FEM Tribune 2020 - Round table Influence of biofouling

How to secure projects against induced changes and improve maintenance?

Biofouling is a well-identified phenomenon in the fields of maritime navigation and offshore oil exploitation for which limiting or eliminating solutions have been developed for several years. On the other hand, ORE systems have specific features that induce greater sensitivity to biofouling for certain components. This represents a challenge for engineers in the design and maintenance phases. Ideol’s feedback acquired through the design, deployment and in-service monitoring
of Floatgen, a 1:1 scale floating wind turbine demonstrator, is therefore a very valuable testimony.

Biofouling also raises many questions about certification. Companies such as Bureau Veritas are therefore particularly interested in the research currently being carried out on this topic. Two emblematic collaborative projects illustrate the different aspects studied: OMDYN2 and ABIOP. The first concerns, among other things, the consideration of the stresses induced by biofouling on the dynamic electrical cables of floating structures. The second is dedicated to the development of biofouling characterization and quantification methods for engineering on ORE systems.