FLOATING WIND ENERGY REVOLUTION
A NEW GENERATION
OF WIND POWER GENERATORS
Sea Flower is the new floating offshore wind power generation platform
designed by Fincantieri Offshore for the latest generation of wind
turbines which, thanks to this innovative solution, can be now installed
in water depths never reached so far. The configuration of Sea Flower
allows an higher energy generation efficiency combined with less
operational and maintenance costs.
BEYOND THE LIMITS
The present offshore wind power market is based on bottom-fixed
installations usually limited to a maximum water depth of about
40 m (abt. 130 ft). However, the expanding wind farming market is
rapidly using up all the most convenient sites, creating the necessity
to move towards increasing water depths.
By increasing water depths to over 50 m (abt. 160 ft), the cost of both
the bottom-fixed foundation and the cost of the installation spread will
increase rapidly.
SEA FLOWER IS THE SOLUTION.
FINCANTIERI OFFSHORE
INNOVATIVE PROJECT
Sea Flower is a floating unit designed in marine concrete to be anchored
to the sea bottom. This innovative configuration allows to maximize
the stability while minimizing the vessel motions.
THE STRUCTURE
THE MATERIAL
Sea Flower consists of a hexagonal
submerged platform acting as main
buoyant body and damper and six
semi-submerged columns at the
corners that fulfill the static and
dynamic lateral stability requirements
while ensuring high transparency to
wave motions.
The choice of marine concrete for
its fabrication, without the need for
bracing, makes the concept robust and
cost-effective also due to the intrinsic
long operating life of concrete in sea
water.
The platform can be moored with a six
lines mooring system to the sea bed at
a depth of 50-200 m (abt. 160-660 ft).
The geometry and volume distribution
of the concept differ completely from
those of other steel floaters proposed
for the same purpose, resulting in very
mild motions and accelerations in all
typical North Sea marine-climatic
conditions.
The structure’s stability allows less
inclination and therefore an excellent
exposure to winds, ensuring greater
energy generation effectiveness.
The easy concrete construction and
the lack of fatigue-prone construction
details below the operational water line
are other important factors of its global
cost-effectiveness in view of long life
operations.
TECHNICAL DATA FOR A PLATFORM
SIZE OF A 5 MW WIND POWER GENERATOR.
Platform Diameter
abt. 63.0 m
206.7 ft
Operating Draft
abt. 12.0 m
39.4 ft
> 40 m
131.2 ft
6.5 m
21.3 ft
Operating Water Depth
Max operational sign. wave height
Max survival sign. wave height
13.0 m (North Sea 50 yrs. storm)
Extreme static + dynamic roll/pitch
< 10 deg
Accelerations nacelle (operational)
< 3 m/s2
42.6 ft
Passeggio Sant’Andrea, 6/A | 34123 Trieste - Italy
phone +39 040 3194100 | fax +39 040 3194141
F I N C A N T I E R I O F F S H O R E . C O M