1. During the first months of the project, it was deemed appropriate to conduct a market study to identify the possibilities and main trends regarding turbines for offshore projects. Meetings were held with leading OEMs, to learn about the offshore wind turbine models they had developed to date. These discussions proved invaluable in understanding that the market trends for offshore wind turbines in the fourth quarter of 2022 pointed towards the development of larger turbines with higher rated power. Furthermore, it was observed that new technologies were making turbines more efficient and capable of operating in more diverse conditions. This included improvements in materials and in the aerodynamic design of the blades. This analysis indicates that the market is poised for a significant increase in nominal power in the coming years (up to 15-22 MW).
In the early stage of the project, the consortium worked hard to secure approval for the Portuguese site of Viana do Castelo from the moment the project was submitted to the Horizon Europe call. INFINITE project was following the permitting procedure for 2 permits.
While dealing with the permitting issue in Portugal, the consortium attempted to make the project viable by exploring other options, a huge effort was made to find an alternative to Viana do Castelo, including analyzing several test areas across Europe.
2. Different mooring and anchoring solutions were considered based on the different site conditions of the exploring installation option, including steel anchors, gravity anchors, and suction cans.
3. It was established the standards and codes to be considered during the design of the different parts of the CT-bos platform.
4. Design of platform and ancillary marine systems. This task covered the engineering works required to prepare the detailed design of the CT-bos platform and its ancillary marine systems, including the floater, tendons, wind turbine interface (transition piece) and marine operations to deploy the floating unit at site.
A construction procedure was initiated at Langosteira Port to estimate the preliminary project costs. To ensure the project's viability, extensive consultations were conducted with numerous suppliers for tendon, suction can manufacturing etc.
5. Geotechnical survey was designed and executed to get the additional necessary information to define the geotechnical parameters.
6. The detailed design of the tendon mooring system, covered the development of the top and bottom connectors and the associated installation tooling, ensuring their suitability for the CT-bos platform operating conditions and installation methodology.
7. Development of dynamic cable model and the assessment of its global performance was carried out.
