Share reportStructural Materials
This programme investigated if it is possible to make a step change impact in LCOE by constructing typical WEC devices from alternative materials to those traditionally used, such as steel.
Lead contractor
Quoceant Ltd
Sub-contractor(s)
Innosea Ltd
Black & Veatch Ltd
University of Dundee
David Kerr Engineering Consultant Ltd
Overview
New concrete material technologies and manufacturing processes have been implemented in a wide range of specialised and terrestrial applications: advanced concrete mixes allowing moderate local tensile capacity; fibre reinforced concretes both internal to the mix and externally applied; reinforcement materials which address corrosion; advanced jointing technologies between concrete and steel components; and flexible ‘low-or-no’ formwork manufacturing using 3-D printing.
Optimisation of wave energy converter designs using a range of established and novel concrete technologies and processes techniques are explored to yield step reductions in the added manufacturing costs of concrete WEC structures, allowing them to quickly approach the low cost asymptotes offered by concrete as a primary material.
Stage 1
May 2018
This project was undertaken to assess the application of novel fibre‐reinforced concretes manufactured using additive techniques (3D printing) to produce low‐cost structures for WEC prime mover applications. The project indicated that fibre‐reinforced concretes provide a viable construction material for wave energy converter (WEC) structures, and manufacture using additive methods provides the potential for significant cost savings against more traditional steel and conventional concrete designs.
Demonstration of the material and manufacturing methods are required to support the conclusions reached by the project and to provide additional refinement to both structural designs using the concrete and manufacturing methods and the cost estimates for accurate calculation of the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCoE) for different wave energy convertor solutions.
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