A&P Manufactures First Falmouth Test Site’s Wave Energy Device

The first wave device installed in the waters at Cornwall’s marine energy test site has been manufactured by A&P Falmouth.

Fred Olsen’s “BOLT Lifesaver” project, which is capable of operating and producing electricity, is now being tested in the sheltered FabTest site off Falmouth Bay, with easy access to the port.

Renowned throughout the world for ship repair and conversion, the A&P Group is also at the forefront of the marine renewable energy sector – from assisting developers in the design process, through rigorous cost analysis, to excellence in the engineering process itself.

BOLT “Lifesaver” is Fred Olsen’s new wave energy converter, and A&P Falmouth was awarded the contract to manufacture the device in conjunction with engineers Supacat. This involved procuring materials, fabrication in the workshop, assembly at dockside, and placing carefully into the sea by a tandem lift using Falmouth’s large dockside travelling cranes.

Paul Weston, A&P’s Marine Renewables Project Manager, said: “With an early involvement on such a high profile project – from design to concept to deployment – we managed to save a considerable amount of cost due to in-house design production engineering. This was achieved by working closely with the design engineers and the owner. The demand to ensure that the cost of energy within the renewable industry is kept to a minimum is constantly a key target here at Falmouth.

“A&P reacted constantly to the design changes and additional work, dovetailing these into the overall project to ensure the time frame did not slip and targets were achieved throughout.”

The Bolt Lifesaver structure demanded a very tight tolerance of plus or minus half a millimetre over the entire length. This means creating large jigs, each made from two inch thick plates of steel, which are strong enough to hold pre-fabricated box sections in-place for welding.

Using Computer Aided Design plasma cutting machines, the fabrication department created the pre-cut and pre-shaped steel. Assembled in the workshop, the units were turned over to complete the welding process before being air-tested to obtain watertight integrity.

During the manufacturing process, the engineering workshop team also had to machine the end flanges which join the sections together. Requiring extreme precision, these are drilled in pairs – critical when bolting together to achieve a watertight connection. Once completed, the segments were painted with a high specification coating system.

Demonstrating their ability to adapt to design changes and meet strict deadlines, A&P also undertook additional strengthening work – this being required to accommodate the heavy machinery needed to capture the power of the waves in unforgiving ocean conditions.

The trial, taking place at the FabTest nursery site, which is not connected to the grid, is a stepping stone to deployment at Wave Hub, the world’s largest grid-connected wave energy demonstration facility installed 16 kilometres off the north coast of Cornwall in 2010.

Cornwall has cemented a growing international reputation for leadership in marine energy research and development, with the Fred Olsen installation a real success story for the industry. The device was manufactured at A&P Falmouth, is being tested at FabTest, part of the South West Marine Energy Park, and potentially deployed in more energetic offshore waters at the grid connected Wave Hub site off the Cornish coast near Hayle.

The last two years have seen rapid growth for A&P in the marine renewable energy industry, mainly thanks to the company’s focus on meeting the needs of offshore wind. It has won contracts in stiff competition with many of the UK and other major European yards.

Peter Child, Managing Director of A&P Falmouth, said: “As a company recognised for working at the forefront of the marine renewables sector, A&P Falmouth is delighted to have been involved in this exciting project with Fred Olsen over the past year.

“We believe the South West is realising its objective to become a leading region in marine renewable energy and is perfectly positioned to support the development and growth of the sector. With fantastic natural energy resources such as wave and tidal power surrounding us and extensive facilities in the yard including fabrication, engineering and electrical workshops, this field is a priority for A&P.”

In November 2010 Marine Designs Ltd, part of the A&P Group, scooped a Green Energy award for an innovative pontoon system designs to support the offshore renewables industry.

The company also won the Best Business Innovation Award at the annual Regen SW Green Energy Awards, regarded as the Oscars of the region’s renewable energy industry, for the Dockmaster pontoon system.

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Offshore Nieuws Staff, April 20, 2012; Image :  A&P