Akselos Contracted by Shell and RWE to Model Tetraspar Demonstrator

Akselos SA has been commissioned by Shell and RWE to use the world’s most powerful structural simulation software, Integra®, to model the TetraSpar floating foundation demonstrator, which will be installed offshore Norway later this year. 

Akselos’ software will help accelerate the demonstration of the industrialised offshore foundation. The TetraSpar project aims to dramatically reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) for floating wind farms. 

The ‘Digital TetraSpar’ will interface with sensors on the structure and act as a detailed, holistic structural model of the demonstrator. The unique speed and scale of Akselos’ software means behavior of the entire structure can be analyzed in near real-time. This will provide insights to drive further improvements in the design and operation of the concept, resulting in lower cost, optimized maintenance, and inspection workflows, among many other benefits.

Michiel van Haersma Buma, VP Customer Success at Akselos, said: “This is a hugely exciting project to be involved in. Commercialization of floating offshore wind, which is vital to our ability to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement, is hampered by the high cost of existing designs and subsequently operating them. The TetraSpar concept could completely change that and, by using Integra®, the developers will be able to further optimise design and accelerate validation. That will, in turn, be key to get the concept to market sooner.”

“Akselos’ technology is a key enabler for the industrialisation of floating offshore wind.”

This is the second floating wind win for Akselos, with a structural digital twin already deployed on the WindFloat Atlantic project as part of a US Department of Energy grant.

“Shell is focused on identifying and developing the next generation technologies to help accelerate the energy transition,” said Steven Zijp, Project Engineer Offshore Wind at Shell. “The partnership between Akselos, TetraSpar, RWE and Shell enables us to further scale and manage floating offshore wind turbines, making them safer and more cost efficient, while allowing developers access to deeper and more challenging waters around the world.”

The TetraSpar floating wind foundation was developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technology, a founded by Henrik Stiesdal a Danish inventor and former Chief Technology Officer at Siemens Wind Power. 

The TetraSpar Demo project is developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technology, TEPCO Renewable Power, Shell, and RWE. The project will be installed 13km from the coast at the Marine Energy Test Centre, near Stavanger, southeast Norway.