RotoHybrid

Stage 1

May 2018

Materials and processing technology has been developed to enable a novel, hybrid, polymer and composites manufacturing process to be employed in the design of wave energy converters. The overall long‐term aim is to offer a step change in LCOE through significant CAPEX reductions, with further OPEX reductions due to lower maintenance requirements and improved corrosion resistance in the ocean.

The Stage 1 project concentrated on an engineering design study to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing a full‐scale WEC using rotationally‐moulded polymer buoyant tanks, reinforced with glass fibre (GRP) composites.

The project included four major activities:

1. Materials testing and development
2. Manufacturing studies of materials and production of a scaled demonstrator structure,
3. Engineering design of the WEC based on hybrid technologies, and
4. Techno‐economic analysis leading to LCOE predictions.

The project’s success is dependent on the following key measures:

1. Identification and development of promising polymer and composite material combinations and designs for replacement of metallic structures;
2. Measurement of critical material properties such as static modulus and strength, fatigue resistance, water absorption; bolt pull‐through strength, creep loading of bolts, and the effect of water immersion on these properties; 
3. Detailed engineering design, including finite element analysis, of the WEC using hybrid material construction methods; and 
4. Development of an LCOE model to assess the technology and provide a business case and commercialisation strategy for the proposed technology.