Review report 2004. The Danish offshore wind farm demonstration project: Horns Rev and Nysted offshore wind farms. Environmental impact assessment and monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-10-15

The present review report presents the two wind farms Horns Rev and Nysted with regard to environmental characteristics and the results of the environmental studies carried out in connection with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the baseline and monitoring programmes at the two sites. The descriptions of the programmes are based on extracts from the individual annual reports. Detailed information on method, programmes and conclusions can be found in these reports (see Appendix 1). This review report is divided into two parts. The first part contains a description of the potential environmental impacts of offshore wind farms and the potentially affected part of the environment. The second part includes a description of Horns Rev and Nysted Offshore Wind Farm and the environmental studies carried out here until the end of 2003. Appendix I is a list of the literature published on the studies carried out at Horns Rev and Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. Appendix II is a list of some of the literature relevant to the demonstration projects but not directly related to the projects. The offshore wind farm situated in the Roedsand area is officially denoted Nysted Offshore Wind Farm, and in the present report the denotation 'Nysted' will be used as well when referring to Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. The denotation Roedsand will be used when referring to the actual area Roedsand. (au)

Review report 2003. The Danish offshore wind farm demonstration project: Horns Rev and Nysted offshore wind farms. Environmental impact assessment and monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-09-15

The present review report presents the two wind farms Homs Rev and Nysted, with regard to environmental characteristics and the results of the environmental studies carried out in connection with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the baseline and monitoring programmes at the two sites. The descriptions of the programmes are based on extracts from the individual annual reports. Detailed information on methods, programmes and conclusions can be found in these reports. This review report is divided into two parts. The first part contains a description of the potential environmentally impacts of offshore wind farms and the potentially affected part of the environment. The second part includes a description of Horns Rev and Nysted Offshore Wind Farm and the environmental studies carried out here until the end of 2003. Appendix I is a list of the literature published on the studies carried out at Hors Rev and Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. Appendix II is a list of some of the literature relevant to the demonstration projects but not directly related to the projects. The offshore wind farm situated at the bdsand area is officially denoted Nysted Offshore Wind Farm, and in the present report the denotation 'Nysted' will be used as well when referring to Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. The denotation Roedsand will be used when referring to the actual area Roedsand. (au)

Review report 2004. The Danish offshore wind farm demonstration project: Horns Rev and Nysted offshore wind farms. Environmental impact assessment and monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-10-15

The present review report presents the two wind farms Horns Rev and Nysted with regard to environmental characteristics and the results of the environmental studies carried out in connection with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the baseline and monitoring programmes at the two sites. The descriptions of the programmes are based on extracts from the individual annual reports. Detailed information on method, programmes and conclusions can be found in these reports (see Appendix 1). This review report is divided into two parts. The first part contains a description of the potential environmental impacts of offshore wind farms and the potentially affected part of the environment. The second part includes a description of Horns Rev and Nysted Offshore Wind Farm and the environmental studies carried out here until the end of 2003. Appendix I is a list of the literature published on the studies carried out at Horns Rev and Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. Appendix II is a list of some of the literature relevant to the demonstration projects but not directly related to the projects. The offshore wind farm situated in the Roedsand area is officially denoted Nysted Offshore Wind Farm, and in the present report the denotation 'Nysted' will be used as well when referring to Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. The denotation Roedsand will be used when referring to the actual area Roedsand. (au)

Environmental risk analysis for offshore oil and gas activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brude, Odd Willy; Aspholm, Ole O.; Rudberg, Anders [Det Norske Veritas (Brazil)

2008-07-01

Offshore oil and gas activities always have a risk for environmental impact due to potential accidental releases of oil and gas. The environmental risk can be calculated as a combination of the frequency of such accidents to occur and their environmental consequences in terms of environmental damage to habitats or populations. A method for conducting environmental risk analysis has been in use in Norwegian offshore waters for a decade, with a continuously refinement of methodology over the past years. This paper outlines the principles in the MIRA method and gives examples and discussions regarding use in different environmental compartments. The risk assessment starts with identification of oil spill scenarios with frequencies of potential release rates and spill durations. The next step is to model the oil drift for each accidental oil spill scenario. Drift and fate of oil is modeled probabilistic. Based on the oil spill scenarios and their probability of oil pollution, the potential environmental damage is quantified for each scenario. The endpoint of environmental damage is reduction of a population and the resulting recovery time (in years) for various species and habitats. Environmental risk levels are then evaluated against the operating companies' environmental acceptance criteria. (author)

Development of environmental impact monitoring protocol for offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS): A biological perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyewon; Kim, Yong Hoon; Kang, Seong-Gil; Park, Young-Gyu

2016-01-01

Offshore geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO_2), known as offshore carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), has been under active investigation as a safe, effective mitigation option for reducing CO_2 levels from anthropogenic fossil fuel burning and climate change. Along with increasing trends in implementation plans and related logistics on offshore CCS, thorough risk assessment (i.e. environmental impact monitoring) needs to be conducted to evaluate potential risks, such as CO_2 gas leakage at injection sites. Gas leaks from offshore CCS may affect the physiology of marine organisms and disrupt certain ecosystem functions, thereby posing an environmental risk. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on environmental impact monitoring of offshore CCS with an emphasis on biological aspects and provide suggestions for better practice. Based on our critical review of preexisting literatures, this paper: 1) discusses key variables sensitive to or indicative of gas leakage by summarizing physico-chemical and ecological variables measured from previous monitoring cruises on offshore CCS; 2) lists ecosystem and organism responses to a similar environmental condition to CO_2 leakage and associated impacts, such as ocean acidification and hypercapnia, to predict how they serve as responsive indicators of short- and long-term gas exposure, and 3) discusses the designs of the artificial gas release experiments in fields and the best model simulation to produce realistic leakage scenarios in marine ecosystems. Based on our analysis, we suggest that proper incorporation of biological aspects will provide successful and robust long-term monitoring strategies with earlier detection of gas leakage, thus reducing the risks associated with offshore CCS. - Highlights: • This paper synthesizes the current knowledge on environmental impact monitoring of offshore Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). • Impacts of CO_2 leakage (ocean acidification, hypercapnia) on marine

Development of environmental impact monitoring protocol for offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS): A biological perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyewon, E-mail: hyewon@ldeo.columbia.edu [Division of Biology and Paleo Environment, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964 (United States); Kim, Yong Hoon, E-mail: Yong.Kim@rpsgroup.com [RPS ASA, 55 Village Square Drive, South Kingstown, RI 02879 (United States); Kang, Seong-Gil, E-mail: kangsg@kriso.re.kr [Offshore CCS Research Unit, Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, 32 1312 Beon-gil, Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Deaejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Young-Gyu, E-mail: ypark@kiost.ac.kr [Ocean Circulation and Climate Change Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 787 Haeanro, Ansan (Korea, Republic of)

2016-02-15

Offshore geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), known as offshore carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), has been under active investigation as a safe, effective mitigation option for reducing CO{sub 2} levels from anthropogenic fossil fuel burning and climate change. Along with increasing trends in implementation plans and related logistics on offshore CCS, thorough risk assessment (i.e. environmental impact monitoring) needs to be conducted to evaluate potential risks, such as CO{sub 2} gas leakage at injection sites. Gas leaks from offshore CCS may affect the physiology of marine organisms and disrupt certain ecosystem functions, thereby posing an environmental risk. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on environmental impact monitoring of offshore CCS with an emphasis on biological aspects and provide suggestions for better practice. Based on our critical review of preexisting literatures, this paper: 1) discusses key variables sensitive to or indicative of gas leakage by summarizing physico-chemical and ecological variables measured from previous monitoring cruises on offshore CCS; 2) lists ecosystem and organism responses to a similar environmental condition to CO{sub 2} leakage and associated impacts, such as ocean acidification and hypercapnia, to predict how they serve as responsive indicators of short- and long-term gas exposure, and 3) discusses the designs of the artificial gas release experiments in fields and the best model simulation to produce realistic leakage scenarios in marine ecosystems. Based on our analysis, we suggest that proper incorporation of biological aspects will provide successful and robust long-term monitoring strategies with earlier detection of gas leakage, thus reducing the risks associated with offshore CCS. - Highlights: • This paper synthesizes the current knowledge on environmental impact monitoring of offshore Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). • Impacts of CO{sub 2} leakage (ocean acidification

Danish offshore wind. Key environmental issues - a follow-up

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-02-15

This follow-up to the Danish environmental monitoring programme on large-scale offshore wind power builds on the result of the former programme of 2006 and focuses on updated knowledge on harbour porpoises, water birds and fish communities, and on the cumulative effects of wind farms. The scientific quality of the projects in this follow-up has been assessed by experts from the International Advisory Panel of Experts on Marine Ecology (IAPEME), who have commented on the results in an independent evaluation which is reproduced in this publication. (LN)

Environmental perspectives on the East Coast offshore oil and gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, D.G.

2001-01-01

In this presentation, the author examined the environmental aspects affecting the offshore oil and gas development on the East Coast of Canada. Selected topics were covered to highlight what has been accomplished and the goals for the future in terms of the environment. The development of the oil and gas industry in the region has really taken off in the past twenty years, suffering from growing pains and enduring myths. An oil and gas project begins with seismic surveys, followed by exploratory wells being drilled, then proceeding to the construction and installation of the drilling production facilities, the production phase and the decommissioning of the facilities at the end of the useful life. Each phase of a project was reviewed and environmental concerns identified. Specific topics were addressed, such as drill cuttings, produced water, flaring, and decommissioning and abandonment. Selected problems were examined, notably fish and oil, spills, cumulative effects, the Oceans Act, and the regulatory evolution in the East Coast offshore. 9 refs., 1 tab., 1 fig

Challenges for environmental risk assessment application in offshore E and P activities in Brazil; Desafios para a aplicacao de analise de risco ecologico nas atividades de E e P offshore no Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardoso, Cassia de Oliveira; Chame, Luciana Moreira [DNV Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Cantarino, Anderson Americo Alves [BP Brasil, SP (Brazil)

2004-07-01

Although the Brazilian Legislation does not clearly specify the requirements and the need to elaborate and apply the Environmental Risk Analysis, the Term of Reference to submit studies to Environmental Entities for E and P offshore activities has required the presentation of an {sup E}nvironment Risk Analysis{sup .} Nevertheless, the interactions or possible effects of these accidents as well as possible chronic discharges are not focused. The Environment Risk Analysis programs used world wide for offshore petroleum activities are very sophisticated and need intense research, specially by universities to be adequate and applicable in Brazil. The studies briefly described in this work, when developed may give the characteristics of Brazilian offshore, important information on the potential of the environment impact of the E and P activities, reducing significantly today's subjectivity on evaluation of impacts and environmental risks. (author)

Methods development for cost-effective marine environmental monitoring at offshore wind farms in Norwegian waters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahlgren, Thomas; Schlaeppy, Marie-Lise; Olenin, Sergej; Shashkov, Alexej; Heggoey, Erling; Troedsson, Christofer

2011-07-01

Full text: Current understanding of the environmental impact from offshore wind farms and experiences in monitoring practices, are restricted to soft-bottom habitats. Due to the large expansion of this source of energy, and the national and international drive to place large parks offshore, there is at present a strong need to further increase our knowledge of the impact on the marine environment in a wider range of habitats. At a national level, it is of importance to develop monitoring methods that are suitable for Norwegian sites and that are adjusted to impact levels expected from wind parks. Biological data on the impact of offshore wind farms in marine ecosystems are predominantly focused on the southern Baltic and southern North Sea. It is shown that large wind farms do have an impact on the marine ecosystem. The most studied effects relate to the introduction of hard substrate (the turbine foundation and scour protection) in an area made exclusively of soft sediments. This leads to an introduction of a new category of fauna, a higher productivity and a shift in community structure and species composition. In addition, the construction of an offshore wind farm excludes other activities with potentially high negative impacts on the marine ecosystem such as bottom trawling. These findings are not necessary applicable to rocky shorelines such as those bordering the Norwegian coast and the first full-scale offshore wind farm, Havsul 1. The Havsul site borders an open ocean with high average yearly wind-speeds of more than 20 knots. A relatively narrow shelf and steep underwater topography creates waves of substantial heights and a benthic marine ecosystem that is fundamentally different from the shallow water, soft sediment substrates in the southern Baltic and North Seas. Instead, areas in Norway with water depths suitable for today.s design of offshore wind farms (down to a depth of about 30-50 m) have a complex topography and a mosaic of substrate types are

Applicability of the "Frame of Reference" approach for environmental monitoring of offshore renewable energy projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Garel, Erwan; Rey, Cibran Camba; Ferreira, Oscar; van Koningsveld, Mark

2014-08-01

This paper assesses the applicability of the Frame of Reference (FoR) approach for the environmental monitoring of large-scale offshore Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) projects. The focus is on projects harvesting energy from winds, waves and currents. Environmental concerns induced by MRE projects are reported based on a classification scheme identifying stressors, receptors, effects and impacts. Although the potential effects of stressors on most receptors are identified, there are large knowledge gaps regarding the corresponding (positive and negative) impacts. In that context, the development of offshore MRE requires the implementation of fit-for-purpose monitoring activities aimed at environmental protection and knowledge development. Taking European legislation as an example, it is suggested to adopt standardized monitoring protocols for the enhanced usage and utility of environmental indicators. Towards this objective, the use of the FoR approach is advocated since it provides guidance for the definition and use of coherent set of environmental state indicators. After a description of this framework, various examples of applications are provided considering a virtual MRE project located in European waters. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations are provided for the successful implementation of the FoR approach and for future studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pollution from offshore installations: a case-study of marine pollution in the context of general environmental law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavouneli, Maria.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the present state of affairs regarding the legal rules for the control of pollution caused by activities related to offshore installations. But, since pollution from offshore installations is but a form of marine pollution, such an examination can only take place within the wider framework of general environmental law. The true impact of even the more precise rules on offshore installations cannot be fully appreciated unless we have a comprehensive understanding of how the whole system of environmental protection works. I will endeavour to incorporate such considerations in the discussion of offshore problems, as I consider the latter an application of wider principles operating even beyond the field of environmental law. (UK)

Environmental Risk Evaluation System (ERES) for Offshore Wind - Mock-Up of ERES, Fiscal Year 2010 Progress Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Richard M.; Copping, Andrea E.; Van Cleve, Frances B.

2010-11-01

The Environmental Risk Evaluation System (ERES) has been created to set priorities among the environmental risks from offshore wind development. This report follows the conceptual design for ERES and shows what the system would look like, using a web interface created as part of a Knowledge Management System (KMS) for offshore wind. The KMS, called Zephyrus, and ERES for offshore wind, will be populated and made operational in a later phase of the project.

Offshore investments: Denmark shows the way

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1998-01-01

This article presents an overview of the use of wind power in Denmark and discusses the tremendous growth in the manufacture of wind turbines since 1981 with Denmark holding some 60% of the worlds' wind turbine market. The move to offshore wind farms is explained in terms of the shortage of land and the quality of the offshore wind, and details of the Tuno Knob pilot offshore wind farm are given. Offshore wind power in Europe, the challenges to offshore operations, the costs involved, environmental effects of the use of offshore wind, and the growing amount of wind power capacity are discussed

First evaluation of foraminiferal metabarcoding for monitoring environmental impact from an offshore oil drilling site

KAUST Repository

Laroche, Olivier

2016-08-29

At present, environmental impacts from offshore oil and gas activities are partly determined by measuring changes in macrofauna diversity. Morphological identification of macrofauna is time-consuming, expensive and dependent on taxonomic expertise. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of using foraminiferal-specific metabarcoding for routine monitoring. Sediment samples were collected along distance gradients from two oil platforms off Taranaki (New Zealand) and their physicochemical properties, foraminiferal environmental DNA/RNA, and macrofaunal composition analyzed. Macrofaunal and foraminiferal assemblages showed similar shifts along impact gradients, but responded differently to environmental perturbations. Macrofauna were affected by hypoxia, whereas sediment grain size appeared to drive shifts in foraminifera. We identified eight foraminiferal molecular operational taxonomic units that have potential to be used as bioindicator taxa. Our results show that metabarcoding represents an effective tool for assessing foraminiferal communities near offshore oil and gas platforms, and that it can be used to complement current monitoring techniques. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

First evaluation of foraminiferal metabarcoding for monitoring environmental impact from an offshore oil drilling site

KAUST Repository

Laroche, Olivier; Wood, Susanna A.; Tremblay, Louis A.; Ellis, Joanne; Lejzerowicz, Franck; Pawlowski, Jan; Lear, Gavin; Atalah, Javier; Pochon, Xavier

2016-01-01

At present, environmental impacts from offshore oil and gas activities are partly determined by measuring changes in macrofauna diversity. Morphological identification of macrofauna is time-consuming, expensive and dependent on taxonomic expertise. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of using foraminiferal-specific metabarcoding for routine monitoring. Sediment samples were collected along distance gradients from two oil platforms off Taranaki (New Zealand) and their physicochemical properties, foraminiferal environmental DNA/RNA, and macrofaunal composition analyzed. Macrofaunal and foraminiferal assemblages showed similar shifts along impact gradients, but responded differently to environmental perturbations. Macrofauna were affected by hypoxia, whereas sediment grain size appeared to drive shifts in foraminifera. We identified eight foraminiferal molecular operational taxonomic units that have potential to be used as bioindicator taxa. Our results show that metabarcoding represents an effective tool for assessing foraminiferal communities near offshore oil and gas platforms, and that it can be used to complement current monitoring techniques. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental law issues: Offshore oil and gas activities and tanker transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, P.M.

1991-01-01

The environmental law issues that arise from offshore oil/gas activities and petroleum transport are reviewed, focusing on marine oil pollution and especially on the issues surrounding accidental spills. Some observations are offered on the context of these issues, namely on the risks of oil spills, the difficulty of spill response in the ocean and on shorelines, and the possible environmental damage. Environmental control of petroleum operations is discussed with reference to Canadian regulation, the primary source of which is the Oil and Gas Production and Conservation Act. These regulations require developmental approval for offshore operations, formulation of plans for foreseeable spill emergencies, and compensation to those affected by spills, notably those in the fishing industry. Ship-source oil pollution and spill compensation is discussed with reference to international agreements and the Canada Shipping Act. Some problems and trends with oil spill compensation and recovery for environmental damage are noted in such areas as tanker ship standards, cleanup capabilities, and inadequacy of spill penalties and compensation. 18 refs., 1 fig

Assessing environmental impacts of offshore wind farms: lessons learned and recommendations for the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Helen; Brookes, Kate L; Thompson, Paul M

2014-01-01

Offshore wind power provides a valuable source of renewable energy that can help reduce carbon emissions. Technological advances are allowing higher capacity turbines to be installed and in deeper water, but there is still much that is unknown about the effects on the environment. Here we describe the lessons learned based on the recent literature and our experience with assessing impacts of offshore wind developments on marine mammals and seabirds, and make recommendations for future monitoring and assessment as interest in offshore wind energy grows around the world. The four key lessons learned that we discuss are: 1) Identifying the area over which biological effects may occur to inform baseline data collection and determining the connectivity between key populations and proposed wind energy sites, 2) The need to put impacts into a population level context to determine whether they are biologically significant, 3) Measuring responses to wind farm construction and operation to determine disturbance effects and avoidance responses, and 4) Learn from other industries to inform risk assessments and the effectiveness of mitigation measures. As the number and size of offshore wind developments increases, there will be a growing need to consider the population level consequences and cumulative impacts of these activities on marine species. Strategically targeted data collection and modeling aimed at answering questions for the consenting process will also allow regulators to make decisions based on the best available information, and achieve a balance between climate change targets and environmental legislation.

Effects on birds of an offshore wind park at Horns Rev: Environmental impact assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noer, H.; Kjaer Christensen, T.; Clausager, I.; Krag Petersen, I. [DMU, Dept. of Coastal Zone Ecology (Denmark)

2000-07-01

This report presents the technical background to the ornithological environmental impact assessment for the construction of an offshore windpark at Horns Rev, 14 km west-south-west of Blaevandshuk, Denmark. Construction of the park is planned to commence in 2001. The park will consist of c. 80 wind turbines, each of at least 1.8 MW, and cover an area of 27.5 km{sup 2} (including the 200 m exclusion zone around the park). (au)

General document environmental impact report (m.e.r.) oil and gas exploitation industry. Update and supplement of the general document; Generiek document m.e.r. offshore olie- en gaswinningsindustrie. Update en aanvulling van het generiek document environmental impact report (m.e.r.) offshore, 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-04-15

The generic environmental impact assessment (EIA or MER in Dutch) in 1999 is intended to serve as a template for specific environmental impact assessments for oil and gas exploitation projects at sea. Since 1999, a number of innovations and changes were implemented. Particularly in offshore technologies and regulations new insights and ideas came up in recent years. Therefore the existing generic document has to be updated with new information, relevant in the preparation of specific environmental impact assessments in the offshore oil and gas exploitation industry in the Dutch part of the Continental Shelf [Dutch] De generieke milieu effect rapportage (MER) uit 1999 is bedoeld om te dienen als een sjabloon voor specifieke Milieueffectrapportages bij olie- en gaswinningprojecten op zee. Sinds 1999 is een aantal vernieuwingen en veranderingen doorgevoerd. Met name in offshore technologieen en wet- en regelgeving zijn de afgelopen jaren nieuwe inzichten en ideeen ontstaan. Hierdoor is de wens ontstaan om het bestaande generieke document aan te vullen met nieuwe informatie die relevant is voor het opstellen van specifieke Milieueffectrapportages in de offshore olie- en gaswinningsindustrie op het Nederlands deel van het Continentaal Plat.

III: Use of biomarkers as Risk Indicators in Environmental Risk Assessment of oil based discharges offshore.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanni, Steinar; Lyng, Emily; Pampanin, Daniela M

2017-06-01

Offshore oil and gas activities are required not to cause adverse environmental effects, and risk based management has been established to meet environmental standards. In some risk assessment schemes, Risk Indicators (RIs) are parameters to monitor the development of risk affecting factors. RIs have not yet been established in the Environmental Risk Assessment procedures for management of oil based discharges offshore. This paper evaluates the usefulness of biomarkers as RIs, based on their properties, existing laboratory biomarker data and assessment methods. Data shows several correlations between oil concentrations and biomarker responses, and assessment principles exist that qualify biomarkers for integration into risk procedures. Different ways that these existing biomarkers and methods can be applied as RIs in a probabilistic risk assessment system when linked with whole organism responses are discussed. This can be a useful approach to integrate biomarkers into probabilistic risk assessment related to oil based discharges, representing a potential supplement to information that biomarkers already provide about environmental impact and risk related to these kind of discharges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental risk in the offshore industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, I.T.; Shirley, D.; Bottelberghs, P.H.

1991-01-01

The subject of oil pollution of the sea by the offshore industry is topical as a result of recent incidents both in the U.K. and overseas. While these incidents have primarily involved crude carriers, it has led to pressure to quantify the risk to the environment from the offshore industry in general. In this paper a method for the assessment of the frequency and size of oil spills from offshore installations is presented. It relies on previously reported spills to determine spill size/frequency information for a range of offshore activities, such as transport by pipeline, drilling and processing. Modification factors are used so local conditions, such as the number of wells drilled, throughput and well depth, can be considered in the assessment of the oil spill risk from a particular installation

Technological change, depletion and environmental policy in the offshore oil and gas industry

Science.gov (United States)

Managi, Shunsuke

Technological change is central to maintaining standards of living in modern economies with finite resources and increasingly stringent environmental goals. Successful environmental policies can contribute to efficiency by encouraging, rather than inhibiting, technological innovation. However, little research to date has focused on the design and implementation of environmental regulations that encourage technological progress, or in insuring productivity improvements in the face of depletion of natural resources and increasing stringency of environmental regulations. This study models and measures productivity change, with an application to offshore oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico using Data Envelopment Analysis. This is an important application because energy resources are central to sustaining our economy. The net effects of technological progress and depletion on productivity of offshore oil and gas production are measured using a unique field-level set of data of production from all wells in the Gulf of Mexico over the time period from 1946--1998. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that technological progress has mitigated depletion effects over the study period, but the pattern differs from the conventional wisdom for nonrenewable resource industries. The Porter Hypothesis was recast, and revised version was tested. The Porter Hypothesis states that well designed environmental regulations can potentially contribute to productive efficiency in the long run by encouraging innovation. The Porter Hypothesis was recast to include market and nonmarket outputs. Our results support the recast version of Porter hypothesis, which examine productivity of joint production of market and environmental outputs. But we find no evidence for the standard formulation of the Porter hypothesis, that increased stringency of environmental regulation lead to increased productivity of market outputs and therefore increased industry profits. The model is used to

Environmental Impact of Offshore Gas Activities on the Benthic Environment: A Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Punzo, E; Gomiero, A; Tassetti, A N; Strafella, P; Santelli, A; Salvalaggio, V; Spagnolo, A; Scarcella, G; De Biasi, A M; Kozinkova, L; Fabi, G

2017-08-01

Multidisciplinary monitoring of the impact of offshore gas platforms on northern and central Adriatic marine ecosystems has been conducted since 1998. Beginning in 2006, 4-5 year investigations spanning the period before, during, and after rig installation have explored the effects of its construction and presence on macrozoobenthic communities, sediment, water quality, pollutant bioaccumulation, and fish assemblages. In this study, sediment samples collected at increasing distance from an offshore gas platform before, during and after its construction were subjected to chemical analysis and assessment of benthic communities. Ecological indices were calculated to evaluate the ecological status of the area. Ecotoxicological analysis of sediment was performed to establish whether pollutants are transferred to biota. The study applied a before-after control-impact design to assess the effects of rig construction and presence and provide reference data on the possible impacts of any further expansion of the gas extraction industry in the already heavily exploited Adriatic Sea. Only some of the metals investigated (barium, chromium, cadmium, and zinc) showed a different spatial and/or temporal distribution that may be platform-related. In the early phases, the sediment concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were below the detection limit at all sites; they then became detectable, but without significant spatial differences. The present findings suggest that the environmental effects of offshore gas platforms may be difficult to quantify, interpret, and generalize, because they are influenced by numerous, often local, abiotic, and biotic variables in different and unpredictable ways.

Environmental Impact of Offshore Gas Activities on the Benthic Environment: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Punzo, E.; Gomiero, A.; Tassetti, A. N.; Strafella, P.; Santelli, A.; Salvalaggio, V.; Spagnolo, A.; Scarcella, G.; De Biasi, A. M.; Kozinkova, L.; Fabi, G.

2017-08-01

Multidisciplinary monitoring of the impact of offshore gas platforms on northern and central Adriatic marine ecosystems has been conducted since 1998. Beginning in 2006, 4-5 year investigations spanning the period before, during, and after rig installation have explored the effects of its construction and presence on macrozoobenthic communities, sediment, water quality, pollutant bioaccumulation, and fish assemblages. In this study, sediment samples collected at increasing distance from an offshore gas platform before, during and after its construction were subjected to chemical analysis and assessment of benthic communities. Ecological indices were calculated to evaluate the ecological status of the area. Ecotoxicological analysis of sediment was performed to establish whether pollutants are transferred to biota. The study applied a before-after control-impact design to assess the effects of rig construction and presence and provide reference data on the possible impacts of any further expansion of the gas extraction industry in the already heavily exploited Adriatic Sea. Only some of the metals investigated (barium, chromium, cadmium, and zinc) showed a different spatial and/or temporal distribution that may be platform-related. In the early phases, the sediment concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were below the detection limit at all sites; they then became detectable, but without significant spatial differences. The present findings suggest that the environmental effects of offshore gas platforms may be difficult to quantify, interpret, and generalize, because they are influenced by numerous, often local, abiotic, and biotic variables in different and unpredictable ways.

Environmental Monitoring - Lillgrund Offshore Wind Farm. Lillgrund Pilot Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davy, Thomas (Vattenfall Vindkraft AB, Stockholm (Sweden))

2009-02-15

The purpose of this report is to describe the environmental monitoring measures performed for the Lillgrund Offshore Wind Farm and to summarize the results and conclusions. Construction work started in 2006 and the plant was energized in December 2007. At the time of construction Lillgrund was the third largest wind farm offshore in the world and the first large offshore wind farm in Sweden. The purpose of the environmental monitoring is to ensure that there are no negative impacts on the environment stemming from construction of the Lillgrund wind farm as well as to ensure that the conditions stated by the authorities and the Company's commitments are met. The aim is also to collect more information and knowledge on the possible environmental impact for future offshore wind farm projects. For the Lillgrund project, all monitoring programs were included in one document, Monitoring Program - Lillgrund. It was included as part of the procedures to ensure that the Swedish legal requirements on operators control were followed. The authorities approved the document before construction started. The monitoring measures performed during the construction phase included: - A feedback and monitoring program on dredging and spillage; - A feedback and monitoring program on flora and fauna; - Studies and inspections of the refilling and re-establishment of the sea bottom; - Procedure for operators control. The mean measured sediment spillage, as part of the monitoring program on dredging and spillage, varied between 4.6 - 4.8% depending on dredger used. The maximum value allowed by the conditions is 5%. In general, the calculated values for suspended material were limited and the critical value of 0.01 kg/m3 was exceeded only in minor areas for a very limited time. No corrective actions were required. The deposition of sediment was very low and even at the most effected sites it was only just over 1 mm. The largest dredging volumes were for the foundation work, in total 82

Environmental implications of offshore oil and gas development in Australia. Part 5; Coastal facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, K.P.; Brand, G.W.; Hammond, L.S.; Mourtikas, S.; Noyes-Fitzsimmons, R.L.; Smith, J.M.; Gwyther, D.; Richardson, B.J.

1994-01-01

It is emphasised that coastal facilities pertaining to petroleum exploration and production activities are of greater concern for potential deleterious environmental consequences than the offshore facilities. This is primarily because rates of dispersion and dilution of toxic wastes are generally lower in shallow coastal waters which are often subject to complex bathymetry, and more constricted water flows. The review found that the main processes (apart from oil spills) identified as having greatest potential environmental effect were: coastal discharges of produced water; sedimentation caused by dredging; spoil dumping; and pipe-laying activities. The review examines a wide range of marine environmental issues arising from the use of coastal-servicing facilities, including: practices and discharges during regular operation of coastal facilities; nature and extent of any environmental impact on the surrounding environment; and any deleterious effects stemming from these facilities. 194 refs., 13 tabs., 36 figs

Probabilistic scheduling of offshore operations using copula based environmental time series : An application for cable installation management for offshore wind farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leontaris, G.; Morales Napoles, O.; Wolfert, A.R.M.

2016-01-01

There are numerous uncertainties that impact offshore operations. However, environmental uncertainties concerning variables such as wave height and wind speed are crucial because these may affect installation and maintenance operations with potential delays and financial consequences. In order to

Offshore wind turbines Horns Rev. Evaluation of effects on the environment. (VVM) - VVM statement[Denmark]; Havmoeller Horns Rev. Vurdering af virkninger paa miljoeet. VVM-redegoerelse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-05-01

Several environmental investigations have been carried out, which provide the basis for the environmental descriptions and evaluations in this environmental impact statement. The environmental impact statement follows in its construction these instructions: The offshore wind turbine array; An alternative siting of the offshore wind turbine array and alternative landing points of the cable trace; The area and the surroundings, where the offshore wind turbine array might be sited and the area, where the landing cable might be placed; The consequences for the environment resulting from the offshore wind turbine array and the establishing and operation phase of the cable plant; The measures, which might be used to reduce any harmful effects on the environment; Proposal for succeeding measuring and monitoring program; A survey of short comings of the information and the evaluation of the environmental impact. (EHS)

Environmental education program for offshore employees; Projeto de educacao ambiental para empregados offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Antonio Carlos Pedrosa dos [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Unidade de Sistema de Sondagem Semi-Submersivel. Seguranca, Meio Ambiente e Saude; Osborne, Renata

2004-07-01

The Pedagogical Project of Environmental Education for Offshore Employees was developed in order to foster greater awareness of the environmental question and contribute towards the reduction of accidents. Main clients are contracted staff. This Project is carried out aboard marine units and consists of five modules with on- the-job classes (the option that it be conducted at the work site was the alternative chosen by the majority of participating employees). Subjects cover technical, historical and cultural matters connected with the environment and involve legislation, residues, energy, health and safety. In order to evaluate the course's receptivity and degree of understanding, a trial group was formed. During 2003, classes were conducted in 27 marine drilling units, 23 of which under contract. Total number of persons attending was 2.471, total number of class-hours being 246. After the course's conclusion, its strengths and weaknesses are evaluated in order to supply data for future improvements. In this way, subjects are always kept up to date and interest is maintained. (author)

Denmark - supplier of competitive offshore wind solutions. Megavind's strategy for offshore wind research, development and demonstration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-12-15

In May 2006, the Danish Government presented a report on promoting environmentally effective technology and established a number of innovative partnerships. The partnerships intend to strengthen public-private cooperation between the state, industry, universities and venture capital to accelerate innovation for a number of green technologies. The partnership for wind energy is called Megavind. Megavind's strategy for offshore wind describes the offshore challenges and suggests research, development and demonstration (RD and D) priorities to enable offshore wind power become to competitive with other energy technologies. The strategy lists key recommendations as well as key thematic priorities and for each of these a number of RD and D priorities. Under each thematic priority references are made to the European Strategic Energy Technology plan (SET-plan), which prioritises offshore wind RD and D in Europe. (LN)

Expected Effects of Offshore Wind Farms on Mediterranean Marine Life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Bray

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Current climate policy and issues of energy security mean wind farms are being built at an increasing rate to meet energy demand. As wind farm development is very likely in the Mediterranean Sea, we provide an assessment of the offshore wind potential and identify expected biological effects of such developments in the region. We break new ground here by identifying potential offshore wind farm (OWF “hotspots” in the Mediterranean. Using lessons learned in Northern Europe, and small-scale experiments in the Mediterranean, we identify sensitive species and habitats that will likely be influenced by OWFs in both these hotspot areas and at a basin level. This information will be valuable to guide policy governing OWF development and will inform the industry as and when environmental impact assessments are required for the Mediterranean Sea.

Environmental load factors and system strength evaluation of offshore jacket platforms

CERN Document Server

Nizamani, Zafarullah

2015-01-01

This book presents a study for the determination of environmental load factors for Jacket Platforms in Malaysia and a methodology to determine the life extension of aging platforms. The simplified methods described here could be used for determining not only structural reliability but also safety factors. Its content is particularly interesting to design and maintenance engineers who are working in offshore or onshore industry.

Ecological research on offshore wind energy development in the North and Baltic sea. Part: Environmental planning instruments: Environmental Impacts Assessment (EIA), Habitats Assessment and Strategic Environmetnal Assessment (SEA). Volumes 1-4 and final report; Oekologische Begleitforschung zur Windenergienutzung im Offshore-Bereich der Nord- und Ostsee. Teilbereich 'Instrumente des Umwelt- und Naturschutzes: Strategische Umweltpruefung, Umweltvertraeglichkeitspruefung und Flora-Fauna-Habitat-Vertraeglichkeitspruefung'. Band 1-4 und Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koeppel, J.; Langenheld, A.; Peters, W.; Wende, W.; Sommer, S.; Finger, A.; Koeller, J.; Kraetzschmer, D.; Kerber, N.; Mahlburg, S.; Mueller, C.

2003-07-01

Within the licensing procedure of offshore wind farms several environmental planning instruments have to be taken into account to assess the probable effects of turbines on the marine environment. So far only little experiences were available on how to fulfil legal and methodical demands with regard to these environmental planning instruments offshore. Hence it was the principle task of this project to analyse how instruments like the environmental impacts assessment (EIA), the habitats assessment and the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) can be adapted to the special conditions of the marine environment and the legal requirements of the licensing procedure in the German EEZ according to the offshore installations ordinance. Since according to the offshore installations ordinance the construction and operation of offshore wind farms can only be refused for environmental reasons when the marine environment is endangered, the project first investigated for different aspects of the marine environment (e.g. marine mammals, birds, benthos, visual landscape) which kind of conflicts can possibly be caused by the construction and operation of turbines and of which legal significance they are with regard to the licensing procedure. Referring to those environmental impacts which have been considered as relevant for the licensing procedure the state of knowledge has been investigated by means of expert interviews and literature research. Practicable starting points for the impact assessment were suggested. With regard to the required environmental assessment within the licensing procedure one result of the project is a structured documentation of the standard of knowledge (volume I). Further on the project developed proposals for the application of the planning instruments EIA, habitats assessment and SEA offshore based on legal regulations. The result is a catalogue of requirements regarding the content and proceedings of the instruments implementation in connection

Short-term ecological effects of an offshore wind farm in the Dutch coastal zone; a compilation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lindeboom, H.J.; Kouwenhoven, H.J.; Bergman, M.J.N.; Bouma, S.; Brasseur, S.; Daan, R.; Fijn, R.C.; de Haan, D.; Dirksen, S.; van Hal, R.; Hille Ris Lambers, R.; ter Hofstede, R.; Krijgsveld, K.L.; Leopold, M.; Scheidat, M.

2011-01-01

The number of offshore wind farms is increasing rapidly, leading to questions about the environmental impact of such farms. In the Netherlands, an extensive monitoring programme is being executed at the first offshore wind farm (Offshore Windfarm Egmond aan Zee, OWEZ). This letter compiles the

Effects of offshore wind farms on marine wildlife-a generalized impact assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bergstrom, L.; Kautsky, L.; Malm, T.

2014-01-01

study synthesizes the current state of understanding on the effects of offshore wind farms on marine wildlife, in order to identify general versus local conclusions in published studies. The results were translated into a generalized impact assessment for coastal waters in Sweden, which covers a range......, and level of certainty. Research on the environmental effects of offshore wind farms has gone through a rapid maturation and learning process, with the bulk of knowledge being developed within the past ten years. The studies showed a high level of consensus with respect to the construction phase, indicating...... that potential impacts on marine life should be carefully considered in marine spatial planning. Potential impacts during the operational phase were more locally variable, and could be either negative or positive depending on biological conditions as well as prevailing management goals. There was paucity...

Environmental implications of offshore oil and gas development in Australia. The finding of an independent scientific review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swan, J.M.; Neff, J.M.; Young, P.C.

