WCS insights June 2024
The 40MW Windcatcher design receives Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV
Ørjan Fredriksen, VP Global Design
An important milestone on the route to commercial demonstration of the Windcatcher technology is now reached with an AiP from DNV.
Over the last six months, our team has been focused on further maturing the Windcatcher technology through maturing the 40MW Windcatcher design. A key milestone has been to achieve an Approval in Principle from DNV, and we are happy to announce that this milestone has now been reached.
The objective of an AiP is to perform a third-party technical evaluation of a design to assess whether there are any conceptual showstoppers or rule compliance aspects that need improvement. As such, a successful AiP indicates the likelihood of the design meeting applicable rule criteria for future DNV classification.
Strong partnerships
The technical development work leading up to the AiP has been a joint effort with our engineering partners Aibel and Arup, who have supported with in-depth knowledge and experience in advanced simulations and design of offshore structures. This work has covered a range of engineering disciplines including structural and marine design, stability and hydrodynamics, mooring system arrangement, layout and technical safety, and transport and installation.
As a supplement to the engineering work, a physical model test campaign was performed at Stadt Towing Tank in Måløy, Norway. The purpose of the campaign was to better understand how the Windcatcher performs in various wave conditions, and further use this insight to validate and calibrate our analysis models and assumptions.
Commercial demonstrator
Wind Catching Systems, through its subsidiary Wind Catching Demo AS has started the process towards a licence for a demonstrator project off the coast of Øygarden, Norway. The 40MW design that has now achieved the AiP will be the first out of four expected units in the project.
The AiP process has provided clear direction for the further development and optimisation of the Windcatcher and highlighted important focus areas, and marks an important milestone for our commercial demonstrator project.