Scientific advances and innovation

A device to monitor the effect on heat transfer from biofouling on dynamic cables.

Among all the challenges, marine growth has been identified, from sensitivity studies, as one of the most influent factor at design and maintenance stages. Marine growth embraces all the marine species that colonizes a component. That will change the diameter, the mass, the thermal behaviour and the roughness of the colonized components.

Among the dominant effects, we can notice:

  • change in wave current hydrodynamic loading ;
  • change in heat transfer from the core to the surface.Due to the high number of uncertainties in space (spatial distribution, type of species) and time (evolution with time), this is a challenge to model this effect.

 

To this aim, site monitoring with buoys developed by AKROCEAN are required and allows to assess this site-specific effect. That will help to optimize the detailed engineering analysis.

Biodytherm8 relies on project BIODYTHERM and aims at reaching TRL8 for on site the monitoring of umbilical’s through a multi-parameter approach on a site where a buoy will be installed.

 

Expected technical and economic impact

The project aims to

  • Validate the Biodytherm device;
  • Monitor the biofouling;
  • Analyse the thermal effect and anticipate future works through the extrapolation of the knowledge of the physico-chemical parameters.

Key project milestones

  • May-June 2020 - Acquisition of materials
  • September - Start of the experimentation

Publications and papers published

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