1994-01-01

It is widely recognised that uncontrolled discharge of petroleum products or other materials from offshore oil and gas exploration and production wells, and from associated industrial operations including treatment and service facilities that are required to be on or near the coast, can have direct and sometimes deleterious impacts on the marine environment. In mid-1992, the Australian Petroleum Exploration Association (APEA) commissioned five scientific reviews to examine the environmental implications of offshore petroleum developments in Australia. The reviews, carried out by an Independent Scientific Review Committee on behalf of the Australian Petroleum Exploration Association (APEA) and the Energy Research and Development Corporation (ERDC) deal with: (1) the preliminary geophysical exploration of the sea bed and underlying strata using seismic surveys, and especially the effects of bursts of underwater sound energy on biological communities; (2) the drilling of offshore wells, especially the disposal of drilling fluids and drill cuttings; (3) the production of oil and gas from proven wells, especially the disposal of large quantities of produced formation water (fossil water); (4) the construction and operation of coastal support facilities and associated activities which might have consequences for marine habitats; (5) oil spills associated with any of the above operations and especially the likely short- and long-term effects of an accidental oil spill on marine biota and on the aesthetic and commercial values of an impacted coastline. Comments on the findings are preceded by a brief summary of background information, relevant technologies and the main implications for the marine environment. Some suggestions are provided for possible future research, monitoring and environmental management. refs., figs., tabs

Marine Fouling Assemblages on Offshore Gas Platforms in the Southern North Sea: Effects of Depth and Distance from Shore on Biodiversity.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Stap, Tim; Coolen, Joop W P; Lindeboom, Han J

2016-01-01

Offshore platforms are known to act as artificial reefs, though there is on-going debate on whether this effect is beneficial or harmful for the life in the surrounding marine environment. Knowing what species exist on and around the offshore platforms and what environmental variables influence this species assemblage is crucial for a better understanding of the impact of offshore platforms on marine life. Information on this is limited for offshore platforms in the southern North Sea. This study aims to fill this gap in our knowledge and to determine how the composition and the abundance of species assemblages changes with depth and along a distance-from-shore gradient. The species assemblages on five offshore gas platforms in the southern North Sea have been inventoried using Remotely Operated Vehicles inspection footage. A total of 30 taxa were identified. A Generalised Additive Model of the species richness showed a significant non-linear relation with water depth (p = 0.001): from a low richness in shallow waters it increases with depth until 15-20 m, after which richness decreases again. Using PERMANOVA, water depth (p≤0.001), community age (p≤0.001) and the interaction between distance from shore and community age (p≤0.001) showed a significant effect on the species assemblages. Future research should focus on the effect additional environmental variables have on the species assemblages.

Marine Fouling Assemblages on Offshore Gas Platforms in the Southern North Sea: Effects of Depth and Distance from Shore on Biodiversity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim van der Stap

Full Text Available Offshore platforms are known to act as artificial reefs, though there is on-going debate on whether this effect is beneficial or harmful for the life in the surrounding marine environment. Knowing what species exist on and around the offshore platforms and what environmental variables influence this species assemblage is crucial for a better understanding of the impact of offshore platforms on marine life. Information on this is limited for offshore platforms in the southern North Sea. This study aims to fill this gap in our knowledge and to determine how the composition and the abundance of species assemblages changes with depth and along a distance-from-shore gradient. The species assemblages on five offshore gas platforms in the southern North Sea have been inventoried using Remotely Operated Vehicles inspection footage. A total of 30 taxa were identified. A Generalised Additive Model of the species richness showed a significant non-linear relation with water depth (p = 0.001: from a low richness in shallow waters it increases with depth until 15-20 m, after which richness decreases again. Using PERMANOVA, water depth (p≤0.001, community age (p≤0.001 and the interaction between distance from shore and community age (p≤0.001 showed a significant effect on the species assemblages. Future research should focus on the effect additional environmental variables have on the species assemblages.

Marine Fouling Assemblages on Offshore Gas Platforms in the Southern North Sea: Effects of Depth and Distance from Shore on Biodiversity

Science.gov (United States)

van der Stap, Tim; Coolen, Joop W. P.; Lindeboom, Han J.

2016-01-01

Offshore platforms are known to act as artificial reefs, though there is on-going debate on whether this effect is beneficial or harmful for the life in the surrounding marine environment. Knowing what species exist on and around the offshore platforms and what environmental variables influence this species assemblage is crucial for a better understanding of the impact of offshore platforms on marine life. Information on this is limited for offshore platforms in the southern North Sea. This study aims to fill this gap in our knowledge and to determine how the composition and the abundance of species assemblages changes with depth and along a distance-from-shore gradient. The species assemblages on five offshore gas platforms in the southern North Sea have been inventoried using Remotely Operated Vehicles inspection footage. A total of 30 taxa were identified. A Generalised Additive Model of the species richness showed a significant non-linear relation with water depth (p = 0.001): from a low richness in shallow waters it increases with depth until 15–20 m, after which richness decreases again. Using PERMANOVA, water depth (p≤0.001), community age (p≤0.001) and the interaction between distance from shore and community age (p≤0.001) showed a significant effect on the species assemblages. Future research should focus on the effect additional environmental variables have on the species assemblages. PMID:26745870

Estimating environmental value losses from earth materials excavation and infilling for large-scale airport construction: a case of Dalian Offshore Airport, Dalian, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Hua-Kun; Wang, Nuo; Wu, Nuan; Song, Nan-Qi; Zhu, Dao-Li

2017-09-01

Large-scale airport construction removes large quantities of earth materials, resulting in serious environmental pollution and ecosystem damage. However, studies of environmental concerns caused by the materials used in airport construction are still preliminary, and those case studies on the impacts of large-scale offshore airport development are very limited. China's Dalian Offshore Airport is considered here to study the environmental value loss from 240 million m 3 of materials excavations and 21 km 2 of artificial island infillings. The findings show that the calculated annual environmental value loss for the development of the Dalian Offshore Airport is approximately US$7.75 million, including US$1.81 million and US$1.47 million of direct economic loss of timber resources and marine biology resources, respectively, and US$1.53 million and US$2.79 million value losses of forest and marine ecosystem services damaged caused by materials excavation and infilling, respectively. The conclusions of this study provide an important foundation to quantitatively analyse the environmental impact of the Dalian Offshore Airport's development and can be used as a reference for similar engineering and environment impact assessment programs.

Denmark - supplier of competitive offshore wind solutions. Megavind's strategy for offshore wind research, development and demonstration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-12-15

In May 2006, the Danish Government presented a report on promoting environmentally effective technology and established a number of innovative partnerships. The partnerships intend to strengthen public-private cooperation between the state, industry, universities and venture capital to accelerate innovation for a number of green technologies. The partnership for wind energy is called Megavind. Megavind's strategy for offshore wind describes the offshore challenges and suggests research, development and demonstration (RD and D) priorities to enable offshore wind power become to competitive with other energy technologies. The strategy lists key recommendations as well as key thematic priorities and for each of these a number of RD and D priorities. Under each thematic priority references are made to the European Strategic Energy Technology plan (SET-plan), which prioritises offshore wind RD and D in Europe. (LN)

Operational management of offshore energy assets

Science.gov (United States)

Kolios, A. J.; Martinez Luengo, M.

2016-02-01

Energy assets and especially those deployed offshore are subject to a variety of harsh operational and environmental conditions which lead to deterioration of their performance and structural capacity over time. The aim of reduction of CAPEX in new installations shifts focus to operational management to monitor and assess performance of critical assets ensuring their fitness for service throughout their service life and also to provide appropriate and effective information towards requalification or other end of life scenarios, optimizing the OPEX. Over the last decades, the offshore oil & gas industry has developed and applied various approaches in operational management of assets through Structural Health and Condition Monitoring (SHM/CM) systems which can be, at a certain level, transferable to offshore renewable installations. This paper aims to highlight the key differences between offshore oil & gas and renewable energy assets from a structural integrity and reliability perspective, provide a comprehensive overview of different approaches that are available and applicable, and distinguish the benefits of such systems in the efficient operation of offshore energy assets.

Environmental data for the planning of off-shore wind parks from the EnerGEO Platform of Integrated Assessment (PIA)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zelle, Hein; Mika, Agnes; Calkoen, Charles; Santbergen, Peter [BMT ARGOSS, Marknesse (Netherlands); Blanc, Isabelle; Guermont, Catherine; Menard, Lionel; Gschwind, Benoit [MINES ParisTech, Sophia Antipolis (France)

2013-07-01

The EU-sponsored EnerGEO project aims at providing decision makers with a modelling platform to assess the environmental impacts of different sources of renewable energy. One of the pillars of the project is the Wind Energy Pilot, addressing the effects of offshore wind parks on air pollution and energy use. The methods used in the pilot and the underlying environmental databases are integrated into a WebGIS client tool and made available to the public. This paper is dedicated to describing the environmental databases and supporting data incorporated in the client tool. A 27-km resolution, 11-year wind database is created using the WRF model. The wind database is used to assess the wind climate in the north-west Atlantic region and to derive the potential power output from offshore wind parks. Auxiliary data concerning water depth, distance to shore and distance to the nearest suitable port are created to aid the planning and maintenance phases. Seasonal workability conditions are assessed using a 20-year wave database. The distance at which future wind parks should be placed to exhibit different wind climates is investigated. (orig.)

Environmental data for the planning of off-shore wind parks from the EnerGEO Platform of Integrated Assessment (PIA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zelle, Hein; Mika, Agnes; Calkoen, Charles; Santbergen, Peter; Blanc, Isabelle; Guermont, Catherine; Menard, Lionel; Gschwind, Benoit

2013-01-01

The EU-sponsored EnerGEO project aims at providing decision makers with a modelling platform to assess the environmental impacts of different sources of renewable energy. One of the pillars of the project is the Wind Energy Pilot, addressing the effects of offshore wind parks on air pollution and energy use. The methods used in the pilot and the underlying environmental databases are integrated into a WebGIS client tool and made available to the public. This paper is dedicated to describing the environmental databases and supporting data incorporated in the client tool. A 27-km resolution, 11-year wind database is created using the WRF model. The wind database is used to assess the wind climate in the north-west Atlantic region and to derive the potential power output from offshore wind parks. Auxiliary data concerning water depth, distance to shore and distance to the nearest suitable port are created to aid the planning and maintenance phases. Seasonal workability conditions are assessed using a 20-year wave database. The distance at which future wind parks should be placed to exhibit different wind climates is investigated. (orig.)

Offshore wind turbine risk quantification/evaluation under extreme environmental conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taflanidis, Alexandros A.; Loukogeorgaki, Eva; Angelides, Demos C.

2013-01-01

A simulation-based framework is discussed in this paper for quantification/evaluation of risk and development of automated risk assessment tools, focusing on applications to offshore wind turbines under extreme environmental conditions. The framework is founded on a probabilistic characterization of the uncertainty in the models for the excitation, the turbine and its performance. Risk is then quantified as the expected value of some risk consequence measure over the probability distributions considered for the uncertain model parameters. Stochastic simulation is proposed for the risk assessment, corresponding to the evaluation of some associated probabilistic integral quantifying risk, as it allows for the adoption of comprehensive computational models for describing the dynamic turbine behavior. For improvement of the computational efficiency, a surrogate modeling approach is introduced based on moving least squares response surface approximations. The assessment is also extended to a probabilistic sensitivity analysis that identifies the importance of each of the uncertain model parameters, i.e. risk factors, towards the total risk as well as towards each of the failure modes contributing to this risk. The versatility and computational efficiency of the advocated approaches is finally exploited to support the development of standalone risk assessment applets for automated implementation of the probabilistic risk quantification/assessment. -- Highlights: ► A simulation-based risk quantification/assessment framework is discussed. ► Focus is on offshore wind turbines under extreme environmental conditions. ► Approach is founded on probabilistic description of excitation/system model parameters. ► Surrogate modeling is adopted for improved computational efficiency. ► Standalone risk assessment applets for automated implementation are supported

Marine fouling assemblages on offshore gas platforms in the southern North Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stap, van der Tim; Coolen, J.W.P.; Lindeboom, H.J.

2016-01-01

Offshore platforms are known to act as artificial reefs, though there is on-going debate on whether this effect is beneficial or harmful for the life in the surrounding marine environment. Knowing what species exist on and around the offshore platforms and what environmental variables influence this

Employment Effects of Service Offshoring: Evidence from Matched Firms

OpenAIRE

Rosario Crinò

2009-01-01

This paper studies the effects of service offshoring on the level and skill composition of domestic employment, using a rich data set of Italian firms and propensity score matching techniques. The results show that service offshoring has no effect on the level of employment but changes its composition in favor of high skilled workers.

Elsam. Offshore Wind Turbines. Horns Rev. Annual status report for the environmental monitoring programme 1. January 2004 - 31. December 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-07-01

In 2001, the former Ministry of the Environment and Energy granted Elsam A/S and Eltra A.m.b.A. approval to establish a wind farm capable of producing 160 MW of electric power, at Horns Rev, west of Blaevandshuk at the west coast of Jutland. According to the conditions of the approval, Elsam and Eltra were required to monitor the environmental effects of the wind farm by performing monitoring before, during and after construction of the wind farm. The environmental monitoring programme is financed through Public Service Obligation (PSO). Analogue to the Horns Rev wind farm another offshore demonstrational wind farm was established in the Baltic sea south of Lolland by Energi E2 the Nysted 165 MW offshore wind farm. To coordinate the environmental monitoring at the two demonstration wind farms at Nysted and Horns Rev within the framework of the approved budget, the Environmental Group of Danish Offshore Wind Farm Demonstration Projects was set up. The group consists of representatives from the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, the Danish Energy Authority, Elsam and Energi E2. The Environmental Group initiates, monitors and evaluates the environmental programmes continuously with respect to possible improvements and intensifications to ensure that the design of the individual programmes is optimal. After evaluation, the monitoring programmes are proposed by the Environmental Group and carried out after final approval by the Danish Energy Authority. The Environmental Group considers if there is reason to adjust the issues and priorities of the programmes based on previous experience or other inputs eg from the international expert panel, IAPEME (International Advisory Panel of Experts on Marine Ecology). IAPEME evaluates the environmental monitoring programmes and makes valuable suggestions and recommendations to the Environmental Group. The programmes have concentrated on the monitoring of possible impacts before, during and after construction to investigate and

Elsam. Offshore Wind Turbines. Horns Rev. Annual status report for the environmental monitoring programme 1. January 2004 - 31. December 2004

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-15

In 2001, the former Ministry of the Environment and Energy granted Elsam A/S and Eltra A.m.b.A. approval to establish a wind farm capable of producing 160 MW of electric power, at Horns Rev, west of Blaevandshuk at the west coast of Jutland. According to the conditions of the approval, Elsam and Eltra were required to monitor the environmental effects of the wind farm by performing monitoring before, during and after construction of the wind farm. The environmental monitoring programme is financed through Public Service Obligation (PSO). Analogue to the Horns Rev wind farm another offshore demonstrational wind farm was established in the Baltic sea south of Lolland by Energi E2 the Nysted 165 MW offshore wind farm. To coordinate the environmental monitoring at the two demonstration wind farms at Nysted and Horns Rev within the framework of the approved budget, the Environmental Group of Danish Offshore Wind Farm Demonstration Projects was set up. The group consists of representatives from the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, the Danish Energy Authority, Elsam and Energi E2. The Environmental Group initiates, monitors and evaluates the environmental programmes continuously with respect to possible improvements and intensifications to ensure that the design of the individual programmes is optimal. After evaluation, the monitoring programmes are proposed by the Environmental Group and carried out after final approval by the Danish Energy Authority. The Environmental Group considers if there is reason to adjust the issues and priorities of the programmes based on previous experience or other inputs eg from the international expert panel, IAPEME (International Advisory Panel of Experts on Marine Ecology). IAPEME evaluates the environmental monitoring programmes and makes valuable suggestions and recommendations to the Environmental Group. The programmes have concentrated on the monitoring of possible impacts before, during and after construction to investigate and

Effects of offshore wind farms on marine wildlife—a generalized impact assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Bergström, Lena; Kautsky, Lena; Malm, Torleif; Rosenberg, Rutger; Wahlberg, Magnus; Åstrand Capetillo, Nastassja; Wilhelmsson, Dan

2014-03-01

Marine management plans over the world express high expectations to the development of offshore wind energy. This would obviously contribute to renewable energy production, but potential conflicts with other usages of the marine landscape, as well as conservation interests, are evident. The present study synthesizes the current state of understanding on the effects of offshore wind farms on marine wildlife, in order to identify general versus local conclusions in published studies. The results were translated into a generalized impact assessment for coastal waters in Sweden, which covers a range of salinity conditions from marine to nearly fresh waters. Hence, the conclusions are potentially applicable to marine planning situations in various aquatic ecosystems. The assessment considered impact with respect to temporal and spatial extent of the pressure, effect within each ecosystem component, and level of certainty. Research on the environmental effects of offshore wind farms has gone through a rapid maturation and learning process, with the bulk of knowledge being developed within the past ten years. The studies showed a high level of consensus with respect to the construction phase, indicating that potential impacts on marine life should be carefully considered in marine spatial planning. Potential impacts during the operational phase were more locally variable, and could be either negative or positive depending on biological conditions as well as prevailing management goals. There was paucity in studies on cumulative impacts and long-term effects on the food web, as well as on combined effects with other human activities, such as the fisheries. These aspects remain key open issues for a sustainable marine spatial planning.

The ARGO Project: assessing NA-TECH risks on off-shore oil platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Capuano, Paolo; Basco, Anna; Di Ruocco, Angela; Esposito, Simona; Fusco, Giannetta; Garcia-Aristizabal, Alexander; Mercogliano, Paola; Salzano, Ernesto; Solaro, Giuseppe; Teofilo, Gianvito; Scandone, Paolo; Gasparini, Paolo

2017-04-01

ARGO (Analysis of natural and anthropogenic risks on off-shore oil platforms) is a 2 years project, funded by the DGS-UNMIG (Directorate General for Safety of Mining and Energy Activities - National Mining Office for Hydrocarbons and Georesources) of Italian Ministry of Economic Development. The project, coordinated by AMRA (Center for the Analysis and Monitoring of Environmental Risk), aims at providing technical support for the analysis of natural and anthropogenic risks on offshore oil platforms. In order to achieve this challenging objective, ARGO brings together climate experts, risk management experts, seismologists, geologists, chemical engineers, earth and coastal observation experts. ARGO has developed methodologies for the probabilistic analysis of industrial accidents triggered by natural events (NA-TECH) on offshore oil platforms in the Italian seas, including extreme events related to climate changes. Furthermore the environmental effect of offshore activities has been investigated, including: changes on seismicity and on the evolution of coastal areas close to offshore platforms. Then a probabilistic multi-risk framework has been developed for the analysis of NA-TECH events on offshore installations for hydrocarbon extraction.

ESTIMATION OF AGING EFFECTS OF PILES IN MALAYSIAN OFFSHORE LOCATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JERIN M. GEORGE

2017-04-01

Full Text Available An increasing demand for extending life and subsequently higher loading requirements of offshore jacket platforms are among the key problems faced by the offshore industry. The Aging effect has been proved to increase the axial capacity of piles, but proper methods to estimate and quantify these effects have not been developed. Borehole data from ten different Malaysian offshore locations have been analysed and they were employed to estimate the setup factor for different locations using AAU method. The setup factors found were used in the Skov and Denver equation to calculate capacity ratios of the offshore piles. The study showed that there will be an average improvement in the axial capacity of offshore piles by 42.2% and 34.9% for clayey and mixed soils respectively after a time equal to the normal design life (25 years of a jacket platform.

Dynamic analysis and design of offshore structures

CERN Document Server

Chandrasekaran, Srinivasan

2015-01-01

This book  attempts to provide readers with an overall idea of various types of offshore platform geometries. It covers the various environmental loads encountered by these structures, a detailed description of the fundamentals of structural dynamics in a class-room style, estimate of damping in offshore structures and their applications in the preliminary analysis and design. Basic concepts of structural dynamics are emphasized through simple illustrative examples and exercises. Design methodologies and guidelines, which are FORM based concepts are explained through a few applied example structures. Each chapter also has tutorials and exercises for self-learning. A dedicated chapter on stochastic dynamics will help the students to extend the basic concepts of structural dynamics to this advanced domain of research. Hydrodynamic response of offshore structures with perforated members is one of the recent research applications, which is found to be one of the effective manner of retrofitting offshore structur...

Making offshore industries greener: negotiating environmental policy in the Dutch oil and gas sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinssen, J.

1994-01-01

In this paper the negotiations between the Dutch Government and the oil and gas sector regarding environmental measures for the offshore industry are analysed. Dutch environmental policy is presently being developed via 'Target Group Management'. The instrument used in this approach is policy negotiations, resulting in covenants. By signing a covenant, both government and industry take responsibility for the development and implementation of a realistic environmental policy. Negotiating environmental policies, however, can be problematic. This relates to the delay in obtaining an integrated approach to environmental problems. It is not unlikely that, in the four years required for the negotiation process, a legally binding environmental law might also have been developed. It is concluded that the value of the covenant mainly depends on the goodwill of the parties involved. (Author)

Tuno Knob Offshore Wind Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madsen, P.S.

1996-01-01

In 1995 Midtkraft Power Company built Denmark's second offshore wind farm as a demonstration project. The project purpose is first of all to investigate the environmental aspects of offshore wind energy. The two primary objects are to study the impact on bird life and to test different methods for predicting the visual effect. The wind farm consists of 10 pitch-regulated Vestas V39 500 kW wind turbines placed on box caisson foundations in a shallow water area 6 km east of Jutland. The project has been implemented successfully under a very narrow time schedule, and during the first 6 months in operation, the production has been approx. 30% higher than expected. (author)

Power Curve Estimation With Multivariate Environmental Factors for Inland and Offshore Wind Farms

KAUST Repository

Lee, Giwhyun

2015-04-22

In the wind industry, a power curve refers to the functional relationship between the power output generated by a wind turbine and the wind speed at the time of power generation. Power curves are used in practice for a number of important tasks including predicting wind power production and assessing a turbine’s energy production efficiency. Nevertheless, actual wind power data indicate that the power output is affected by more than just wind speed. Several other environmental factors, such as wind direction, air density, humidity, turbulence intensity, and wind shears, have potential impact. Yet, in industry practice, as well as in the literature, current power curve models primarily consider wind speed and, sometimes, wind speed and direction. We propose an additive multivariate kernel method that can include the aforementioned environmental factors as a new power curve model. Our model provides, conditional on a given environmental condition, both the point estimation and density estimation of power output. It is able to capture the nonlinear relationships between environmental factors and the wind power output, as well as the high-order interaction effects among some of the environmental factors. Using operational data associated with four turbines in an inland wind farm and two turbines in an offshore wind farm, we demonstrate the improvement achieved by our kernel method.

Who greens the waves? Changing authority in the environmental governance of shipping and offshore oil and gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Leeuwen, J.

2010-01-01

The marine environment is under serious pressure from human activities. The transboundary and large-scale nature of these threats require cooperation between states, and between states, industries and NGOs. Marine governance therefore becomes a breeding ground for innovation: multi-level and multi-actor governance and changing spheres of authority. This book applies the concept 'spheres of authority' to investigate the nature of these innovations in governing shipping and offshore oil and gas production. In the environmental governance of shipping, authority is shifting from states that own ships to states that own ports. The environmental governance of offshore oil and gas production shows a shared authority for developing and implementing policies between state and industry, but not a diminishing authority of the state.

Effects of offshore wind farms on marine wildlife—a generalized impact assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergström, Lena; Kautsky, Lena; Malm, Torleif; Åstrand Capetillo, Nastassja; Rosenberg, Rutger; Wahlberg, Magnus; Wilhelmsson, Dan

2014-01-01

Marine management plans over the world express high expectations to the development of offshore wind energy. This would obviously contribute to renewable energy production, but potential conflicts with other usages of the marine landscape, as well as conservation interests, are evident. The present study synthesizes the current state of understanding on the effects of offshore wind farms on marine wildlife, in order to identify general versus local conclusions in published studies. The results were translated into a generalized impact assessment for coastal waters in Sweden, which covers a range of salinity conditions from marine to nearly fresh waters. Hence, the conclusions are potentially applicable to marine planning situations in various aquatic ecosystems. The assessment considered impact with respect to temporal and spatial extent of the pressure, effect within each ecosystem component, and level of certainty. Research on the environmental effects of offshore wind farms has gone through a rapid maturation and learning process, with the bulk of knowledge being developed within the past ten years. The studies showed a high level of consensus with respect to the construction phase, indicating that potential impacts on marine life should be carefully considered in marine spatial planning. Potential impacts during the operational phase were more locally variable, and could be either negative or positive depending on biological conditions as well as prevailing management goals. There was paucity in studies on cumulative impacts and long-term effects on the food web, as well as on combined effects with other human activities, such as the fisheries. These aspects remain key open issues for a sustainable marine spatial planning. (paper)

The EU Offshore Safety Directive and its potential effects. Opportunity or handicap?; Die EU Offshore Safety Directive und ihre moeglichen Auswirkungen. Chance oder Handicap?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwiederowski, Claudia [RWE Dea AG, Hamburg (Germany)

2014-07-01

The purpose of the EU Offshore Safety Directive, which took effect on 18 July 2013, is to define minimum requirements for the prevention of severe accidents in connection with offshore crude oil or natural gas activities of any kind and the containment of the follow-on effects of such accidents. This is without question a logical consequence of the offshore incidents seen around the globe over the past decades. An interesting question in this context is for whom the EU Offshore Safety Directive has become an opportunity and for whom a handicap. [German] Ziel der am 18. Juli 2013 in Kraft getretenen EU Offshore Safety Direktive ist die Festlegung von Mindestanforderungen fuer die Verhinderung schwerer Unfaelle bei Offshore-Erdoel- bzw. - Erdgasaktivitaeten und die Begrenzung etwaiger Unfallfolgen. Nach den weltweiten Offshore- Ereignissen der vergangenen Jahrzehnte ist dies ohne Zweifel eine logische Entwicklung. Nun stellt sich die Frage: Fuer wen entwickelt sich die EU Offshore Safety Directive zur Chance, fuer wen zum Handicap?.

Inadequate environmental monitoring around offshore oil and gas platforms on the Grand Bank of Eastern Canada: are risks to marine birds known?

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, C M; Montevecchi, W A; Wiese, F K

2012-08-15

Petroleum exploration and production on the Grand Bank of eastern Canada overlaps with productive marine habitat that supports over 40 million marine birds annually. Environmental assessments for oil and gas projects in the region predict insignificant adverse effects on marine birds from oil spills, incineration in platform flares and collisions. Limited baseline data on seasonal occupancies and a failure to quantify the nature and extent of marine bird attraction to platforms and related mortality undermines these assessments. We conducted 22 surveys to offshore platforms on the Grand Bank during 1999-2003 to measure avian associations with platforms and to determine the level of monitoring needed to assess the risks to marine birds. We document seasonal shifts in marine bird occurrences and higher densities of auks (fall) and shearwaters (summer) around platforms relative to surrounding areas. The limited temporal and spatial coverage of our surveys is more robust than existing industry monitoring efforts, yet it is still inadequate to quantify the scale of marine bird associations with platforms or their associated mortality risks. Systematic observations by independent biologists on vessels and platforms are needed to generate reliable assessments of risks to marine birds. Instead, the regulatory body for offshore oil and gas in eastern Canada (Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board; C-NLOPB) supports industry self-reporting as the accepted form of environmental monitoring. Conflicting responsibilities of oil and gas regulatory agencies for both energy development and environmental monitoring are major barriers to transparency, unbiased scientific inquiry and adequate environmental protection. Similar conflicts with the oil and gas regulatory body in the United States, the former Minerals and Management Service (MMS) were identified by the U.S. President as a major contributor to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The

Seminar on Offshore Activities and Shipping. V. 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mykletun, J.; Naerland, L.

1991-01-01

The publication presents proceedings from a conference addressing environmental challenges in connection with offshore activities and shipping. Fields being discussed are environmental protection management, and new or improved technologies being developed for controlling the air and water pollution level from tanker ships and offshore activities. 15 separate abstracts are prepared. 31 refs., 85 figs., 14 tabs

Deep Panuke offshore gas development comprehensive study report : Executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-10-01

A project was proposed by EnCana Corporation (EnCana) for the development of the Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Development Project. Located offshore the Scotian Shelf, approximately 175 kilometres southeast of Goldboro, Nova Scotia and 250 kilometres southeast of Halifax, the development of this natural gas reservoir would allow EnCana to derive economic benefit from licences issued under the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation (Nova Scotia) Act. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act required that a comprehensive study report be prepared, and the results were presented in this document. Consisting of three bottom-founded platforms in a water depth of approximately 40 metres, the wellhead platform would be used for dry wellheads, wellhead control system, and production manifolds. All power generation and processing equipment would be located on the production platform, and the accommodations platform would consist of the utilities, helicopter landing pad, refueling station and crew accommodations. It was determined that the Deep Panuke project was unlikely to result in adverse environmental effects. The offshore oil and gas industry in Atlantic Canada would benefit from this development as a result of the establishment of a viable facility and operation

Offshore finfish aquaculture in the United States: An examination of federal laws that could be used to address environmental and occupational public health risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Fry, Jillian P; Love, David C; Shukla, Arunima; Lee, Ryan M

2014-11-19

Half of the world's edible seafood comes from aquaculture, and the United States (US) government is working to develop an offshore finfish aquaculture industry in federal waters. To date, US aquaculture has largely been regulated at the state level, and creating an offshore aquaculture industry will require the development of a new regulatory structure. Some aquaculture practices involve hazardous working conditions and the use of veterinary drugs, agrochemicals, and questionable farming methods, which could raise environmental and occupational public health concerns if these methods are employed in the offshore finfish industry in the US. This policy analysis aims to inform public health professionals and other stakeholders in the policy debate regarding how offshore finfish aquaculture should be regulated in the US to protect human health; previous policy analyses on this topic have focused on environmental impacts. We identified 20 federal laws related to offshore finfish aquaculture, including 11 that are relevant to preventing, controlling, or monitoring potential public health risks. Given the novelty of the industry in the US, myriad relevant laws, and jurisdictional issues in an offshore setting, federal agencies need to work collaboratively and transparently to ensure that a comprehensive and functional regulatory structure is established that addresses the potential public health risks associated with this type of food production.

Governance of Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bringing together leading experts from various disciplines, this book offers a comprehensive study of the governance of offshore oil and gas activities in the circumpolar Arctic. As a consequence of energy globalisation, and of a sharp increase in world energy demand, the Arctic Ocean is also now...... being targeted for its offshore oil and gas resources, at the same time as an increasing demand for democratic legitimisation and recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples is emerging in the civil spheres of society. The volume analyses how, in the daunting context of climate change......, the interactions between the various levels of governance structure the policy process and impact on the efficiency of environmental management and the effectiveness of public participation, including the participation of indigenous peoples. Any governance system for Arctic offshore oil and gas activities...

Offshore wind power in Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holttinen, H. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1998-12-31

The objectives of the project were to estimate the technical offshore wind power potential of the Gulf of Bothnia, with cost assessments, to study icing conditions and ice loads, and to design a foundation suitable for the environmental conditions. The technical offshore potential from Vaasa to Tornio is huge, more than 40 TWh/a, although the cost of offshore wind power is still higher than on land. Wind turbines have not previously been designed for the icing conditions found in Gulf of Bothnia and the recommendations for load cases and siting of megawatt-class turbines are an important result of the project. (orig.)

Conference on offshore wind power in France and Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, Ronny; Furois, Timothee; Nolte, Nico; Lanoe, Frederic; Lehmann-Matthaei, Bjoern; Ifflaender, Andree; Courcambeck, Alexandre; Giese, Norbert; Kavafyan, Philippe; Bjaert, Niels; Wagner, Andreas; Guillet, Jerome

2014-01-01

The French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a conference on offshore wind power in France and Germany. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, about 120 participants exchanged views on the planning and authorisation procedures implemented in both countries and on the installation, connection to the grid and maintenance of offshore wind turbines. environmental impacts and usage conflicts linked with offshore wind farms exploitation were addressed as well. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - Update: Offshore Wind In Germany (Ronny Meyer); 2 - Offshore wind development in France (Timothee Furois); 3 - The Licensing Procedure for Offshore Wind Farms in the German EEZ (Nico Nolte); 4 - Spatial Planning and Permitting in France: What leverage for more efficiency? (Frederic Lanoe); 5 - Results of 10 years environmental research on FINO-platforms (Bjoern Lehmann-Matthaei); 6 - Offshore Grid Connection - Status Quo and Overview (Andree Ifflaender); 7 - Grid connection of Offshore Wind in France: Situation, perspectives and recommendations (Alexandre Courcambeck); 8 - Controlling risks and warranting safety: Best practices for the installation, exploitation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines (Norbert Giese); 9 - Offshore wind Bremerhaven experience: An essential asset for the development of a complete Wind Offshore industry in France (Philippe Kavafyan); 10 - Standardizing and Cost Reduction -Lessons Learned from London Array (Niels Bjaert); 11 - Offshore Wind energy in Germany: System Benefits and Cost Reduction Potentials. Presentation of study results from prognos/fichtner and Fraunhofer-IWeS (Andreas Wagner); 12 - Offshore Wind energy financing - opportunities and risks (Jerome Guillet)

Current trends in offshore technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korsgaard, J.

1994-01-01

Although this is a technical symposium concerning advances in the technology of producing oil and gas offshore, a keynote address would not be complete without mentioning non-technical factors which are extremely important for the business of producing oil and gas offshore. These are political factors and economic factors. Offshore operations are an easy target for political forces that are opposed to marine operations involving the production and transfer of hydrocarbons. For example, the oil pollution act of 1990 was a reaction to the Exxon Valdez grounding in Alaska and this act has added significantly to the risk and cost of operating offshore. Another example of this is that it is becoming more and more difficult to dispose of produced water offshore. Producing oil and gas offshore is a business that competes with other energy sources such as coal and oil and gas from wells on land. The offshore oil can only compete with these other resources by providing the same product at a competitive price. Since offshore operations are inherently more costly than land operations, the offshore oil field or gas field must be significantly larger than a land field in order to be produced. Also the offshore oil field or gas field is more susceptible to environmental risks from weather. On a more positive note, there are technical developments which are taking place and have continuously taken place to make offshore oil and gas both more economic and safer to produce. These developments are briefly discussed

Concept development for an environmental impact assessment for off-shore wind parks in the Baltic States. Project November 2007 - October 2009. Final report. Advisory assistance programme for environmental protection in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fammler, Heidrun; Kuris, Merle [Baltic Environmental Forum, Riga (Latvia)

2010-12-15

This is the final report of the project ''Concept development for an environmental impact assessment for off-shore wind parks in the Baltic States'', which was co-funded by the German Environmental Agency (project No 380 01 173). The main outcomes of the project are: - The ''Guidelines for the investigation of the impacts of offshore wind farms on the marine environment in the Baltic States'' developed by the Baltic Environmental Forum and German consultant Dr. Jan Kube in consultation with experts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The guidelines give an overview on potential negative impacts of offshore wind farms on the marine environment and general EIA and monitoring requirements as well as give detailed guidance on methodology for relevant field investigations. - The background paper ''Legal frame for the use of offshore wind energy in Germany'' prepared by RA'in Dr. Ursula Prall (April 2009) - 3 international workshops on different aspects related to establishment of offshore wind farms and assessment of their environmental impacts. (orig.)

Offshore Wind Energy in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Möller, Bernd; Hong, Lixuan; Hvelplund, Frede

for Denmark and invites to reconsider the technological and institutional choices made. Based on a continuous resource-economic model operating in a geographical information systems (GIS) environment, which describes resources, costs and area constraints in a spatially explicit way, the relation between......Offshore wind energy has developed in terms of turbine and project size, and currently undergoes a significant up-scaling to turbines and parks at greater distance to shore and deeper waters. Expectations to the positive effect of economies of scale on power production costs, however, have...... availability of locations, driven by accelerating requirements of environmental concern, park size and public acceptance, is one important driver. Mounting risk of mega-projects and the infinite demand for renewable energy is another likely cause. The present paper addresses the scale of offshore wind parks...

Horns Rev offshore wind farm. Environmental impact assessment of sea bottom and marine biology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leonhard, S.B.

2000-03-15

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of a planned 150 MW offshore wind farm at Horns Rev has been carried out for the marine biology and sea bottom in the area, and includes vegetation and benthic fauna. The study forms part of a total EIA of the planned offshore wind farm. This EIA study has been drawn up in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Environment and Energy in the publication, 'Guidelines for preparation of EIAstudies for offshore wind farms. Horns Rev is situated off Blaevands Huk, which is Denmark's most westerly point. It is a shallow reef with water depths between 2 and 9 metres and is primarily composed of sand, gravel and pebbles. The area designated for the wind farm lies directly south of Horns Rev and is dominated by sand with a median particle size of 0.3 mm. Along the edges, towards areas of greater depth, the particle size increases. There are areas of fine sand in the deepest area, and in isolated pockets within the proposed wind farm site. The sediment is characterised by a very low (<1%) organic matter content. On the basis of the expected impact from the establishment of the wind farm, it is not deemed necessary to carry out special programmes during the construction phase for monitoring of the environmental-biological conditions. A monitoring and control programme is recommended during the production phase in order to follow the copper concentration in bivalves, or alternatively to initiate recovery or elimination of the copper-laden waste. A control programme is recommended during the production phase in order to follow the establishment and succession of the fouling community on the wind turbine foundations and scour-protecting revetments. (BA)

Horns Rev offshore wind farm. Environmental impact assessment of sea bottom and marine biology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leonhard, S B

2000-03-15

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of a planned 150 MW offshore wind farm at Horns Rev has been carried out for the marine biology and sea bottom in the area, and includes vegetation and benthic fauna. The study forms part of a total EIA of the planned offshore wind farm. This EIA study has been drawn up in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Environment and Energy in the publication, 'Guidelines for preparation of EIAstudies for offshore wind farms. Horns Rev is situated off Blaevands Huk, which is Denmark's most westerly point. It is a shallow reef with water depths between 2 and 9 metres and is primarily composed of sand, gravel and pebbles. The area designated for the wind farm lies directly south of Horns Rev and is dominated by sand with a median particle size of 0.3 mm. Along the edges, towards areas of greater depth, the particle size increases. There are areas of fine sand in the deepest area, and in isolated pockets within the proposed wind farm site. The sediment is characterised by a very low (<1%) organic matter content. On the basis of the expected impact from the establishment of the wind farm, it is not deemed necessary to carry out special programmes during the construction phase for monitoring of the environmental-biological conditions. A monitoring and control programme is recommended during the production phase in order to follow the copper concentration in bivalves, or alternatively to initiate recovery or elimination of the copper-laden waste. A control programme is recommended during the production phase in order to follow the establishment and succession of the fouling community on the wind turbine foundations and scour-protecting revetments. (BA)

Developing effective environmental and oil spill management for remote locations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, J.P.; Wardrop, J.; Kilborn, A.

