Surface Engineering

CIDETEC Surface Engineering is participating in the project that will research and develop a unique digital model for structural integrity management of floating wind turbines.

The consortium’s inaugural meeting, led by NAUTILUS Floating Solutions, took place on September 30, and brought together the consortium’s 12 companies, all of which are global references in the floating wind sector.

INTEGRIA stands for “Investigation of structural INTEGRITY in floating wind turbines using Artificial Intelligence-based models.” Its goal is to create a digital model based on AI for managing the structural integrity of floating wind turbines. The project, in which CIDETEC Surface Engineering collaborates with leading wind industry companies, aims for all components to provide data that, when integrated into digital models, provides the necessary information to generate models for the detection and prevention of failures, fatigue, degradation, etc., with which to build decision-making algorithms for Operation and Maintenance (O&M), and thus enable the extension of the useful life floating offshore wind farms.

The year 2022 marked a significant milestone in the progression towards the commercialization of floating technology, as regions were designated for the construction of wind farms across the globe. Installation of this technology is anticipated to reach a peak of 30 GW within the following decade. On a national level, Spain aims to install 3 GW of floating wind farms in 2030. This presents a significant opportunity for the Euskadi supply chain, which is already well-established in the prototype phase of floating wind energy.

The INTEGRIA project presents unique challenges compared to individual prototypes, as it requires a transition from merely showcasing the technology’s proper operation for a restricted duration to ensuring its continuous operation throughout the lifetime of a wind farm. From initially oversizing the initial prototype to demonstrating its technical feasibility and subsequently refining its design to establish its economic viability, a significant technological advancement occurs.

Currently, there are multiple models and tools for offshore O&M, which provide precise solutions to specific problems. In addition to their specificity, these models exhibit several other deficiencies: they do not incorporate accurate data regarding failure rates, they fail to provide a comprehensive perspective on the various critical components and activities associated with wind farm operation and maintenance, and they fail to account for a proper market orientation.

In short, there is a lack of comprehensive approaches to the problem that would allow a single model to be able to analyse data and make decisions.

INTEGRIA aims to solve these challenges by: acquiring data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) models that have been trained using offshore operation data, incorporating sensors into transition pieces, amassing, storing, and processing substantial volumes of data to supply AI models, monitoring real-time data and forecasting outcomes using a digital AI model, and integrating AI-based models in conjunction with physics-based models.

INTEGRIA provides Euskadi a unique opportunity to highlight the strengths of the participating companies. Furthermore, cooperation is encouraged, which will enable Basque industry to establish a unique market position. The consortium is made up of: NAUTILUS Floating Solutions, project coordinator and developer of a floating platform; ALERION, specialist in wind turbine inspection using drones; COREMARINE, engineering company specialising in monitoring offshore systems; DITREL, developer of electrical connectors for floating platforms; ERREKA, manufacturer of intelligent bolted joints; GLUAL, manufacturer of the wind turbine hydraulic pitch system; HINE, manufacturer of the hydraulic pitch system of the wind turbine; HINE, manufacturer of the wind turbine hydraulic pitch system; IBERMÁTICA, company focused on data collection and analysis; INNOMAT (Mugape), expert in surface coatings; KERA-COAT, expert in ceramic surface coatings; LAULAGUN, manufacturer of blade and yaw bearings for wind turbines; and NAVACEL, manufacturer of transition parts and large metal structures.

In addition, 4 entities from the RVCTI (Basque Network of Science, Technology and Innovation) are taking part in the project. The technology centres CEIT, CIDETEC Surface Engineering and TECNALIA and the ENERGY CLUSTER ASSOCIATION.

Project funded by the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment of the Basque Government (HAZITEK Program) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Using dynamic chemistry, CIDETEC Surface Engineering will develop resin-impregnated carbon fibres for use in the production of more environmentally friendly end goods.

CIDETEC Surface Engineering is participating in a new European project that seeks to improve the sustainability and circularity of products considered complex, which have traditionally been non-recyclable due to their composite constructions. CUBIC, led by the Aitiip Technological Centre, aims to explore the creation of new biologically derived materials, primarily using lignin and vegetable oils, in order to design intermediate products that are fully recyclable. These, in turn, will form the structures of two sustainable prototypes: a container for storing hydrogen gas and a car seat.

The new materials can be utilised either independently or in conjunction with other materials to create end products. Among the new range of materials, reinforced polyamide sheets, pellets, powders and threads, or resin-impregnated carbon fibre, will be developed. CUBIC will also explore new technologies and dynamic chemistry processes to enable the combination of different intermediates in the same manufacturing process.

The project will also demonstrate the feasibility of disassembling the components of the products, thus favouring their recycling and subsequent revalorisation (transformation into new by-products).  CUBIC will conduct social life cycle assessments and costing methodologies, and use digital tools to improve bio-based materials and their manufacturing processes. The ultimate goal is to improve the circularity of products, as well as the predictive methods to make their end-of-life more sustainable. In this way, CUBIC will optimise market innovation, so that the market easily adopts the newly developed materials, enabling new, more flexible manufacturing methods, while driving a dual green and digital transformation of the European manufacturing industry.

CUBIC is a research and innovation project funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE – JU) within Horizon Europe, the Research and Innovation Framework Program of the European Union, through Grant Agreement No. 101111996. With a duration of 42 months and a budget of almost 4.7 million euros, a total of 13 European partners participate in the project, with complementary competencies. These partners include six industrial companies (Specific Polymers, Comfil, Carbotainer Proyectos, Moses Productos and QPLAN as small and medium-sized companies and Novamont as a large company), six research and technology organizations (Aitiip, Centexbel, CIDETEC Surface Engineering, Idener, DITF, Circe) and one academic organization (University of Limerick).