A Tucker, J M Pemberton, D T Swift-Hook and J M Swift-Hook,
AquaBase Construction Ltd /Trafalgar Marine, UK J W Phillips,
Embley Energy Ltd, UK 5.0 Slide 2 What is SPERBOY TM ? An
oscillating water column wave energy converter Embley Energy Ltd
Marine Energy Challenge Building on the outcome from the MEC (c)
2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy2 Slide 3 The SPERBOY
TM Project Sponsored by the Carbon Trust and nPower Juice Fund
OVERALL AIM: To investigate the advantages of using concrete for
the SPERBOY TM structure An outline design for manufacture of the
vessel using laminated concrete technology Test results on panels
of concrete confirming its suitability Performance and cost
predictions leading to a cost of generation (c) 2010 Aquabase
Construction & Embley Energy3 Slide 4 Conventional concrete (c)
2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy4 18mm plywood board
Slide 5 Laminated Concrete (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction &
Embley Energy5 9mm plywood board Slide 6 Depth of cover
Conventional reinforced concrete 50-75 mm Standard reinforced
concrete in a marine environment 100-150 mm Laminated ferro-cement
2-3 mm (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy6 Slide 7
Brief history of reinforced concrete in a marine environment The
oldest known ferrocement watercraft: (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction
& Embley Energy7 A dinghy built by Joseph-Louis Lambot in
Southern France in 1848. Slide 8 1860s ferro-cement canal barges
built in Europe 1890's Carlo Gabellini Barges and small ships out
of concrete Elaborate lamination of rod netting, wire mesh, and
trowelled mortar The most famous of his ships was the Liguria (c)
2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy8 Slide 9 1908 1914:
Larger ferrocement barges in Germany, UK, Holland, Norway, &
California The remains of the Violette (1919), can be seen at Hoo
Marina, Chatham, Kent. April 12, 1918: US President Woodrow Wilson
approved construction of 24 ferrocement ships for war Only 12 under
construction by November 1918 None completed by the end of the war
Eventually completed and sold to private companies (c) 2010
Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy9 Slide 10 Maunsell Sea
Forts (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy10 Thames
estuary air defences built 1941-42 Guy Maunsell Picture: 2009 Slide
11 Mulberry harbours: Phoenix Caissons Portland, 20101944 11 (c)
2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy Slide 12 Powell
River breakwater, British Columbia 12 (c) 2010 Aquabase
Construction & Embley Energy Ten of the concrete ships built
during WW I & II are known to still be afloat, forming a
massive floating breakwater on the Malaspina Strait in the city of
Powell River in British Columbia, Canada. Constructed to protect
the logging pond of the Powell River Company pulp and paper mill.
Slide 13 Troll A Platform (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction &
Embley Energy13 Built 1991-95 656,00 tonnes 472m high 303m below
sea level 169m above Deployed 1996 Slide 14 Chutzpah floating home
(c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy14 Slide 15 (c)
2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy15 Slide 16 Ardeola
floating boathouse (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley
Energy16 U-shaped concrete pontoon supporting boat- house with
accommodation above. Slide 17 SPERBOY TM Design (c) 2010 Aquabase
Construction & Embley Energy Vessel/structure: overall height
62m 40m draught 14,363 tonnes displacement 22m above the waterline
Column diameter inner 22m, outer 27m Collar diameter 40m Water
pressure both inside and outside water column only outside of
hollow buoyancy collar 17 Slide 18 SPERBOY TM Construction (c) 2010
Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy Depth of structure
creates construction problems Not strong enough to support itself
out of the water Land factory-based construction not practical
Problems of stability when under tow for deployment Limits possible
marine construction sites 18 Slide 19 Proposed solution (c) 2010
Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy Artificial Island
Annular. Laminated concrete pontoons. Capable of supporting final
manufacturing process. Must be in two or more sections which can be
parted to allow finished vessel to be removed. Floating roads
connecting to shore. Must support crawler cranes/other mobile