1994-01-01

Historically, Exploration and Production (E and P) operators' environmental philosophy was a consequence of environmental damages, actual and perceived, caused by hydrocarbon spills. Pertamina/Maxus Southeast Sumatra, Inc. (Maxus), the largest offshore E and P operator in Indonesia has adopted a proactive philosophy as they operate offshore production and shipping facilities immediately adjacent to the Pulau Seribu (Thousand Island) National Marine Park and approximately 30 kilometers from the Southeast Sumatra coast. These ecosystems are of great concern to Indonesia and Maxus as they comprise approximately 250 km of tropical, sparsely inhabited coastline, 106 coral and lagoon islands, and habitats for numerous endangered species. This paper describes the contract zone within which Maxus operates; the environmental risks associated with E and P in this region; and Maxus' response to management of those risks. A significant component of Maxus' overall response has been the ESACOC project (Environmental Sensitivity and Characterization of Crude) undertaken during 1993. ESACOC is described here in regard to the use and interrelation of remote sensing, in-depth laboratory studies, and development of new sensitivity rankings techniques into one computer program for effective environmental and oil spill management. ESACOC illustrates the synthesis of seemingly diverse and unrelated data to develop an effective environmental management plan

Offshore Finfish Aquaculture in the United States: An Examination of Federal Laws That Could be Used to Address Environmental and Occupational Public Health Risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jillian P. Fry

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Half of the world’s edible seafood comes from aquaculture, and the United States (US government is working to develop an offshore finfish aquaculture industry in federal waters. To date, US aquaculture has largely been regulated at the state level, and creating an offshore aquaculture industry will require the development of a new regulatory structure. Some aquaculture practices involve hazardous working conditions and the use of veterinary drugs, agrochemicals, and questionable farming methods, which could raise environmental and occupational public health concerns if these methods are employed in the offshore finfish industry in the US. This policy analysis aims to inform public health professionals and other stakeholders in the policy debate regarding how offshore finfish aquaculture should be regulated in the US to protect human health; previous policy analyses on this topic have focused on environmental impacts. We identified 20 federal laws related to offshore finfish aquaculture, including 11 that are relevant to preventing, controlling, or monitoring potential public health risks. Given the novelty of the industry in the US, myriad relevant laws, and jurisdictional issues in an offshore setting, federal agencies need to work collaboratively and transparently to ensure that a comprehensive and functional regulatory structure is established that addresses the potential public health risks associated with this type of food production.

Life cycle assessment of the offshore wind farm alpha ventus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, Hermann-Josef; Baack, Christoph; Eickelkamp, Timo; Epe, Alexa; Lohmann, Jessica; Troy, Stefanie

2011-01-01

Due to better wind conditions at sea, offshore wind farms have the advantage of higher electricity production compared to onshore and inland wind farms. In contrast, a greater material input, leading to increased energy consumptions and emissions during the production phase, is required to build offshore wind farms. These contrary effects are investigated for the first German offshore wind farm alpha ventus in the North Sea. In a life cycle assessment its environmental influence is compared to that of Germany's electricity mix. In comparison to the mix, alpha ventus had better indicators in nearly every investigated impact category. One kilowatt-hour electricity, generated by the wind farm, was burdened with 0.137 kWh Primary Energy-Equivalent and 32 g CO 2 -Equivalent, which represented only a small proportion of the accordant values for the mix. Furthermore, the offshore foundations as well as the submarine cable were the main energy intensive components. The energetic and greenhouse gas payback period was less than one year. Therefore, offshore wind power, even in deep water, is compatible with the switch to sustainable electricity production relying on renewable energies. Additional research, taking backup power plants as well as increasingly required energy storage systems into account, will allow further calculation. -- Highlights: → Offshore wind energy represents an environmentally friendly way of power generation. → The offshore foundations and the submarine cable are energy intensive components. → Alpha ventus emits 30 g CO 2 per kWh electricity over the entire life cycle. → Less specific emissions occur in comparison to the existing German electricity grid. → The energetic and greenhouse gas payback periods are less than one year.

Development application guidelines : Newfoundland offshore area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1988-12-01

The Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board has created a set of guidelines which describe the information needed by the Board to process a development application by a proponent of an offshore hydrocarbon development project. The guidelines also describe the review process that will be followed in considering a proponent`s application. Proponents must also refer to the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation (Newfoundland) Act. These guidelines also describe the requirements for the Canada-Newfoundland benefits plan, the environmental impact statement, the socio-economic impact statement, the safety plan, and the environmental protection plan.

Decommissioning of offshore installations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oeen, Sigrun; Iversen, Per Erik; Stokke, Reidunn; Nielsen, Frantz; Henriksen, Thor; Natvig, Henning; Dretvik, Oeystein; Martinsen, Finn; Bakke, Gunnstein

2010-07-01

and requirements that should be considered in the regulation of decommissioning facilities for offshore installations. These facilities need sound expertise to be able to identify and deal with different types of waste, including hazardous waste such as heavy metals, other hazardous substances, low specific activity (LSA) radioactive material and asbestos. Facilities must be designed to allow safe handling of such waste, with no risk of runoff or infiltration into the soil. In addition, a decommissioning facility should have an effective collection system and an on-site treatment plant for contaminated water, including surface water. Each facility must have a sampling and analysis programme to monitor releases of the most relevant pollutants. The need for an environmental monitoring programme to follow developments in the recipient should also be considered. Other factors that must be closely monitored include noise and releases to air in connection with metal cutting and other operations. Moreover, decommissioning contracts must ensure that the costs of handling hazardous waste are met by the offshore operators. When decommissioning facilities for offshore installations are being sited, other interests must also be taken into account; for example, the use of nearby areas for housing, holiday housing or recreation. In addition, the implications for other sectors such as fisheries and agriculture must be taken into consideration. These are important issues that the municipalities must consider when preparing zoning plans and drawing up environmental impact assessments. In many cases, a regional authority is in a better position than a national one to make overall, cross-sectoral assessments of developments within the region. Nevertheless, the report recommends transferring the authority for regulating decommissioning facilities for offshore installations from the County Governors to the Climate and Pollution Agency. Regulating these facilities requires special

Indian offshore wind energy policy - lessons from Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mani, S.; Dhingra, T. [Univ. of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun (India)

2012-07-01

Indian Economy is growing at 8% for the past few years and is expected to continue this momentum into the foreseeable future. To sustain this growth, power sector needs to build additional generation capacity at an unprecedented pace. However, continued dependence on fossil fuels (especially Coal and Oil) to power the growth of electricity generation capacity, is hardly sustainable in the long run. The reasons are well known - Environmental concerns, depleting fossil fuel resources, excessive dependency on Oil imports - that it hardly merits repetition. Renewable Energy source forms a miniscule portion (25 GW, {approx} 12%) of India's overall Energy consumption today (202 GW). The share of wind energy (17 GW) is 67% of the total renewable energy basket. But the contribution from offshore wind farms is non-existent, as all the wind energy generated in India is only through onshore Wind farms. India needs a policy framework to encourage the development of offshore wind farms. Several European countries, most notably the UK, Germany and Denmark, have effective offshore wind energy policies that have helped them to accelerate the growth of their offshore wind energy sector. This paper does an exhaustive study to identify the building blocks of a successful offshore wind energy policy initiative adopted by selected European countries, which can be leveraged by India to articulate its own offshore wind energy policy. This paper also suggests a model to predict the log-odds of growth of offshore wind energy sector in India. (Author)

Services Offshoring and Its Strategic Effects on Value Chains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Roberto Gião

2008-07-01

Full Text Available This article’s main objective is to examine some known management theories under the offshoring point of view. It detaches some factors in existing theories and how they can be at risk in an increasing offshoring of services processes. In the absence of more systematic studies about the effects of offshoring over value chain and core competencies imprecise borders and definitions, we try to interpret them in a holistic manner and stimulate discussions in a new area of study rather than to provide definitive general conclusions. The methodological aspects mainly concerning the offshoring bibliography are very impressive, especially since 2000. There seems to be a new trend appearing, like a wedge between strategy and international business theories, or that at least complements these theories. The analysis presented in this paper is offered as an aid to systematic investigation involving value chains, core competencies, innovations and the accelerated process of offshore outsourcing of services. Some preliminary evidence showed countries and companies in good conditions to improve their participation in the international market. The internationalization of these new firms from emerging countries and their learning process may need extension to existing theories, at least from the perspective of emerging and in the developing world.

Reverse logistics applied to offshore exploration drilling; A logistica reversa aplicada as operacoes de perfuracao exploratoria 'offshore'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho, Paulo Roberto dos Santos; Silva, Douglas Resende Teixeira da [Repsol YPF Brasil S.A. - Unidade de Negocios. Exploracao e Producao(Brazil); Moyano, Ignacio Sanchez [Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain); Ferreira Filho, Virgilio Jose Martins; Valle, Rogerio [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE)

2008-07-01

Reverse Logistic manages the return of resources and related information to production unities, after their use. Nowadays, it includes a special focus on environmental implications of used products, such as waste recycling or disposal. This paper considers the feasibility of reverse logistics for offshore exploration drilling activities, involving environmental aspects such as recycling, reuse of products after utilization and reduction of raw materials requirements. Although in Brazil the environmental licensing demands oil companies to have an organized management of their waste (requiring a total control over the final destination of the waste), costs and possible returns for waste management are considered negligible, in face of high oil prices and limited availability of offshore drilling rigs. Consequently, any potential benefit from its efficient management, or even reuse or trade, is not taken into account during the operation planning stage. The paper proposes Life Cycle Management as a continuous improvement management system aimed to minimize the environmental and socio-economic burdens associated with oil offshore production throughout its entire life cycle and value chain, that could provide cost-cuts such as a reduction in raw materials needs through reuse of waste, or even as a real income if selling the waste and/or recycled materials. (author)

Tidal influence on offshore wind fields and resource predictions[Efficient Development of Offshore Windfarms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khan, D. [Entec UK Ltd., Doherty Innovation Centre, Penicuik (United Kingdom); Infield, D. [Loughborough Univ., Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Tecnology, Loughborough (United Kingdom)

2002-03-01

The rise and fall of the sea surface due to tides effectively moves an offshore wind turbine hub through the wind shear profile. This effect is quantified using measured data from 3 offshore UK sites. Statistical evidence of the influence of tide on mean wind speed and turbulence is presented. The implications of this effect for predicting offshore wind resource are outlined. (au)

World offshore energy loss statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, Mark J.

2007-01-01

Offshore operations present a unique set of environmental conditions and adverse exposure not observed in a land environment taking place in a confined space in a hostile environment under the constant danger of catastrophe and loss. It is possible to engineer some risks to a very low threshold of probability, but losses and unforeseen events can never be entirely eliminated because of cost considerations, the human factor, and environmental uncertainty. Risk events occur infrequently but have the potential of generating large losses, as evident by the 2005 hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico, which was the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of offshore production. The purpose of this paper is to provide a statistical assessment of energy losses in offshore basins using the Willis Energy Loss database. A description of the loss categories and causes of property damage are provided, followed by a statistical assessment of damage and loss broken out by region, cause, and loss category for the time horizon 1970-2004. The impact of the 2004-2005 hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico is summarized

Effectiveness of Software Quality Assurance in Offshore Development Enterprises in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Malinda G. Sirisena

2014-01-01

The aim of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of software quality assurance approaches of Sri Lankan offshore software development organizations, and to propose a framework which could be used across all offshore software development organizations. An empirical study was conducted using derived framework from popular software quality evaluation models. The research instrument employed was a questionnaire survey among thirty seven Sri Lankan registered offshore software develop...

From Offshoring to Backshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Slepniov, Dmitrij; Madsen, Erik Skov

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of offshoring over time. The paper employs qualitative methodology and on the basis of two case studies of Danish companies, it develops a framework conceptualizing the stages of offshoring and highlights the factors driving the transition...... between these stages. The framework challenges the linear nature of offshoring and proposes the existence of ‘the pendulum effect’. The pendulum effect suggests that the modes of offshoring (i.e. captive and non-captive) and geographies of offshoring (i.e. home and abroad) are not static; rather...

Clean Sea Wind. Vision of nature and environmental orgnizations on the development of wind turbine arrays and offshore; Frisse Zeewind. Visie van de natuur- en milieuorganisaties op de ontwikkeling van windturbine park en offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-05-01

This brochure contains the point of view of several nature and environmental organizations in the Netherlands with respect to offshore windenergy (i.e. outside the 12 seamiles zone). It is their opinion that social and public support for offshore wind energy must be as large as possible. A development plan is drafted which pleads for development of offshore wind energy in phases, taking into consideration all the impacts on nature, safety and landscapes. [Dutch] Deze brochure bevat het standpunt van diverse natuur- en milieuorganisaties in Nederland over de ontwikkeling van offshore windenergie (buiten de 12 zeemijlszone). Zij steunen de beleidsdoelstelling van de Nederlandse regering om tot 2020 6000 MW aan windenergie op zee te realiseren, vanwege de noodzaak de uitstoot van CO2 sterk te verminderen. Naar hun mening is het van groot belang dat het draagvlak voor offshore windenergie zo groot mogelijk is. Daarvoor dienen de effecten op natuur, veiligheid en landschap zo beperkt mogelijk te zijn en daardoor maatschappelijk aanvaardbaar. Op dit moment is er weinig bekend over deze effecten, omdat er nog bijna geen ervaring is met offshore windenergie. In deze brochure wordt een ontwikkelingsplan gepresenteerd, waarin wordt gepleit voor het ontwikkelen van offshore windenergie in fasen. Deze aanpak gaat uit van een voorzichtig maar doortastend begin, om te vermijden dat er in enig stadium verkeerde keuzen worden gemaakt voor natuur, landschap of veiligheid. Met zo'n gefaseerde aanpak kan bovendien optimaal worden ingespeeld op de ontwikkeling van de techniek. Door een zorgvuldige aanpak is het draagvlak voor offshore windenergie gewaarborgd en zal er sprake zijn van echte duurzame, groene stroom.

Life cycle assessment of offshore and onshore sited wind farms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-10-15

This report makes up the final reporting for the project 'Life cycle assessment (LCA) of turbines Analysis of possibilities of product directed environmental optimisation'. The purpose of the project is to carry through a life cycle assessment of an offshore wind farm and an onshore wind farm, respectively, as a basis for assessment of environmental improvement possibilities for wind farms through their life cycles. Likewise, the results are used to elaborate an environmental declaration of contents for power delivered to the grid from both types of wind farms. The project states the environmental impact for electricity produced at Horns Reef offshore wind farm and Tjaereborg onshore wind farm, respectively, as representatives for contemporary Danish offshore wind farms and onshore wind farms, respectively. Tjaereborg onshore wind farm is placed at an utmost favourably location with regard to wind, which means that the production at this wind farm is high compared with other onshore wind farms in Denmark. The high production rate is a factor that is taken into account when assessing the impact on the environment emanating from this wind farm. The results of the environmental life cycle assessments that have been carried out for the two wind farms do not show significant variance. If it is taken into account that Tjaereborg onshore wind farm is placed utmost favourably, the comparison shows that power from an average located onshore wind farm would have a more adverse or corresponding environmental impact as an unfavourably located offshore wind farm. The results show that it is the turbines that causes the largest environmental impact and not to a very high extent the transmission grid. For the turbines, the all-important environmental contribution comes from manufacturing and removal of the turbines, as it is the materials that cause the large environmental strain. The operation of the wind farms gives practically no contribution to the total

The effects of second-order hydrodynamics on a semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayati, I; Jonkman, J; Robertson, A; Platt, A

2014-01-01

The objective of this paper is to assess the second-order hydrodynamic effects on a semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine. Second-order hydrodynamics induce loads and motions at the sum- and difference-frequencies of the incident waves. These effects have often been ignored in offshore wind analysis, under the assumption that they are significantly smaller than first-order effects. The sum- and difference-frequency loads can, however, excite eigenfrequencies of a floating system, leading to large oscillations that strain the mooring system or vibrations that cause fatigue damage to the structure. Observations of supposed second-order responses in wave-tank tests performed by the DeepCwind consortium at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) offshore basin suggest that these effects might be more important than originally expected. These observations inspired interest in investigating how second-order excitation affects floating offshore wind turbines and whether second-order hydrodynamics should be included in offshore wind simulation tools like FAST. In this work, the effects of second-order hydrodynamics on a floating semisubmersible offshore wind turbine are investigated. Because FAST is currently unable to account for second-order effects, a method to assess these effects was applied in which linearized properties of the floating wind system derived from FAST (including the 6x6 mass and stiffness matrices) are used by WAMIT to solve the first- and second-order hydrodynamics problems in the frequency domain. The method was applied to the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation OC4-DeepCwind semisubmersible platform, supporting the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's 5-MW baseline wind turbine. In this paper, the loads and response of the system caused by the second-order hydrodynamics are analysed and compared to the first-order hydrodynamic loads and induced motions in the frequency domain. Further, the second

Offshore Aquaculture Development in Ecuador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julio López Alvarado

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Ecuador has a long tradition in aquaculture, mainly related to the cultivation of shrimp and tilapia in earthen ponds. Land-based production methods have a large environmental, economic and social impact due to the extensive use of land and its effects on the ecosystems. In order to increase the production of fish without further land use and with a lower environmental impact, a good alternative is the culture of fish in floating cages, adopting technologies used successfully in many other countries. This article analyses the current situation of offshore aquaculture (the production of fish and other aquatic organisms in the open sea in Ecuador, and the prospects for the future of this sector in the country.

Effect of Second-Order Hydrodynamics on a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roald, L.; Jonkman, J.; Robertson, A.

2014-05-01

The design of offshore floating wind turbines uses design codes that can simulate the entire coupled system behavior. At the present, most codes include only first-order hydrodynamics, which induce forces and motions varying with the same frequency as the incident waves. Effects due to second- and higher-order hydrodynamics are often ignored in the offshore industry, because the forces induced typically are smaller than the first-order forces. In this report, first- and second-order hydrodynamic analysis used in the offshore oil and gas industry is applied to two different wind turbine concepts--a spar and a tension leg platform.

Motion Performance and Mooring System of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jing Zhao; Liang Zhang; Haitao Wu

2012-01-01

The development of offshore wind farms was originally carried out in shallow water areas with fixed (seabed mounted) structures.However,countries with limited shallow water areas require innovative floating platforms to deploy wind turbines offshore in order to harness wind energy to generate electricity in deep seas.The performances of motion and mooring system dynamics are vital to designing a cost effective and durable floating platform.This paper describes a numerical model to simulate dynamic behavior of a new semi-submersible type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) system.The wind turbine was modeled as a wind block with a certain thrust coefficient,and the hydrodynamics and mooring system dynamics of the platform were calculated by SESAM software.The effect of change in environmental conditions on the dynamic response of the system under wave and wind loading was examined.The results indicate that the semi-submersible concept has excellent performance and SESAM could be an effective tool for floating wind turbine design and analysis.

Motion performance and mooring system of a floating offshore wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jing; Zhang, Liang; Wu, Haitao

2012-09-01

The development of offshore wind farms was originally carried out in shallow water areas with fixed (seabed mounted) structures. However, countries with limited shallow water areas require innovative floating platforms to deploy wind turbines offshore in order to harness wind energy to generate electricity in deep seas. The performances of motion and mooring system dynamics are vital to designing a cost effective and durable floating platform. This paper describes a numerical model to simulate dynamic behavior of a new semi-submersible type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) system. The wind turbine was modeled as a wind block with a certain thrust coefficient, and the hydrodynamics and mooring system dynamics of the platform were calculated by SESAM software. The effect of change in environmental conditions on the dynamic response of the system under wave and wind loading was examined. The results indicate that the semi-submersible concept has excellent performance and SESAM could be an effective tool for floating wind turbine design and analysis.

Reverse logistics applied to offshore exploration drilling; A logistica reversa aplicada as operacoes de perfuracao exploratoria 'offshore'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho, Paulo Roberto dos Santos; Silva, Douglas Resende Teixeira da [Repsol YPF Brasil S.A. - Unidade de Negocios. Exploracao e Producao(Brazil); Moyano, Ignacio Sanchez [Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain); Ferreira Filho, Virgilio Jose Martins; Valle, Rogerio [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE)

2008-07-01

Reverse Logistic manages the return of resources and related information to production unities, after their use. Nowadays, it includes a special focus on environmental implications of used products, such as waste recycling or disposal. This paper considers the feasibility of reverse logistics for offshore exploration drilling activities, involving environmental aspects such as recycling, reuse of products after utilization and reduction of raw materials requirements. Although in Brazil the environmental licensing demands oil companies to have an organized management of their waste (requiring a total control over the final destination of the waste), costs and possible returns for waste management are considered negligible, in face of high oil prices and limited availability of offshore drilling rigs. Consequently, any potential benefit from its efficient management, or even reuse or trade, is not taken into account during the operation planning stage. The paper proposes Life Cycle Management as a continuous improvement management system aimed to minimize the environmental and socio-economic burdens associated with oil offshore production throughout its entire life cycle and value chain, that could provide cost-cuts such as a reduction in raw materials needs through reuse of waste, or even as a real income if selling the waste and/or recycled materials. (author)

Effects on harbour porpoises from Roedsand 2 Off-shore Wind Farm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teilmann, J.; Tougaard, J.; Carstensen, J.

2012-11-15

E.ON Vind Sverige has been commissioned the construction of Roedsand 2 Offshore Wind Farm comprising 90 wind turbines, south of Lolland-Falster, Denmark. The location of the wind farm is 3 km west of the existing Nysted Offshore Wind Farm with 72 turbines. In combination the two wind farms represents the largest wind farm area in the world. Porpoises were monitored by automatic acoustic dataloggers (T-PODs) according to a statistical BACI design and deployed during baseline (Sep 2008-Feb 2009) and during operation (Sep 2011-Mar 2012). These instruments were deployed at 10 stations covering a coastal stretch of 35 km from Gedser to Roedby, including the wind farm area with reference areas on both sides. In addition, background noise at four of the T-POD stations was recorded by automatic noise loggers. In order to assess the potential cumulative effect of two adjacent wind farms, similar data from the Nysted Offshore Wind Farm were also analysed. We found no overall change in echolocation activity over the entire monitoring area from baseline to operation of Roedsand 2 Offshore Wind Farm. Also, there was no significant change in the echolocation activity in Roedsand 2 Offshore Wind Farm relative to each or a combination of the three reference areas, i.e. changes from baseline to operation were similar in the impact and reference areas. Also no significant change in noise levels audible to porpoises was found. This could be due to a generally high noise level in the area, masking the turbine noise or that the noise loggers in the wind farm were deployed between the wind turbines, i.e. at distances {approx}350-450 m from the turbines. This study also shows that the echolocation activity is still significantly lower in Nysted Offshore Wind Farm since the baseline in 2001-2002, although the difference seem to gradually diminish possibly due to a habituation of the porpoises to the wind farm or better feeding posibilities. We found no cumulative effect of the two wind

Offshoring research directions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Velthuijsen, Hugo

2012-01-01

Outsourcing and offshoring provide companies with ways to achieve their business objectives better or more cost effectively or despite a shortage of specific resources. From a research point of view, outsourcing and offshoring have mostly been studied as something that large companies do, not small

Import, Offshoring and Wages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fosse, Henrik Barslund; Maitra, Madhura

Offshoring firms are found to pay higher average wages than purely domestic firms. We provide a unifying empirical approach by capturing the different channels through which offshoring may explain this wage difference: (i) due to change in the composition of workers (skill composition effect) (ii......) because all existing workers get higher pay (rent sharing effect). Using Danish worker-firm data we explain how much each channel contributes to higher wages. To estimate the causal effect of offshoring on wages we use China’s accession to the WTO in December 2001 - and the soon after boom in Chinese...

Offshore Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundtang Petersen, Erik; Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Courtney, Michael

2015-01-01

: the rotor, the nacelle, the tower, and the foundation. Further the determinations of the essential environmental conditions are treated: the wind field, the wave field, the sea current, and the soil conditions. The various options for grid connections, advantages, and disadvantages are discussed. Of special...... concern are the problems associated with locating the turbines close together in a wind farm and the problems of placing several large wind farms in a confined area. The environmental impacts of offshore wind farms are also treated, but not the supply chain, that is, the harbors, the installation vessels...

The effects of meshed offshore grids on offshore wind investment – a real options analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schröder, Sascha Thorsten; Kitzing, Lena

2012-01-01

Offshore wind farms in future meshed offshore grids could be subject to different regulatory regimes. Feed-in tariffs would absorb market risk from wind farm operators, whereas price premium mechanisms leave operators exposed to market price signals. In this case, it plays a decisive role which...... price applies to a node in an offshore grid. The offshore node will either be integrated into any of the neighbouring markets, with access to the respective maximum price, or be subject to separate nodal pricing. We investigate the different regulatory regimes for connections to one to four countries...... based on a stochastic model capturing uncertainties in prices and line failures. The stochastic analysis shows that in case the wind park is granted access to the respective maximum price, there is a significant option value connected to the operational flexibility of accessing several markets: The wind...

The effects of meshed offshore grids on offshore wind investment – a real options analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schröder, Sascha Thorsten; Kitzing, Lena

2012-01-01

based on a stochastic model capturing uncertainties in prices and line failures. The stochastic analysis shows that in case the wind park is granted access to the respective maximum price, there is a significant option value connected to the operational flexibility of accessing several markets: The wind......Offshore wind farms in future meshed offshore grids could be subject to different regulatory regimes. Feed-in tariffs would absorb market risk from wind farm operators, whereas price premium mechanisms leave operators exposed to market price signals. In this case, it plays a decisive role which...... price applies to a node in an offshore grid. The offshore node will either be integrated into any of the neighbouring markets, with access to the respective maximum price, or be subject to separate nodal pricing. We investigate the different regulatory regimes for connections to one to four countries...

Environmental effects monitoring for exploration drilling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchanan, R.A.; Cook, J.A.; Mathieu, A.

2003-01-01

Strategies for monitoring the environmental effects of single exploratory offshore wells on the east coast of Canada were evaluated. The report was compiled from consultations with scientists, regulators and stakeholders as well as a review of regulatory regimes and toxicity results. The aim of the report was to develop a decision tree for determining when to conduct environmental effects monitoring (EEM). Respondents evinced lower levels of concern for single exploratory wells than for production developments. A number of scientists argued for full statistical treatment of all data, and many people argued that more assurance was needed that the marine environment was not being unduly harmed. Respondents also considered that biological effects should be a primary focus, rather than the occurrence of trace chemical signals, and that seabirds and mammals should be monitored. Concern was expressed over the value of data collected from monitoring the effects of exploratory drilling activities. It was suggested that local and site-specific issues should be considered in the design of EEM programs. Respondents expressed strong concern about potential cumulative effects with other industrial activities, and suggested that test cases should be established and monitored to develop a scientific rationale for the inclusion or exclusion of specific variables in future EEM programs. A decision tree was developed based on 3 scenarios: (1) compliance monitoring only in well known areas with no sensitive issues; opportunistic EEM surveys of sediments, benthos, seabirds and marine mammals in shallow or deep areas with no known sensitive issues; and (3) custom EEM surveys for sensitive areas. Currently, there are EEM requirements for drilling exploratory wells offshore Canada's east coast. 58 refs., 2 tabs., 7 figs

IFREMER-ADEME colloquium 'Offshore renewable energies: offshore wind energy - sea currents and waves. Collection of abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-10-01

This document contains programme and abstracts of contributions presented during a colloquium. These contributions first addresses the context, and regulatory and economic aspects of offshore wind and sea energy: specificities related to the Public Maritime Domain for the implantation of offshore wind turbines, economy of sea energies within a perspective of de-carbonation of the world energy sector, case of offshore wind turbines and assessment of economic impacts of the implantation of sea renewable energy production units, financing stakes for offshore wind energy projects. A second set of contribution addresses the state-of -the-art and feedbacks for offshore wind energy installations. The third set addresses the assessment of resource potential, measurements, models and production prediction for offshore wind energy: case of French coasts, use of radar for remote sensing, wind climatology modelling, data acquisition for wind farm and data processing. The fourth set of contributions addresses the state-of-the-art, feedback, and R and D for sea current energy, while the fifth one addressed the same aspects for sea wave energy. Technology, installations, maintenance and storage in the field of wind energy are then addressed, and the last set deals with environmental and social-economical impacts of sea renewable energies

Effects of an Offshore Wind Farm (OWF on the Common Shore Crab Carcinus maenas: Tagging Pilot Experiments in the Lillgrund Offshore Wind Farm (Sweden.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olivia Langhamer

Full Text Available Worldwide growth of offshore renewable energy production will provide marine organisms with new hard substrate for colonization in terms of artificial reefs. The artificial reef effect is important when planning offshore installations since it can create habitat enhancement. Wind power is the most advanced technology within offshore renewable energy sources and there is an urgent need to study its impacts on the marine environment. To test the hypothesis that offshore wind power increases the abundance of reef species relative to a reference area, we conduct an experiment on the model species common shore crab (Carcinus maenas.Overall, 3962 crabs were captured, observed, marked and released in 2011 and 1995 crabs in 2012. Additionally, carapace size, sex distribution, color morphs and body condition was recorded from captured crabs. We observed very low recapture rates at all sites during both years which made evaluating differences in population sizes very difficult. However, we were able to estimate population densities from the capture record for all three sites. There was no obvious artificial reef effect in the Lillgrund wind farm, but a spill-over effect to nearby habitats cannot be excluded. We could not find any effect of the wind farm on either, morphs, sex distribution or condition of the common shore crab. Our study found no evidence that Lillgrund wind farm has a negative effect on populations of the common shore crab. This study provides the first quantitative and experimental data on the common shore crab in relation to offshore wind farms.

Cost/benefit of programmes offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skoeld, V.

1993-01-01

The article deals with an offshore environmental research project in Norway. The three-year project study focused on the emissions to air and discharges to sea related to offshore oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, and evaluated the technology and associated costs for potential reductions. The progress being made by the petroleum industry show 75% reduction in oil discharged to sea since 1984 from 3900 to the present level of 1000 tonns, 50% improvement in average gas power generation efficiency since 1975, gas flaring maintained at constant level for the last 20 years, and CO 2 emissions from offshore field installations kept at the same level during the last three years. As part of its national commitment to reducing emissions, Norway has set the following future environmental guidelines: Stabilize CO 2 emissions at the 1989 level by the year 2000 (35m t/y), stabilize NO x emissions at the 1987 level and further reduce these by 30% from 1986 to 1998 (Sofia Convention 1989), reduce the annual VOC (Voilatile Organic Compounds) emissions south of the 62 parallel by 30% by 1999 based on the 1989 levels, and reduce the use of halon by 90% from 1986 to 1995. 3 figs

Impacts of offshore oil industry on the marine biota and mitigating measures; Impactos das atividades offshore da industria do petroleo sobre a comunidade biologica marinha e as medidas mitigadoras

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cotta, Patricia S. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Unidade de Negocio SMS

2004-07-01

The growth of industrialization is generating an increase in environmental change, mainly in the marine environment.The petroleum industry is performing a great search for petroleum fields resulting in a transference from land activity to the sea and to deeper water layers (offshore). The offshore exploration in Brazil corresponds to 80% of the national petroleum production. This increasing production is raising questions about the impacts caused by its activities on aquatic biological communities. The potentially impactant activities of the petroleum industry are oil exploration, drilling and production. To mitigate and to accompany the potential environment impacts of its activities, the petroleum industry is implementing environmental monitoring projects whose guidelines directives are established by the responsible environmental agency. These projects aim at accompanying the effects of the continuos discharge of effluents on the local oceanic ecosystem through environmental characterization before, during and after the production activities, physical and chemical characterizations of sea water, qualitative and quantitative analyses of the biological monitoring, accompaniment of the environmental conditions during all oil rig activity and characterization of produced water, through physical, chemical and eco toxicological assays. (author)

Environmental implications of offshore oil and gas development in Australia. Part 6; Oil spills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkman, J.K.; Revill, A.T.; Miller, G.J.; Connell, D.W.

1994-01-01

The total amount of oil spilled in Commonwealth offshore waters from offshore oil exploration and production has been estimated by the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industry and Energy to be 440 barrels (70 000 litres) to the end of 1991. When more recent spills are added, plus spills from coastal waters under State jurisdiction, it is estimated that the total of oil spilled is about 600 barrels (95 000 litres). This estimate does not include hydrocarbon inputs from discharge of formation waters or drill cuttings. Most of these spills have been very small (less than 20 barrels) and in only a very few instances has any of the oil reached the shore. In most cases, it has been possible to allow the oil to degrade and disperse naturally. Given the small quantities spilled it is highly unlikely that these oil spills have caused significant environmental damage although it must be added that few follow up studies to assess this have been carried out. This review concludes that oil spills affect marine ecosystems generally in the same way as many other forms of marine pollutants even though the degree of persistence is less than with heavy metals for example. That is, the system is modified and destabilized and in severe cases it can shift to a reduced biological diversity characteristic of early successional or pioneer stages. Adverse effects range from the short term (days to months), to decades. Two phases and/or effects are usually observed: (i) the short-term mortality phase particularly affects biota at or near the air/sea interface and is attributed to physical coating, ingestion and inhalation of high concentrations of low-boiling aromatic hydrocarbons; and (ii) the longer term effects of the weathered oil being incorporated into the sediment where it inhibits the growth of seedlings and larger plants as well as affecting infauna and epifauna. 584 refs., 49 tabs., 43 figs

Offshore Outsourcing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Bent; Benito, Gabriel R. G.; Dovgan, Olesya

While the extant literature on offshore outsourcing deals with this operation mode in isolation, and typically with a focus on cost effects, we address the broader question of how companies choose and use outsourcing as part of foreign operation mode development and as a contributor to internatio...... that outsourcing can be used proactively to promote expanded international operations.......While the extant literature on offshore outsourcing deals with this operation mode in isolation, and typically with a focus on cost effects, we address the broader question of how companies choose and use outsourcing as part of foreign operation mode development and as a contributor...

Second wind in the offshore wind industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philippe, Edouard; Neyme, Eric; Deboos, Christophe; Villageois, Jean-Remy; Gouverneur, Philippe; Gerard, Bernard; Fournier, Eric; Petrus, Raymond; Lemarquis, David; Dener, Marc; Bivaud, Jean-Pierre; Lemaire, Etienne; Nielsen, Steffen; Lafon, Xavier; Lagandre, Pierre; Nadai, Alain; Pinot de Villechenon, Edouard; Westhues, Markus; Herpers, Frederick; Bisiaux, Christophe; Sperlich, Miriam; Bales, Vincent; Vandenbroeck, Jan; His, Stephane; Derrey, Thierry; Barakat, Georges; Dakyo, Brayima; Carme, Laurent; Petit, Frederic; Ytournel, Sophie; Westhues, Markus; Diller, Armin; Premont, Antoine de; Ruer, Jacques; Lanoe, Frederic; Declercq, Jan; Holmager, Morten; Fidelin, Daniel; Guillet, Jerome; Dudziak, Gregory; Lapierre, Anne; Couturier, Ludovic; Audineau, Jean-Pierre; Rouaix, Eric; De Roeck, Yann-Herve; Quesnel, Louis; Duguet, Benjamin

2011-06-01

After several keynote addresses, this publication contains contributions and Power Point presentations proposed during this conference on the development of offshore wind energy. The successive sessions addressed the following issues: the offshore mass production of electricity (examples of Denmark and Belgium, laying and protecting offshore cables), the space, economic and environmental planning (the Danish experience, the role of the Coastal area integrated management, importance of the public debate, so on), the logistics of port infrastructures (simulation tools, example of Bremerhaven, issues related to project management), innovation at the core of industrial strategies (high power wind turbines, the 6 MW Alstom turbine, chain value and innovation in offshore wind energy, the Vertiwing innovating project of a floating wind turbine, a bench test in Charleston, foundations, gravity base structures, the British experience, the Danish experience), the economic and organisational conditions for development, the validation and certification of technologies

Offshore oil production not significant polluter, says government report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Danenberger, E.P.

1977-11-01

Only 0.0028% of the oil produced in the Gulf of Mexico from 1971 through 1975 was spilled. World-wide, natural seeps introduce nearly 7 times more oil into the sea than offshore activity, while transportation, the worst offender, puts in 25 times more than offshore oil. The report includes data for spills of 50 bbl or less; about 85.5% of the total spill volume was from 5 of the 5857 incidents. In only one case was environmental damage reported, when minor amounts of oil reached 1000 ft of beach on the Chandeleur Islands after the 9/9/74 Cobia pipeline break. The report states that 50 ppm discharges cause no adverse effect, and that hydrocarbons in this concentration may even benefit microbial sea life.

Risk assessment for ship collisions against offshore structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Preben Terndrup

2014-01-01

to changes in ship traffic in the vicinity of the offshore structures and new developments within navigational equipment and pro¬cedures. The paper highlights some of the available analytical elements in collision frequency estimation and response calculations for different types of offshore installations......Offshore installations served by in-field vessels and/or situated in the vicinity of ship traf¬fic lanes are exposed to collision hazards such as risk of loss of life, economic loss, and environmental damage. Therefore, one of the many performance goals in the design phase of such structures...... and indicates how these tools can be applied to evaluate relevant risk control options....

Including the Effect of Shielding in Prediction of Weather Window for Offshore Lifting Operations

OpenAIRE

Olsen, Camilla Waldum

2015-01-01

The offshore industry is constantly seeking to operate in more extreme conditions. DeepOcean is a subsea service company, where offshore lifts is a part of every day operations. To remain competitive, it is important to reduce operational downtime, where time spent waiting on weather is one of the main contributors. The main goal of this thesis is to investigate how shielding effects influence the operational limit for offshore lifting operations at different heading angles. Common practice i...

Lake Michigan Offshore Wind Feasibility Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boezaart, Arnold [GVSU; Edmonson, James [GVSU; Standridge, Charles [GVSU; Pervez, Nahid [GVSU; Desai, Neel [University of Michigan; Williams, Bruce [University of Delaware; Clark, Aaron [GVSU; Zeitler, David [GVSU; Kendall, Scott [GVSU; Biddanda, Bopi [GVSU; Steinman, Alan [GVSU; Klatt, Brian [Michigan State University; Gehring, J. L. [Michigan State University; Walter, K. [Michigan State University; Nordman, Erik E. [GVSU

2014-06-30

The purpose of this project was to conduct the first comprehensive offshore wind assessment over Lake Michigan and to advance the body of knowledge needed to support future commercial wind energy development on the Great Lakes. The project involved evaluation and selection of emerging wind measurement technology and the permitting, installation and operation of the first mid-lake wind assessment meteorological (MET) facilities in Michigan’s Great Lakes. In addition, the project provided the first opportunity to deploy and field test floating LIDAR and Laser Wind Sensor (LWS) technology, and important research related equipment key to the sitting and permitting of future offshore wind energy development in accordance with public participation guidelines established by the Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council (GLOW). The project created opportunities for public dialogue and community education about offshore wind resource management and continued the dialogue to foster Great Lake wind resource utilization consistent with the focus of the GLOW Council. The technology proved to be effective, affordable, mobile, and the methods of data measurement accurate. The public benefited from a substantial increase in knowledge of the wind resources over Lake Michigan and gained insights about the potential environmental impacts of offshore wind turbine placements in the future. The unique first ever hub height wind resource assessment using LWS technology over water and development of related research data along with the permitting, sitting, and deployment of the WindSentinel MET buoy has captured public attention and has helped to increase awareness of the potential of future offshore wind energy development on the Great Lakes. Specifically, this project supported the acquisition and operation of a WindSentinel (WS) MET wind assessment buoy, and associated research for 549 days over multiple years at three locations on Lake Michigan. Four research objectives were defined for the

Insight conference proceedings : Pacific Canada and north coast offshore oil and gas development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This conference provided a forum for reviewing oil and gas activities in offshore basins around the world and their influence on British Columbia's plans to reopen its offshore to exploration and development. Details on jurisdictional issues were provided along with potential environmental impacts and remedial actions. Speakers with first hand experience in the latest technologies and mitigation measures addressed issues regarding regulatory regimes used in the Arctic offshore and compared them with proposed developments in British Columbia. Issues specific to the Pacific coast were also discussed, such as the current offshore oil and gas moratorium, land use and the views of First Nations and environmental non-governmental organizations. A current industry perspective of offshore oil and gas development was presented with lessons learned from the east coast. The opportunities for constructing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and their associated facilities in the Pacific coast were also presented. This conference featured 14 presentations, of which 3 have been indexed separately for inclusion in this database

Effects of offshore wind farms on birds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Ib Krag; Fox, Anthony David; Desholm, Mark

På konferencen "Offshore Wind Energy Development Site Assessment and Characterization: Evaluation of the Current Status and European Experience" blev der gjort rede for danske erfaringer med effekten af havvindmølleparker på havfugle.......På konferencen "Offshore Wind Energy Development Site Assessment and Characterization: Evaluation of the Current Status and European Experience" blev der gjort rede for danske erfaringer med effekten af havvindmølleparker på havfugle....

