C4 - New materials and coatings
C - Materials and Manufacturing
Challenges/Opportunities
Corrosion and Fatigue degrade structural integrity and new materials need to be developed and applied for offshore wind and marine renewable energy applications. New materials, fatigue/corrosion/abrasion resistant Innovative materials with special properties can result to life time extension (beyond nominal 25 years) and reduce inspection/maintenance requirements
Solution
Fatigue/corrosion/abrasion resistant Innovative materials (including coatings) with special properties should be developed for life-time extension (beyond nominal 25 years) and reduce inspection/maintenance requirements.
Context and Need
New materials can facilitate upscaling (more units, larger, in deeper waters, further offshore) at a reduced cost.
Summary
The development of innovative materials and their application for the ORE sector will enable improvements in structural integrity, corrosion resistance and fatigue life.
Impact Potential
Very large potential impact for the reduction in OPEX.
Research Status
There is no joined-up initiative for considering the transfer of materials know-how from other sectors, or the development of a new generation of corrosion-fatigue resisting materials for marine applications.
Some disparate research activities exist, the main overlap is the EPSRC CAMREG project.