OptiFloat Innovation: Redefining Floating Offshore Wind with Ansys
Pioneering Innovation in Offshore Energy
Floating offshore wind turbines are revolutionizing renewable energy by enabling turbines to be installed on floating platforms anchored to the seabed. Unlike traditional fixed-bottom foundations, this breakthrough technology allows wind farms to operate in deeper waters with stronger, more consistent wind resources, unlocking vast areas with untapped wind resources.
The OptiFloat Innovation, founded in January 2024 by Niels Christian Olsen, is at the forefront of this revolution. Designing an innovative foundation for floating offshore wind turbines is aptly named “OptiFloat” which is the culmination of Olsen’s extensive experience in offshore engineering and a passion for innovation. With a bold vision and deep industry expertise, Olsen has transformed an idea many deemed impossible into a viable solution for the future of sustainable energy.
Overcoming Industry Challenges
One of the critical barriers to scaling offshore wind is the cost and complexity of maintenance. Replacing essential components such as gears, generators, blades, or entire rotors requires enormous floating cranes. These operations not only depend on favorable weather conditions but also involve astronomical costs and significant risks, especially when a crane must operate at heights of 140 to 170 meters above the Sea Water Line (SWL). Additionally, both the Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) and the floating crane may sway in opposite directions at such heights, further complicating the process.
Olsen thinks that the current state is unsustainable, and if not solved, it will be the sole obstacle for a full deployment of offshore wind around the world. This maintenance problem is the same whether it’s floating offshore wind or bottom fixed offshore wind. As OptiFloat’s solution only work for floating offshore wind, Olsen sees that the foundation will be so favorable that projects will switch from bottom fixed projects to floating projects in the future, when the solution has matured and tested in huge scale.
With a price tag for one offshore lifting operations of 20 million NOK per day, when the crane vessel is doing lifting operation, and with total costs easily exceeding 100 million NOK for a lifting operation, factoring in transit and weather delays, the expenses are significant. – Niels Christian Olsen, Senior Engineer & Inventor of OptiFloat
The Role of Simulation in Breaking Barriers
Testing of the OptiFloat concept can be done both virtually and physically in a wave tank. Before going into the wave tank it’s common practice to do a lot of numerical simulations to get a good understanding of the OptiFloat behaviour in different sea States. Developing such a groundbreaking solution requires rigorous testing, and for OptiFloat, simulation has been a necessity. With the high stakes involved in offshore wind projects—where foundations can exceed 250 million NOK—customers demand maximum assurance for their investments. Professional simulation software, paired with third-party verification, provides the necessary validation.
OptiFloat relies on Ansys AQWA and Ansys Mechanical Enterprise to model and simulate the complex physics of the innovative design. Simulation allows the team to evaluate structural responses, quantify challenging physics, and ensure the integrity of the large-scale structure.
Benefits
Ansys simulation solutions empower OptiFloat to:
• Analyze structural responses with precision.
• Understand and quantify complex physics.
• Optimize designs, saving time, cost, and resources.
Geometry and mesh in separate module
Pressure and mooring forces transferred to static structure model
Solving global model in static structure With applied pressure distribution and mooring loads
Sub modelling of detail in the foundation
Since physical testing in pool tank and instrumenting the test model with sensors and data logging systems are very expensive, it's natural to do virtual testing and prototyping before going into the pool tank. It was a natural choice to use Ansys, since Ansys represent the physics involved and produce reliable results. – Niels Christian Olsen, OptiFloat
Floating offshore wind turbines can be installed further offshore
A Startup Partnership for Success
OptiFloat’s success has been greatly supported by the Ansys Startup Program and technical assistance from EDRMedeso. The Ansys Startup Bundle has played a key role in helping reduce costs and streamline the innovation process. By providing advanced simulation capabilities, the Ansys Startup bundle has enabled OptiFloat to model complex behaviors with precision, saving both time and resources. Additionally, the expertise and support from EDRMedeso have been crucial in driving their innovative efforts forward.
A Vision for the Future
OptiFloat is more than a technological innovation—it’s a paradigm shift in renewable energy. By addressing critical challenges in maintenance and scalability, OptiFloat’s solution is poised to redefine floating offshore wind and accelerate the transition to clean, sustainable energy worldwide.
With the power of simulation and partnerships like Ansys and EDRMedeso, OptiFloat is making the impossible possible.
The simulations done with Ansys software and the simulations that needs to be done in the future are essential. Especially when structures get so large that the human intuition is not sufficient. Also, when the structure is exposed to Multiphysics, Ansys software is invaluable to quantify the loads, response and structural integrity. – Niels Christian Olsen, OptiFloat
OptiFloat’s innovation has not gone unnoticed. From nearly 500 applicants, Olsen also showcased his invention at ONS 2024, a leading energy conference in Norway. In addition, this concept was presented by Olsen at EDRMedeso’s Meet the Experts Simulation Seminar in Oslo, October 2024.
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