75 FR 29397 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-26

... National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling By the authority vested in... Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (the ``Commission''). Sec. 2. Membership. (a) The... impact of, oil spills associated with offshore drilling, taking into consideration the environmental...

Offshoring of medium-skill jobs, polarization, and productivity effect: Implications for wages and low-skill unemployment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vallizadeh, E.; Muysken, J.; Ziesemer, T.H.W.

2015-01-01

We examine the effects of endogenous offshoring on cost-efficiency, wages and unemployment in a task assignment model with skill heterogeneity. Exact conditions for the following insights are derived. The distributional effect of offshoring (high-) low-skill-intensive tasks is similar to

Artificial Reef Effect in relation to Offshore Renewable Energy Conversion: State of the Art

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olivia Langhamer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The rapid worldwide growth of offshore renewable energy production will provide marine organisms with new hard substrate for colonization, thus acting as artificial reefs. The artificial reef effect is important when constructing, for example, scour protections since it can generate an enhanced habitat. Specifically, artificial structures can create increased heterogeneity in the area important for species diversity and density. Offshore energy installations also have the positive side effect as they are a sanctuary area for trawled organisms. Higher survival of fish and bigger fish is an expected outcome that can contribute to a spillover to outer areas. One negative side effect is that invasive species can find new habitats in artificial reefs and thus influence the native habitats and their associated environment negatively. Different scour protections in offshore wind farms can create new habitats compensating for habitat loss by offshore energy installations. These created habitats differ from the lost habitat in species composition substantially. A positive reef effect is dependent on the nature and the location of the reef and the characteristics of the native populations. An increase in surface area of scour protections by using specially designed material can also support the reef effect and its productivity.

Accessing offshoring advantages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mykhaylenko, Alona; Motika, Agnes; Wæhrens, Brian Vejrum

2015-01-01

. Assuming that different levels of synergy may exist between particular offshoring strategic decisions (choosing offshore outsourcing or captive offshoring and the type of function) and different offshoring advantages, this work advocates that the actual fact of realization of certain offshoring advantages...

Life cycle assessment of a floating offshore wind turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weinzettel, Jan [Department of Electrotechnology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technicka 2, Praha 166 27 (Czech Republic); Charles University in Prague Environment Center, U Krize 8, Prague 158 00 (Czech Republic); Reenaas, Marte; Solli, Christian [Industrial Ecology Programme, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim (Norway); Hertwich, Edgar G. [Industrial Ecology Programme, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim (Norway); Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim (Norway)

2009-03-15

A development in wind energy technology towards higher nominal power of the wind turbines is related to the shift of the turbines to better wind conditions. After the shift from onshore to offshore areas, there has been an effort to move further from the sea coast to the deep water areas, which requires floating windmills. Such a concept brings additional environmental impact through higher material demand. To evaluate additional environmental burdens and to find out whether they can be rebalanced or even offset by better wind conditions, a prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) study of one floating concept has been performed and the results are presented in this paper. A comparison with existing LCA studies of conventional offshore wind power and electricity from a natural gas combined cycle is presented. The results indicate similar environmental impacts of electricity production using floating wind power plants as using non-floating offshore wind power plants. The most important stage in the life cycle of the wind power plants is the production of materials. Credits that are connected to recycling these materials at the end-of-life of the power plant are substantial. (author)

Work environment, overtime and sleep among offshore personnel.

Science.gov (United States)

Parkes, Katharine R

2017-02-01

Personnel working on North Sea oil/gas installations are exposed to remote and potentially hazardous environments, and to extended work schedules (typically, 14×12h shifts). Moreover, overtime (additional to the standard 84-h week) is not uncommon among offshore personnel. Evidence from onshore research suggests that long work hours and adverse environmental characteristics are associated with sleep impairments, and consequently with health and safety risks, including accidents and injuries. However, little is known about the extent to which long hours and a demanding work environment combine synergistically in relation to sleep. The present study sought to address this issue, using survey data collected from offshore day-shift personnel (N=551). The multivariate analysis examined the additive and interactive effects of overtime and measures of the psychosocial/physical work environment (job demands, job control, supervisor support, and physical stressors) as predictors of sleep outcomes during offshore work weeks. Control variables, including age and sleep during leave weeks, were also included in the analysis model. Sleep duration and quality were significantly impaired among those who worked overtime (54% of the participants) relative to those who worked only 12-h shifts. A linear relationship was found between long overtime hours and short sleep duration; personnel who worked >33h/week overtime reported job demands, and positively related to supervisor support, only among personnel who worked overtime. Poor sleep quality was predicted by the additive effects of overtime, low support and an adverse physical environment. These findings highlight the need to further examine the potential health and safety consequences of impaired sleep associated with high overtime rates offshore, and to identify the extent to which adverse effects of overtime can be mitigated by favourable physical and psychosocial work environment characteristics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd

Solar power satellite offshore rectenna study

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

It was found that an offshore rectenna is feasible and cost competitive with land rectennas but that the type of rectenna which is suitable for offshore use is quite different from that specified in the present reference system. The result is a nonground plane design which minimizes the weight and greatly reduces the number of costly support towers. This preferred design is an antenna array consisting of individually encapsulated dipoles with reflectors supported on feed wires. Such a 5 GW rectenna could be built at a 50 m water depth site to withstand hurricane and icing conditions for a one time cost of 5.7 billion dollars. Subsequent units would be about 1/3 less expensive. The east coast site chosen for this study represents an extreme case of severe environmental conditions. More benign and more shallow water sites would result in lower costs. Secondary uses such as mariculture appear practical with only minor impact on the rectenna design. The potential advantages of an offshore rectenna, such as no land requirements, removal of microwave radiation from populated areas and minimal impact on the local geopolitics argue strongly that further investigation of the offshore rectenna should be vigorously pursued.

Deformation Mechanisms of Offshore Monopile Foundations Accounting for Cyclic Mobility Effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barari, Amin; Bagheri, Mohsen; Rouainia, Mohamed

2017-01-01

Highlights •There has been a huge surge in the construction of marine facilities (e.g., wind turbines) in Europe. •This paper presents some new frameworks for design strategy based on performance measures for cyclic horizontally loaded monopile foundations. •A three-dimensional finite element model...... was developed to investigate the behavior of large-diameter piles. •This model accounts for nonlinear dynamic interactions in offshore platforms under harsh combined moment and horizontal environmental loads. •Magnitude of cyclic loads was found to cause a linear increase in the accumulated rotation....

Proceedings: An international workshop on offshore lease abandonment and platform disposal: Technology, regulation, and environmental effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pulsipher, A. [ed.] [Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States). Center for Energy Studies

1997-03-01

This Proceedings volume includes papers prepared for an international workshop on lease abandonment and offshore platform disposal. The workshop was held April 15, 16, and 17, 1996, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Included in the volume are several plenary speeches and issue papers. prepared by six working groups, who discussed: Abandoning Wells; Abandoning Pipelines; Removing Facilities; Site Clearance; Habitat Management, Maintenance, and Planning; and Regulation and Policy. Also included are an introduction, an afterword (reprinted with the permission of its author, John Lohrenz), and, as Appendix C, the complete report of the National Research Council Marine Boards An Assessment of Techniques for Removing Fixed Offshore Structures, around which much of the discussion at the workshop was organized. Short biographies of many speakers, organizers, and chairpersons are included as Appendix A. Appendix B is a list of conference participants. Selected papers have been processes separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology database.

Offshore wind energy prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaudiosi, Gaetano

1999-01-01

In last two years offshore wind energy is becoming a focal point of national and non national organisations particularly after the limitations of fossil fuel consumption, adopted by many developed countries after Kyoto conference at the end of 1997 on global climate change. North Europe is particularly interested in offshore for the limited land areas still available, due to the intensive use of its territory and its today high wind capacity. Really the total wind capacity in Europe could increase from the 1997 value of 4450 MW up to 40 000 MW within 2010, according the White Paper 1997 of the European Commission; a significant percentage (25%) could be sited offshore up to 10 000 MW, because of close saturation of the land sites at that time. World wind capacity could increase from the 1997 value of 7200 MW up to 60 000 MW within 2010 with a good percentage (20%) offshore 12 000 MW. In last seven years wind capacity in shallow water of coastal areas has reached 34 MW. Five wind farms are functioning in the internal seas of Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden; however such siting is mostly to be considered as semi-offshore condition. Wind farms in real offshore sites, open seas with waves and water depth over 10 m, are now proposed in North Sea at 10-20 km off the coasts of Netherlands, Denmark using large size wind turbine (1-2 MW). In 1997 an offshore proposal was supported in Netherlands by Greenpeace after the OWEMES '97 seminar, held in Italy on offshore wind in the spring 1997. A review is presented in the paper of European offshore wind programs with trends in technology, economics and siting effects. (Author)

The ecological framework for environmental effects monitoring: a perspective from outside the region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ray, J. P.

2000-01-01

An overview of key issues, early problems and experiences of the last two decades in environmental monitoring of offshore oil and natural gas exploration and production is provided, emphasizing that the key issues (What is being discharged? How much and how often? Where are things going in the environment? What are the short and long-term effects?) have not changed; we have a large body of scientific knowledge on the characterization of wastes, their fates in the marine environment and their zones of biological influence; we also have the experience gained over two decades of offshore exploration and production to provide guidance, and while every geographic region has its own uniqueness, the range of responses will not vary by orders of magnitude. It is suggested that it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel every time we move into a new exploration area. A more prudent strategy would be to concentrate on what is really unique about the particular area of interest, followed by a selective monitoring and assessment program to validate the data and the conclusions drawn from studies in other parts of the world. A number of specific studies done during the past two decades are identified as particularly significant in terms of variety of environments, target chemicals, target populations and environmental monitoring designs that may provide useful information for any pending environmental monitoring situation. Also included in this paper are valuable observations concerning the Canadian program of offshore environmental monitoring as gleaned from the papers presented and discussions which have taken place at this conference. 9 refs

A framework for offshore vendor capability development

Science.gov (United States)

Yusuf Wibisono, Yogi; Govindaraju, Rajesri; Irianto, Dradjad; Sudirman, Iman

2016-02-01

Offshore outsourcing is a common practice conducted by companies, especially in developed countries, by relocating one or more their business processes to other companies abroad, especially in developing countries. This practice grows rapidly owing to the ease of accessing qualified vendors with a lower cost. Vendors in developing countries compete more intensely to acquire offshore projects. Indonesia is still below India, China, Malaysia as main global offshore destinations. Vendor capability is among other factors that contribute to the inability of Indonesian vendor in competing with other companies in the global market. Therefore, it is essential to study how to increase the vendor's capability in Indonesia, in the context of global offshore outsourcing. Previous studies on the vendor's capability mainly focus on capabilities without considering the dynamic of capabilities due to the environmental changes. In order to be able to compete with competitors and maintain the competitive advantage, it is necessary for vendors to develop their capabilities continuously. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework that describes offshore vendor capability development along the client-vendor relationship stages. The framework consists of three main components, i.e. the stages of client-vendor relationship, the success of each stage, and the capabilities of vendor at each stage.

Attitude and acceptance of offshore wind farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ladenburg, Jacob; Möller, B.

2011-01-01

farms attributes on attitude towards offshore wind farms. The results point towards that the travel time and the attributes of the nearest offshore wind farm influence the attitude significantly. Travel time has mixed effects on the attitude, whilst offshore wind farms with many turbines generate more...... a novel contribution to this field. First of all, we give a thorough review of the studies that have analysed the relation between experience with wind turbines and attitude. In addition, we supplement the review by analysing the effect of travel distance to the nearest offshore wind farm and the wind...

December 8, 2000. Regional wind energy development. The offshore development potential: European perspectives; 8 decembre 2000. Developpement eolien regional. Le potentiel de developpement offshore: perspectives europeennes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marcen Zunzarren, J.A. [Navarre Gvt., Dir. of national development and urbanism (Spain); O' Gallachoir, B. [Cork Univ., Dept. of civil engineering and Environment, Cork (Ireland); Vergnet, M. [Societe Vergnet SA, 45 - Ingret (France); Laumonier, Ch. [Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment, (CSTB), 75 - Paris (France); Donnat, J.M. [Agence Mediterraneenne de l' Environnement, Contribution du Conseil Regional au Developpement de l' Eolien en Languedoc-Roussillon, 34 - Montpellier (France); Stenvald Madsen, P. [Elsamprojekt A/S, Fredericia (Denmark); Thomas-Bourgneuf, G. [Direction du Service Maritime et de Navigation du Languedoc-Roussillon (France); Bonnefoi, S. [Cabinet Bonnefoi (France); Thoury, Ph. [Commission Environnement du Comite Regional des Peches Languedoc-Roussillon (France); Beutin, Ph. [Agence de l' Environnement et de la Maitrise de l' Energie, ADEME, 75 - Paris (France)

2001-03-01

This second day of colloquium was organized around two topics: the regional development of wind power and the feasibility of offshore wind farms in Europe. The regional aspect was illustrated with the presentation of the Spanish, Irish and French experience (programs, means, results, role of local authorities, public opinion). A round table was organized about the local environmental impacts of wind power development. The offshore aspect was illustrated with the presentation of projects in Denmark and France. The legal and fiscal aspects of offshore projects were considered too. (J.S.)

NEW OFFSHORE LOCATIONS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RADULESCU IRINA GABRIELA

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The offshore activity provides benefits for the host market and has positive effects on services, and on producers that use intermediate services. FDI in services has an important impact on the offshore activity, especially through transfer of technology. Many transnational companies have recognized the advantages of offshoring and the fact that it becomes a key globalization force. Recently, the Central European countries have become popular destinations among offshoring

Offshore Wind Market and Economic Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamilton, Bruce Duncan [Navigant Consulting, Inc., Chicago, IL (United States)

2014-08-27

This report is the third annual assessment of the U.S. offshore wind market. It includes the following major sections: Section 1: key data on developments in the offshore wind technology sector and the global development of offshore wind projects, with a particular focus on progress in the United States; Section 2: analysis of policy developments at the federal and state levels that have been effective in advancing offshore wind deployment in the United States; Section 3: analysis of actual and projected economic impact, including regional development and job creation; Section 4: analysis of developments in relevant sectors of the economy with the potential to affect offshore wind deployment in the United States

Environmental assessment report to BEPCo Canada Company on exploratory drilling on EL2407

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-19

BEPCo. Canada Company (BEPCo) is planning to drill exploratory deepwater wells offshore from Nova Scotia. This environmental assessment report was prepared to satisfy regulatory requirements associated with offshore drilling. It focuses on valued environmental components chosen during a scoping process. This report evaluated the potential project-related effects on marine benthos, marine fish, marine mammals, marine turtles, marine birds, special areas, and other ocean users. Discharges and emissions from the project include drilling mud and rock cuttings, small amounts of produced water, ship discharges and atmospheric emissions. This report includes oceanographic plume modelling for allowable discharges of mud and cuttings at sea. The report predicts that the potential adverse effects of the valued environmental components will be short term and highly localized around the drilling rigs. It was suggested that any adverse effects could be mitigated through the use of technically feasible mitigation and standard offshore oil and gas industry procedures for environmental health and safety. It was concluded that BEPCo's proposed drilling program for EL-2407 can be conducted without any significant adverse effects on Nova Scotia's offshore environment. 121 refs., 27 tabs., 24 figs.

Offshore Wind Power Planning in Korea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seo, Chul Soo; Cha, Seung-Tae; Park, Sang Ho

2012-01-01

this possible, Korea has announced the National offshore power roadmap and is now in pursuit. However, large scale offshore wind farms can incur many problems, such as power quality problems, when connecting to a power system.[1][2] Thus, KEPCO is on the process of a research study to evaluate the effects...... that connecting offshore wind power generation to a power system has on the power system. This paper looks over offshore wind power planning in Korea and describes the development of impact assessment technology of offshore wind farms.......Wind power generation is globally recognized as the most universal and reliable form of renewable energy. Korea is currently depending mostly on coal and petroleum to generate electrical power and is now trying to replace them with renewable energy such as offshore wind power generation. To make...

Modelling impacts of offshore wind farms on trophic web: the Courseulles-sur-Mer case study

Science.gov (United States)

Raoux, Aurore; Pezy, Jean-Philippe; Dauvin, Jean-Claude; Tecchio, samuele; Degraer, Steven; Wilhelmsson, Dan; Niquil, Nathalie

2016-04-01

The French government is planning the construction of three offshore wind farms in Normandy. These offshore wind farms will integrate into an ecosystem already subject to a growing number of anthropogenic disturbances such as transportation, fishing, sediment deposit, and sediment extraction. The possible effects of this cumulative stressors on ecosystem functioning are still unknown, but they could impact their resilience, making them susceptible to changes from one stable state to another. Understanding the behaviour of these marine coastal complex systems is essential in order to anticipate potential state changes, and to implement conservation actions in a sustainable manner. Currently, there are no global and integrated studies on the effects of construction and exploitation of offshore wind farms. Moreover, approaches are generally focused on the conservation of some species or groups of species. Here, we develop a holistic and integrated view of ecosystem impacts through the use of trophic webs modelling tools. Trophic models describe the interaction between biological compartments at different trophic levels and are based on the quantification of flow of energy and matter in ecosystems. They allow the application of numerical methods for the characterization of emergent properties of the ecosystem, also called Ecological Network Analysis (ENA). These indices have been proposed as ecosystem health indicators as they have been demonstrated to be sensitive to different impacts on marine ecosystems. We present here in detail the strategy for analysing the potential environmental impacts of the construction of the Courseulles-sur-Mer offshore wind farm (Bay of Seine) such as the reef effect through the use of the Ecopath with Ecosim software. Similar Ecopath simulations will be made in the future on the Le Tréport offshore wind farm site. Results will contribute to a better knowledge of the impacts of the offshore wind farms on ecosystems. They also allow to

Design and Analysis of Offshore Macroalgae Biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Golberg, Alexander; Liberzon, Alexander; Vitkin, Edward; Yakhini, Zohar

2018-03-15

Displacing fossil fuels and their derivatives with renewables, and increasing sustainable food production are among the major challenges facing the world in the coming decades. A possible, sustainable direction for addressing this challenge is the production of biomass and the conversion of this biomass to the required products through a complex system coined biorefinery. Terrestrial biomass and microalgae are possible sources; however, concerns over net energy balance, potable water use, environmental hazards, and uncertainty in the processing technologies raise questions regarding their actual potential to meet the anticipated food, feed, and energy challenges in a sustainable way. Alternative sustainable sources for biorefineries are macroalgae grown and processed offshore. However, implementation of the offshore biorefineries requires detailed analysis of their technological, economic, and environmental performance. In this chapter, the basic principles of marine biorefineries design are shown. The methods to integrate thermodynamic efficiency, investment, and environmental aspects are discussed. The performance improvement by development of new cultivation methods that fit macroalgae physiology and development of new fermentation methods that address macroalgae unique chemical composition is shown.

Offshore wind resources at Danish measurement sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barthelmie, R J; Courtney, M S; Lange, B; Nielsen, M; Sempreviva, A M [Risoe National Lab., Dept. of Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics, Roskilde (Denmark); Svenson, J; Olsen, F [SEAS, Haslev (Denmark); Christensen, T [Elsamprojekt, Fredericia (Denmark)

1999-03-01

In order to characterise wind and turbulence characteristics at prospective offshore wind energy sites, meteorological observations from a number of purpose-built offshore monitoring sites have been analyzed and compared with long wind speed time series. New analyses have been conducted on the data sets focussing on meteorology, turbulence, extreme winds and wind and wave interactions. Relationships between wind speed, turbulence and fetch are highly complex. Minimum turbulence intensity offshore is associated with wind speeds of about 12 m/s. At lower wind speeds, stability effects are important while at higher winds speeds wind and wave interactions appear to dominate. On average, turbulence intensity offshore at 48 m height is approximately 0.08 if no coastal effects are present. However, the effect of the coastal discontinuity persists in wind speed and turbulence characteristics for considerable distances offshore. The majority of the adjustment of appears to occur within 20 km of the coast. (au)

Integration of Wave and Offshore Wind Energy in a European Offshore Grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chozas, Julia Fernandez; Sørensen, H. C.; Korpås, M.

2010-01-01

of offshore renewable energy sources. According to this, the paper covers i) public and private initiatives for offshore transmission networks, ii) the synergies between the wave and the offshore wind energy sector within an offshore grid, iii) power transmission options for offshore generation and iv...

Offshore wind energy - Proceedings of the 2009 Le Havre International Meetings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerard, Bernard; Rufenacht, Antoine; Marchand, Philippe; Perrot, Jean-Yves; Blanchard, Loic; Leredde, Bruno; Gouverneur, Philippe; Buch, Mette; Westra, Chris; Deswartes, Fabien; Kaelble, Laure; Lutsen, Didier; Kolb, Jean-Mathieu; Moine, Sebastien; Kipke, Ruediger; Coelingh, Jan; Fagot, Guillaume; Noury, Bruno; Herpers, Frederick; Bersani, Catherine; Lanoe, Frederic; Grosdemange, Didier; Uhl, Frederic; Lapierre, Anne; Dumarquez, Philippe; Ruer, Jacques; Huberson, Serge; Barakat, Georges; Cooke, Richard; Reisse, Eric; Bihel, Pierre-Nicolas; Mohr, Rainer; Goesswein, Jens; Brossard, Jerome; Duval, Stephane; Bonnefond, Thierry; Jacquemin, Jerome; His, Stephane; Fazio, Bertrand; Theobald, Fabrice; Boeuf, Marc; Ruer, Jacques; Mercher, Gerard; Poitou, Pascal; Lemarquis, David; Bal, Jean-Louis; Abonnel, Cyrille; Mouslim, Hakim; Rousset, Jean-Marc; Brochard, Emmanuel; Lengyel, Jacques; Antolini, Andre; Gerard, Bernard

2009-11-01

This document gathers keynote addresses, contributions and Power Point presentations of a colloquium on the development of offshore wind energy. This colloquium comprises several sessions: the strategy of offshore wind energy development, the planning of wind energy development, the keys of wind energy development, the associated environmental, technological and industrial challenges, the industrial and port deployment for the development of marine energies

Collecting and Analyzing At-Sea and Coastal Avian Data to Assess Potential Effects of Offshore Renewable Energy Development

Science.gov (United States)

Pereksta, D. M.

2016-02-01

The prospect of renewable energy development off the coasts of the United States has led to a scramble for data needs on potentially affected resources, particularly those related to avian species. The potential effects from renewable energy development to avian species are complex and varied including collision, displacement, barrier effects, and attraction. As the lead Federal agency for renewable energy development on the Federal outer continental shelf (OCS), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has initiated, in coordination with other agencies and partners, the collection and synthesizing of existing data, identification of data gaps, development and funding of studies to fill those gaps, and creation of products for assessing risk to birds from structures at sea. Through the Environmental Studies Program, BOEM collects a wide range of environmental information to provide an improved understanding of offshore ecosystems, a baseline for assessing cumulative effects, and the scientific basis for development of regulatory measures to mitigate adverse impacts. With broad-scale assessments of suitable areas for wind, wave, and tidal energy production offshore, the challenge has been to collect and compile information quickly and at as large a scale as possible. Assessing what we know, what we can predict, and how can we assess risk has led BOEM to develop and collaborate on a variety of studies including baseline data assessments, at-sea surveys, predictive modeling of seabird distribution and abundance, vulnerability and risk assessments, and technology testing for efficient ways to inventory birds on the OCS. These are being applied in both the Atlantic and Pacific, including the Main Hawaiian Islands, to provide for assessments of potential effects and data needs early in the planning process at regional and local scales with the goal of designing and implementing projects that will minimize effects to avian species to the greatest extent practicable.

Polychaete/amphipod ratio as an indicator of environmental impact related to offshore oil and gas production along the Norwegian continental shelf.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Hector; Renaud, Paul E

2011-12-01

Benthic faunal data is regularly collected worldwide to assess the ecological quality of marine environments. Recently, there has been renewed interest in developing biological indices able to identify environmental status and potential anthropogenic impacts. In this paper we evaluate the performance of a general polychaete/amphipod ratio along the Norwegian continental shelf as an environmental indicator for offshore oil and gas impacts. Two main trends are apparent: first, a contamination gradient is discernible from where production takes place compared to stations 10,000 m away. Second, the quality of the marine environment has improved over time. These results are consistent with monitoring reports employing a combination of uni- and multi-variate statistics. Thus, we consider this ratio as a relatively simple, useful and potentially cost-effective complement to other more demanding assessment techniques. Because of its strong theoretical basis, it may also be useful for detecting ecological change as a result of other activities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conference on offshore wind energy in France and Germany: challenges of a promising segment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chrupek, Thierry; Falk, Thorsten; Hofmann, Stefanie; Gouverneur, Philippe; Le Visage, Christophe; Saint Martin, Gro de; Meyerjuergens, Tim; Dachicourt, Pierre-Georges; Hube, Wilfried

2008-01-01

The French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a conference on the development of offshore wind energy in France and Germany. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, more than 100 participants exchanged views on offshore wind energy development, and on the conflicts of usage between fishermen and offshore wind farms. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - Offshore wind energy development in France (Thierry Chrupek); 2 - Present day situation of offshore wind energy development and use in Germany (Thorsten Falk); 3 - Risks and profitability of offshore wind energy (Philippe Gouverneur); 4 - Sea and shore integrated management: what impacts for offshore wind energy? (Christophe Le Visage); 5 - Towards and offshore grid? (Gro de Saint Martin); 6 - Grid connection of offshore wind farms in Germany (Tim Meyerjuergens); 7 - Conflicts of usage between professional fishing and offshore wind farms (Pierre-Georges Dachicourt); 8 - Ecological evaluative research for the use of offshore wind energy - Advantages, projects and studies. Environmental follow-up of wind energy projects (Stefanie Hofmann); 9 - Alpha Ventus offshore test park: context, progress of the installation and next steps (Wilfried Hube)

Regulatory capture by default: Offshore exploratory drilling for oil and gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Portman, Michelle E.

2014-01-01

This article examines a form of regulatory capture that occurs when significant ambiguity exists regarding the environmental protection standards for new types of activities in the marine environment. To begin with, there is little research that categorizes the typologies of regulatory capture despite the ubiquity of the phenomenon. After a discussion of theoretical approaches to regulatory capture, I describe the operative definition and theory appropriate to the situation related to authorization of oil and natural gas production in Israel following the discovery of large offshore reserves in 2010. This approach, embodying several facets of existing typologies, is applied to decisions made authorizing construction of the Gabriella offshore exploratory drilling platform. The analysis highlights the nature of capture in the absence of clear agency jurisdiction over new activities located in offshore environs organized as temporal and spatial “vacuums”. I conclude that comprehensive marine spatial planning would result in less capture and the development of more capture-resistant regulations. - Highlights: • Regulatory capture occurs when ambiguity exists about environmental protection standards for new types of activities in the marine environment. • A typology is developed from theories of regulatory capture (RC) and applied to cases of offshore exploratory drilling. • The typology is applied to offshore natural gas reserves discovered in 2010 offshore of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. • Temporal aspects (anachronistic laws and regulations) and spatial aspects (jurisdictional ambiguity) have created regulatory vacuums leading to RC. • Comprehensive marine spatial planning would result in less capture and the development of more capture-resistant regulations

Understanding public responses to offshore wind power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haggett, Claire

2011-01-01

This paper is about understanding the role and importance of public responses to offshore wind power. It builds on a framework for understanding social acceptance and opposition to onshore turbines, and reviews the emerging research on offshore wind. While less is known about how people will respond to offshore than onshore wind, there is now an emerging body of research. From this literature, several common factors which influence responses have emerged and are discussed here: the (continued) role of visual impact; place attachment to the local area; lack of tangible benefits; relationships with developers and outsiders; and the role of the planning and decision-making systems. The paper argues that, as with onshore developments, the public should be included in decision-making about offshore wind farms, and that they have a key role which should not be underestimated. The paper concludes with some thoughts about the means to involve people and how effected communities might be effectively acknowledged, identified and engaged. - Research Highlights: →Comprehensive review of public responses to offshore wind literature. →Applies key lessons and analytic insights from onshore wind to offshore wind. →Emphasizes the role and importance of the public in the planning and implementation of offshore wind energy.

Healthy offshore workforce? A qualitative study on offshore wind employees' occupational strain, health, and coping.

Science.gov (United States)

Mette, Janika; Velasco Garrido, Marcial; Harth, Volker; Preisser, Alexandra M; Mache, Stefanie

2018-01-23

Offshore work has been described as demanding and stressful. Despite this, evidence regarding the occupational strain, health, and coping behaviors of workers in the growing offshore wind industry in Germany is still limited. The purpose of our study was to explore offshore wind employees' perceptions of occupational strain and health, and to investigate their strategies for dealing with the demands of offshore work. We conducted 21 semi-structured telephone interviews with employees in the German offshore wind industry. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed in a deductive-inductive approach following Mayring's qualitative content analysis. Workers generally reported good mental and physical health. However, they also stated perceptions of stress at work, fatigue, difficulties detaching from work, and sleeping problems, all to varying extents. In addition, physical health impairment in relation to offshore work, e.g. musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal complaints, was documented. Employees described different strategies for coping with their job demands. The strategies comprised of both problem and emotion-focused approaches, and were classified as either work-related, health-related, or related to seeking social support. Our study is the first to investigate the occupational strain, health, and coping of workers in the expanding German offshore wind industry. The results offer new insights that can be utilized for future research in this field. In terms of practical implications, the findings suggest that measures should be carried out aimed at reducing occupational strain and health impairment among offshore wind workers. In addition, interventions should be initiated that foster offshore wind workers' health and empower them to further expand on effective coping strategies at their workplace.

Macroalgal diversity along an inshore-offshore environmental gradient in the Jakarta Bay - Thousand Islands reef complex, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Draisma, Stefano G. A.; Prud'homme van Reine, Willem F.; Herandarudewi, Sekar M. C.; Hoeksema, Bert W.

2018-01-01

The Jakarta Bay - Thousand Islands reef complex extends to more than 80 km in northwest direction from the major conurbation Jakarta (Indonesia) along a pronounced inshore to offshore environmental gradient. The present study aims to determine to what extent environmental factors can explain the composition of macroalgal communities on the reefs off Jakarta. Therefore, the presence-absence of 67 macroalgal taxa was recorded for 27 sampling sites along the inshore-offshore disturbance gradient and analysed with substrate variables and water quality variables. The macroalgal richness pattern matches the pattern of other reef taxa. The 27 sites could be assigned to one of four geographical zones with 85% certainty based on their macroalgal taxon assemblages. These four zones (i.e., Jakarta Bay and, respectively, South, Central, and North Thousand Islands) had significantly different macroalgal assemblages, except for the North and South zones. Along the nearshore gradient there was a greater shift in taxon composition than within the central Thousand Islands. The patterns of ten habitat and water quality variables resembled the macroalgal diversity patterns by 56%. All ten variables together explained 69% of the variation in macroalgal composition. Shelf depth, % sand cover, gelbstoff/detrital material, chlorophyll a concentration, seawater surface temperature, and % dead coral cover were the best predictors of seaweed flora composition. Furthermore, 44 macroalgal species represented new records for the area. The present study provides important baseline data of macroalgae in the area for comparison in future biodiversity assessments in the area and elsewhere in the region.

Challenges in simulating coastal effects on an offshore wind farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Laan, Paul; Peña, Alfredo; Volker, Patrick

2017-01-01

The effect of a coastline on an offshore wind farm is investigated with a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model. The trends of the RANS model compare relatively well with results from a mesoscale model and measurements of wind turbine power. In addition, challenges of modeling a large domain...

Information on commercial disposal facilities that may have received offshore drilling wastes.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gasper, J. R.; Veil, J. A.; Ayers, R. C., Jr.

2000-08-25

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing regulations that would establish requirements for discharging synthetic-based drill cuttings from offshore wells into the ocean. Justification for allowing discharges of these cuttings is that the environmental impacts from discharging drilling wastes into the ocean may be less harmful than the impacts from hauling them to shore for disposal. In the past, some onshore commercial facilities that disposed of these cuttings were improperly managed and operated and left behind environmental problems. This report provides background information on commercial waste disposal facilities in Texas, Louisiana, California, and Alaska that received or may have received offshore drilling wastes in the past and are now undergoing cleanup.

Effect of Geometric Uncertainties on the Aerodynamic Characteristic of Offshore Wind Turbine Blades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ernst, Benedikt; Schmitt, Henning; Seume, Jörg R

2014-01-01

Offshore wind turbines operate in a complex unsteady flow environment which causes unsteady aerodynamic loads. The unsteady flow environment is characterized by a high degree of uncertainty. In addition, geometry variations and material imperfections also cause uncertainties in the design process. Probabilistic design methods consider these uncertainties in order to reach acceptable reliability and safety levels for offshore wind turbines. Variations of the rotor blade geometry influence the aerodynamic loads which also affect the reliability of other wind turbine components. Therefore, the present paper is dealing with geometric uncertainties of the rotor blades. These can arise from manufacturing tolerances and operational wear of the blades. First, the effect of geometry variations of wind turbine airfoils on the lift and drag coefficients are investigated using a Latin hypercube sampling. Then, the resulting effects on the performance and the blade loads of an offshore wind turbine are analyzed. The variations of the airfoil geometry lead to a significant scatter of the lift and drag coefficients which also affects the damage-equivalent flapwise bending moments. In contrast to that, the effects on the power and the annual energy production are almost negligible with regard to the assumptions made

Offshore oil and gas : a community development perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierce, J.; Vodden, K.; House, D.

2003-01-01

A community perspective on offshore oil and gas development in British Columbia was presented. It was noted that local benefits depend greatly on the level of regulation and government intervention in the industry. Community preparedness, jurisdictional certainty and corporate ethics also play a vital role. It is also necessary to clearly understand legal, economic, environmental, social and industrial aspects of offshore development. Jurisdictional concerns include the International Free Trade Agreement, ambiguities over mineral rights, and claims by First Nations to seabed and ocean resources. It was emphasized that the impact of offshore development on ecotourism and fisheries should not be underestimated. Community-based planning is critical. Economic imperatives include international prices, recovery costs, distribution of royalties, and alternative opportunities. It was also noted that communities in British Columbia have much to learn from other gas dependent regions

Biomarkers in natural fish populations indicate adverse biological effects of offshore oil production.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lennart Balk

Full Text Available Despite the growing awareness of the necessity of a sustainable development, the global economy continues to depend largely on the consumption of non-renewable energy resources. One such energy resource is fossil oil extracted from the seabed at offshore oil platforms. This type of oil production causes continuous environmental pollution from drilling waste, discharge of large amounts of produced water, and accidental spills.Samples from natural populations of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua in two North Sea areas with extensive oil production were investigated. Exposure to and uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs were demonstrated, and biomarker analyses revealed adverse biological effects, including induction of biotransformation enzymes, oxidative stress, altered fatty acid composition, and genotoxicity. Genotoxicity was reflected by a hepatic DNA adduct pattern typical for exposure to a mixture of PAHs. Control material was collected from a North Sea area without oil production and from remote Icelandic waters. The difference between the two control areas indicates significant background pollution in the North Sea.It is most remarkable to obtain biomarker responses in natural fish populations in the open sea that are similar to the biomarker responses in fish from highly polluted areas close to a point source. Risk assessment of various threats to the marine fish populations in the North Sea, such as overfishing, global warming, and eutrophication, should also take into account the ecologically relevant impact of offshore oil production.

Viewing engineering offshoring in a network perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Zaza Nadja Lee; Zhang, Yufeng; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema

2013-01-01

of how to effectively manage engineering offshoring activities in a context of global engineering networks. The main research question, therefore, is: “Can offshoring of engineering tasks be explained and managed using the concept of Global Engineering Networks (GEN)?” Effective approaches to handling...... of large multinational corporations in Denmark were carried out. Data gathering was mainly documentary studies and interviews. The main data analysis approaches were coding (Strauss and Corbin) and pattern-matching (Yin). The dataset was analysed using the GEN framework suggested by Zhang et al. and Zhang...... by extending the GEN framework to address complications within engineering offshoring. This strengthens both academic fields, and will be able to help engineering managers to develop appropriate engineering network configurations for offshore engineering operations....

Assessment of the effects of noise and vibration from offshore wind farms on marine wildlife

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vella, G; Rushforth, I; Mason, E; Hough, A; England, R; Styles, P; Holt, T; Thorne, P

2001-07-01

This study involved a review of relevant studies and information on the effects of noise and vibration on marine wildlife from the construction and operation of offshore wind farms, and the identification of gaps and uncertainties in existing knowledge, recommendations for further studies to fill the gaps in knowledge, and the preparation of an inventory of planned and ongoing studies relating to the effects of offshore wind farms. The UK government's commitment to renewable energy, and the lifecycle of an offshore wind farm and potential locations are discussed. The mechanisms of noise propagation, physical noise and vibration, the use of sound by marine species such as whales and seals, the response of marine organisms to anthropogenic noise, and the colonisation of artificial reefs are examined. The behavioural response of seals and whales, the effects on fish population dynamics, and the need for further monitoring are considered.

Assessment of the effects of noise and vibration from offshore wind farms on marine wildlife

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vella, G.; Rushforth, I.; Mason, E.; Hough, A.; England, R.; Styles, P.; Holt, T.; Thorne, P.

2001-07-01

This study involved a review of relevant studies and information on the effects of noise and vibration on marine wildlife from the construction and operation of offshore wind farms, and the identification of gaps and uncertainties in existing knowledge, recommendations for further studies to fill the gaps in knowledge, and the preparation of an inventory of planned and ongoing studies relating to the effects of offshore wind farms. The UK government's commitment to renewable energy, and the lifecycle of an offshore wind farm and potential locations are discussed. The mechanisms of noise propagation, physical noise and vibration, the use of sound by marine species such as whales and seals, the response of marine organisms to anthropogenic noise, and the colonisation of artificial reefs are examined. The behavioural response of seals and whales, the effects on fish population dynamics, and the need for further monitoring are considered.

Offshore wind generators: realization?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, Catherine

2012-01-01

The author discusses the French legal context for the different aspects of the development of offshore wind farms in France: procedures related to electricity production installations (authorization or tender like what has been done for six sites), other administrative authorizations, and connection to the grid. Then, she addresses the various constraints: environmental, social and technical constraints (protected marine areas, constraints related to the tendering process), coast planning documents, tax policy. She finally discusses the installation dismantling

Canada's east coast offshore oil and gas industry: a backgrounder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bott, R.

