Fibre Ropes for Taut Mooring Lines for Marine Energy Converters (FibreTaut1)

Abstract

One immediate challenge for the Marine Renewable Energy Converters (MRECs) ind ustry is solving the cost and weight problems of mooring lines in deep water (>75m). Synthetic fibre ropes already offer a solution to the weight problems of using steel lines in deep water offshore oil and gas installations as they hav e a very low weight in water. Also, compared to steel, there are a large number of synthetic fibre material compo sitions with a wide range of material properties. A synthetic rope can therefore be designed to have properti es that match the mooring requirements. Several materials have potential for mooring line application. Yarns of t hese synthetic materials may be built into ropes using a number of constructions, some of which are suited to particular fibres. As with any new application, research must be performance conducted to determine how well the fibre ropes satisfy the performance requirements. The testing infrastructures at the University of Exeter (UoE) are unique in the MARINET consortium, as it allows for extensive testing of mooring lines in sea water. Its testing infrastructure will help the consortium to determine which prospective innovative fibre rope mooring line is best suited for deep water MECs. Also, the technological andscientific support offered by the well experienced staff is another reason to propose the access to this kind of facilities. The present study of international partners, WireCo WorldGroup (Lankhorst‐Euronete Portugal), Fundación Centro Tecnológico de Componentes ‐ CTC (Spain), and University of Exeter ‐ UoE (UK) as facility provider, focuses on obtaining knowledge of the applicability of fibre ropes in Marine Energy Converters ( MEC), both in laboratory and sea conditions.