CorPower Ocean has revealed the first 9m diameter hull for its 300kW C4 wave energy converter.
The hull was built composite machinery specialist Autonational and composite tank specialist CPT Tankwell, in Portugal using a custom-built machine in an environmentally controlled work cell.
Yes, it’s that big
“The C4 hull has been designed with a low-cost sandwich structure comprising of filament-wound composite skins for the inner and outer layer separated by a core material,” said CorPower Ocean Portugal MD Miguel Silva. “This approach brings a raft of benefits including high strength, durability and impact resistance combined with light weight and buoyancy performance properties, which can withstand fatigue, slamming and impact loads. Other important features include excellent adhesion strength and chemical resistance with low water absorption.”
The custom machine is a 14m long filament winder that includes an automated fibre delivery to its 9m diameter mandrel.
It is situated in Viana do Castelo to be near the HiWave-5 Project, an array of C4s off the coast of Aguçadoura.
“Based on the R&D cell in Viana do Castelo, future versions of such manufacturing cells can be integrated in port or final assembly facilities, amounting to mobile factories,” said CorPower supply chain manager Tord Jonsson.
Composite hulls will be built on customer sites with additive manufacturing, with the factory cells being moved from site to site as contracts demand. The equipment will be packed and transported in three standard containers, said CorPower.