1999-06-01

Another of the backgrounder series published by the Petroleum Communication Foundation, this booklet describes Canada's offshore oil and natural gas operations in the North Atlantic Ocean, specifically in the Hibernia (off Newfoundland, crude oil), Terra Nova (off Newfoundland, crude oil), Cohasset-Panuke (off Nova Scotia, crude oil) and Sable Island (off Nova Scotia, natural gas) fields. Together, these project represent an investment of more than 10 billion dollars and constitute a growing portion of Canada's 400,000 cubic metres of crude oil and natural gas liquids per day production. The booklet explains the importance of the offshore oil and natural gas industry to Canada, the benefits accruing to the maritime provinces locally, prospects for future offshore oil and natural gas development and provides a brief summary of each of the four current major projects. The booklet also provides an overview of the facilities required for offshore energy projects, environmental impacts and safeguards, exploration, drilling, production, processing and transportation aspects of offshore oil and gas projects. 9 refs, photos

Short-term ecological effects of an offshore wind farm in the Dutch coastal zone. A compilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindeboom, H.J.; Brasseur, S.; Leopold, M.; Scheidat, M. [IMARES, PO Box 167, 1790 AD Den Burg (Netherlands); Kouwenhoven, H.J. [NoordzeeWind, 2e Havenstraat 5b, 1976 CE IJmuiden (Netherlands); Bergman, M.J.N.; Daan, R. [Royal NIOZ, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg (Netherlands); Bouma, S.; Fijn, R.C.; Dirksen, S.; Krijgsveld, K.L. [Bureau Waardenburg, PO Box 365, 4100 AJ Culemborg (Netherlands); De Haan, D.; Van Hal, R.; Hille Ris Lambers, R.; Ter Hofstede, R. [IMARES, PO Box 68, 1970 AB IJmuiden (Netherlands)

2011-07-15

The number of offshore wind farms is increasing rapidly, leading to questions about the environmental impact of such farms. In the Netherlands, an extensive monitoring programme is being executed at the first offshore wind farm (Offshore Windfarm Egmond aan Zee, OWEZ). This letter compiles the short-term (two years) results on a large number of faunal groups obtained so far. Impacts were expected from the new hard substratum, the moving rotor blades, possible underwater noise and the exclusion of fisheries. The results indicate no short-term effects on the benthos in the sandy area between the generators, while the new hard substratum of the monopiles and the scouring protection led to the establishment of new species and new fauna communities. Bivalve recruitment was not impacted by the OWEZ wind farm. Species composition of recruits in OWEZ and the surrounding reference areas is correlated with mud content of the sediment and water depth irrespective the presence of OWEZ. Recruit abundances in OWEZ were correlated with mud content, most likely to be attributed not to the presence of the farm but to the absence of fisheries. The fish community was highly dynamic both in time and space. So far, only minor effects upon fish assemblages especially near the monopiles have been observed. Some fish species, such as cod, seem to find shelter inside the farm. More porpoise clicks were recorded inside the farm than in the reference areas outside the farm. Several bird species seem to avoid the park while others are indifferent or are even attracted. The effects of the wind farm on a highly variable ecosystem are described. Overall, the OWEZ wind farm acts as a new type of habitat with a higher biodiversity of benthic organisms, a possibly increased use of the area by the benthos, fish, marine mammals and some bird species and a decreased use by several other bird species.

Short-term ecological effects of an offshore wind farm in the Dutch coastal zone; a compilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindeboom, H J; Brasseur, S; Leopold, M; Scheidat, M [IMARES, PO Box 167, 1790 AD Den Burg (Netherlands); Kouwenhoven, H J [NoordzeeWind, 2e Havenstraat 5b, 1976 CE IJmuiden (Netherlands); Bergman, M J N; Daan, R [Royal NIOZ, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg (Netherlands); Bouma, S; Fijn, R C; Dirksen, S; Krijgsveld, K L [Bureau Waardenburg, PO Box 365, 4100 AJ Culemborg (Netherlands); De Haan, D; Van Hal, R; Hille Ris Lambers, R; Ter Hofstede, R, E-mail: han.lindeboom@wur.nl [IMARES, PO Box 68, 1970 AB IJmuiden (Netherlands)

2011-07-15

The number of offshore wind farms is increasing rapidly, leading to questions about the environmental impact of such farms. In the Netherlands, an extensive monitoring programme is being executed at the first offshore wind farm (Offshore Windfarm Egmond aan Zee, OWEZ). This letter compiles the short-term (two years) results on a large number of faunal groups obtained so far. Impacts were expected from the new hard substratum, the moving rotor blades, possible underwater noise and the exclusion of fisheries. The results indicate no short-term effects on the benthos in the sandy area between the generators, while the new hard substratum of the monopiles and the scouring protection led to the establishment of new species and new fauna communities. Bivalve recruitment was not impacted by the OWEZ wind farm. Species composition of recruits in OWEZ and the surrounding reference areas is correlated with mud content of the sediment and water depth irrespective the presence of OWEZ. Recruit abundances in OWEZ were correlated with mud content, most likely to be attributed not to the presence of the farm but to the absence of fisheries. The fish community was highly dynamic both in time and space. So far, only minor effects upon fish assemblages especially near the monopiles have been observed. Some fish species, such as cod, seem to find shelter inside the farm. More porpoise clicks were recorded inside the farm than in the reference areas outside the farm. Several bird species seem to avoid the park while others are indifferent or are even attracted. The effects of the wind farm on a highly variable ecosystem are described. Overall, the OWEZ wind farm acts as a new type of habitat with a higher biodiversity of benthic organisms, a possibly increased use of the area by the benthos, fish, marine mammals and some bird species and a decreased use by several other bird species.

Short-term ecological effects of an offshore wind farm in the Dutch coastal zone. A compilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindeboom, H.J.; Brasseur, S.; Leopold, M.; Scheidat, M.; Kouwenhoven, H.J.; Bergman, M.J.N.; Daan, R.; Bouma, S.; Fijn, R.C.; Dirksen, S.; Krijgsveld, K.L.; De Haan, D.; Van Hal, R.; Hille Ris Lambers, R.; Ter Hofstede, R.

2011-01-01

The number of offshore wind farms is increasing rapidly, leading to questions about the environmental impact of such farms. In the Netherlands, an extensive monitoring programme is being executed at the first offshore wind farm (Offshore Windfarm Egmond aan Zee, OWEZ). This letter compiles the short-term (two years) results on a large number of faunal groups obtained so far. Impacts were expected from the new hard substratum, the moving rotor blades, possible underwater noise and the exclusion of fisheries. The results indicate no short-term effects on the benthos in the sandy area between the generators, while the new hard substratum of the monopiles and the scouring protection led to the establishment of new species and new fauna communities. Bivalve recruitment was not impacted by the OWEZ wind farm. Species composition of recruits in OWEZ and the surrounding reference areas is correlated with mud content of the sediment and water depth irrespective the presence of OWEZ. Recruit abundances in OWEZ were correlated with mud content, most likely to be attributed not to the presence of the farm but to the absence of fisheries. The fish community was highly dynamic both in time and space. So far, only minor effects upon fish assemblages especially near the monopiles have been observed. Some fish species, such as cod, seem to find shelter inside the farm. More porpoise clicks were recorded inside the farm than in the reference areas outside the farm. Several bird species seem to avoid the park while others are indifferent or are even attracted. The effects of the wind farm on a highly variable ecosystem are described. Overall, the OWEZ wind farm acts as a new type of habitat with a higher biodiversity of benthic organisms, a possibly increased use of the area by the benthos, fish, marine mammals and some bird species and a decreased use by several other bird species.

Effects from offshore oil production: chronic exposure of fish to produced water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holth, Tor Fredrik

2009-07-01

The results of this study demonstrated that environmentally relevant levels of components of produced water may affect condition factor, maturation, biochemical processes and gene expression in fish. The usefulness of bile PAH and AP metabolite measurements to evaluate exposure was demonstrated in two fish species. The development of bio marker responses was shown to depend on exposure regime as well as exposure period. Lysosomal stability (LMS) in cod kidney was related to dose, the effects were observed early (within two weeks) and remained at a stable level throughout the exposure period in fish receiving both continuous and pulsed exposure. Thus, LMS appeared to be a useful marker for effects in Atlantic cod. Formation of DNA adducts in female cod liver was also related to dose, but in contrast to LMS, more than 16 weeks was required for formation of significant levels. This parameter may therefore be underestimated following short-term exposures, such as most offshore fish caging studies (often 4-6 weeks). Although a time-dependent increase was observed, it also required a continuous exposure regime, which is not often observed in the environment. Other bio markers were demonstrated either to adapt or appeared to be insensitive to the exposures. CYP1A activity (EROD) in female cod was responsive on occasion, but a reduction of activity over time was observed. Protein levels of vitellogenin and hepatic CYP1A in zebra fish, as well as AOX in cod kidneys, were not affected in the current study. Gene transcription of several distinct cellular mechanisms was clearly affected in both species, and a predominance of differentially expressed genes in zebra fish was down regulated. This indicated that down-regulation of responsive pathways may be as important or more important than up-regulation. As both presence and absence of effects following pulsed exposure were apparent (DNA adduct formation; oocyte maturation; condition factor), the effects of exposure regime on

Grid Simulator for Testing a Wind Turbine on Offshore Floating Platform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gevorgian, V.

2012-02-01

An important aspect of such offshore testing of a wind turbine floating platform is electrical loading of the wind turbine generator. An option of interconnecting the floating wind turbine with the onshore grid via submarine power cable is limited by many factors such as costs and associated environmental aspects (i.e., an expensive and lengthy sea floor study is needed for cable routing, burial, etc). It appears to be a more cost effective solution to implement a standalone grid simulator on a floating platform itself for electrical loading of the test wind turbine. Such a grid simulator must create a stable fault-resilient voltage and frequency bus (a micro grid) for continuous operation of the test wind turbine. In this report, several electrical topologies for an offshore grid simulator were analyzed and modeled.

Offshore oil and gas and offshore wind power - different in terms of safety.?; Offshore Oel and Gas und Offshore Wind - mit Sicherheit ''anders''.?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weise, F.; Tatulinski, M. [DNV GL - Oil and Gas Germany, Hamburg (Germany)

2014-07-01

Safety standards in the oil and gas industry have risen to a high level over the past decades, driven in part by momentous accidents. Furthermore, an expanded framework has recently been defined through the new EU Offshore Safety Directive, which in Germany is still in the process of its transposition into national law. The installation of offshore wind farms in the North and Baltic Sea has within the shortest of time brought forth an entirely new branch of industry, most of whose players have no significant experience with offshore operations. One of the greatest challenges is the working environment, which is being approached in different ways by those involved. The supervisory authorities responsible are only just beginning to develop the competence required for their tasks, with the effect that regulations pertaining to onshore operations are often simply adopted as they are. This is in some cases impacting on the oil and gas industry, as is discussed in the present lecture. [German] Die Oel und Gas Industrie hat in den vergangen Jahrzehnten einen hohen Sicherheitsstandard entwickelt, teilweise getrieben durch signifikante Unfallereignisse. Aktuell wurde zudem mit der neuen EU-Offshore Richtlinie ein erweiterter Rahmen definiert, der sich in Deutschland noch in der gesetzgeberischen Umsetzung befindet. Durch die Installation von Offshore-Windparks in der Nord- und Ostsee ist innerhalb kuerzester Zeit zusaetzlich ein neuer Industriebereich entstanden, dessen Marktteilnehmer mehrheitlich nicht ueber signifikante Offshore-Erfahrung verfuegen. Insbesondere das Arbeitsumfeld stellt dabei eine Herausforderung dar, die von den Beteiligten unterschiedlich geloest wird. Ferner beginnen auch die verantwortlichen Aufsichtsbehoerden erst mit dem Aufbau entsprechender Kompetenzen, so dass vielfach auch Regelungen aus dem Onshore-Bereich uebertragen werden. Dies fuehrt teilweise zu Auswirkungen auf die Oel- und Gasindustrie, die im Rahmen dieses Vortrages diskutiert werden.

Legal framework of the environmental regulatory regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, D.

1992-01-01

The growing concern regarding environmental issues has presented a number of new challenges to those exploring and developing the hydrocarbon reserves located on the Newfoundland continental shelf. Not the least of these challenges is the development of new technologies in the harsh environment of the North Atlantic; in addition, these new technologies must be implemented in an existing and ever-changing regulatory regime. The legal framework of the environmental regulatory regime relating to offshore development in Canada is reviewed along with some of the more important legislation involved in regulating environmental issues in the offshore area. The legal basis for exploration, development, and management of resources located on the Newfoundland continental shelf is the Canada-Newfoundland Accord on Joint Management of Offshore Oil and Gas Resources off Newfoundland and Labrador. Administration of the Accord is the responsibility of the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board. To be able to apply Canadian laws to the continental shelf, legislation was passed including the Canadian Laws Offshore Application Act as well as the Act implementing the Accord. The latter gives the Offshore Petroleum Board authority to regulate all stages involved in bringing an oil pool to production, such as granting of licenses and work authorizations. Granting of such licenses and authorizations is subject to compliance with environmental requirements, and there are provisions against certain environmental offenses such as spills. Other federal legislation applicable to the offshore includes the Canada Shipping Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act

Hibernia's environmental planning: Past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grattan, L.

1991-01-01

The Hibernia oil project on the Grand Banks was assessed by the Federal Environmental Assessment and Review (FEARO) process, and the FEARO recommendations were used by the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board to specify conditions of approval to proceed with the project. The construction site for the Hibernia offshore platform also underwent an environmental evaluation under the FEARO process. The Hibernia project partners are committed to implementing environmental protection plans for all phases of the project, and enforcement of the plans is the responsibility of the two major site contractors. An environmental effects monitoring program is in place at the construction site and the Hibernia partners are consulting closely with fishermen in the site area to develop an operational code of practice and a compensation policy

Proposing an approach for the assessment of environmental impacts of offshore wind farms in Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luedeke, Jens

2011-07-01

Full text: Analyses of numerous EIS and EIA in the chosen countries, which have been worked out by the authors, have documented that the assessments failed to standardize both the prognosis and the assessment method. The assessment and the relevance of the manifold provided data tends to remain vague and can only hardly been used by the authorizing bodies. Thus, decision makers need an appropriate, transparent and comparable decision-making 'portfolio' to provide at best bullet-proofed EIA documents, based on a systematic analysis of research results, baseline surveys and a prognosis of the expected impacts. A satisfactory state of research or good practice for the assessment of the environmental impacts, which also enables comparability and cumulative considerations of the impacts of offshore wind farms in an international context, should be reached. A transparent evaluation approach of data for the analysis of the relevant issues therefore was essential. Carrying this in mind the Technische Universitaet Berlin developed proposals for semi-quantitative assessment models for migratory birds, sea and resting birds and harbour porpoises that, if used within the EIA, could provide the permit requirements more transparent with relevant data and assessments to the necessary decision-making basics. Because of the differences of impact correlations between the diverse natural assets and the offshore wind farms, individual models have been developed for several impact correlations, which have been identified as especially significant for the real decision making process. The numerous influencing factors of each impact therefore have been compiled. With the elaborated models these factors are linked systematically. The obtained data can be used for a comparison with the social given objectives (in form of legal thresholds). Therefore the presented models have to be established inside the EIS as well as in the approval system. So it could bring advantages in the

Occupational health offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crosbie, A.; Davies, F.

2002-07-01

The proceedings contain the 29 papers presented at the conference plus the opening address from the chair of the Health and Safety Commission. The papers in the first session were concerned with policy, strategy and leadership and included a perspective from the offshore industry advisory committee, details of a health planning tool for occupational health assurance and lessons from occupational health management in the offshore sector. The two sessions on the second day dealt with occupational health in the offshore design process and case studies involving physical, chemical and biological agents. Topics included the need to consider occupational health when designing offshore installations, the development of a human factors engineering strategy in petrochemical engineering projects, measuring occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals, implementation of the noise at work regulations, hand arm vibration syndrome and issues with potable water maintenance. The two sessions on the third day were concerned with human factors and psychological health, and well-being and fitness for duty. Topics covered included circadian adaption to shift change in offshore shift workers, managing stress in the offshore environment, the role of employee assistance programmes in organisational stress management, health care and first aid (the revised ACOP), well-being at work, the medical and physical fitness of offshore emergency response rescue team members, the impact of health surveillance and promotion of offshore accident rates, and the implication of safety and heath of the aging of the workforce ion the Norwegian offshore industry.

Offshoring Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Slepniov, Dmitrij; Sørensen, Brian Vejrum; Katayama, Hiroshi

2011-01-01

The purpose of this chapter is to contribute to the knowledge on how production offshoring and international operations management vary across cultural contexts. The chapter attempts to shed light on how companies approach the process of offshoring in different cultural contexts. In order...... of globalisation. Yet there are clear differences in how offshoring is conducted in Denmark and Japan. The main differences are outlined in a framework and explained employing cultural variables. The findings lead to a number of propositions suggesting that the process of offshoring is not simply a uniform...... technical-rational calculation of the most efficient organisation of activities across national borders, but it is rather specific to the parent companies’ national contexts....

Environmental impacts of cable connections of offshore wind power parks at the electric power network. Impacts of operational electrical and magnetic fields; Umweltauswirkungen der Kabelanbindung von Offshore-Windenergieparks an das Verbundstromnetz. Effekte betriebsbedingter elektrischer und magnetischer Felder sowie thermischer Energieeintraege in den Meeresgrund

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pophof, Blanka; Geschwentner, Dirk

2013-02-15

According to the offshore network development plan from August 2012, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany) is responsible for a strategic environmental impact assessment of offshore wind power plants. The contribution under consideration deals exclusively with electrical and magnetic fields emitted by submarine cables in operation as well as with the possible impacts of electrical and magnetic fields on marine organisms and the general population. Some marine organisms may perceive electrical fields and orientate themselves by magnetic fields. Changes in behaviour of marine organisms are possible. Thermal impacts may result in sedimentary changes. The consequences of these changes are assessable only partly at present.

Dynamic occupational risk model for offshore operations in harsh environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Guozheng; Khan, Faisal; Wang, Hangzhou; Leighton, Shelly; Yuan, Zhi; Liu, Hanwen

2016-01-01

The expansion of offshore oil exploitation into remote areas (e.g., Arctic) with harsh environments has significantly increased occupational risks. Among occupational accidents, slips, trips and falls from height (STFs) account for a significant portion. Thus, a dynamic risk assessment of the three main occupational accidents is meaningful to decrease offshore occupational risks. Bow-tie Models (BTs) were established in this study for the risk analysis of STFs considering extreme environmental factors. To relax the limitations of BTs, Bayesian networks (BNs) were developed based on BTs to dynamically assess risks of STFs. The occurrence and consequence probabilities of STFs were respectively calculated using BTs and BNs, and the obtained probabilities verified BNs' rationality and advantage. Furthermore, the probability adaptation for STFs was accomplished in a specific scenario with BNs. Finally, posterior probabilities of basic events were achieved through diagnostic analysis, and critical basic events were analyzed based on their posterior likelihood to cause occupational accidents. The highlight is systematically analyzing STF accidents for offshore operations and dynamically assessing their risks considering the harsh environmental factors. This study can guide the allocation of prevention resources and benefit the safety management of offshore operations. - Highlights: • A novel dynamic risk model for occupational accidents. • First time consideration of harsh environment in occupational accident modeling. • A Bayesian network based model for risk management strategies.

Idealized WRF model sensitivity simulations of sea breeze types and their effects on offshore windfields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. J. Steele

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The behaviour and characteristics of the marine component of sea breeze cells have received little attention relative to their onshore counterparts. Yet there is a growing interest and dependence on the offshore wind climate from, for example, a wind energy perspective. Using idealized model experiments, we investigate the sea breeze circulation at scales which approximate to those of the southern North Sea, a region of major ongoing offshore wind farm development. We also contrast the scales and characteristics of the pure and the little known corkscrew and backdoor sea breeze types, where the type is pre-defined by the orientation of the synoptic scale flow relative to the shoreline. We find, crucially, that pure sea breezes, in contrast to corkscrew and backdoor types, can lead to substantial wind speed reductions offshore and that the addition of a second eastern coastline emphasises this effect through generation of offshore "calm zones". The offshore extent of all sea breeze types is found to be sensitive to both the influence of Coriolis acceleration and to the boundary layer scheme selected. These extents range, for example for a pure sea breeze produced in a 2 m s⁻¹ offshore gradient wind, from 0 km to 21 km between the Mellor-Yamada-Nakanishi-Niino and the Yonsei State University schemes respectively. The corkscrew type restricts the development of a backdoor sea breeze on the opposite coast and is also capable of traversing a 100 km offshore domain even under high along-shore gradient wind speed (>15 m s⁻¹ conditions. Realistic variations in sea surface skin temperature and initializing vertical thermodynamic profile do not significantly alter the resulting circulation, though the strengths of the simulated sea breezes are modulated if the effective land-sea thermal contrast is altered. We highlight how sea breeze impacts on circulation need to be

Offshore Wind Energy Ready to Power a Sustainable Europe. Final Report. Concerted Action on Offshore Wind Energy in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-12-01

The objective of the project Concerted Action on Offshore Wind Energy in Europe [CA-OWEE] is to define the current state of the art of offshore wind energy in Europe through gathering and evaluation of information from across Europe and to disseminate the resulting knowledge to all interested, in order to help stimulate the development of the industry. The project is being funded by the European Commission and will be completed at the end of 2001. The knowledge gathered will be freely available through an internet site, a workshop and a printed report. This project divides offshore wind energy into five clusters of subjects and reviews the recent history and summarise the current state of affairs, relating to: Cluster 1 offshore technology, of the wind turbines and the support structures, Cluster 2 grid integration, energy supply and financing, Cluster 3 resources and economics, Cluster 4 activities and prospects, Cluster 5 social acceptance, environmental impact and politics. The conclusions from these surveys are then used to define recommendations for the future RTD strategy for Europe. The project's 17 partners come from 13 countries, thus covering the majority of the European Community's coastline. The partners cover a wide range of expertise and include developers, utilities, consultants, research institutes and universities

Lifting simulation of an offshore supply vessel considering various operating conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong-Hoon Jeong

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, an offshore support vessel is being widely used to install an offshore structure such as a subsea equipment which is laid on its deck. The lifting operation which is one of the installation operations includes lifting off, lifting in the air, splash zone crossing, deep submerging, and finally landing of the structure with an offshore support vessel crane. There are some major considerations during this operation. Especially, when lifting off the structure, if operating conditions such as ocean environmental loads and hoisting (or lowering speed are bad, the excess of tension of wire ropes of the crane and the collision between the offshore support vessel and the structure can be occurred due to the relative motion between them. To solve this problem, this study performs the lifting simulation while the offshore support vessel installs the structure. The simulation includes the calculation of dynamic responses of the offshore support vessel and the equipment, including the wire tension and the collision detection. To check the applicability of the simulation, it is applied to some lifting steps by varying operating conditions. As a result, it is confirmed that the conditions affect the operability of those steps.

Effective Method for Determining Environmental Loads on Supporting Structures for Offshore Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dymarski Paweł

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a description of an effective method for determining loads due to waves and current acting on the supporting structures of the offshore wind turbines. This method is dedicated to the structures consisting of the cylindrical or conical elements as well as (truncates pyramids of polygon with a large number of sides (8 or more. The presented computational method is based on the Morison equation, which was originally developed only for cylindrically shaped structures. The new algorithm shown here uses the coefficients of inertia and drag forces that were calculated for non-cylindrical shapes. The analysed structure consists of segments which are truncated pyramids on the basis of a hex decagon. The inertia coefficients, CM, and drag coefficients, CD, were determined using RANSE-CFD calculations. The CFD simulations were performed for a specific range of variation of the period, and for a certain range of amplitudes of the velocity. In addition, the analysis of influence of the surface roughness on the inertia and drag coefficients was performed. In the next step, the computations of sea wave, current and wind load on supporting structure for the fifty-year storm were carried out. The simulations were performed in the time domain and as a result the function of forces distribution along the construction elements was obtained. The most unfavourable distribution of forces will be used, to analyse the strength of the structure, as the design load.

Offshore Investment Funds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shang-Jin Wei

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Offshore investment funds are alleged to have engaged in trading behavior that is different from their onshore counterparts because they may be subject to less supervision and regulation. In particular, they may trade more intensely. They could also pursue more aggressively certain trading strategies such as positive feedback trading or herding that could contribute to a greater volatility in the market. Using a unique data set, this chapter compares the trading behavior in the Korean stock market between offshore investment funds with their onshore counterparts registered in the US and UK. There are a number of interesting findings. First, there is indeed evidence suggesting that the offshore funds trade more intensely than their onshore counterparts. Second, however, there is no evidence that the offshore funds engage in positive feedback trading. In contrast, there is strong evidence that the funds from the U.S. and U.K. do. Third, while offshore funds do herd, they do so far less than onshore funds in the U.S. or UK. Fourth, offshore funds hold less glamour stocks (e.g. stocks with high P/E in their portfolio than funds in the U.S. or U.K. do. Moreover, flight to glamour stocks during the in-crisis period is less evident in the case of offshore funds. In sum, offshore funds are no especially worrisome monsters.

Potential climatic impacts and reliability of large-scale offshore wind farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Chien; Prinn, Ronald G

2011-01-01

The vast availability of wind power has fueled substantial interest in this renewable energy source as a potential near-zero greenhouse gas emission technology for meeting future world energy needs while addressing the climate change issue. However, in order to provide even a fraction of the estimated future energy needs, a large-scale deployment of wind turbines (several million) is required. The consequent environmental impacts, and the inherent reliability of such a large-scale usage of intermittent wind power would have to be carefully assessed, in addition to the need to lower the high current unit wind power costs. Our previous study (Wang and Prinn 2010 Atmos. Chem. Phys. 10 2053) using a three-dimensional climate model suggested that a large deployment of wind turbines over land to meet about 10% of predicted world energy needs in 2100 could lead to a significant temperature increase in the lower atmosphere over the installed regions. A global-scale perturbation to the general circulation patterns as well as to the cloud and precipitation distribution was also predicted. In the later study reported here, we conducted a set of six additional model simulations using an improved climate model to further address the potential environmental and intermittency issues of large-scale deployment of offshore wind turbines for differing installation areas and spatial densities. In contrast to the previous land installation results, the offshore wind turbine installations are found to cause a surface cooling over the installed offshore regions. This cooling is due principally to the enhanced latent heat flux from the sea surface to lower atmosphere, driven by an increase in turbulent mixing caused by the wind turbines which was not entirely offset by the concurrent reduction of mean wind kinetic energy. We found that the perturbation of the large-scale deployment of offshore wind turbines to the global climate is relatively small compared to the case of land

The environmental interactions of tidal and wave energy generation devices

OpenAIRE

Frid, C.; Andonegi, E.; Depestele, J.; Judd, A.; Rihan, D.; Rogers, S.I.; Kenchington, E.

2012-01-01

Global energy demand continues to grow and tidal and wave energy generation devices can provide a significant source of renewable energy. Technological developments in offshore engineering and the rising cost of traditional energy means that offshore energy resources will be economic in the next few years. While there is now a growing body of data on the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms, the scientific basis on which to make informed decisions about the environmental effects of other...

Decommissioning and abandonment of offshore installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Side, J.C.

1992-01-01

To the onlooker surprising little thought was given at the project planning stage to the fate of offshore facilities once their production lifetimes had come to an end. Throughout the 1970s at least, international law required the complete removal of all structures and installations one disused or abandoned. Fishermen's organisations were led to believe that such installations would be entirely removed yet many of the designs of these show that removal was not much in the minds of the engineers or project management during the design stages. Changes in the text of the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea and (by their widespread legal adoption) in customary international law may now permit partial removal of installations subject to important safeguards for navigation, the environment and other users of the sea. Of the North Sea states at least one has adopted policies that will minimise the cost associated with offshore decommissioning and abandonment and both the UK and Norway are adopting legislation which will provide for a case by case approach to the decommissioning and abandonment of offshore facilities and allow partial removal options. There has thus been a recent and significant change in approach to the abandonment of offshore oil and gas installations. This chapter reviews the development of abandonment laws and policies, outlines the available removal options, and provides a consideration of the environmental and fishery implications of these for the North Sea. (Author)

The offshore benthic fish community

Science.gov (United States)

Lantry, Brian F.; Lantry, Jana R.; Weidel, Brian C.; Walsh, Maureen; Hoyle, James A.; Schaner, Teodore; Neave, Fraser B.; Keir, Michael

2014-01-01

Lake Ontario’s offshore benthic fish community includes primarily slimy sculpin, lake whitefish, rainbow smelt, lake trout, burbot, and sea lamprey. Of these, lake trout have been the focus of an international restoration effort for more than three decades (Elrod et al. 1995; Lantry and Lantry 2008). The deepwater sculpin and three species of deepwater ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) that were historically important in the offshore benthic zone became rare or were extirpated by the 1960s (Christie 1973; Owens et al. 2003; Lantry et al. 2007b; Roth et al. 2013). Ecosystem changes continue to influence the offshore benthic fish community, including the effects of dreissenid mussels, the near disappearance of burrowing amphipods (Diporeia spp.) (Dermott et al. 2005; Watkins et al. 2007), and the increased abundance and expanded geographic distribution of round goby (see Nearshore Fish Community chapter) (Lantry et al. 2007b). The fish-community objectives for the offshore benthic fish community, as described by Stewart et al. (1999), are:

Whether and What to Offshore?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Peter Ørberg; Pedersen, Torben

In this article, we explore the idea that offshoring of services and technical work should be regarded as a dynamic process that evolves over time. Firms gradually move from offshoring of simple, standardized activities towards offshoring of advanced activities when they accumulate experience...... with offshoring, and this type of offshoring comes with an entirely different set of characteristics compared to traditional, cost-seeking offshoring. Based on a unique survey among the total population of firms in the eastern region of Denmark, we analyze some of the dynamics of this process through a model...... that incorporates two different aspects of the process of offshoring. First, we approach the question of whether to offshore and establish a baseline that investigates the determinants of firms’ participation—or lack thereof—in offshoring. Secondly, we approach the question of what to offshore and the subsequent...

The environmental interactions of tidal and wave energy generation devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frid, Chris; Andonegi, Eider; Depestele, Jochen; Judd, Adrian; Rihan, Dominic; Rogers, Stuart I.; Kenchington, Ellen

2012-01-01

Global energy demand continues to grow and tidal and wave energy generation devices can provide a significant source of renewable energy. Technological developments in offshore engineering and the rising cost of traditional energy means that offshore energy resources will be economic in the next few years. While there is now a growing body of data on the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms, the scientific basis on which to make informed decisions about the environmental effects of other offshore energy developments is lacking. Tidal barrages have the potential to cause significant ecological impacts particularly on bird feeding areas when they are constructed at coastal estuaries or bays. Offshore tidal stream energy and wave energy collectors offer the scope for developments at varying scales. They also have the potential to alter habitats. A diversity of designs exist, including floating, mid-water column and seabed mounted devices, with a variety of moving-part configurations resulting in a unique complex of potential environmental effects for each device type, which are discussed to the extent possible. - Highlights: ► We review the environmental impacts of tidal barrages and fences, tidal stream farms and wave energy capture devices. ► Impacts on habitats, species and the water column, and effects of noise and electromagnetic fields are considered. ► Tidal barrages can cause significant impacts on bird feeding areas when constructed at coastal estuaries or bays. ► Wave energy collectors can alter water column and sea bed habitats locally and over large distances.

The environmental interactions of tidal and wave energy generation devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frid, Chris, E-mail: c.l.j.frid@liv.ac.uk [School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB (United Kingdom); Andonegi, Eider, E-mail: eandonegi@azti.es [AZTI-Tecnalia, Txatxarramendi ugartea, z/g E-48395 Sukarrieta (Bizkaia) (Spain); Depestele, Jochen, E-mail: jochen.depestele@ilvo.vlaanderen.be [Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Ankerstraat 1, B-8400 Oostende (Belgium); Judd, Adrian, E-mail: Adrian.Judd@cefas.co.uk [Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science , Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT United Kingdom (United Kingdom); Rihan, Dominic, E-mail: Dominic.RIHAN@ec.europa.eu [Irish Sea Fisheries Board, P.O. Box 12 Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin (Ireland); Rogers, Stuart I., E-mail: stuart.rogers@cefas.co.uk [Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science , Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT United Kingdom (United Kingdom); Kenchington, Ellen, E-mail: Ellen.Kenchington@dfo-mpo.gc.ca [Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth Canada, NS B2Y 4A2 (Canada)

2012-01-15

Global energy demand continues to grow and tidal and wave energy generation devices can provide a significant source of renewable energy. Technological developments in offshore engineering and the rising cost of traditional energy means that offshore energy resources will be economic in the next few years. While there is now a growing body of data on the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms, the scientific basis on which to make informed decisions about the environmental effects of other offshore energy developments is lacking. Tidal barrages have the potential to cause significant ecological impacts particularly on bird feeding areas when they are constructed at coastal estuaries or bays. Offshore tidal stream energy and wave energy collectors offer the scope for developments at varying scales. They also have the potential to alter habitats. A diversity of designs exist, including floating, mid-water column and seabed mounted devices, with a variety of moving-part configurations resulting in a unique complex of potential environmental effects for each device type, which are discussed to the extent possible. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We review the environmental impacts of tidal barrages and fences, tidal stream farms and wave energy capture devices. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Impacts on habitats, species and the water column, and effects of noise and electromagnetic fields are considered. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tidal barrages can cause significant impacts on bird feeding areas when constructed at coastal estuaries or bays. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Wave energy collectors can alter water column and sea bed habitats locally and over large distances.

Mean load effects on the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine monopile foundations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blasques, José Pedro Albergaria Amaral; Natarajan, Anand

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the importance of mean load effects on the estimation of the fatigue damage in offshore wind turbine monopile foundations. The mud line bending moment time series are generated using a fully coupled aero-hydro-elastic model accounting for non-linear water waves and sea current....... The fatigue damage is analysed in terms of the lifetime fatigue damage equivalent bending moment. Three different mean value correction techniques are considered, namely, Goodman, Walker, and mean sensitivity factor. An increase in the lifetime fatigue damage equivalent bending moment between 6% (mean...... of the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine monopile foundations. Moreover, it is shown that a nonlinear hydrodynamic model is required in order to correctly account for the effect of the current....

Industrial opportunities - offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerrits, D.J.

1998-01-01

Industrial opportunities available in the Canadian offshore petroleum industry are discussed. Oil has been produced offshore from Nova Scotia since 1992, and offshore from Newfoundland since 1997. Special needs that must be addressed in offshore operations in eastern Canada such as the cold North Atlantic environment, isolation, logistics, safety, and quality assurance, are examined. The most obvious opportunities lie with the designing, building and installing the facilities needed to extract oil and gas from beneath the sea floor and transport it to market. However, there are also opportunities in designing and fabricating clothing, customized food containers and other equipment for offshore needs. Short term opportunities also exist in the decommissioning of depleted production fields and their facilities. One of the greatest obstacles facing new entrants into the offshore oil and gas industry is the lack of a track record. To meet this challenge, the ability to seek out partners to pursue local and international opportunities through joint ventures, strategic alliances and technology sharing partnering arrangements is of great importance. It may be the difference between success and failure. 6 figs

Ecological research at the offshore windfarm alpha ventus. Challenges, results and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beiersdorf, Anika; Wollny-Goerke, Katrin

2014-01-01

At present and over the next few years, large-scale windfarms are being installed far off the coast of Germany in the North and Baltic Sea, making a major contribution to electricity generation from renewable energy sources. One of the German government's aims is to ensure the environmentally sound and sustainable development of offshore wind energy. Germany's first offshore test site, alpha ventus, was therefore accompanied from the construction phase to the first years of operation by an intensive environmental research programme, the StUKplus project, financed by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and coordinated by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. Marine and ecological aspects have been researched there for more than five years to improve the level of knowledge about the ecological impacts of offshore windfarms. This book provides a broad, richly illustrated overview of applied and new research methods and monitoring techniques. It summarises the key research findings on the impacts on benthic communities, fish, marine mammals and birds, also taking into account underwater sound and sediment measurements. Interpreting the results in the sense of lessons learned, new challenges and perspectives are discussed for future sustainable offshore development in German waters.

Ecological research at the offshore windfarm alpha ventus. Challenges, results and perspectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beiersdorf, Anika; Wollny-Goerke, Katrin (eds.)

2014-07-01

At present and over the next few years, large-scale windfarms are being installed far off the coast of Germany in the North and Baltic Sea, making a major contribution to electricity generation from renewable energy sources. One of the German government's aims is to ensure the environmentally sound and sustainable development of offshore wind energy. Germany's first offshore test site, alpha ventus, was therefore accompanied from the construction phase to the first years of operation by an intensive environmental research programme, the StUKplus project, financed by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and coordinated by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. Marine and ecological aspects have been researched there for more than five years to improve the level of knowledge about the ecological impacts of offshore windfarms. This book provides a broad, richly illustrated overview of applied and new research methods and monitoring techniques. It summarises the key research findings on the impacts on benthic communities, fish, marine mammals and birds, also taking into account underwater sound and sediment measurements. Interpreting the results in the sense of lessons learned, new challenges and perspectives are discussed for future sustainable offshore development in German waters.

Strategic Biodiversity Risk Assessment (SBRA) of the offshore oil and gas exploration and production (E and P) plans and programs in Brazil; Avaliacao estrategica do risco a biodiversidade (AERB) nos planos e programas de E e P offshore de petroleo e gas natural no Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia, Katia Cristina

2007-07-15

This thesis proposes a methodological framework, called Strategic Biodiversity Risk Assessment (SBRA), within Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), as a way to efficiently incorporate the risks to biodiversity caused by accidental spills into the strategic levels of offshore oil and gas E and P decision-making process. Moreover, this approach can also indicate the exclusion (or postponement) of bidding areas with extreme environmental sensitivity, as well as the choices for environmental-friendly E and P technologies. In order to exemplify this methodological framework application, two case studies are presented, one of the offshore O and G development program in southern Bahia state, Northeast of Brazil, and other of the offshore development plan in Abrolhos region, Brazil. (author)

Environmental impact assessment of offshore wind farms: a simulation-based approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Perez-Lapena, Blanca; Wijnberg, Kathelijne Mariken; Hulscher, Suzanne J.M.H.; Stein, A.

2010-01-01

1.  Assessing and monitoring the impact of offshore wind farms on marine fauna is vital if we want to achieve ecologically sustainable development of this renewable energy resource. Given the complexity of the marine environment, a method capable of accommodating spatio-temporal behaviour of

Offshore Wind Energy Permitting: A Survey of U.S. Project Developers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Cleve, Frances B.; Copping, Andrea E.

