StingRAY Structural Optimization Final Technical Report

Description

The overall project objective is to materially decrease the leveled cost of energy (LCOE) of the Columbia Power (CPower) StingRAY utility-scale wave energy converter (WEC). This will be achieved by reducing structural material and manufacturing costs and increasing energy output. In this Project, improving the overall Power-to-Weight ratio (PWR) is accomplished through lowering design margins?allowing for weight reduction and more efficient, cost-effective WEC manufacturing and assembly?and by optimizing mass-related WEC performance parameters, such as center of gravity and system inertia. A mixed materials approach to further structural optimization was developed under this Project and validated with extensive laboratory structural testing. This approach substitutes fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) for steel where appropriate. The benefits of steel are maintained where most useful, for instance at structural joints where the stiffness of steel is required, and the complex geometry is more readily fabricated with steel. However, there are structural spans whose simple shapes are readily fabricated with mandrel-wound FRP and where significant cost and weight savings can be found. An adhesive, double lap shear joint is used to join the FRP and steel subcomponents.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
21 This links to MHKDR Submission 352: the protected data appendices used in the final technical report. https://mhkdr.openei.org/submissions/352
33 The purpose of this report is to provide a public summary of the technical accomplishments achieved as a result of Project efforts. There were two primary efforts within the Project. The first was a transformation of the WEC hull architecture, beginning with a concept and ending with a final design with structural drawings. The second effort was a laboratory test-supported investigation into a mixed materials concept aimed at further optimization of the hull structure https://mhkdr.openei.org/files/351/DE-EE0006610%20M6.1%20Final%20Technical%20Report%20v2.0%20UD%2008-05-2020.pdf

Tags

  • hydrokinetic
  • structure
  • mhk
  • hull
  • lcoe
  • marine
  • renewable-energy
  • hybrid-materials
  • frp
  • offshore
  • wave-energy-converter
  • fiber-reinforced-plastic

Topics

Categories