A team of Babcock engineers will begin construction of FASTBLADE’s 75 tonne structural reaction frame early next month, and will begin fit out of the new facility, based at Babcock’s Rosyth site near Edinburgh.

It will initially be used for lifetime fatigue testing of renewable energy tidal turbine blades, using pioneering technology which will be the first of its kind in the world. 

The facility is funded to a value of £4.1 million by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the University of Edinburgh, with Babcock appointed as the principal engineering designer. With its novel technology, it will be an international centre of innovation in the research and testing of composite materials and structures for a variety of industries such as tidal energy, marine, transport, nuclear and aerospace.

Cutting-edge digital and hydraulic technology systems developed by the university are more energy-efficient than existing processes and will simulate real testing environments. Advanced analytics will assess structural performance in real-time.

Engineers, working within COVID-19 guidelines, will build and assemble the reaction frame which will span 16.2m long, 2.5m wide and 7.1m high and is expected to be complete by December.

The frame will withstand huge forces cycled millions of times over its lifespan as it tests composite structures and has been designed for future needs as structures such as tidal turbine blades become bigger and materials continue to develop.

The process will also create immediate benefits for product developers with savings on time and costs, reducing risk and improving safety. The development of the facility supports the digital skills agenda for both parties and follows the University’s signing of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal in 2018, which aims to increase research-based collaboration and innovation between universities and industry across the region.

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The contract will see A C Marine & Composites build the 10m composite blades for both of the O2’s twin rotors (four blades in total) giving the machine a swept area of over 600 square meters, the largest ever on a tidal turbine.

The Orbital O2 is a 72m long floating superstructure, supporting two 1 MW turbines at either side capable of generating over 2MW from tidal stream resources. It will become the world’s most powerful tidal turbine when it enters operation in 2020 as part of a long term project at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney. Improvements in Orbital’s platform design have allowed for a rotor diameter increase of 4m on the company’s previous, record-breaking, 2MW SR2000 turbine, with the O2 capable of producing electricity for over 1,700 UK homes.

Orbital Marine Power based in Orkney and Edinburgh is focused on the development of a tidal energy turbine technology capable of producing a step-change reduction in the cost of energy from tidal currents. The company’s floating technology offers a low-cost solution for simplified and safe manufacture, installation, access and maintenance along with the ability to use low cost, small workboats for all offshore operations.

We are extremely proud to have been awarded this contract by Orbital Marine; becoming part of the wider UK supply chain for the O2 project. Our structured production philosophy and in-house resin infusion technology will no doubt add value to this commercial tidal stream project. This is also a great opportunity for A C Marine & Composites to work on a project that will have a positive impact on the environment, whilst reaffirming the UK’s commitment to renewables. Alex Newton, Director, A C Marine & Composites

Orbital’s contract with ACMC follows recent contract awards as part of the overall build programme for the O2; these include the O2 platform manufacturing contract to TEXO Group in Dundee and an anchors contract to FAUN Trackway in Anglesey.

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