2010-11-30

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has adopted a goal to generate 20% of the nation’s electricity from wind power by 2030. Achieving this “20% Wind Scenario” in 2030 requires acceleration of the current rate of wind project development. Offshore wind resources contribute substantially to the nation’s wind resource, yet to date no offshore wind turbines have been installed in the U.S. Progress developing offshore wind projects has been slowed by technological challenges, uncertainties about impacts to the marine environment, siting and permitting challenges, and viewshed concerns. To address challenges associated with siting and permitting, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) surveyed offshore wind project developers about siting and project development processes, their experience with the environmental permitting process, and the role of coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP) in development of the offshore wind industry. Based on the responses to survey questions, we identify several priority recommendations to support offshore wind development. Recommendations also include considerations for developing supporting industries in the U.S. and how to use Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) to appropriately consider ocean energy among existing ocean uses. In this report, we summarize findings, discuss the implications, and suggest actions to improve the permitting and siting process.

EU-NORSEWInD - Investigation of Flow Distoration Effects on Offshore Instrumentation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stickland, Matt; Scanlon, Tom; Fabre, Sylvie

of which is the availability of good quality data to facilitate better project planning, accurate yield prediction, and a fundamentally better understanding of the working environment and local climatology. To address this issue the common convention is to mount instrumentation in offshore locations...... to assess the local wind conditions. Part of the overall NORSEWInD project is the use of LiDAR remote sensing (RS) systems mounted on offshore platforms to measure wind velocity profiles at a number of locations offshore. The data acquired from the offshore RS measurements will be fed into a large and novel....... It was obvious that the airflow data measured above the mounting platforms would be distorted by the presence of the platform. However; the extent to which the flow field above the various mounting platforms would be distorted was unknown. Therefore, part of the fundamental research incorporated...

Too much or too little of R&D offshoring : The impact of captive offshoring and contract offshoring on innovation performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steinberg, Philip; Procher, Vivien D.; Urbig, Diemo

2017-01-01

Innovating firms may acquire foreign knowledge and improve their innovation performance by offshoring their R&D activities to their own foreign affiliates (captive offshoring) as well as by contracting out their R&D to external foreign parties (contract offshoring). This study examines the impact of

Dose related risk and effect assessment model (DREAM) -- A more realistic approach to risk assessment of offshore discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnsen, S.; Furuholt, E.

1995-01-01

Risk assessment of discharges from offshore oil and gas production to the marine environment features determination of potential environmental concentration (PEC) levels and no observed effect concentration (NOEC) levels. The PEC values are normally based on dilution of chemical components in the actual discharge source in the recipient, while the NOEC values are determined by applying a safety factor to acute toxic effects from laboratory tests. The DREAM concept focuses on realistic exposure doses as function of contact time and dilution, rather than fixed exposure concentrations of chemicals in long time exposure regimes. In its present state, the DREAM model is based on a number of assumptions with respect to the link between real life exposure doses and effects observed in laboratory tests. A research project has recently been initiated to develop the concept further, with special focus on chronic effects of different chemical compounds on the marine ecosystem. One of the questions that will be addressed is the link between exposure time, dose, concentration and effect. Validation of the safety factors applied for transforming acute toxic data into NOEC values will also be included. The DREAM model has been used by Statoil for risk assessment of discharges from new and existing offshore oil and gas production fields, and has been found to give a much more realistic results than conventional risk assessment tools. The presentation outlines the background for the DREAM approach, describes the model in its present state, discusses further developments and applications, and shows a number of examples on the performance of DREAM

Impacts of large-scale offshore wind farm integration on power systems through VSC-HVDC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Hongzhi; Chen, Zhe

2013-01-01

The potential of offshore wind energy has been commonly recognized and explored globally. Many countries have implemented and planned offshore wind farms to meet their increasing electricity demands and public environmental appeals, especially in Europe. With relatively less space limitation......, an offshore wind farm could have a capacity rating to hundreds of MWs or even GWs that is large enough to compete with conventional power plants. Thus the impacts of a large offshore wind farm on power system operation and security should be thoroughly studied and understood. This paper investigates...... the impacts of integrating a large-scale offshore wind farm into the transmission system of a power grid through VSC-HVDC connection. The concerns are focused on steady-state voltage stability, dynamic voltage stability and transient angle stability. Simulation results based on an exemplary power system...

Safety in offshore engineering an academic course covering safety in offshore wind

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cerda Salzmann, D.J.

2011-01-01

Offshore projects are known for their challenging conditions, generally leading to high risks. Therefore no offshore project can go without a continuous and extensive assessment on safety issues. The Delft University of Technology is currently developing a course "Safety in Offshore Engineering"

Effects of the Tunoe Knob offshore wind farm on birdlife

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillemette, M.; Kyed Larsen, J.; Clausager, I.

1997-01-01

As part of the plans of the Danish government to expand offshore wind energy production, The Ministry of Environment and Energy, in collaboration with the Danish power companies, initiated a three-year study of the effects of the Tunoe Knob offshore wind farm on bird life. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential conflict between offshore wind farms and water birds. Danish coastal waters support very large, internationally important concentrations of moulting, migrating and wintering water birds which depend on shallow water areas as major feeding habitats. The wind farm was established at Tunoe Knob, a shoal in Aarhus Bugt, and consisted of ten 500 kW turbines erected in 3-5 m of water during the late summer of 1995. All studies were carried out during the winter period, and results are reported for eider Somateria mollissima and common scoter Melanitta nigra, which composed the great majority of the bird population. In the part of Tunoe knob where the wind farm was build, eider numbers decreased markedly over the study period. However, this decline was comparable to that observed on other parts of Tunoe Knob. Furthermore, detailed mapping showed a high degree of annual and within season variation in spatial distribution over the area, including occurrence in the immediate vicinity of the wind farm. These results suggest that the observed changes in eider numbers in the wind farm area were due to natural variation. (EG) 21 refs

Industry decries sharp decline in U.S. offshore activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Roadblocks to offshore activity in the U.S. drew much of the spotlight at the 24th Offshore Technology Conference last week in Houston. Among OTC highlights included in this paper are: Two panels reviewed how federal leasing moratoriums and regulatory restrictions are reining U.S. offshore development. Conoco Inc.'s manager of exploration and development in Russia detailed the allure of giant and supergiant fields in the Commonwealth of Independent States and reviewed the status of the company's efforts to negotiate E and D deals with Russian partners. Minerals Management Service officials reviewed environmental challenges facing operators on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and new MMS inspection strategies in the Gulf of Mexico. The 1992 OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for companies went to Brazil's Petroleo Brasileiro SA for deepwater development records set with the 3 Marlim well in the Campos basin off Brazil

Offshore Aquaculture: I Know It When I See It

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Halley E. Froehlich

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Offshore aquaculture is increasingly viewed as a mechanism to meet growing protein demand for seafood, while minimizing adverse consequences on the environment and other uses in the oceans. However, despite growing interest in offshore aquaculture, there appears to be no consensus as to what measures commonly define an offshore site or how effects of offshore aquaculture—relative to more nearshore practices—are assessed. This lack of agreement on what constitutes offshore aquaculture has the potential to convolute communication, create uncertainty in regulatory processes, and impede understanding of the ecological implications of offshore farming. To begin addressing these issues, we reviewed and analyzed biologically-focused primary and gray literature (Ntotal = 70 that categorize and quantify characteristics of offshore aquaculture from around the world. We found that many “offshore” descriptions are relatively close to shore (<3 nm and significantly shallower (minimum depth ≤30 m than may be assumed. We also uncovered an overall lack of consistent reporting of even the most common location-focused metrics (distance from shore, depth, current, a dearth of impact related studies (n = 17, and narrow scope of the studies themselves (i.e., 82% nutrient pollution. Of the finite subset of articles that investigated negative ecological impacts of offshore aquaculture, we found the probability of any measurable impact from an offshore farm appears to significantly decrease with distance from the farm (probability of measurable response at 90 m ± SE = 0.01 ± 0.03. Such general, but informative points of reference could be more robustly quantified with better systematic and standardized reporting of physical farm characteristics and a broader scope of ecological investigation into the effects of marine aquaculture. With offshore aquaculture still in its infancy, consistent metrics are needed for a comparable framework to guide sustainable

Offshore in depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ebdon, J F

1968-08-01

The world-wide scope of offshore areas is discussed. Offshore areas of the U.S. and the world are where one of the ''hottest'' hydrocarbon booms--drilling, production, and pipelining--are in action today. Most of the current activity in offshore exploration and drilling is crude oil directed. However, big non-associated natural gas finds have been made. Additionally, for every barrel of crude oil produced, either or both associated natural gas and dissolved natural gas are produced in some varying ratio as casinghead gas. Thus, with worldwide production of some 2.5-million bbl of crude oil per day from offshore areas of Free-World countries, there are vast volumes of casinghead natural gas produced, over and above that produced from non-associated natural gas wells to the seaward of land masses. If offshore gas of any classification is produced in commercial volumes close to onshore population centers, then the possibility of marketing is fairly good. If remote from population centers, it is usually flared or shut-in. The development of gas liquefaction and cryogenic tankers has started, but international ocean traffic in LNG is still in its infancy. Current offshore gas pipelines are described.

Pricing offshore wind power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levitt, Andrew C.; Kempton, Willett; Smith, Aaron P.; Musial, Walt; Firestone, Jeremy

2011-01-01

Offshore wind offers a very large clean power resource, but electricity from the first US offshore wind contracts is costlier than current regional wholesale electricity prices. To better understand the factors that drive these costs, we develop a pro-forma cash flow model to calculate two results: the levelized cost of energy, and the breakeven price required for financial viability. We then determine input values based on our analysis of capital markets and of 35 operating and planned projects in Europe, China, and the United States. The model is run for a range of inputs appropriate to US policies, electricity markets, and capital markets to assess how changes in policy incentives, project inputs, and financial structure affect the breakeven price of offshore wind power. The model and documentation are made publicly available. - Highlights: → We calculate the Breakeven Price (BP) required to deploy offshore wind plants. → We determine values for cost drivers and review incentives structures in the US. → We develop 3 scenarios using today's technology but varying in industry experience. → BP differs widely by Cost Scenario; relative policy effectiveness varies by stage. → The low-range BP is below regional market values in the Northeast United States.

Exploring China’s offshore wind energy potential in a comprehensive perspectives of technical, environmental and economic constraints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hong, Lixuan; Möller, Bernd

with projections of current wind turbine technology development to calculate the maximum amount of offshore wind energy that could be generated. Secondly, to calculate practical potential, the migratory path of an endangered bird and existing shipping lanes and submarine cables are excluded from the calculated......Adequate recognition of offshore wind energy potential may have far-reaching influence on the development of future energy strategies. This study aims to investigate available offshore wind energy resource in China’s exclusive economic zones (EEZs) with the aid of a Geographical Information System...... (GIS), which allows the influence of technical, spatial and economic constraints on raw offshore wind potential being reflected in a continuous space. Firstly, based on ocean wind speed data gained from satellite QuikSCAT, raw potential are identified. Those findings are then used along...

Seabird aggregative patterns: a new tool for offshore wind energy risk assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Christel, Isadora; Certain, Grégoire; Cama, Albert; Vieites, David R; Ferrer, Xavier

2013-01-15

The emerging development of offshore wind energy has raised public concern over its impact on seabird communities. There is a need for an adequate methodology to determine its potential impacts on seabirds. Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are mostly relying on a succession of plain density maps without integrated interpretation of seabird spatio-temporal variability. Using Taylor's power law coupled with mixed effect models, the spatio-temporal variability of species' distributions can be synthesized in a measure of the aggregation levels of individuals over time and space. Applying the method to a seabird aerial survey in the Ebro Delta, NW Mediterranean Sea, we were able to make an explicit distinction between transitional and feeding areas to define and map the potential impacts of an offshore wind farm project. We use the Ebro Delta study case to discuss the advantages of potential impacts maps over density maps, as well as to illustrate how these potential impact maps can be applied to inform on concern levels, optimal EIA design and monitoring in the assessment of local offshore wind energy projects. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Treatment of offshore produced water - an effective membrane process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, J.; Larson, R.; Scherer, B.

1991-01-01

The conference paper describes a new membrane technology being extremely effective in separating hydrocarbons from water streams. The membrane is composed of a completely natural cellulose and is resistant to all hydrocarbons and organic solvents, and preliminary tests have shown that it is resistant to fouling by oily molecules and calcium scaling. The membrane system being designed shows good potential for the treatment of offshore produced water with a hydrocarbon content well within present and emerging standards. 6 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs

Offshore risk assessment

CERN Document Server

Vinnem, Jan-Erik

2014-01-01

  Offshore Risk Assessment was the first book to deal with quantified risk assessment (QRA) as applied specifically to offshore installations and operations. Risk assessment techniques have been used for more than three decades in the offshore oil and gas industry, and their use is set to expand increasingly as the industry moves into new areas and faces new challenges in older regions.   This updated and expanded third edition has been informed by a major R&D program on offshore risk assessment in Norway and summarizes research from 2006 to the present day. Rooted with a thorough discussion of risk metrics and risk analysis methodology,  subsequent chapters are devoted to analytical approaches to escalation, escape, evacuation and rescue analysis of safety and emergency systems.   Separate chapters analyze the main hazards of offshore structures: fire, explosion, collision, and falling objects as well as structural and marine hazards. Risk mitigation and control are discussed, as well as an illustrat...

ISM Approach to Model Offshore Outsourcing Risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunand Kumar

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In an effort to achieve a competitive advantage via cost reductions and improved market responsiveness, organizations are increasingly employing offshore outsourcing as a major component of their supply chain strategies. But as evident from literature number of risks such as Political risk, Risk due to cultural differences, Compliance and regulatory risk, Opportunistic risk and Organization structural risk, which adversely affect the performance of offshore outsourcing in a supply chain network. This also leads to dissatisfaction among different stake holders. The main objective of this paper is to identify and understand the mutual interaction among various risks which affect the performance of offshore outsourcing.  To this effect, authors have identified various risks through extant review of literature.  From this information, an integrated model using interpretive structural modelling (ISM for risks affecting offshore outsourcing is developed and the structural relationships between these risks are modeled.  Further, MICMAC analysis is done to analyze the driving power and dependency of risks which shall be helpful to managers to identify and classify important criterions and to reveal the direct and indirect effects of each criterion on offshore outsourcing. Results show that political risk and risk due to cultural differences are act as strong drivers.

Feasibility study of electromechanical cylinder drivetrain for offshore mechatronic systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hagen, D.; Pawlus, W.; Ebbesen, M. K.

2017-01-01

Currently, there is an increasing focus on the environmental impact and energy consumption of the oil and gas industry. In offshore drilling equipment, electric motors tend to replace traditionally used hydraulic motors, especially in rotational motion control applications. However, force densiti...

Offshore wind energy developments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stolpe, Mathias; Buhl, Thomas; Sumer, B. Mutlu

2014-01-01

This chapter will give a brief overview of a few of the activities within offshore wind energy research, specifically 1) Support structure optimization, 2) Blade coatings for wind turbines; 3) Scour protection of foundations, 4) Offshore HVDC and 5) Offshore wind services....

Coastal effects of offshore energy systems. An assessment of oil and gas systems, deepwater ports, and nuclear power plants off the coast of New Jersey and Delaware. Volume II. Parts 1 and 2. Working papers 4 thru 10

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-11-01

This report consists of ten working papers prepared as background material for the assessment of the effects of three proposed offshore energy systems on the coastal areas of New Jersey and Delaware. The three proposed offshore energy systems are: exploration for and development of offshore oil and gas, deepwater ports for supertankers, and floating nuclear powerplants. The 10 working papers cover: federal and state regulation of the three systems, the biological impacts, the risk of oil spills in developing oil and gas resources and operating deepwater ports, the air and water quality impacts, regional energy supply and demand considerations, the fiscal effects of developing the three systems, environmental studies, a safety analysis of floating nuclear powerplants, an analysis of fuel and waste handling of floating nuclear powerplants, and an analysis of the economic considerations of floating nuclear powerplants

How Offshore Outsourcing Affects Costs and Value Creation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandl, Kristin; Mol, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Although academic and public interest in service offshoring has increased in recent years, research remains focused mainly on antecedents and benefits of activities, overlooking process aspects. For that reason, we take a process perspective when conceptualizing around offshore outsourcing...... affects costs and value creation in the respective stages. The reconceptualization enables us to provide a clearer and more fine-grained picture of the effects of offshoring and outsourcing decisions, thus helping to further develop our understanding of the reasoning to relocate services geographical...

Domestic R&D and Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Junge, Martin; Sørensen, Anders

2017-01-01

survey and register data. No evidence is found for a lower probability of own R&D after offshoring takes place compared to before. Moreover, offshoring does not lead to lower R&D intensity in general. However, firms that offshore R&D activity have larger R&D intensity after offshoring has taken place...

Evaluation of stress resultant of offshore jacket platform using neural network

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Mandal, S.; Hegde, G.; Gupta, K.G.

The safety of an offshore platform depends on the predicting environmental phenomena such as wind, current, wave, seismic loadings and accurate calculation of responses of the structure to these loads and determining the strength of the structure...

Offshoring and International Competitiveness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørberg Jensen, Peter D.; Pedersen, Torben

2012-01-01

During the past decade, offshoring has become an established business practice. Yet it is still more common to offshore less advanced tasks compared with offshoring more advanced tasks, i.e., tasks closer to the core activities of the firm. The latter is a new phenomenon which raises many new iss...

Optimal Structural Reliability of Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Tarp-Johansen, N.J.

2005-01-01

The main failure modes of modern large wind turbines are fatigue failure of wings, hub, shaft and main tower, local buckling of main tower, and failure of the foundation. This paper considers reliability-based optimal design of wind turbines. Compared to onshore wind turbines and building...... structures, humans spent little time in the vicinity of offshore wind turbines and the probability of human injury during storm conditions is small. Further environmental pollution will also in general be small in case of failure. One could therefore argue that the reliability level of offshore wind turbines...... can be lower than for onshore wind turbines and other civil engineering structures and can be assessed by reliability-based cost-optimization. Specifically this paper considers the main tower and foundation. Both fatigue and ultimate strength failure modes are included. Different formulations...

Offshore Transmission Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-10-15

The purpose of this document is to give an overview of offshore electricity transmission technologies. In particular this document is concerned with the use of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems and more specifically with the development of Voltage Source Converter (VSC) technology. This report outlines the current state of the main technology groups required for offshore HVDC transmission as well as giving examples of offshore projects (both current and future). Finally some indications of likely unit costs for HV assets are given.

Wind energy in offshore grids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schroeder, S.T.

2013-01-15

This cumulative PhD thesis deals with wind integration in offshore grids from an economic point of view. It is composed of a generic part and eight papers. As the topic has mostly been analysed with a focus on topology and technical issues until now, market-operational questions in offshore grids and investment implications under different regulatory frameworks are a hitherto underrepresented research field. They are addressed by this thesis. Offshore grids between several countries combine the absorption of wind energy with international power trading. However, the inclusion into an offshore grid affects the economics of an offshore wind park. It is shown that the spot market income is lower if an offshore wind farm is placed in an interconnector and subject to nodal pricing instead of having a national affiliation. Moreover, congestion in the interconnector can prevent the wind farm from correcting its wind forecast errors in a specific onshore balancing group. An analytical approach with a transmission system operator and a wind farm as stakeholders illustrates resulting incentives for strategic behaviour. Depending on the regulatory regime, they may be inclined to announce more or less generation than expected at the closure of the day-ahead spot market. This can lead to a suboptimal utilisation of the infrastructure and associated socio-economic losses. These and possibly undesired reallocative effects between the parties can be avoided if the regulatory regime is adjusted to reflect special characteristics of offshore grids. With an operational real options approach, it is furthermore illustrated how different support schemes and connections to additional countries affect the investment case of an offshore wind farm and the income of the transmission system operator. The investment framework has also been addressed with a policy study about possible combinations of support schemes and international cooperation mechanisms between countries to achieve their

The offshorization of economy: the present realities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maslak Olga

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this article the essence and main types of offshore zones have been studied. It has been analyzed the main reasons for cooperation with the tax havens, established that the main reason of the Ukrainian economy offshorization is not only the desire of economic entities to optimize taxes, but also the desire to protect their assets from the negative impact of the crisis phenomena in the national economy during 2010-2016. The foreign experience of the anti-offshore regulation has been researched. It has been defined that the general anti-offshore regulation vector should be based on the principles of financial transparency, active cooperation with the international community, an optimal combination of instruments that restrict the capital outflows and the effective instruments that stimulate the business development in the country. It has been also established that the mechanism of deoffshorization should be aimed not only at elimination of the territories with the preferential taxation, but also at receiving benefits from their use on the basis of the existing financial infrastructure of the leading world offshore centers. The experience of China in attracting additional foreign investments, gaining wider access to financial resources through the cooperation with an offshore financial centre has been researched.

Horns Rev offshore wind power farm. Environmental impact assessment on water quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, Per

2000-05-01

As part of an overall Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) undertaken in connection with a planned 150 MW offshore wind farm at Horns Rev, an assessment was made of the effects the wind farm would have on the water quality in the area. This EIA study was drawn up in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy in the publication 'Guidelines for the preparation of EIA studies for offshore wind farms'. Horns Rev is situated off Blaevands Huk, which is Denmark's most westerly point. It is a shallow reef with water depths between 2 and 9 metres and is primarily composed of sand, gravel and pebbles. Only local and minor changes are anticipated in connection with the currents, sediments and wave conditions during the production phase. These will occur in the immediate vicinity of the individual foundations. For these reasons, no changes are expected in the water quality. This also includes also the pelagic primary production and the occurrence of plankton in the area. Increased local copper contamination of phytoplankton and zooplankton may be expected during the production phase, as a result of the total annual discharge of 206 kg copper from the slip-rings in the wind turbines. The contamination will potentially result in a local reduction of the pelagic primary production and changes in the species composition of the plankton. The wind turbines will be sandblasted and painted once during their lifetime, as part of the routine maintenance. The sandblasting and painting will lead to a temporary spill of paint, paint waste and sand. The impacts on water quality and plankton production are unknown. It is recommended that factors such as the toxicity of the paint be investigated, and that spills and the impact of waste be reduced as much as possible. The water quality and the plankton in the wind farm area and along the cable line's passage to shore through the international protected area, will only be affected in a minor way

State of the Art and Challenges for Offshore Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bela H. Buck

2018-05-01

Full Text Available By moving away from coastal waters and hence reducing pressure on nearshore ecosystems, offshore aquaculture can be seen as a possible step towards the large-scale expansion of marine food production. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA in nearshore water bodies has received increasing attention and could therefore play a role in the transfer of aquaculture operations to offshore areas. IMTA holds scope for multi-use of offshore areas and can bring environmental benefits from making use of waste products and transforming these into valuable co-products. Furthermore, they may act as alternative marine production systems and provide scope for alternative income options for coastal communities, e.g., by acting as nodes for farm operation and maintenance requirements. This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge on the implications of the exposed nature of offshore and open ocean sites on the biological, technological and socio-economic performance of IMTA. Of particular interest is improving knowledge about resource flows between integrated species in hydrodynamic challenging conditions that characterize offshore waters.

Outsourcing software development offshore making IT work

CERN Document Server

Gold, Tandy

2004-01-01

THE OFFSHORE IMPERATIVECrunching the Offshore Numbers: What the Financials PortendWelcome to the Definitive Guide on Offshore OutsourcingSetting the Stage: The Compelling Offshore StoryOffshore Outsourcing versus Traditional IT OutsourcingChallenges of Offshore OutsourcingChapter SummaryGetting Started in OffshoreExecutive Support and Communications: The Key to SuccessA Look at an Example of Enlightened Leadership: Handling Employee Impact at a Northeast Utilities CompanyWell-Planned and Executed Communications: A Critical Success Factor for Offshore Program InitiationEstablishing the Offshore

Consistent variability in beta-diversity patterns contrasts with changes in alpha-diversity along an onshore to offshore environmental gradient: the case of Red Sea soft-bottom macrobenthos

KAUST Repository

Alsaffar, Zahra Hassan Ali

2017-09-30

Patterns of variability in diversity (alpha and beta), abundance, and community structure of soft-bottom macrobenthic assemblages were investigated across an inshore/offshore environmental gradient in the central Red Sea. A total of three distinct soft-substrate biotopes were identified through multivariate techniques: seagrass meadows, nearshore, and offshore. While the seagrass biotope was associated with higher organic matter content, the two coastal biotopes presented higher redox potential in the sediments and dissolved oxygen in the water. Depth and medium sand increased toward the offshore, while the percentage of fine particles was a determinant of nearshore communities. Regardless of the prevailing environmental conditions, the three biotopes were characterized by high numbers of exclusive taxa, most of which were singletons. Changes in species richness were not related to depth or organic matter, peaking at intermediate depths (nearshore). However, the number of taxa increased exponentially with abundance. On the other hand, density decreased logarithmically with depth and organic matter in sediments, probably linked to a reduced availability of food. One of the most conspicuous features of the macrobenthic assemblages inhabiting soft substrates in the central oligotrophic Red Sea is the low level of dominance resulting from a high species richness: abundance ratio. Despite the differences observed for alpha-diversity across the three biotopes, beta-diversity patterns were rather consistent. These findings suggest that mechanisms driving biodiversity are similar across the depth gradient. The partitioning of beta-diversity also show that assemblages are mainly driven by the substitution of species (turnover or replacement), most likely as a result of environmental filtering. The heterogeneity of the seafloor in shallow waters of the Red Sea promoted by the co-existence of coral reefs inter-spaced by sedimentary habitats may increase the regional pool of

Wind power potential outside the Norwegian coast (offshore); Vindkraftpotensialet utenfor norskekysten (offshore)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofstad, Knut; Tallhaug, Lars

2008-07-01

Norway has a long coastline with good wind conditions, but is different from many other European countries because a big part of the maritime zone close to the coast is very deep (the Norwegian trench). Thus it is only possible to utilize a small part of the offshore field for wind power with today's technology. Developing wind power offshore is today only extended to the areas with shallow water with depth between 5 and 20 meters. The solution for the deeper areas is not commercially available as of yet, but more and more participants, a Norwegian firm (Owec) among others, are working on solutions that will make it possible to establish wind turbines with a solid base as deep as 100 meters (technology based on experiences from the oil industry). A considerable wind power potential in the shallow water areas outside the Norwegian coast has been proven. Meanwhile the potential is strongly dependent on the demand that the generating station must have a minimum distance from the shore. In areas with depths shallower than 20 meters, the potential is estimated from about 6000 to about 30 000 MW, dependent on if the minimum distance from shore is 10 to 1 km. If the maximum depth is extended to 50 m, the potential is about 13 000 to 55 000 MW. Also an approximation is made on how big the wind power potential can be if the maximum depth is extended to 100 m. The potential for wind power will then improve substantially and will be in the area from 40 000 to 140 000 MW. For depths that deep, it may also be pertinent to increase the demand for minimum distance from the shore to 20 km. The potential outside the 20 km limit will be about 12 000 MW. The investigation considers that the development shall not take place in the protected zones or too close to shore. Specific adverse effects of environmental and other specific effects will however not be evaluated. For instance it is not clear what significance the visual impacts and coast scenery will be and what restrictions

P-{Delta} effects on the reliability of oil offshore jacket platforms in Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Leon-Escobedo, D. [Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Toluca, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)]. E-mail: daviddeleonescobedo@yahoo.com.mx; Campos, D. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexico)]. E-mail: dcampos@imp.mx

2012-07-15

Given the important economic consequences of an oil platform failure, all the aspects of its structural behavior and safety issues need to be carefully considered. In particular, P-{Delta} effects on the deck legs of marine offshore jacket platforms may be relevant when the deck height and the vertical load are significant. In this paper, the impact of the moment amplification, due to slenderness of the deck legs, on the platform safety is examined and appraised from the viewpoint of the structural reliability. The formulation is applied to a typical tall deck marine platform under the environmental loading at the Bay of Campeche, Mexico, and its reliability index is calculated with and without the P-{Delta} effect. The results presented herein may be used to improve the current practice in the design and assessment of offshore marine platforms in Mexico and to update the current version of the code. [Spanish] Dadas las importantes consecuencias economicas de la falla de una plataforma petrolera, todos los aspectos de su comportamiento estructural y aspectos de seguridad necesitan considerarse cuidadosamente. En particular, los efectos P-{Delta} en las piernas de la cubierta de plataformas marinas costa fuera petroleras tipo jacket pueden ser relevantes cuando la altura de la cubierta y la intensidad de cargas verticales son significativas. En este articulo se examina el impacto que sobre la seguridad de la plataforma tiene la amplificacion de momentos, debido a la esbeltez de las piernas de la cubierta, y se evalua este impacto desde el punto de vista de confiabilidad estructural. La formulacion se aplica a una plataforma marina tipica, con cubierta alta, bajo la carga ambiental de la Bahia de Campeche, Mexico y se calcula su indice de confiabilidad con y sin el efecto P-{Delta}. Los resultados presentados aqui pueden usarse para mejorar las practicas actuales de diseno y evaluacion de plataformas marinas costa fuera en Mexico y para actualizar la version actual

Getting the most from offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wæhrens, Brian Vejrum; Slepniov, Dmitrij; Johansen, John

2014-01-01

Tapping into global resources is supposed to improve performance and contribute to a firm’s competitive advantage. However, a high offshoring quota may also lead to erosion of the firm’s home base capabilities and have wider negative implications for both the home base site position and the firm...... as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize this scenario and propose how its adverse impacts can be addressed. From previous studies we know that the roles and mandates of home based sites of offshoring companies are changing from broad scoped manufacturing towards innovation and network...... orchestration. On the basis of the findings from the survey, series of workshops and case studies of Danish companies presented in this paper, we seek to determine the longer term effects of offshoring for home based sites. We conceptualize the findings in a framework and close with discussing the need...

Offshore Cable Installation - Lillgrund. Lillgrund Pilot Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unosson, Oscar [Vattenfall Vindkraft AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

2009-01-15

This report describes the installation method and the experiences gained during the installation of the submarine cables for the offshore wind farm at Lillgrund. The wind farm consists of 48 wind turbines and is expected to produce 0.33 TWh annually. Different aspects of the installation, such as techniques, co-operation between the installation teams, weather conditions and regulatory and environmental issues are described in this report. In addition, recommendations and guidelines are provided, which hopefully can be utilised in future offshore wind projects. The trenches, in which the submarine cables were laid, were excavated weeks before the cable laying. This installation technique proved to be successful for the laying of the inter array cables. The export cable, however, was laid into position with difficulty. The main reason why the laying of the export cable proved more challenging was due to practical difficulties connected with the barge entrusted with the cable laying, Nautilus Maxi. The barge ran aground a number of times and it had difficulties with the thrusters, which made it impossible to manoeuvre. When laying the inter array cables, the method specification was closely followed, and the laying of the cables was executed successfully. The knowledge and experience gained from the offshore cable installation in Lillgrund is essential when writing technical specifications for new wind plant projects. It is recommended to avoid offshore cable installation work in winter seasons. That will lower the chances of dealing with bad weather and, in turn, will reduce the risks

Monitoring and evaluation of Blyth Offshore Wind Farm. NAVAID (Navigational Aid) requirements for UK offshore wind farms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pepper, L.

2001-07-01

The principle aim of this report is to review and evaluate the Navigational Aid (NAVAID) requirements for the Blyth Offshore Wind Farms as specified by Trinity House. The effectiveness of the NAVAIDs was monitored and reviewed by the project team with the assistance of the harbour master and the local vessel operators regularly using Blyth Harbour. This report particularly looks at the reasons for the NAVAID specification and the practicalities of using a similar system on larger offshore wind farms. The document not only describes the specification, but also reviews its effectiveness including any difficulties that were encountered during the installation. (author)

Assessing offshore wind potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adelaja, Adesoji; McKeown, Charles; Calnin, Benjamin; Hailu, Yohannes

2012-01-01

Quantifying wind potential is a pivotal initial step in developing and articulating a state’s policies and strategies for offshore wind industry development. This is particularly important in the Great Lakes States where lessons from other offshore environments are not directly applicable. This paper presents the framework developed for conducting a preliminary assessment of offshore wind potential. Information on lake bathymetry and wind resources were combined in simulating alternative scenarios of technically feasible turbine construction depths and distance concerns by stakeholders. These yielded estimates of developable offshore wind areas and potential power generation. While concerns about the visibility of turbines from shore reduce the power that can be generated, engineering solutions that increase the depths at which turbines can be sited increase such potential power output. This paper discusses the costs associated with technical limitations on depth and the social costs related to public sentiments about distance from the shoreline, as well as the possible tradeoffs. The results point to a very large untapped energy resource in the Michigan’s Great Lakes, large enough to prompt policy action from the state government. - Highlights: ▶ We build a theoretical framework for modeling offshore wind power production. ▶ Illustration of the impact of technology and social limitations on offshore wind energy development. ▶ Geospatial modeling of the offshore wind potential of the Great Lakes.

Wind energy in offshore grids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schröder, Sascha Thorsten

special characteristics of offshore grids. With an operational real options approach, it is furthermore illustrated how different support schemes and connections to additional countries affect the investment case of an offshore wind farm and the income of the transmission system operator. The investment...... and investment implications under different regulatory frameworks are a hitherto underrepresented research field. They are addressed by this thesis. Offshore grids between several countries combine the absorption of wind energy with international power trading. However, the inclusion into an offshore grid......This cumulative PhD thesis deals with wind integration in offshore grids from an economic point of view. It is composed of a generic part and eight papers. As the topic has mostly been analysed with a focus on topology and technical issues until now, market-operational questions in offshore grids...

The Hidden Costs of Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller Larsen, Marcus; Manning, Stephan; Pedersen, Torben

2011-01-01

of offshoring. Specifically, we propose that hidden costs can be explained by the combination of increasing structural, operational and social complexity of offshoring activities. In addition, we suggest that firm orientation towards organizational design as part of an offshoring strategy and offshoring......This study seeks to explain hidden costs of offshoring, i.e. unexpected costs resulting from the relocation of business tasks and activities outside the home country. We develop a model that highlights the role of complexity, design orientation and experience in explaining hidden costs...... experience moderate the relationship between complexity and hidden costs negatively i.e. reduces the cost generating impact of complexity. We develop three hypotheses and test them on comprehensive data from the Offshoring Research Network (ORN). In general, we find support for our hypotheses. A key result...

Offshore Wind Energy Market Overview (Presentation)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baring-Gould, I.

2013-07-01

This presentation describes the current international market conditions regarding offshore wind, including the breakdown of installation costs, how to reduce costs, and the physical siting considerations considered when planning offshore wind construction. The presentation offers several examples of international existing and planned offshore wind farm sites and compares existing international offshore resources with U.S. resources. The presentation covers future offshore wind trends and cites some challenges that the United States must overcome before it will be able to fully develop offshore wind sites.

Responses of two marine top predators to an offshore wind farm.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallejo, Gillian C; Grellier, Kate; Nelson, Emily J; McGregor, Ross M; Canning, Sarah J; Caryl, Fiona M; McLean, Nancy

2017-11-01

Quantifying the likely effects of offshore wind farms on wildlife is fundamental before permission for development can be granted by any Determining Authority. The effects on marine top predators from displacement from important habitat are key concerns during offshore wind farm construction and operation. In this respect, we present evidence for no significant displacement from a UK offshore wind farm for two broadly distributed species of conservation concern: common guillemot ( Uria aalge ) and harbor porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ). Data were collected during boat-based line transect surveys across a 360 km 2 study area that included the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm. Surveys were conducted over 10 years across the preconstruction, construction, and operational phases of the development. Changes in guillemot and harbor porpoise abundance and distribution in response to offshore wind farm construction and operation were estimated using generalized mixed models to test for evidence of displacement. Both common guillemot and harbor porpoise were present across the Robin Rigg study area throughout all three development phases. There was a significant reduction in relative harbor porpoise abundance both within and surrounding the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm during construction, but no significant difference was detected between the preconstruction and operational phases. Relative common guillemot abundance remained similar within the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm across all development phases. Offshore wind farms have the potential to negatively affect wildlife, but further evidence regarding the magnitude of effect is needed. The empirical data presented here for two marine top predators provide a valuable addition to the evidence base, allowing future decision making to be improved by reducing the uncertainty of displacement effects and increasing the accuracy of impact assessments.

Offshore investments-cui prodis? Schrodinger's cat in offshore financing: Both alive and dead

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stepuk Anna

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Trends of FDI in offshore tax havens were compared to efforts and efficiency of regulatory authorities to prevent money laundering. Based on available data it was stated that current position in offshore FDI stays alive and officially dead at the same time, keeping the balance of interests for the main stakeholders: corporations, authorities and financial institutes support further offshore investments. Analysis based on volumes of trade and financial transactions between offshore centers, developed and developing countries. As a result withdrawal of financial resources from the developing countries degrades social capital funding and supports corruption growth.

Wind turbines and transmission systems for offshore wind projects in planning stage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Madariaga, Ander; Martin, Jose Luis; Martinez de Alegria, Inigo; Zamora, Inmaculada [University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bilbao (Spain). Engineering Faculty; Ceballos, Salvador [Parque Tecnologico de Bizkaia, Derio (Spain). Tecnalia Research and Innovation

2012-07-01

This paper reviews the current situation of the offshore wind turbines (OWTs) and the transmission systems (TSs) for offshore wind projects in the planning stage. Bearing in mind that offshore wind projects can last between seven and ten years from the first environmental studies to the commissioning, research engineers from companies and academia consider the solutions already available, but also to the new proposals expected to be ready in time for the project under consideration. Regarding the wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) installed in the OWTs, their main characteristics are reviewed considering turbines in the 4.1 to 10.0 MW range. Regarding the TSs, the current situation of point-to-point HVAC and HVDC links is presented, as well as some ideas related to future DC grids currently under study. (orig.)

A GLANCE AT OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE FOUNDATION STRUCTURES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianhua Zhang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Energy poverty and climate change are crucial issues we face in our societies. Offshore wind energy has been a reliable solution to both of these problems - solving our growing energy problems while reducing CO2 emission. Innovative foundation design is one of the setbacks faced by this industry. Designing and constructing a cost effective offshore wind farm is greatly hampered by technical and infrastructural challenges, especially in foundation structures. This paper provides a detailed overview of issues related to this problem, with the aim of eliminating the frequent misunderstandings which can arise among engineers and investors working in the offshore wind energy sector. It begins by investigating the latest data and recommendations regarding the design and deployment of various kinds of offshore wind turbine (OWT foundations. It provides a framework which enables us to study the different OWT foundations, including prototypes and their limitations. Various structural failure modes are highlighted and corrosion measures are presented. Moreover, various removal methods of support structures are put forward. Finally, this paper presents the setbacks preventing the spread of offshore wind energy and the future works for offshore wind energy applications.

Evaluation of Environmental Effects of Wave Energy Convertor Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, C. A.

