CONSORTIUM
The partnership covers all technical aspects of REFOS platform analysis design and life-cycle assessment, through a systematic, integrated (holistic) and state-of-the-art approach, validated through structural and hydrodynamic testing. This approach guarantees the enhancement of the existing scientific and engineering state-of-the-art, towards (a) successful execution of the proposed work plan, (b) optimum design of the TLP floating platform and (c) the technical and economical life-cycle evaluation of the proposed floating system. The members of the multi-discipline REFOS partnership have proven expertise in their field of their specialization, with long-time tradition in relevant research and engineering activities. Moreover, all partners have significant experience in numerous research projects in their field of expertise (European level, especially within the RFCS program. The consortium is well-balanced in terms of
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research units with expertise in applied research; two universities (NTUA, UThessaly), and one research centre (CSM),
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industrial partners in the area of steel tube manufacturing (EUROPIPE) and steel construction (IDESA)
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end-users that specialize in the area of renewable energy (ELTECH ANEMOS)
The National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) is the oldest and most prestigious educational institution of Greece in the field of technology. NTUA is represented in this project by the Laboratory for Floating Structures and Mooring Systems (LFSMS), and the Laboratory for Ship and Marine Hydrodynamics (LSMH), School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, by the Laboratory for Aerodynamics (LA) and the Laboratory for Hydraulic Turbomachinery (LHYT), School of Mechanical Engineering and the and the Foundation Engineering Laboratory (FEL), School of Civil Engineering.
CSM (Material Development Centre) was founded in 1963 by Italy’s steel manufacturers and end-users to develop Steel Technologies and its applications; now CSM is inside the RINA Group. Its research activities are mainly related to the modelling and design of materials and products, development of innovative pilot plants and, reduction of environmental impact. With a staff of about 300 researchers, CSM is a private enterprise that ranks amongst Europe’s top Materials Research Centres. The traditional presence of CSM as the Italian reference pole in European research (RFCS and Framework Programmes) results in hundreds of international collaboration agreements and contracts. CSM has a wide and proved experience in the field of development and qualification of tubular components, vessel, pipes and infrastructures for oil & gas industry (onshore & offshore).Furthermore CSM has an extensive experience on the experimental characterization of materials especially steel material such as extensive lab facilities for static, dynamic and fatigue tests
The University of Thessaly was established in mid 80’s, in Volos, Greece, an area of significant steel industrial activity and tradition. The research group of Structural Mechanics has a strong expertise in analysis and design of steel structures with emphasis on offshore structures (oil & gas, renewables) and pipelines (offshore and onshore). The group specializes on both computational and experimental mechanics. Finite simulations are performed by the Structural Mechanics Group (http://karamanos.mie.uth.gr/), Lab of Mechanics & Strength of Materials (LMSM), Department of Mechanical Engineering. Facilities for structural testing are provided in the Lab of Concrete Technology and Reinforced Concrete Structures (LCTRCS) http://ee.uth.gr/en/content/reinforced-concrete-technology-and-structures, Department of Civil Engineering, whereas material testing is performed in the Lab of Mechanics & Strength of Materials (LMSM) http://ee.uth.gr/en/content/laboratory-mechanics-and-strength-materials.
Ingeniería y Diseño Europeo S.A. (IDESA) is an engineering and manufacturing company of equipment for Oil & Gas applications and offshore wind energy. IDESA has a huge expertise in the design and manufacturing of large equipment (up to 15 metres of diameter without weight restrictions) as tanks, vessels, reactors as well as steel foundations, monopiles and transition pieces. With 48’000 m2 of indoors manufacturing areas and privilege location in the Ports of Avilés and Gijón, IDESA meet any demand from the Oil & Gas and Offshore Wind Energy sectors. The Company has long experience and reputation in the high quality demanding Oil & Gas sector, so its processes and quality procedures are the most adequate to operate in offshore wind sector. Concerning offshore wind energy contracts, in the last 2 years, IDESA has been involved in the manufacturing of 30 monopiles for Riffgat Offshore WindFarm (Germany), 32 transition pieces and secondary steel for Northwind Offshore WindFarm (37 km. off Belgium Coast) and 4 JacketLegs and 4 JacketPiles for Belwind Demonstration WindFarm (46 km. off Belgium Coast). The Innovation Strategy of IDESA is fully oriented to collaborate in partnerships sharing efforts for the development of new products and technologies. In this sense, IDESA has participated in several R&D projects at both Spanish and international levels.
The EUROPIPE Group is one of the leaders in large diameter pipe production for the oil and gas sector and has an extensive manufacturing footprint in the industry. With four pipe mills in Europe and the USA, the Group produces more than 3,000 kilometres of large-diameter pipes per year for pipeline projects throughout the world: onshore and offshore, in the Arctic ice, the depths of the world’s oceans and in the desert heat. EUROPIPE’s core business is the production of large-diameter longitudinally and helically welded pipes, fully integrated into the steel manufacturing and R&D resources of its shareholders, AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke and Salzgitter Mannesmann GmbH. Additionally via the “Special Products” sales unit EUROPIPE serves markets for non-pipeline applications. EUROPIPE Special Products has already delivered over 200,000 tonnes of pipes for offshore and onshore projects: Civil engineering applications, e.g. the roof support frame of the football stadium in Hanover, Germany and of the “neue Messe” exhibition hall in Stuttgart, Germany. Offshore platform constructions, e.g. tension leg pipes at world record water depths of 1,600 meter in the Gulf of Mexico. Marine engineering, e.g. pilings for the gate construction of the Venice flooding protection project “MOSE”. EUROPIPE with Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, SZMF, is a partner in the development and introduction of several new products.
The company provides a wide range of services in the development and exploitation of renewable Energy Sources (RES) projects. The company has all the necessary experience and know-how on the development, construction, operation and maintenance of wind farms. It is very active in this area, with a wide range of wind farms throughout Greece, totaling more than 200MW. ELTECH ANEMOS S.A. total installed capacity of 208 MW, comprising: 14 wind farms: 201 MW; 1 PV: 2 MW; 1 small hydro: 5 MW, whereas there is a wind farm capacity under construction: 56.7 MW. ELTECH ANEMOS S.A strategic policy is focused on the development and operation of wind farms in the domestic market, taking into account the corresponding RES market developments. The company holds generation permits of 775MW and has applied for additional 930MW. ELTECH ANEMOS S.A is involved in developing large offshore wind farms. It has already investigated and applied for a 162MW offshore wind farm in the North West of Greece close to Corfu, in the Diapontia islands and so, it is very keen on the development of the floating platform concepts.