To achieve this, the project will tap the marine engineering expertise of Isle of Wight company Sustainable Marine Energy and several key sub-contractors, under the leadership of marine project coordinator Marine South East.
Although screw piles are widely used on land, and even in shallow water where land-based installation tools can be used, they have not yet been developed to meet the requirements for seabed anchoring of marine energy devices. Other land-based technologies, for example cable laying & burial, have successfully been marinised to meet the requirement for reliable remote operation. SAMED will bring together these two areas of existing technology to validate a capability in subsea screw pile anchoring.
The project will engineer the critical pile and installation rig systems needed to meet a variety of anchoring requirements for marine energy devices. It will also test these systems on land and in water, including trial installation of anchors for deployment of a tidal energy device, PLAT-O, near Yarmouth. This will create justification for the further significant investment needed to build a full commercial capability.
The project has been awarded through DECC and their Energy Entrepreneurs Fund.
For more information please contact Jonathan Williams at Marine South East jw@mseuk.org
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