2015-12-01

Stakeholders and regulators in the U.S. are generally uncertain as to the potential environmental impacts posed by deployments of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) devices, and in particular wave energy conversion (WEC) devices, in coastal waters. The first pilot-scale WEC deployments in the U.S. have had to absorb unsustainable costs and delays associated with permitting to get devices in the water. As such, there is an urgent industry need to streamline the technical activities and processes used to assess potential environmental impacts. To enable regulators and stakeholders to become more comfortable and confident with developing effective MHK environmental assessments, a better understanding of the potential environmental effects induced by arrays of WEC devices is needed. A key challenge in developing this understanding is that the assessment of the WEC effects must come prior to deployment. A typical approach in similar environmental assessments is to use numerical models to simulate the WEC devices and array layouts so that the appropriate environmental stressors and receptors can be identified and assessed. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the U.S. Department of Energy are fulfilling the industry-wide need to develop "WEC-friendly" open-source numerical modeling tools capable of assessing potential changes to the physical environment caused by the operation of WEC arrays. Studies using these tools will advance the nation's general knowledge of the interrelationships among the number, size, efficiency, and configuration of MHK arrays and the subsequent effects these relationships may have on the deployment environment. By better understanding these relationships, industry, stakeholders, and regulators will be able to work together to optimize WEC deployments such that environmental impacts are minimized while power output is maximized. The present work outlines the initial effort in coupling the SNL WEC-friendly tools with the environmental assessment

Major hazards onshore and offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This symposium continues the tradition of bringing together papers on a topic of current interest and importance in terms of process safety - in this case, Major Hazards Onshore and Offshore. Lord Cullen in his report on the Piper Alpha disaster has, in effect, suggested that the experience gained in the control of major hazards onshore during the 1980s should be applied to improve safety offshore during the 1990s. This major three-day symposium reviews what has been learned so far with regard to major hazards and considers its present and future applications both onshore and offshore. The topics covered in the programme are wide ranging and deal with all aspects of legislation, the application of regulations, techniques for evaluating hazards and prescribing safety measures in design, construction and operation, the importance of the human factors, and recent technical developments in protective measures, relief venting and predicting the consequences of fires and explosions. (author)

Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emission of Korean Offshore Fisheries

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jihoon; Kim, Taeho; Ellingsen, Harald; Hognes, Erik Skontorp; Hwang, Bokyu

2018-06-01

This paper presents the energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission assessments of Korean offshore fisheries. The consumption of energy by fisheries is a significant concern because of its attendant environmental effect, as well as the cost of the fuel consumed in fishing industry. With the global attention of reducing GHG emission and increasing energy efficiency of fuel, the seafood industry needs to further understand its energy use and reduce its GHG emission. In the present study, the amount of energy consumed and the GHG emission of Korean offshore fisheries in a period from 2009 to 2013 were examined. Offshore fisheries accounted for 24% of Korean production in 2013 and 60% of fuel consumption related GHG emission. Whereas the total GHG emission intensity of this sector improved slightly between 2009 and 2012; as such emission decreased by approximately 1.9%, which increased again in 2013. The average amount of total GHG emission in this five years period was 1.78 × 106 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent/year (t CO2 eq. y-1). Active fishing gear was found to consume 20% more fuel than passive gear. However, the production from passive gear was 28%, lower than 72% from active gear. The reason for this is that less abundant stationary resources are harvested using passive gear. Furthermore, the consumption of fuel was significantly influenced by the fishing method. Implementation and development of new fishing technologies and methods are important for improving energy efficiency and reducing the climate impact on fisheries. To realize these purposes, the fishery management system needs to be established by centralizing on energy efficiency and climate effect.

National Offshore Wind Energy Grid Interconnection Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniel, John P. [ABB Inc; Liu, Shu [ABB Inc; Ibanez, Eduardo [National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Pennock, Ken [AWS Truepower; Reed, Greg [University of Pittsburgh; Hanes, Spencer [Duke Energy

2014-07-30

The National Offshore Wind Energy Grid Interconnection Study (NOWEGIS) considers the availability and potential impacts of interconnecting large amounts of offshore wind energy into the transmission system of the lower 48 contiguous United States. A total of 54GW of offshore wind was assumed to be the target for the analyses conducted. A variety of issues are considered including: the anticipated staging of offshore wind; the offshore wind resource availability; offshore wind energy power production profiles; offshore wind variability; present and potential technologies for collection and delivery of offshore wind energy to the onshore grid; potential impacts to existing utility systems most likely to receive large amounts of offshore wind; and regulatory influences on offshore wind development. The technologies considered the reliability of various high-voltage ac (HVAC) and high-voltage dc (HVDC) technology options and configurations. The utility system impacts of GW-scale integration of offshore wind are considered from an operational steady-state perspective and from a regional and national production cost perspective.

Offshore concrete structures; Estructuras Offshore (mar adentro) de Hormigon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lamas Pardo, M.; Carral Couce, L. M.

2011-07-01

In the offshore industry there are two possible materials for the construction of the hull of a structure; the steel and concrete, with the first one widely used until now, as in the rest of the shipbuilding industry of merchant ships, warships, etc. Materials such as aluminum, GRP or timber areused in small units with lengths lower than 100 m, and in less adverse conditions than in the offshore industry. Nevertheless, some ships/barges have been built of concrete in the past, but have been rather isolated cases which have not changed the practice in the industry. In the First and Second World War were built by the scarcity of materials, while the series of barges by Alfred A. Yee was a rare exception. Other units were also made in concrete, but almost anecdotal. Still, the behaviour of these concrete structures, especially in terms of maintenance, has been excellent. Therefore, the fact that the concrete has not had an adequate reception so far in shipbuilding, does not mean that in will not be the material best suited for the offshore industry in the future. The extra displacement and associated fuel costs in concrete ships have been found prohibitive in the past. But the loss of mobility of a concrete hull in relation to a steel hull can be perfectly offset by the advantages offered by the concrete, as the shipping and offshore industry have very different priorities. One of the main differences in these priorities is in terms of maintenance and resistance to fatigue, precisely where the concrete performs better. ships can easily be dry docked for maintenance and repair, while in the offshore platforms these works have to be done in situ so maintenance and fatigue are crucial to them. Besides these, the concrete has other advantages according to findings of several studies. And although they are interested in the conclusions that the makes as they came from people in the concrete industry, the fact that in recent years concrete offshore unit shave been built

Global offshore pipeline markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knight, R.; Parsons, B.

2001-01-01

In this article, two experts forecast a recovery in the offshore pipeline market followed by accelerating growth. A number of clearly definable macro trends are affecting the world offshore oil and gas industry and will be of considerable significance to the offshore pipelines industry. The authors' view is of markets that show every chance of enjoying long-term growth prospects driven by the fundamentals of a continuing increase in demand for offshore oil and gas. The offshore industry however has a highly cyclical nature, due to the impact of variations in oil and gas prices and the differing state of maturity of individual regions. Therefore those companies that are able to offer the widest range of pipe types and diameters and methods of installation across the greatest range of geographic markets are likely to prosper most. Thus, this continues to be a market best suited to those able to operate on a global scale and make a corporate commitment measured in decades

Panorama 2012 - Offshore hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serbutoviez, Sylvain

2011-12-01

Technological progress is enabling production from offshore oil and gas fields at increasingly ambitious depths (3, 000 metres). Investment in offshore production is running at around $100 billion per year, accounting for one-fifth of all investment in oil exploration and development worldwide. However, the global economic crisis that broke at the end of 2008 and the accident involving the Macondo well temporarily disrupted the race to deep offshore technology. (author)

Abandonment: Technological, organisational and environmental challenges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Twomey, B.G. [Reverse Engineering Ltd., (United Kingdom)

1996-12-31

The paper deals with the abandonment of offshore wells. Decommissioning of offshore installations is a complex multi-disciplined issue, which raises a number of technical, organisational and environmental challenges. The success of a planned decommissioning operation depends on the development of a clear understanding of the complex blend of drivers which control the decommissioning process and their inter-relationship. Due to the complexity of the inter-relationship between the primary drivers one cannot separate the technological, organisational and environmental issues raised by the decommissioning of offshore installations. The optimal solution will be a compromise between all the decommissioning drivers mentioned in this paper. 5 figs., 3 tabs.

Abandonment: Technological, organisational and environmental challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twomey, B.G.

1996-01-01

The paper deals with the abandonment of offshore wells. Decommissioning of offshore installations is a complex multi-disciplined issue, which raises a number of technical, organisational and environmental challenges. The success of a planned decommissioning operation depends on the development of a clear understanding of the complex blend of drivers which control the decommissioning process and their inter-relationship. Due to the complexity of the inter-relationship between the primary drivers one cannot separate the technological, organisational and environmental issues raised by the decommissioning of offshore installations. The optimal solution will be a compromise between all the decommissioning drivers mentioned in this paper. 5 figs., 3 tabs

Development of a comprehensive database of scattering environmental conditions and simulation constraints for offshore wind turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Hübler

2017-10-01

Full Text Available For the design and optimisation of offshore wind turbines, the knowledge of realistic environmental conditions and utilisation of well-founded simulation constraints is very important, as both influence the structural behaviour and power output in numerical simulations. However, real high-quality data, especially for research purposes, are scarcely available. This is why, in this work, a comprehensive database of 13 environmental conditions at wind turbine locations in the North and Baltic Sea is derived using data of the FINO research platforms. For simulation constraints, like the simulation length and the time of initial simulation transients, well-founded recommendations in the literature are also rare. Nevertheless, it is known that the choice of simulation lengths and times of initial transients fundamentally affects the quality and computing time of simulations. For this reason, studies of convergence for both parameters are conducted to determine adequate values depending on the type of substructure, the wind speed, and the considered loading (fatigue or ultimate. As the main purpose of both the database and the simulation constraints is to compromise realistic data for probabilistic design approaches and to serve as a guidance for further studies in order to enable more realistic and accurate simulations, all results are freely available and easy to apply.

Bird interactions with offshore oil and gas platforms: review of impacts and monitoring techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Ronconi, Robert A; Allard, Karel A; Taylor, Philip D

2015-01-01

Thousands of oil and gas platforms are currently operating in offshore waters globally, and this industry is expected to expand in coming decades. Although the potential environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas activities are widely recognized, there is limited understanding of their impacts on migratory and resident birds. A literature review identified 24 studies and reports of bird-platform interactions, most being qualitative and half having been peer-reviewed. The most frequently observed effect, for seabirds and landbirds, is attraction and sometimes collisions associated with lights and flares; episodic events have caused the deaths of hundreds or even thousands of birds. Though typically unpredictable, anecdotally, it is known that poor weather, such as fog, precipitation and low cloud cover, can exacerbate the effect of nocturnal attraction to lights, especially when coincidental with bird migrations. Other effects include provision of foraging and roosting opportunities, increased exposure to oil and hazardous environments, increased exposure to predators, or repulsion from feeding sites. Current approaches to monitoring birds at offshore platforms have focused on observer-based methods which can offer species-level bird identification, quantify seasonal patterns of relative abundance and distribution, and document avian mortality events and underlying factors. Observer-based monitoring is time-intensive, limited in spatial and temporal coverage, and suffers without clear protocols and when not conducted by trained, independent observers. These difficulties are exacerbated because deleterious bird-platform interaction is episodic and likely requires the coincidence of multiple factors (e.g., darkness, cloud, fog, rain conditions, occurrence of birds in vicinity). Collectively, these considerations suggest a need to implement supplemental systems for monitoring bird activities around offshore platforms. Instrument-based approaches, such as radar

Canadian offshore standards become world model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, W.

2000-01-01

Newfoundland's emerging offshore industry is becoming known not only for its frontier petroleum exploration and development expertise, but it is also gaining international recognition for making good use of its experience to provide advice to future developers on how to deal with multiple levels of governments and community groups, infrastructure development, adverse effects on the local environment, society and the economy. The companies active offshore-Newfoundland have acquired world-class expertise from working their offshore oil fields on the Grand Banks. There is a steady demand for that expertise for application in other regions, mostly from oil-industry personnel. Requests for sharing that experience have come from the United States, Norway and Australia, but also from within Canada, particularly from British Columbia. In British Columbia, coastal exploration has been going on since the early 1900s, with increasing concern for the impact of petroleum activity on the coastal environment, culminating with the imposition of a moratorium in 1959. Now, the British Columbia government is interested in learning about the procedures it should follow to reach a decision on whether to lift the moratorium in effect (on and off) since 1959. The interest in possible resumption of exploration and development activity is motivated by recent studies by the Geological Survey of Canada, which suggest a hydrocarbon potential five times greater than the Hibernia oil field off Newfoundland. An indication of this interest in opening up the west coast to offshore exploration is the recent seminar at Memorial University in St. John's. Speakers at the seminar presented an overview of the lessons learned from the east coast, the social and economic impacts of offshore oil and gas development and how such development might co-exist with British Columbia's marine ecosystem and fishery resources

Offshore renewable energies, offshore wind power marine currents and waves; Energies renouvelables en mer eolien en mer courants marins et vagues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paillard, M [Institut Francais de Recherche pour l' Exploitation de la Mer, 92 - Issy les Moulineaux (France); Peirano, E [Agence de Environnement et de la Maitrise de l' Energie (ADEME), 06 - Valbonne (France)

2004-07-01

This colloquium aims to take stock on the development of ocean energies, mainly exploitation of offshore wind energy, but also exploitation of marine currents and waves for energy conversion by discussing their perspectives, their constraints, and their environmental and socio-economic impacts. It proposes also a review the recent methodological and technological advances. The different subjects introduced are: state of the art and prospects; resource assessments, forecasting and short-term prediction, site conditions; technical assessments, installation,decommissioning, certification; environmental impacts, social aspects and acceptability; policies, market perspectives and constraints; project developments and feedback. (A.L.B.)

The global environmental implication of new hydrocarbon developments : number 7 of a series of papers on energy and the offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

1998-01-01

The environmental cost of producing and using oil and gas, and the direct impacts of offshore hydrocarbon exploration and production are described. Forecasts for global energy demand and production, and some of the global problems associated with energy development including climate change, sulphur dioxide emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), and nitrous oxides (N 2 O) are also reviewed. In 1995, 90 per cent of Canada's CO 2 emissions came from the energy sector, as did 35 per cent of total CH 4 . Efforts which have been made internationally to combat global climate change, such as the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro which endorsed the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol where Canada committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions are highlighted. The paper also addresses Nova Scotia's role in reducing greenhouse gases. Thus we learn of the province's current annual emissions of 18.8 million tonnes (slightly below 1990 levels), the traditional reliance on coal and imported coal to generate electricity, and the drastic reduction in the province's overall emission of greenhouse gases expected when natural gas becomes available from the offshore. 14 refs

Radionuclides, Metals, and Hydrocarbons in Oil and Gas Operational Discharges and Environmental Samples Associated with Offshore Production Facilities on the Texas/Louisiana Continental Shelf with an Environmental Assessment of Metals and Hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-06-01

This report presents concentrations of radionuclides, metals, and hydrocarbons in samples of produced water and produced sand from oil and gas production platforms located offshore Texas and Louisiana. concentrations in produced water discharge plume / receiving water, ambient seawater, sediment, interstitial water, and marine animal tissue samples collected in the vicinity of discharging platforms and reference sites distant from discharges are also reported and discussed. An environmental risk assessment is made on the basis of the concentration of metals and hydrocarbons determined in the samples

Radionuclides, Metals, and Hydrocarbons in Oil and Gas Operational Discharges and Environmental Samples Associated with Offshore Production Facilities on the Texas/Louisiana Continental Shelf with an Environmental Assessment of Metals and Hydrocarbons.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-06-01

This report presents concentrations of radionuclides, metals, and hydrocarbons in samples of produced water and produced sand from oil and gas production platforms located offshore Texas and Louisiana. concentrations in produced water discharge plume / receiving water, ambient seawater, sediment, interstitial water, and marine animal tissue samples collected in the vicinity of discharging platforms and reference sites distant from discharges are also reported and discussed. An environmental risk assessment is made on the basis of the concentration of metals and hydrocarbons determined in the samples.

Radionuclides, Metals, and Hydrocarbons in Oil and Gas Operational Discharges and Environmental Samples Associated with Offshore Production Facilities on the Texas/Louisiana Continental Shelf with an Environmental Assessment of Metals and Hydrocarbons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Continental Shelf Associates, Inc.

1999-08-16

This report presents concentrations of radionuclides, metals, and hydrocarbons in samples of produced water and produced sand from oil and gas production platforms located offshore Texas and Louisiana. Concentrations in produced water discharge plume/receiving water, ambient seawater, sediment, interstitial water, and marine animal tissue samples collected in the vicinity of discharging platforms and reference sites distant from discharges are also reported and discussed. An environmental risk assessment is made on the basis of the concentrations of metals and hydrocarbons determined in the samples.

Offshore disposal of oil-based drilling fluid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malachosky, E.; Shannon, B.E.; Jackson, J.E.

1991-01-01

Offshore drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico may use oil-based drilling fluids to mitigate drilling problems. The result is the generation of a significant quantity of oily cuttings and mud. The transportation of this waste for onshore disposal is a concern from a standpoint of both personnel safety and potential environmental impact. A process for preparing a slurry of this waste and the subsequent disposal of the slurry through annular pumping has been put into use by ARCO Oil and Gas Company. The disposal technique has been approved by the Minerals Management Service (MMS). The slurried waste is displaced down a casing annulus into a permeable zone at a depth below the surface casing setting depth. The annular disposal includes all cuttings and waste oil mud generated during drilling with oil-based fluids. This disposal technique negates the need for cuttings storage on the platform, transportation to shore, and the environmental effects of onshore surface disposal. The paper describes the environmental and safety concerns with onshore disposal, the benefits of annular disposal, and the equipment and process used for the preparation and pumping of the slurry

Risk Assessment Method for Offshore Structure Based on Global Sensitivity Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zou Tao

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Based on global sensitivity analysis (GSA, this paper proposes a new risk assessment method for an offshore structure design. This method quantifies all the significances among random variables and their parameters at first. And by comparing the degree of importance, all minor factors would be negligible. Then, the global uncertainty analysis work would be simplified. Global uncertainty analysis (GUA is an effective way to study the complexity and randomness of natural events. Since field measured data and statistical results often have inevitable errors and uncertainties which lead to inaccurate prediction and analysis, the risk in the design stage of offshore structures caused by uncertainties in environmental loads, sea level, and marine corrosion must be taken into account. In this paper, the multivariate compound extreme value distribution model (MCEVD is applied to predict the extreme sea state of wave, current, and wind. The maximum structural stress and deformation of a Jacket platform are analyzed and compared with different design standards. The calculation result sufficiently demonstrates the new risk assessment method’s rationality and security.

Environmental optimization of foundations for offshore wind power; Miljoemaessig optimering av fundament foer havsbaserad vindkraft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hammar, Linus; Andersson, Sandra; Rosenberg, Rutger

2008-05-15

The study concerns only the marine environment, excluding seabirds, and is based on the level of knowledge available in 2007. The study focuses on three different types of foundations; gravity-monopile and jacket foundations. Also tripod-bucket and floating foundations are mentioned. The different characteristics of the foundations are discussed based on their environmental impact in five different areas; 1) epifouling and reef-effects, 2) operational noise, 3) changes in hydrographical conditions, 4) noise during construction, and 5) dissolved sediment during construction. Regarding epifouling, it is noted that the surface texture of the foundation (i.e. steel, concrete) is of less importance in the long run since the initial substrate soon will be covered with organisms, creating a rugged surface for later colonising organisms. It is rather the level of salinity, distance to shore, exposure, depth and turbidity of the water that decide which organisms that will dominate the different foundations after a few years. Generally all foundations for offshore wind power are expected to be dominated by filtering animals, such as blue mussels. A possible exception is if concrete is coated with a silicone product that limits larger organisms to establish on the foundations. This kind of surface treatment has not yet been used by the wind power industry but occurs on other submarine concrete constructions. The potential for an evident reef-effect increases with the complexity of the foundation structure. Hence, tripod and especially jacket foundations have better possibility to contribute to the reef-effect than monopile- and gravity foundations. Reef-effect, as well as epifouling, may be considered negative in some marine environments, such as possible valuable areas without any natural occurrence of hard substratum. In such areas new species may be introduced, changing the local ecological conditions. However, in many areas an increased level of biological diversity is

Development of a product screening protocol to minimize marine environmental impacts of oil production chemicals used offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vik, E.A.; Berg, J.D.; Bakke, S.; Oefjord, G.D.; Reinhard, M.

1992-01-01

This paper presents the initial results of a research project initiated by Conoco Norway, Inc. (CNI) late in 1989. The objective of the project is to develop a screening protocol for determining the potential environmental impacts of five types of chemicals typically used in offshore oil and gas production operations in the North Sea. The protocol includes tests for determination of bioaccumulation potential, oil-water distribution factor, biodegradation potential, and toxicity. When fully developed, the protocol represents one possible approach to implementing the proposed PARCOM standard testing program. Only the results for the bioaccumulation potential and oil-water distribution factor are presented here. For determination of bioaccumulation potential, the High Performance Liquid Chromotography (HPLC) is recommended. The oil-water distribution factor can be determined by surrogate parameters as total organic carbon (TOC), UV-absorption or gas chromatography (GC). (Author)

Potential Environmental Impacts of Oil Spills in Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

This report analyses information status and research needs in relation to potential environmental impacts of oil spills (offshore and onshore) in Greenland. The report assesses potential effects and potential mitigation and monitoring measures. Information gaps are identified and a number...

Offshore industry: medical emergency response in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponsonby, Will; Mika, Frano; Irons, Greg

2009-08-01

The hunt for oil and gas has taken workers into new more distant locations including those offshore. The remoteness of the offshore platforms and vessels coupled with the potential risk of being cut off by bad weather presents particular challenges for medical emergency response (MER). Firstly to define the challenges for MER in terms of locations, population and epidemiology of injuries and illnesses in the offshore environment. Secondly to give examples of legal requirements and industry standards to manage MER. Thirdly to look at existing and emerging practice to manage these challenges. A review of published literature was supplemented with a summary of current practice in the industry. Medical professionals (medics) working offshore on installations and vessels are primarily responsible for the medical care of the workers. The medics have clinics with suitable medical equipment for managing emergencies as well as providing limited primary care. Some countries have legislation that stipulate minimum requirements. Where there is no national legislation, industry and company guidance is used to define the MER standards. Supervision of the offshore medics is often provided by doctors on shore via radio and phone links. These methods of communication are now being augmented with more sophisticated telemedicine solutions such as the Internet and live video links. These newer solutions allow for prompt high-quality care and provide the scope for a variety of new treatment options to be available for the offshore workforce.

Uncovering the Hidden Costs of Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Marcus M.; Manning, Stephan; Pedersen, Torben

2013-01-01

This study investigates estimation errors due to hidden costs—the costs of implementation that are neglected in strategic decision-making processes—in the context of services offshoring. Based on data from the Offshoring Research Network, we find that decision makers are more likely to make cost......-estimation errors given increasing configuration and task complexity in captive offshoring and offshore outsourcing, respectively. Moreover, we show that experience and a strong orientation toward organizational design in the offshoring strategy reduce the cost-estimation errors that follow from complexity. Our...

Co-sourcing in software development offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup; Persson, John Stouby

2013-01-01

Software development projects are increasingly geographical distributed with offshoring, which introduce complex risks that can lead to project failure. Co-sourcing is a highly integrative and cohesive approach, seen successful, to software development offshoring. However, research of how co......-sourcing shapes the perception and alleviation of common offshoring risks is limited. We present a case study of how a certified CMMI-level 5 Danish software supplier approaches these risks in offshore co-sourcing. The paper explains how common offshoring risks are perceived and alleviated when adopting the co...

Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board : annual report 1996-1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

Operations of the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board during 1996-1997 were reviewed, summarizing activities in rights management, exploration, reservoir management, environmental affairs, operations and safety, Canada-Newfoundland benefits and financial matters. The Board manages the petroleum resources in the Newfoundland offshore area on behalf of the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Board ensures that resource development is conducted in accordance with good oilfield practices to optimize recovery and avoid waste, and that the operators' procurement decisions are consistent with their obligations and agreements with governments to provide economic and social benefits to Canada, and in particular to Newfoundland. The report summarizes energy resource activities, and presents a picture of revenues and expenditures. Current objectives and future plans under each heading are also reviewed. tabs., figs

The Offshore New European Wind Atlas

Science.gov (United States)

Karagali, I.; Hahmann, A. N.; Badger, M.; Hasager, C.; Mann, J.

2017-12-01

The New European Wind Atlas (NEWA) is a joint effort of research agencies from eight European countries, co-funded under the ERANET Plus Program. The project is structured around two areas of work: development of dynamical downscaling methodologies and measurement campaigns to validate these methodologies, leading to the creation and publication of a European wind atlas in electronic form. This atlas will contain an offshore component extending 100 km from the European coasts. To achieve this, mesoscale models along with various observational datasets are utilised. Scanning lidars located at the coastline were used to compare the coastal wind gradient reproduced by the meso-scale model. Currently, an experimental campaign is occurring in the Baltic Sea, with a lidar located in a commercial ship sailing from Germany to Lithuania, thus covering the entire span of the south Baltic basin. In addition, satellite wind retrievals from scatterometers and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments were used to generate mean wind field maps and validate offshore modelled wind fields and identify the optimal model set-up parameters.The aim of this study is to compare the initial outputs from the offshore wind atlas produced by the Weather & Research Forecasting (WRF) model, still in pre-operational phase, and the METOP-A/B Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) wind fields, reprocessed to stress equivalent winds at 10m. Different experiments were set-up to evaluate the model sensitivity for the various domains covered by the NEWA offshore atlas. ASCAT winds were utilised to assess the performance of the WRF offshore atlases. In addition, ASCAT winds were used to create an offshore atlas covering the years 2007 to 2016, capturing the signature of various spatial wind features, such as channelling and lee effects from complex coastal topographical elements.

Design off-shore wind climate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, G C; Joergensen, H E [Risoe National Lab., Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics Dept., Roskilde (Denmark)

1999-03-01

Specific recommendations of off-shore turbulence intensities, applicable for design purposes, are lacking in the present IEC-code. The present off-shore wind climate analysis presents the distribution of the turbulence standard deviation around the mean turbulence standard deviation, conditioned on the mean wind speed. Measured distributions, based on a huge amount of measuring data from two shallow water off-shore sites, are parameterized by fitting to a three parameter Weibull distribution. Combining a simple heuristic load model with the parameterized probability density functions of the turbulence standard deviations, an empirical off-shore design turbulence intensity is evaluated that in average yields the same fatigue damage as the distributed turbulence intensity. The proposed off-shore design turbulence intensity is, within the IEC code framework, applicable for extreme as well as for fatigue load determination. (au)

OFFSHORING FOR SUSTAINABLE VALUE MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thaddeus Oforegbunam Ebiringa

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper evaluates offshoring as a strategic value management initiative using Cadbury Nigeria Plc as a case study. Through offshoring risks associated with inventory holding are hedged. A comparative analysis of in-house and offshored cost profiles as well as critical risk factors that affect firm value are evaluated. The result shows that offshoring led to immediate costs saving, freeing of funds previously held in inventory for other working capital investments as well as profitability for vendors. However, aside financial benefits to partners, it leads to increased stakeholders awareness, shared values, partnerships, teamwork and risk mitigation. It therefore follows that for sustainability of financial benefits of offshoring, concerted effort must be made by partners to ensure that critical drivers of value management are not compromised.

Monitoring effects of offshore windfarms on harbour porpoises using PODs (porpoise detectors)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teilmann, J.; Damsgaard Henriksen, O. [National Environmental Res. Inst., Dept. of Arctic Enviroment, Roskilde (Denmark); Carstensen, Jacob [National Environmental Res. Lab., Dept. of Marine Ecology, Roskilde (Denmark); Skov, H. [Ornis Consult A/S, Copenhagen (Denmark)

2002-02-15

The areas designated for offshore windfarms in Denmark, are all known habitats for harbour porpoises. It is possible that some of the activities involved in erection and operation of offshore windfarms will have a negative impact on the harbour porpoises in and around the windfarms. The most significant sources of these effects are thought to be the physical presence and the noise from ships and construction work as well as temporary and even permanent loss of suitable habitats near the windfarms. The noise from existing offshore windturbines has been measured and a detection distance of 20 m was calculated in the EIA study regarding the Roedsand windfarm. In order to study possible effects from the erection and operation of windfarms on harbour porpoises a number of studies were suggested as part of the EIA background study on harbour porpoises. Among these suggestions was the use of acoustic dataloggers (PODs). The POD is recording click sounds of short duration. It is programmable and can be set to specifically record the echolocation signals that harbour porpoises uses for orientation and foraging. This method will potentially give data on harbour porpoise activity in a specific area on a diurnal and year-round basis. The construction work will take place over several months and since there is no available information on the seasonal sensitivity of porpoises to disturbance, the data necessary to detect and evaluate the effect of the windfarm would need to cover all seasons. No other method is feasible to provide data on the presence of harbour porpoises year round in a particular area. However, this method has its limitations in that only porpoises echolocating are recorded. No data exists on the seasonal, diurnal and area specific use of echolocation but since echolocation is believed to be the primary sense for porpoises we expect that porpoises used their echolocation most of the time and that it is correlated to the density of porpoises. However, the actual

Monitoring effects of offshore windfarms on harbour porpoises using PODs (porpoise detectors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teilmann, J.; Damsgaard Henriksen, O.; Carstensen, Jacob; Skov, H.

2002-02-01

The areas designated for offshore windfarms in Denmark, are all known habitats for harbour porpoises. It is possible that some of the activities involved in erection and operation of offshore windfarms will have a negative impact on the harbour porpoises in and around the windfarms. The most significant sources of these effects are thought to be the physical presence and the noise from ships and construction work as well as temporary and even permanent loss of suitable habitats near the windfarms. The noise from existing offshore windturbines has been measured and a detection distance of 20 m was calculated in the EIA study regarding the Roedsand windfarm. In order to study possible effects from the erection and operation of windfarms on harbour porpoises a number of studies were suggested as part of the EIA background study on harbour porpoises. Among these suggestions was the use of acoustic dataloggers (PODs). The POD is recording click sounds of short duration. It is programmable and can be set to specifically record the echolocation signals that harbour porpoises uses for orientation and foraging. This method will potentially give data on harbour porpoise activity in a specific area on a diurnal and year-round basis. The construction work will take place over several months and since there is no available information on the seasonal sensitivity of porpoises to disturbance, the data necessary to detect and evaluate the effect of the windfarm would need to cover all seasons. No other method is feasible to provide data on the presence of harbour porpoises year round in a particular area. However, this method has its limitations in that only porpoises echolocating are recorded. No data exists on the seasonal, diurnal and area specific use of echolocation but since echolocation is believed to be the primary sense for porpoises we expect that porpoises used their echolocation most of the time and that it is correlated to the density of porpoises. However, the actual

Fair shares: a preliminary framework and case analyzing the ethics of offshoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, Cameron; Zimmerman, Alan

2010-06-01

Much has been written about the offshoring phenomenon from an economic efficiency perspective. Most authors have attempted to measure the net economic effects of the strategy and many purport to show that "in the long run" that benefits will outweigh the costs. There is also a relatively large literature on implementation which describes the best way to manage the offshoring process. But what is the morality of offshoring? What is its "rightness" or "wrongness?" Little analysis of the ethics of offshoring has been completed thus far. This paper develops a preliminary framework for analyzing the ethics of offshoring and then applies this framework to basic case study of offshoring in the U.S. The paper following discusses the definition of offshoring; shifts to the basic philosophical grounding of the ethical concepts; develops a template for conducting an ethics analysis of offshoring; applies this template using basic data for offshoring in the United States; and conducts a preliminary ethical analysis of the phenomenon in that country, using a form of utilitarianism as an analytical baseline. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research.

Dutch offshore suppliers in confident mood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beudel, M.

1998-01-01

A series of linked articles discusses the current state of the Netherland's offshore industry. Reduced taxes, and availability of exploration licenses has meant that explorers and producers are drawn to the small size, but frequent yield explorations on Holland's continental shelf. The excellent operation record of Rotterdam's Verolme Botlek yard; for repair and maintenance of offshore platforms and associated plant, is explored as the facility plans to diversify into newbuilding. The construction of an offshore basin designed for the hydrodynamic testing of offshore plant intended for deepwater use is described. The Netherlands maritime research institute (Marin) aims to stay at the forefront of offshore research and development with this new facility. Other articles cover pipe tensioning, new large linear winches and innovations in offshore drilling and production. (UK)

The optimal access system for future far-offshore wind farms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Obdam, T.S.; Rademakers, L.W.M.M.; Savenije, L.B. [ECN Wind Energy, Petten (Netherlands)

2013-12-15

Operation and maintenance (O and M) of offshore wind turbines is one of the main cost drivers of offshore wind energy. One of the aspects critical for an efficient and cost-effective O and M strategy is the selection of the access system which is used to transfer technicians and, optionally, small spare parts. Currently, most offshore wind farms are located close to shore, and their size is relatively small. For these farms the typical access system consists of catamaran-like workboats, which are used to transfer both technicians and small spare parts. As wind farms move further offshore this O and M concept might no longer be cost-effective. Currently, different alternative O and M concepts are being considered for the future far-offshore sites. In this paper an extensive and holistic comparison of different O and M concepts including different access system solutions is presented. This analysis has been performed using the OMCECalculator, ECN's software for advanced O and M cost modelling. Different sites have been considered, which are typical for the future offshore wind farms that will be commissioned during the next five years. The results of the performed analyses indicate that when moving further offshore harbour-based O and M strategies are no longer economical, even when helicopters are added to the mix. Looking at farm-based O and M concepts a supply vessel with a compensated access gangway offers great potential. However, the calculations also indicate that its ability to transfer small spare parts, in addition to technicians, is crucial.

Risks to offshore installations in Europe due to natural hazards

Science.gov (United States)

Necci, Amos; Krausmann, Elisabeth

2017-04-01

contrast, in other parts of the world, and in particular in the Gulf of Mexico, tropical storms are likely to trigger severe direct damage to structures, resulting in platform capsizing, sinking or grounding. The in-depth analysis of the incident records also showed that the natural event was often just the triggering cause of the accident, which was frequently accompanied by contributing factors (e.g. corrosion, fatigue, wrong procedures, etc.). Under these circumstances, not only extreme storms, but also storms with moderate intensity can trigger incidents. Due to the high density of offshore structures and the unique environmental conditions promoting fatigue and corrosion, the North Sea is the area with the highest number of incidents recorded in Europe, as well as the area with the highest number of incidents at semi-submersible units in the world. About 4% of all reported global Natech events at offshore infrastructures involved casualties, and 2.6% for the European incident subset. Hazardous materials releases were documented for 21 events in Europe, resulting in fires and hydrocarbon spills polluting the sea. Furthermore, a surprisingly high number of severe events occurred during towing which highlights the impact of natural hazards on the safety of offshore transfer operations.

Offshoring R&D

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Zaza Nadja Lee; Rasmussen, Lauge Baungaard

2010-01-01

Companies are increasingly offshoring R&D activities. Many firms, however, experience difficulties related to virtual teamwork across cultures and time zones. The research question is: How does increasing R&D offshoring impact transparency of communication structures and knowledge sharing? Using...... case studies from Danish multinational corporations with R&D activities in China, India or Eastern Europe this paper analyses the impact observed in these companies in regard to communication structures and knowledge sharing in management of offshored R&D activities. The findings show that companies...... attempt to increase transparency through formalisation of knowledge and clear communication structures. However, the influence of tacit knowledge, horizontal communication and culture seem largely overlooked. Therefore the authors suggest a context based approach to transparency accustomed...

Offshore Wind Energy Resource Assessment for Alaska

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doubrawa Moreira, Paula [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Scott, George N. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Musial, Walter D. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kilcher, Levi F. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Draxl, Caroline [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lantz, Eric J. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-02

This report quantifies Alaska's offshore wind resource capacity while focusing on its unique nature. It is a supplement to the existing U.S. Offshore Wind Resource Assessment, which evaluated the offshore wind resource for all other U.S. states. Together, these reports provide the foundation for the nation's offshore wind value proposition. Both studies were developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The analysis presented herein represents the first quantitative evidence of the offshore wind energy potential of Alaska. The technical offshore wind resource area in Alaska is larger than the technical offshore resource area of all other coastal U.S. states combined. Despite the abundant wind resource available, significant challenges inhibit large-scale offshore wind deployment in Alaska, such as the remoteness of the resource, its distance from load centers, and the wealth of land available for onshore wind development. Throughout this report, the energy landscape of Alaska is reviewed and a resource assessment analysis is performed in terms of gross and technical offshore capacity and energy potential.

Policy instruments for offshore wind power; Styrmedel foer havsbaserad vindkraft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soederholm, Patrik (Luleaa Technical Univ., Luleaa (Sweden))

2009-10-15

The future economic potential for offshore wind power is considered to be very good, and there is a strong interest in European wind power industry to improve the technology and generate additional experience. To enable such technology and a market introduction of offshore wind power it is believed that a supplementary or an alternative support for the offshore wind energy is required. This report aims to analyze conditions of different financial instruments to effectively support the rollout of offshore wind power in Sweden. Our mandate does not include an analysis whether any funding is economically justified or not, but a discussion about the objectives of such instruments is necessary for the second stage in order to discuss the instrument characteristics and design. The report takes up a number of different arguments in order to target a specific support for any single technology. An important message from this part of the analysis is that the strongest argument that can be used to extend a special generous support for offshore wind power is that its socio-economic costs may be lower, in the long run, than those which currently apply to established power production lines (e.g. on-shore wind). Any funding should be considered primarily as a means of political action, i.e. a measure not to meet today's short-term goals (eg quota requirement of certificate system) but to cut costs in order to reach the future (long term) goals. The offshore wind energy can be a very interesting candidate for such support, not least because of the favorable wind conditions that exist at sea. For these cost reductions to be realized, it is important to establish niche markets for the turbines and construction work that will be necessary. Such a technology policy presupposes a real development and not solely R and D and D projects. The report presents the results of previous research that supports this assumption, but it makes no attempt to assess whether the relevant effects

Proceedings of the ENDOW workshop 'Offshore wakes: Measurements and modelling[Efficient Development of Offshore Windfarms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barthelmie, R.J. (ed.)

2002-03-01

The papers presented in these Proceedings are the result of a workshop held at Risoe National Laboratory on March 7 and 8 2002 entitled 'Offshore Wakes: Measurements and Modelling'. The Workshop was arranged to showcase results of the European Community supported project 'Efficient Development of Offshore Windfarms (ENDOW)' and featured a series of eight presentations discussing modelling of wakes and boundary layers, existing and new measurements from offshore wind farms and how these will be linked in a new design tool and applied at planned offshore wind farms. In addition seven invited presentations covered a range of relevant topics from analytical approaches to fatigue and extreme loads in wind turbine clusters, current wake modelling in WAsP, optimising power production at Arklow Bank, Particle Image Velocimetry study of a wind turbine wake in a yaw, offshore wind measurements in Massachusetts, accuracy of SODAR measurements for wind energy and tidal influence of offshore wind speeds and turbulence. (au)

Organizational Adaptation in Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Geisler Asmussen, Christian; Møller Larsen, Marcus; Pedersen, Torben

2016-01-01

Offshoring offers managers the promise of substantial economic benefits, but also comes with the risk of increased complexity and coordination challenges. We argue that offshoring firms must accumulate architectural knowledge to keep the cost of coordination of the geographically separated activi...

