Description and contextualization of the subject

The aim of this course is to provide to the students the necessary knowledge about the different the environmental conditions and environmental loads that a marine renewable project has to consider. The course will provide the skills for a rational design criteria for load assessment on marine renewable structures. Environmental conditions cover natural phenomena which may contribute to structural damage, operation and failures. The most phenomena that will be analysed will be wind, waves, currents and tides. Environmental loads are the loads caused by environmental phenomena. They will be studied paying special attention on the most important effects over the structure and its performance.

The course is intended to provide students with the following benefits:

(1) Understanding the concept metocean conditions and its importance for offshore structures

(2) Understanding and capabilities for wave conditions assessment

(3) Understanding and capabilities for wind conditions assessment

(4) Understanding and capabilities for sea level and currents conditions assessment

(5) Ability to evaluate environmental loads and design conditions

Learning outcomes of the subject

Understanding the relevance of environmental conditions in the marine and coastal areas, both for resource estimation and loads on structure

The knowledge of the physical basis and the climate behavior of the most important met-ocean conditions (wind, waves, sea level and currents).

To know the different data sources (instrumental and numerical models) that provide information of environmental conditions and be able to manage them

To master the statistical tools (e.g. occurrence tables, probability distributions, extreme analysis) to elaborate a met-ocean report for an offshore/coastal engineering project

To identify the most important phenomena and calculation methods to estimate loads, as well as the main international rules and standards governing marine renewable energy projects.

Temary

Lesson 1 Wind conditions

Introduction to wind climate. Wind data (instrumental and numerical data), wind modeling, short term and long term wind statistics.

Lesson 2 Wave conditions

Introduction to wave climate. Wave data (instrumental and numerical data), wave modeling, short term and long term wave statistics.

Lesson 3 Current and tide conditions

Introduction to currents and tide climate. Currents and tide data (instrumental and numerical data), currents and tide modeling, short term and long term statistics.

Lesson 4 Environmental loads

Review of the most important phenomena and calculation methods.(1)Wind loads: pressure and forces, (2)Wave loads over slender elements, (3) Wave loads over large volume structures, (4) Wave overtopping, impact and slamming forces, (5)Currents loads description

Lesson 5 Review of rules and standards for marine renewables

Review of the most common and applied offshore rules and stantards from the metocean assessment point of view.

Bibliography

Basic bibliography

[1] RG Dean, RA Dalrymple, Water wave mechanics for engineers and scientists. 1991. World Scientific Pub. Singapure.

[2] Mei, C. C. The applied Dynamics of Ocean Surface Waves. 1989. World Scientific Pub. Singapure.

[3] Wind Energy Explained: Theory, Design and Application, 2nd Edition James F. Manwell, Jon G. McGowan, Anthony L. Rogers ISBN: 978-0-470-01500-1 December 2009

[4] Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics Hau, Erich Ed. Sprimger 2013

[5] The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). Wind in Power: European Statistics. February 2015. http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/EWEA-Annual-Statistics-2014.pdf

[6] Joao Cruz. (2008). Ocean Wave Energy. Current Status and Future Prespectives. Green Energy and Technology(Virtual Series). ISBN: 978-3-540-74894-6 (Print) 978-3-540-74895-3 (Online). Springer.

[7] Falnes, J., 2002, "Ocean waves and oscillating systems: linear interactions including wave-energy extraction", Cambridge University Press.

Journals

[9] Ocean Engineering

[10] Renewable Energy

[11] Coastal Engineering

[12] Wind Energy

[13] Marine Structures

[14] Journal of Fluid Mechanics

[15] Applied Ocean Research

Links

[8] https://www.dnvgl.com/rules-standards/index.html