machinery/site facilities (canteen, WC, showers). 19 Slide 20
SPERBOY TM Construction (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley
Energy Associated infrastructure 24-hour production Concrete
batching plant Either on artificial island or close to shore Steel
fabrication sub-assemblies Concrete pre-casting works Heavy
handling equipment (forklifts, cranes) 20 Slide 21 Marine
Construction Sites (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley
Energy Loch Kishorn, Scotland - built 600,000 tonne Ninian Central
in 1978 + Dry dock + Good wharves on shoreline + Water depth of up
to 50m to south of site - Remote - Poor road access 21 Slide 22
Marine Construction Sites (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction &
Embley Energy Hunterston, Scotland - in the shadow of Hunterston B
nuclear power station + Excellent road access + 65m long wharf at
north corner + Water depth of 35-40m to west of site + Sheltered by
islands west & north - Open to the south - Might be constrained
by shipping lane 22 Slide 23 SPERBOY TM Costs Overall 7,500 tonnes
To build 1 in 12 months: 35 tonnes/day Dry batching Machinery Work
teams Higher production rates (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction &
Embley Energy23 Slide 24 Price volatility makes costing almost
impossible (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy Oil
Steel Cement Sand Water Labour Plant Machinery 24 (c) 2010 Aquabase
Construction & Embley Energy Slide 25 25 (c) 2010 Aquabase
Construction & Embley Energy Oil price Steel price Slide 26
Provide a sensitivity chart (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction &
Embley Energy26 Slide 27 SPERBOY TM cost of energy Cost of SPERBOY
TM - as above, but must also consider Maintenance Life of structure
Decommissioning Amount of energy - i.e. PERFORMANCE (c) 2010
Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy27 Slide 28 SPERBOY TM
wave tank trials Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre (HMRC),
University College Cork (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley
Energy28 Slide 29 60m Column, 5m wave, 16s period, no Power
Take-Off 60m Column, 5m wave, 13.3s period, Optimum PTO damping 60m
Column, 5m wave, 11.4s period, no Power Take-Off 45m Column, Hs =
5m, Tp = 12.7s SPERBOY TM wave tank trials 1 (c) 2010 Aquabase
Construction & Embley Energy29 Slide 30 60m Column. Storm 3 Hs
= 11m,Tp = 13s SPERBOY TM wave tank trials 2 (c) 2010 Aquabase
Construction & Embley Energy30 Slide 31 Wave Input Spectrum
Wave energy matrix for Benbecula (in kW) Annual mean wave power 62
kW/(m of wave front) (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley
Energy31 Slide 32 SPERBOY TM performance Before Power Take-Off
(PTO) losses (kW) (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley
Energy32 Slide 33 SPERBOY TM energy capture Device Performance plus
energy availability 700 kW Mean Annual Energy Capture, before PTO
Losses (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy33 Slide
34 SPERBOY TM The leading dimensions of the enlarged device:
Overall diameter - 40 m Column internal diameter - 22 m Column
length (below waterline) - 70 m Overall Mass, including ballast -
17,200 tonnes Performance curve (RAO) for 70 m col SPERBOY TM, 1 m
wave amplitude "Annual Average" Wave Input Spectrum at Benbecula
(c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy34 Slide 35 A
50-device farm will provide the energy used by 42,000 homes (@ 4.7
MW/h per year per home) SPERBOY TM (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction
& Embley Energy35 Slide 36 Summary & Conclusions (c) 2010
Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy Advantages of laminated
reinforced concrete Long-established experience and recent
developments Use for main structure of SPERBOY Methods of
construction, locations, and issues faced Cost estimates First unit
will cost 4.2m to build in 12 months Series production at 1 per
year - 2.2m each Quantity production - 1.3m each Reductions in
commodity and labour costs Design improvements could bring costs
down further 36 Slide 37 Next steps (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction
& Embley Energy The future of wave power The future of SPERBOY
Re-financed/expanded team Possible industrial/commercial partners
37 Slide 38 Questions? Prof Donald T Swift-Hook Aquabase
Construction Ltd/Trafalgar Marine Mr John W Phillips Embley Energy
Ltd (c) 2010 Aquabase Construction & Embley Energy38