Offshore wind development research.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-04-01

Offshore wind (OSW) development is a new undertaking in the US. This project is a response to : New Jerseys 2011 Energy Master Plan that envisions procuring 22.5% of the states power : originating from renewable sources by 2021. The Offshore Wi...

Offshore Fish Community: Ecological Interactions | Science ...

Science.gov (United States)

The offshore (>80 m) fish community of Lake Superior is made up of predominately native species. The most prominent species are deepwater sculpin, kiyi, cisco, siscowet lake trout, burbot, and the exotic sea lamprey. Bloater and shortjaw cisco are also found in the offshore zone. Bloater is abundant in the offshore zone but appears restricted to depths shallower than 150 m (Selgeby and Hoff 1996; Stockwell et al. 2010), although it occuppied greater depths several decades ago (Dryer 1966; Peck 1977). Shortjaw is relatively rare in the offshore zone (Hoff and Todd 2004; Gorman and Hoff 2009; Gorman and Todd 2007). Lake whitefish is also known to frequent bathymetric depths >100 m (Yule et al. 2008b). In this chapter, we develop a conceptual model of the offshore food web based on data collected during 2001-2005 and on inferences from species interactions known for the nearshore fish community. We then develop a framework for examination of energy and nutrient movements within the pelagic and benthic habitats of the offshore zone and across the offshore and nearshore zones. To document research results.

The effect of the 2010 Gulf oil spill on public attitudes toward offshore oil drilling and wind development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lilley, Jonathan; Firestone, Jeremy

2013-01-01

In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil well exploded, releasing over four million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This paper presents data from two national mail surveys undertaken in 2008 and 2010 that compare public attitudes to both offshore oil drilling and offshore wind development pre- and post-spill. The results show that while there was a drop in support for expanded drilling (from 66% in 2008 to 59% in 2010) the change was not significant. There was, however, a significant decrease in support for offshore drilling among coastal residents. There was a slight, non-significant increase in support for offshore wind development which remained significantly higher than support for offshore oil (80% in 2008 and 82% in 2010). Despite there being no significant change in overall support levels, there was a shift in the strength of feeling regarding offshore oil, with 80% of Americans either less supportive or more opposed to expanded drilling in 2010 than they were in 2008. -- Highlights: •We assess whether the Gulf oil spill affected attitudes to offshore energy. •Overall support for offshore wind (82%) was greater than for offshore oil (59%). •Support for expanded offshore oil drilling decreased but not significantly. •Support for offshore wind development increased slightly, again not significantly. •Although overall support levels did not change, the strength of feeling did

Offshore system for integration of the wind energy; Sistema offshore para integracao de energia eolica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Decker, Jan de [3E, Brussels (Belgium); Tambke, Jens [Universidade de Oldemburg (Germany). ForWind; Voelker, J. [Dena - Agencia Alema de Energia (Germany); Michalowska-Knap, Katarzyna [Instituto de Energia Renovavel (Poland)

2010-09-15

The Offshore Grid project aims to analyze the conditions required for the development of an offshore transmission network to integrate renewable energy (wind) to the national electrical systems, securely and efficiently. Regulatory aspects, technical, economic and political are considered, that will help the various players in the industry to have a common view on the offshore power grids in Europe.

The environmental licensing processes of the offshore oil and natural gas exploration and production in the world and in Brazil: a comparative analysis considering the utilization of studies of the strategic environmental assessment; O processo de licenciamento ambiental das atividades de exploracao e producao de petroleo e gas natural offshore no mundo e no Brasil: uma analise comparativa considerando a utilizacao de estudos de avaliacao ambiental estrategica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mariano, Jacqueline [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE). Programa de Planejamento Energetico

2004-07-01

This study presents an analyses of the environmental licensing processes of the offshore oil and gas exploration and production of the following countries: USA, UK, Norway, Australia and Canada, and makes a comparison with the Brazilian case. This study also emphasizes the use of the Strategical Environmental Assessments (SEA) before the bid procedures. The SEA studies aim to predict and to evaluate the environmental implications of the adoption of sectorial policies and programs and are very useful to the decision making processes. They permit the exclusion of environmental sensitive areas and contribute to the improvement of the environmental management of the regions where the activities will take place. The selected countries use SEA as an environmental management tool and their experience is analysed so as to provide suggestions for the improvement of the current Brazilian environmental licensing process. (author)

NaiKun Offshore Wind Energy Project environmental assessment certificate[In the matter of the Environmental Assessment Act S.B.C. 2002, c 43 and in the matter of an application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate by NaiKun Wind Development Inc. for the NaiKun Offshore Wind Energy Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-11-15

NaiKun Wind Development Inc. has proposed to build a 396 MW wind turbine array to connect Haida Gwaii in the Queen Charlotte Islands to British Columbia's main electricity grid via NaiKun's generation facility. The project involves the installation of 67 to 110 wind turbine generators at the project site. The project also includes an underwater cable and overland transmission line connecting to BC Hydro's grid. An environmental assessment (EA) was undertaken by British Columbia's Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) to evaluate the potential effects on marine physical environment; land use; marine aquatic ecology; visual resources; marine mammals; radio communications; marine birds; navigation; terrestrial ecology; archaeological and heritage resources; employment and economy; and public health. The EAO also assessed relevant issues raised by First Nations during the course of the EA. Upon considering the results of the EA, the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources granted an EA certificate to NaiKun Wind Development Inc. for its proposed offshore wind energy project. The EA certificate contains many conditions that the proponent must implement throughout various stages of the project. Key commitments include undertaking a joint research project with the local crab fishery; determining the movement of sediment relative to beaches and navigation in the area; implementing an adaptive management plan for marine birds; and implementing a monitoring plan to identify any unforeseen impacts to values and recreational use of Naikoon Provincial Park. Before the project can proceed, the proponent will require provincial licenses, leases and other approvals, as well as necessary federal approvals. tabs.

A New Coordinated Voltage Control Scheme for Offshore AC Grid of HVDC Connected Offshore Wind Power Plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sakamuri, Jayachandra N.; Cutululis, Nicolaos Antonio; Rather, Zakir Hussain

2015-01-01

This paper proposes a coordinated voltage control scheme (CVCS) which enhances the voltage ride through (VRT) capability of an offshore AC grid comprised of a cluster of offshore wind power plants (WPP) connected through AC cables to the offshore voltage source converter based high voltage DC (VSC......-HVDC) converter station. Due to limited short circuit power contribution from power electronic interfaced variable speed wind generators and with the onshore main grid decoupled by the HVDC link, the offshore AC grid becomes more vulnerable to dynamic voltage events. Therefore, a short circuit fault...... in the offshore AC Grid is likely to have significant implications on the voltage of the offshore AC grid, hence on the power flow to the onshore mainland grid. The proposed CVCS integrates individual local reactive power control of wind turbines and of the HVDC converter with the secondary voltage controller...

Effects of offshore wind energy developments on navigation and commercial shipping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petts, J W

1999-07-01

This report summarises the findings of a study examining the impact of the development of offshore wind farms on commercial shipping and navigation in the area of the UK continental shelf. The study methodology is described, and a review of previous studies is carried out. Technological and current developments, wind farm layout and physical limitations, interaction with marine users, and a quantitative assessment are examined, and the protection of offshore wind farms is considered. Appendices give details of admiralty charts and publications, maps, and chart markings for wind turbines. (UK)

Life cycle assessment of onshore and offshore wind energy-from theory to application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonou, Alexandra; Laurent, Alexis; Olsen, Stig I.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • An LCA of 2 onshore and 2 offshore wind power plants was performed. • Onshore wind power performs better than offshore per kWh delivered to the grid. • Materials are responsible for more than 79% and 70% of climate change impacts onshore and offshore respectively. • The bigger, direct drive turbines perform better than the smaller geared ones. • Climate change is a good KPI for wind power plant hotspot identification. - Abstract: This study aims to assess the environmental impacts related to the provision of 1 kWh to the grid from wind power in Europe and to suggest how life cycle assessment can inform technology development and system planning. Four representative power plants onshore (with 2.3 and 3.2 MW turbines) and offshore (4.0 and 6.0 MW turbines) with 2015 state-of-the-art technology data provided by Siemens Wind Power were assessed. The energy payback time was found to be less than 1 year for all technologies. The emissions of greenhouse gases amounted to less than 7 g CO_2-eq/kWh for onshore and 11 g CO_2-eq/kWh for offshore. Climate change impacts were found to be a good indicator for overall hotspot identification however attention should also be drawn to human toxicity and impacts from respiratory inorganics. The overall higher impact of offshore plants, compared to onshore ones, is mainly due to larger high-impact material requirements for capital infrastructure. In both markets the bigger turbines with more advanced direct drive generator technology is shown to perform better than the smaller geared ones. Capital infrastructure is the most impactful life cycle stage across impacts. It accounts for more than 79% and 70% of climate change impacts onshore and offshore respectively. The end-of-life treatment could lead to significant savings due to recycling, ca. 20–30% for climate change. In the manufacturing stage the impacts due to operations at the case company do not exceed 1% of the total life cycle impacts. This finding

Resolving Environmental Effects of Wind Energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinclair, Karin C [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); DeGeorge, Elise M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Copping, Andrea E. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; May, Roel [Norwegian Institute for Nature Research; Bennet, Finlay [Marine Scotland Science; Warnas, Marijke [Rijkswaterstaat; Perron, Muriel [nateco AG; Elmqvist, Asa [Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

2018-04-25

Concerns for potential wildlife impacts resulting from land-based and offshore wind energy have created challenges for wind project development. Research is not always adequately supported, results are neither always readily accessible nor are they satisfactorily disseminated, and so decisions are often made based on the best available information, which may be missing key findings. The potential for high impacts to avian and bat species and marine mammals have been used by wind project opponents to stop, downsize, or severely delay project development. The global nature of the wind industry - combined with the understanding that many affected species cross-national boundaries, and in many cases migrate between continents - also points to the need to collaborate on an international level. The International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Technology Collaborative Programs facilitates coordination on key research issues. IEA Wind Task 34 - WREN: Working Together to Resolve Environmental Effects of Wind Energy-is a collaborative forum to share lessons gained from field research and modeling, including management methods, wildlife monitoring methods, best practices, study results, and successful approaches to mitigating impacts and addressing the cumulative effects of wind energy on wildlife.

Offshore concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamas Pardo, M.; Carral Couce, L. M.

2011-01-01

In the offshore industry there are two possible materials for the construction of the hull of a structure; the steel and concrete, with the first one widely used until now, as in the rest of the shiphuidling industry of merchant ships, warships, etc. Materials such as aluminum, GRP or timber areused in small units with lengths lower than 100 m, and in less adverse conditions than in the offshore industry. Nevertheless, some ships/barges have been built of concrete in the past, but have been rather isolated cases which have not changed the practice in the industry. In the First and Second World War were built by the scarcity of materials, while the series of barges by Alfred A. Yee was a rare exception. Other units were also made in concrete, but almost anecdotal. Still, the behaviour of these concrete structures, especially in terms of maintenance, has been excellent. Therefore, the fact that the concrete has not had an adequate reception so far in shipbuilding, does not mean that in will not be the material best suited for the offshore industry in the future. The extra displacement and associated fuel costs in concrete ships have been found prohibitive in the past. But the loss of mobility of a concrete hull in relation to a steel hull can be perfectly offset by the advantages offered by the concrete, as the shipping and offshore industry have very different priorities. One of the main differences in these priorities is in terms of maintenance and resistance to fatigue, precisely where the concrete performs better. ships can easily be dry docked for maintenance and repair, while in the offshore platforms these works have to be done in situ so maintenance and fatigue are crucial to them. Besides these, the concrete has other advantages according to findings of several studies. And although they are interested in the conclusions that the makes as they came from people in the concrete industry, the fact that in recent years concrete offshore unit shave been built

Access Framework: Model Text (November 2011): An Act to Establish a Framework for Development of Offshore Wind Power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeremy Firestone; Dawn Kurtz Crompton

2011-10-22

The model offshore wind power legislation focused on two aspects: compensation for use of ocean space and environmental assessment. In particular, the model legislation recommends the adoption of a rent and royalty scheme that is premised on high rent and low royalties in order to stimulate qualified bids from developers who are motivated to begin production as early as possible and to discourage sham bidding. The model legislation also includes a provision that sets royalties at a lower rate in the early years of project operation, and that provides states with the discretion to waive or defer rent and/or royalties for a period of time to meet the goals and objectives of energy independence, job creation, reduced emissions of conventional pollutants and greenhouse gases and increased state requirements for electricity from renewable sources. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) is structured to provide a systematic and interdisciplinary evaluation of the potential positive and negative life-cycle effects of a proposed offshore wind project on the physical, biological, cultural and socio-economic attributes of the project.

Sociological investigation of the reception of Nysted Offshore wind farm. Annual report 2004[Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-08-15

This annual report presents the work related to the sociological part of a socio-economic project that examines the effects on the local communities of the two demonstration off-shore wind farms: Horns Rev Offshore Wind Farm, west of Blaavands Huk in Jutland, and Nysted Offshore Wind Farm, south of Lolland. The socio-economic project is part of the monitoring programme in connection with the construction of the offshore wind farms. Unlike projects, which examine the impact of the wind farms on nature, the socio-economic project did not start until 2003. The other part of the socio-economic project is an environmental-economic study that among other things examines the preferences of the population in relation to location of the wind farm and the willingness to pay for increasing the distance between the wind farms and the coast. This sociological study is qualitative. The study is divided into three phases, as the aim is to investigate the public community's attitude towards the erection of an offshore wind farm before and after the construction of the wind farm. This aim is based on the assumption that attitudes may change once the wind farm is erected and the population has experienced the visibility of the wind farm, etc. The division into phases is as follows: 1) Phase 1 treats the conditions as they were before the erection of Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. 2) Phase 2 is a study of the development in attitudes towards Horns Rev Offshore Wind Farm a year after erection. 3) Phase 3 comprises a follow-up study of the local area at Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. The Horns Rev study was conclusive and was carried out September-November 2003. The study at Nysted on the other hand implies two parts. The first was carried out April-August 2003 and identified attitudes before the wind farm was completed. A follow-up study in August-December 2004 served the purpose of revealing the extent of attitude changes regarding the wind farm and the development of these changes of

The economics of offshore wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Richard; Vasilakos, Nicholas

2011-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the main issues associated with the economics of offshore wind. Investment in offshore wind systems has been growing rapidly throughout Europe, and the technology will be essential in meeting EU targets for renewable energy in 2020. Offshore wind suffers from high installation and connection costs, however, making government support essential. We review various support policies used in Europe, concluding that tender-based feed-in tariff schemes, as used in Denmark, may be best for providing adequate support while minimising developers' rents. It may prove economic to build an international offshore grid connecting wind farms belonging to different countries that are sited close to each other. (author)

The economics of offshore wind

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, Richard; Vasilakos, Nicholas [Department of Economics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2011-02-15

This paper presents an overview of the main issues associated with the economics of offshore wind. Investment in offshore wind systems has been growing rapidly throughout Europe, and the technology will be essential in meeting EU targets for renewable energy in 2020. Offshore wind suffers from high installation and connection costs, however, making government support essential. We review various support policies used in Europe, concluding that tender-based feed-in tariff schemes, as used in Denmark, may be best for providing adequate support while minimising developers' rents. It may prove economic to build an international offshore grid connecting wind farms belonging to different countries that are sited close to each other. (author)

NREL Offshore Balance-of-System Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maness, Michael [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Maples, Benjamin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Smith, Aaron [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has investigated the potential for 20% of nationwide electricity demand to be generated from wind by 2030 and, more recently, 35% by 2050. Achieving this level of wind power generation may require the development and deployment of offshore wind technologies. DOE (2008) has indicated that reaching these 2030 and 2050 scenarios could result in approximately 10% and 20%, respectively, of wind energy generation to come from offshore resources. By the end of 2013, 6.5 gigawatts of offshore wind were installed globally. The first U.S. project, the Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island, has recently begun operations. One of the major reasons that offshore wind development in the United States is lagging behind global trends is the high capital expenditures required. An understanding of the costs and associated drivers of building a commercial-scale offshore wind plant in the United States will inform future research and help U.S. investors feel more confident in offshore wind development. In an effort to explain these costs, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed the Offshore Balance-of-System model.

Offshore wind energy. An overview on the activities in Germany; Offshore-Windenergie. Ein Ueberblick ueber die Aktivitaeten in Deutschland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Worm, Anja [media consulta Deutschland GmbH, Berlin (Germany)

2013-02-15

The brochure under consideration provides an overview of the activities of offshore wind energy in Germany. The first offshore wind farms are built and generate more electricity than expected. The offshore wind farms serve as a field of learning for new technologies. The power of offshore wind farms opened new prospects for the economy. The northern Federal States of Germany as well as the traditional locations for mechanical engineering and steel production benefit from offshore wind energy.

A methodology for the prediction of offshore wind energy resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watson, S J; Watson, G M [Rutherford Appleton Lab., Oxfordshire (United Kingdom); Holt, R.J. [Univ. of East Anglia, Climatic Research Unit, Norwich (United Kingdom)] Barthelmie, R.J. [Risoe National Lab., Dept. of Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics, Roskilde (Denmark); Zuylen, E.J. van [Ecofys Energy and Environment, Utrecht (Netherlands)] Cleijne, J.W. [Kema Sustainable, Arnhem (Netherlands)

1999-03-01

There are increasing constraints on the development of wind power on land. Recently, there has been a move to develop wind power offshore, though the amount of measured wind speed data at potential offshore wind farm sites is sparse. We present a novel methodology for the prediction of offshore wind power resources which is being applied to European Union waters. The first stage is to calculate the geostrophic wind from long-term pressure fields over the sea area of interest. Secondly, the geostrophic wind is transformed to the sea level using WA{sup s}P, taking account of near shore topography. Finally, these values are corrected for land/sea climatology (stability) effects using an analytical Coastal discontinuity Model (CDM). These values are further refined using high resolution offshore data at selected sites. The final values are validated against existing offshore datasets. Preliminary results are presented of the geostrophic wind speed validation in European Union waters. (au)

From laggard to leader: Explaining offshore wind developments in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kern, Florian; Smith, Adrian; Shaw, Chris; Raven, Rob; Verhees, Bram

2014-01-01

Offshore wind technology has recently undergone rapid deployment in the UK. And yet, up until recently, the UK was considered a laggard in terms of deploying renewable energy. How can this burst of offshore wind activity be explained? An economic analysis would seek signs for newfound competitiveness for offshore wind in energy markets. A policy analysis would highlight renewable energy policy developments and assess their contribution to economic prospects of offshore wind. However, neither perspective sheds sufficient light on the advocacy of the actors involved in the development and deployment of the technology. Without an account of technology politics it is hard to explain continuing policy support despite rising costs. By analysing the actor networks and narratives underpinning policy support for offshore wind, we explain how a fairly effective protective space was constructed through the enroling of key political and economic interests. - Highlights: • UK is world leader in offshore wind deployment. • Article explains boom in deployment by looking at the politics of renewable energy policy. • Offshore wind is supported by a variety of actors with aligned political and economic interests. • Analysis highlights the importance of a system builder

Recommendation of maximum allowable noise levels for offshore wind power systems; Empfehlung von Laermschutzwerten bei der Errichtung von Offshore-Windenergieanlagen (OWEA)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werner, Stefanie [Umweltbundesamt, Dessau-Rosslau (Germany). Fachgebiet II 2.3

2011-05-15

When offshore wind farms are constructed, every single pile is hammered into the sediment by a hydraulic hammer. Noise levels at Horns Reef wind farm were in the range of 235 dB. The noise may cause damage to the auditory system of marine mammals. The Federal Environmental Office therefore recommends the definition of maximum permissible noise levels. Further, care should be taken that no marine mammals are found in the immediate vicinity of the construction site. (AKB)

New Approaches for Responsible Management of Offshore Springs in Semi-arid Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Shaban, Amin; de Jong, Carmen; Al-Sulaimani, Zaher

2017-04-01

In arid and semi-arid regions, such as the Mediterranean and Gulf Region where water is scarce water demand has been exacerbated and become a major environmental challenge. Presently there is massive pressure to develop new water sources to alleviate existing water stress. In the quest for more freshwater even groundwater discharge into the sea in the form of "off-shore freshwater springs" (or submarine groundwater discharge) has been contemplated as a potential source of unconventional water in coastal zones. Offshore-springs are derived from aquifers with complex geological controls mainly in the form of faults and karst conduits. Representing a border-line discipline, they have been poorly studied with only few submarine groundwater monitoring sites existing worldwide. Recently, innovative techniques have been developed enabling springs to be detected via remote sensing such as airborne surveys or satellite images. "Thermal Anomalies" can be clearly identified as evidence for groundwater discharge into the marine environment. A diversity of groundwater routes along which off-shore springs are fed from land sources can be recognized and near-shore and offshore springs differentiated and classified according to their geometry. This is well pronounced along the coast of Lebanon and offshore of Oman. Offshore springs play an important role in the marine ecosystem as natural sources of mercury, metals, nutrients, dissolved carbon species and in cooling or warming ocean water. However, they are extremely sensitive to variations in qualitative and quantitative water inputs triggered by climate change and anthropogenic impacts especially in their recharge zones. Pollutants such as sewage, detergents, heavy metals or herbicides that negatively affect water quality of offshore springs can transit the groundwater rapidly. Recently these springs have also been severely affected by uncontrolled water abstraction from land aquifers. In Bahrain, overpumping combined with

Techno-Economic Comparison of Onshore and Offshore Underground Coal Gasification End-Product Competitiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie Christine Nakaten

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Underground Coal Gasification (UCG enables the utilisation of coal reserves that are currently not economically exploitable due to complex geological boundary conditions. Hereby, UCG produces a high-calorific synthesis gas that can be used for generation of electricity, fuels and chemical feedstock. The present study aims to identify economically competitive, site-specific end-use options for onshore and offshore produced UCG synthesis gas, taking into account the capture and storage (CCS and/or utilisation (CCU of resulting CO 2 . Modelling results show that boundary conditions that favour electricity, methanol and ammonia production expose low costs for air separation, high synthesis gas calorific values and H 2 /N 2 shares as well as low CO 2 portions of max. 10%. Hereby, a gasification agent ratio of more than 30% oxygen by volume is not favourable from economic and environmental viewpoints. Compared to the costs of an offshore platform with its technical equipment, offshore drilling costs are negligible. Thus, uncertainties related to parameters influenced by drilling costs are also negligible. In summary, techno-economic process modelling results reveal that scenarios with high CO 2 emissions are the most cost-intensive ones, offshore UCG-CCS/CCU costs are twice as high as the onshore ones, and yet all investigated scenarios except from offshore ammonia production are competitive on the European market.

A critique of the performance of EIA within the offshore oil and gas sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barker, Adam, E-mail: adam.barker@manchester.ac.uk; Jones, Carys, E-mail: carys.jones@manchester.ac.uk

2013-11-15

The oil and gas sector is a key driver of the offshore economy. Yet, it is also associated with a number of unwanted environmental impacts which potentially threaten the long term economic and environmental viability of marine ecosystems. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) can potentially make a significant contribution to the identification and management of adverse impacts through the promotion of evidence based decision making. However, the extent to which EIA has been embraced by key stakeholders is poorly understood. On this basis, this paper provides an initial evaluation of EIA performance within the oil and gas sector. The methodology adopted for the paper consisted of the structured review of 35 Environmental Statements (ESs) along with interviews with regulators, operators, consultants and advisory bodies. The findings reveal a mixed picture of EIA performance with a significant number of ESs falling short of satisfactory quality and a tendency for the process to be driven by compliance rather than best practice. -- Highlights: • Concerns identified relating to impacts of offshore oil and gas industry. • Research assesses performance of EIA in addressing impacts. • Findings highlight weak quality standards and procedural deficiencies. • Institutional reforms identified in order to improve practice.

Final Report DE-EE0005380: Assessment of Offshore Wind Farm Effects on Sea Surface, Subsurface and Airborne Electronic Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ling, Hao [The University of Texas at Austin; Hamilton, Mark F. [The University of Texas at Austin Applied Research Laboratories; Bhalla, Rajan [Science Applications International Corporation; Brown, Walter E. [The University of Texas at Austin Applied Research Laboratories; Hay, Todd A. [The University of Texas at Austin Applied Research Laboratories; Whitelonis, Nicholas J. [The University of Texas at Austin; Yang, Shang-Te [The University of Texas at Austin; Naqvi, Aale R. [The University of Texas at Austin

2013-09-30

Offshore wind energy is a valuable resource that can provide a significant boost to the US renewable energy portfolio. A current constraint to the development of offshore wind farms is the potential for interference to be caused by large wind farms on existing electronic and acoustical equipment such as radar and sonar systems for surveillance, navigation and communications. The US Department of Energy funded this study as an objective assessment of possible interference to various types of equipment operating in the marine environment where offshore wind farms could be installed. The objective of this project was to conduct a baseline evaluation of electromagnetic and acoustical challenges to sea surface, subsurface and airborne electronic systems presented by offshore wind farms. To accomplish this goal, the following tasks were carried out: (1) survey electronic systems that can potentially be impacted by large offshore wind farms, and identify impact assessment studies and research and development activities both within and outside the US, (2) engage key stakeholders to identify their possible concerns and operating requirements, (3) conduct first-principle modeling on the interactions of electromagnetic signals with, and the radiation of underwater acoustic signals from, offshore wind farms to evaluate the effect of such interactions on electronic systems, and (4) provide impact assessments, recommend mitigation methods, prioritize future research directions, and disseminate project findings. This report provides a detailed description of the methodologies used to carry out the study, key findings of the study, and a list of recommendations derived based the findings.

2016 Offshore Wind Market Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Musial, Walter [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Beiter, Philipp [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Schwabe, Paul [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Tian, Tian [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stehly, Tyler [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Spitsen, Paul [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-08-07

The 2016 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report is intended to provide stakeholders with quantitative information about the offshore wind market, technology, and cost trends in the United States and worldwide.

CFD for wind and tidal offshore turbines

CERN Document Server

Montlaur, Adeline

2015-01-01

The book encompasses novel CFD techniques to compute offshore wind and tidal applications. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques are regarded as the main design tool to explore the new engineering challenges presented by offshore wind and tidal turbines for energy generation. The difficulty and costs of undertaking experimental tests in offshore environments have increased the interest in the field of CFD which is used to design appropriate turbines and blades, understand fluid flow physical phenomena associated with offshore environments, predict power production or characterise offshore environments, amongst other topics.

Energy from Offshore Wind: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Musial, W.; Butterfield, S.; Ram, B.

2006-02-01

This paper provides an overview of the nascent offshore wind energy industry including a status of the commercial offshore industry and the technologies that will be needed for full market development.

Utilizing offshore potentials for wind power generation; Nutzung der Offshore-Potentiale fuer die Windenergie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hannemann, H. [Neptun Industrie GmbH, Rostock (Germany)

2000-07-01

The contribution discusses the importance of the offshore market and recommends measures to develop it. A turnkey offer is required for exports, which means that all organisations cooperating in the pilot project must prove their competence. The status of a pilot project in the Baltic Sea and the further plans for the park (20 systems, 40 MW, more than 10 km off the coast, water depth about 20 m) are reviewed. [German] Zur Erschliessung des Offshore - Marktes fuer Windenergieanlagen ist es erforderlich, die Technologie ''vor der eigenen Haustuer'' demonstrieren zu koennen. Nach einer Betrachtung der europaeischen Offshore - Windenergie - Potentiale und der davon moeglicherweise nutzbaren Anteile wird die Bedeutung des Offshore - Marktes deutlich. Besonders fuer die Hersteller ist der Offshore - Markt fuer den langfristigen Export von besonderer Bedeutung. Um den Export zu realisieren, ist ein Turnkey - Angebot erforderlich, so dass im Pilotprojekt alle an der gesamten Realisation beteiligten Organisationen ihre Kompetenz beweisen muessen und koennen. Der Stand eines Pilotprojektes in der Ostsee und die weitere Planung fuer den Park (20 Anlagen, 40 MW, >10 km Kuestenentfernung, ca. 20 m Wassertiefe) wird dargestellt. (orig.)

Environmental Responsibility: A Panacea for Operational Disturbances in Offshore West Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayo, I.

2002-01-01

Reports from onshore E and P activities in Nigeria have shown that operating in the Niger Delta region poses some of the toughest challenges in the world. The region has witnessed a spate of attacks on oil and gas facilities, staff and contractors, consequently, major oil and gas players have to contend with complex operational uncertainties due to increase pressure from the local communities for improved environmental control measures.To effectively de-risk this region of this category of operational uncertainties, the industry must begin to see environmental performance as not only a measure of how well she can comply with existing environmental regulations, but also as a measure of how well she can pre-empt environmental pressures as well as maintain constant harmony with all concerned stakeholders and seeing herself as responsible to the environment with a view to improve performance.In this project, we have been able to develop SMART' models based on continous consultation, integrated management approach and continous improvement attitude (CIA). With a good FOCUS' approach, this will help in safe and effective operations, pre-empt pressures, maintain harmony with local communities and effectively manage operational disturbances within complex environmental settings like the Nigerian Niger Delta area. Finally, we are of the opinion that every industry that seeks to remain efficient and relevant in this millennium should constantly be looking for ways of becoming more environmentally responsible because no business can call itself efficient if it threatens the environment within which it operates.SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bond.FOCUS is an acronym for Fair, Objective, Consistent, Unbiased and Succint

Risk analysis for U.S. offshore wind farms: the need for an integrated approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Staid, Andrea; Guikema, Seth D

2015-04-01

Wind power is becoming an increasingly important part of the global energy portfolio, and there is growing interest in developing offshore wind farms in the United States to better utilize this resource. Wind farms have certain environmental benefits, notably near-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, particulates, and other contaminants of concern. However, there are significant challenges ahead in achieving large-scale integration of wind power in the United States, particularly offshore wind. Environmental impacts from wind farms are a concern, and these are subject to a number of on-going studies focused on risks to the environment. However, once a wind farm is built, the farm itself will face a number of risks from a variety of hazards, and managing these risks is critical to the ultimate achievement of long-term reductions in pollutant emissions from clean energy sources such as wind. No integrated framework currently exists for assessing risks to offshore wind farms in the United States, which poses a challenge for wind farm risk management. In this "Perspective", we provide an overview of the risks faced by an offshore wind farm, argue that an integrated framework is needed, and give a preliminary starting point for such a framework to illustrate what it might look like. This is not a final framework; substantial work remains. Our intention here is to highlight the research need in this area in the hope of spurring additional research about the risks to wind farms to complement the substantial amount of on-going research on the risks from wind farms. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Assessment of Technologies Used to Characterize Wildlife Populations in the Offshore Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duberstein, Corey A.; Tagestad, Jerry D.; Larson, Kyle B.

2011-12-09

Wind energy development in the offshore environment can have both direct and indirect effects on wildlife, yet little is known about most species that use near-shore and offshore waters due in part to the difficulty involved in studying animals in remote, challenging environments. Traditional methods to characterize offshore wildlife populations include shipboard observations. Technological advances have provided researches with an array of technologies to gather information about fauna from afar. This report describes the use and application of radar, thermal and optical imagery, and acoustic detection technologies for monitoring birds, bats, and marine mammals in offshore environments.

Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind Interconnection and Transmission (MAOWIT)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kempton, Willett [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)

2016-04-05

This project has carried out a detailed analysis to evaluate the pros and cons of offshore transmission, a possible method to decrease balance-of-system costs and permitting time identified in the DOE Office Wind Strategic Plan (DOE, 2011). It also addresses questions regarding the adequacy of existing transmission infrastructure and the ability of existing generating resources to provide the necessary Ancillary Services (A/S) support (spinning and contingency reserves) in the ISO territory. This project has completed the tasks identified in the proposal: 1. Evaluation of the offshore wind resource off PJM, then examination of offshore wind penetrations consistent with U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) targets and with their assumed resource size (DOE, 2011). 2. Comparison of piecemeal radial connections to the Independent System Operator (ISO) with connections via a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) offshore network similar to a team partner. 3. High-resolution examination of power fluctuations at each node due to wind energy variability 4. Analysis of wind power production profiles over the Eastern offshore region of the regional ISO to assess the effectiveness of long-distance, North- South transmission for leveling offshore wind energy output 5. Analysis of how the third and fourth items affect the need for ISO grid upgrades, congestion management, and demand for Ancillary Services (A/S) 6. Analysis of actual historic 36-hr and 24-hr forecasts to solve the unit commitment problem and determine the optimal mix of generators given the need to respond to both wind variability and wind forecasting uncertainties.

IS OFFSHORING AN INTERNATIONAL PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Roberto Gião

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This article proposes to analyze the applicability of transaction cost economics - TCE (Coase, 1937; Williamson, 1975, 1979 through its characteristic make-or-buy expression, considering the offshoring pace and emerging economy firms. The make-or-buy decision must be flexible enough to explain offshoring characteristics and developed and emerging economy firms scenarios. As secondary objectives, and to show the trail to the main purpose, two research questions were identified and discussed during the paper: Is offshoring process an international movement only from developed countries to emerging economies? Is the main reason of offshoring the looking for low-cost work / activities? To achieve the proposed objectives, the structure of this paper begins with a reasonable or acceptable definition of offshoring. Some reasons (or “the reason” for the process are also another important starting point. The majority of articles referee the idea that low-cost is the main reason for offshoring, and if it is correct, transaction cost economics seems to be a good basis for our analysis purpose and integrative intention. Also some literature connections between offshoring and TCE are presented and, naturally TCE is presented in highlights for understanding these connections. Ending this section, some different arguments based on newer researches are presented by some authors presenting another perspective as the main reason. After this theoretical approach, a scenario analysis and some discussions are presented based on all possible interactions among firm from developed (DC and emerging economies (EE and examples of international corporations are presented to clarify and improve the understanding of our research questions and to build new contributions to international business theory.

The prospects of the Norwegian offshore gas scene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sael, E.

1992-01-01

It is not unlikely that Norway will become the major offshore gas producer in Europe in the latter part of this decade. This paper reviews the current estimates of the magnitude and geographical distribution of Norwegian gas resources, the prospects for gas supply and exports, the infrastructure such as pipelines and production facilities now in place and required for the future, and the environmental challenge which makes natural gas the most attractive of the fossil fuels for power generation. (UK)

Long-term effects of emissions to the sea from the offshore sector. General note; Langtidsvirkninger fra utslipp til sjoe fra offshoresektoren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-06-01

This general note reviews the general understanding of the long-term effects of emission to the sea from the offshore sector and the need for competence and research. During the last 20 years, considerable efforts have been made in environmental research and monitoring in the oil sector. Nevertheless, evidently more research is needed in several fields. Priority has been given to the research needed according to (1) the amount of money needed for increased knowledge about the long-term effects of emissions to the sea from the oil sector, (2) the extent of missing knowledge, (3) to what extent new knowledge would be expected to contribute to improved decisions about environmental measures, (4) the extent of potential impacts on the ecosystems in Norwegian seas and the geographical extent of a possible effect. The identified research areas are, according to priority, (1) effects in the water column of produced water, (2) sudden emissions and drilling fluid, (3) joint research and monitoring, (4) special research programmes in arctic regions, (5) emissions in progress from cuttings and long-term effects of sudden emissions in coastal zones and beach zones. Research currently in progress should be co-ordinated through a special research programme, for which there is a clear need. The funds for such a programme should come from both the industry and the authorities.

The Economic Geography of Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørberg Jensen, Peter D.; Pedersen, Torben

2011-01-01

when distinguishing between standardized and advanced activities. Asia attracts as many advanced activities as Western Europe while North America attracts more advanced activities even in manufacturing. Central and Eastern Europe attract offshoring in manufacturing and IT, but the activities...... that are offshored to these regions are typically not advanced. One important theoretical implication of this study is that a more detailed understanding of the nature of offshored activities is needed, since such attributes appear to be an important determinant of location choice....

Fiscal 1998 research report. Feasibility survey on offshore wind power generation in Japan; 1998 nendo chosa hokokusho. Nippon ni okeru yojo furyoku hatsuden no donyu kanosei chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

This survey studied the feasibility of large-scale offshore wind power generation in Japan. Attempt was also made on preparation of outline maps of offshore wind around Japan. The cost of future offshore wind power generation systems is roughly dependent on technical issues and environmental issues. As technical issues, 'installation site,' 'foundation,' 'system interconnection' and 'maintenance/management' were summarized based on applications in Europe. As a result, it was clarified that technical issues can be solved with existing technologies to a certain extent, however, those relate to economical problems closely. The previous environment impact assessments say that wind power generation has no problems on the environmental issues. As relatively strong wind coastal areas, the outline maps of offshore wind point out Western Hokkaido area, Japan Sea area of Tohoku district, Pacific ocean area of the central part of Honshu, Genkai Nada area, Western Kyushu area and Southwest islands area, and suggest that these areas are promising for offshore wind power generation. (NEDO)

Common Health, Safety and Environmental Concerns in Upstream Oil and Gas Sector: Implications for HSE Management in Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seth Oppong

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the literature to identify common occupational injuries, diseases, and psychological wellbeing on oil rigs as well as the negative environmental impacts of the upstream oil and gas sector. It ends by making recommendations for effective health, safety, and environmental (HSE management. Review of the literature showed that contusion (bruise, cuts, and laceration are the commonest occupational injuries that workers on the oil rig suffer and that the injuries mostly affect the hand and finger, leg, and eyes of the offshore workers. These injuries were found to be caused mostly by direct stroke, jamming and overstrain. Similarly, accidental poisoning, musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory disorders and diseases of the digestive system were also documented as the commonest occupational diseases among offshore workers. The literature also shows that working offshore is associated with poorer psychological wellbeing or health; this is to say that offshore workers tend to experience higher levels of stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, low job satisfaction (particularly with the environmental conditions associated with their work, and sleep disorders. Finally, the literature review indicated that land-use problems, air pollution, acid rain, climate change, habitat disruption, environmental degradation, oil spills and leakages are some of environmental impacts of upstream oil production. This review was concluded by recommending some measures for the management of the HSE hazards associated with the oil and gas sector.

Effects of offshore oil drilling on benthic invertebrate communities on the Grand Banks (North Atlantic)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DeBlois, E. [Jacques Whitford Ltd., St. John' s, NL (Canada); Wight, F. [Husky Oil Operations Ltd., St. John' s, NL (Canada); Taylor, D. [DG Taylor Inc., Conception Bay South, NL (Canada); Paine, M. [Paine, Ledge and Associates, North Vancouver, BC (Canada)

2007-07-01

Drilling occurs at three different drill centres of the White Rose (WR) oil platform that lies 350 km offshore from St. John's Newfoundland. An extensive environmental effects monitoring (EEM) program conducted by Husky Energy is underway at the WR site. The sediment component of the program involves the measurement of physical and chemical characteristics, an assessment of toxicity in laboratory tests, and an assessment of in situ benthic invertebrate communities. Baseline sampling occurred in 2000, followed by post-drilling sampling in 2004 to 2006. The sediment is 95 per cent sand, with polychaetes and bivalves dominating the invertebrate communities. A comparative evaluation was performed for regressions between community variables and distances from drill centres before and after drilling. