SCIENTISTS have joined forces to create a scale model of the seas around Orkney inside a laboratory.
Teams from the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney and FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility at The University of Edinburgh will use a wave machine to simulate the tides around the islands, based on real-life data gathered over years.
The machine will be used as a test centre for ocean-going technologies, similar to the way planes are tested in wind tunnels.
And researchers say that it could prove an invaluable resource for the offshore industry by cutting down the amount of tests at sea, a notoriously difficult environment to work in.
FloWave Chief Executive Officer Stuart Brown said: "Testing full-scale ocean energy technologies at sea can be an expensive and risky business.
"The closer you can replicate real ocean conditions in the laboratory, the better you can refine your prototype and validate how it might perform before testing part-scale or full-scale devices at sea.
"To date, test tanks have only been able to generate waves or tidal flows – but anyone who has been to Orkney will know, Scotland’s oceans are much more complex and usually combine both.
"At FloWave our unique facility gives us the ability to create both waves and tidal currents at the same time."
Throughout the project EMEC will provide data gathered by ‘Waverider’ buoys and radar which is used by Flowwave to develop accurate models replicating the complex sea states encountered in Orkney as closely as possible.
EMEC Managing Director Neil Kermode said: “At EMEC we have spent a lot of time recording wave and tidal data and are focussed on measuring the things that are important to developers.
"EMEC is purpose-built for sea trials with ready made test facilities, but working offshore can be expensive. That’s why it makes perfect sense to utilise the unique capabilities of FloWave to develop representative EMEC conditions in the test tank.
"By sharing this data, we will help accelerate learning from lab to sea and back again, and enable the UK to stay at the very forefront of this industry as it continues to mature."
Lindsay Roberts, Senior Policy Manager for industry body Scottish Renewables added: "Replicating EMEC’s sea conditions at FloWave will help developers ensure their devices are ready for Orkney’s powerful waves and tides, and provide a cost-effective route to the later stages of real-world testing and eventual commercialisation."
ends
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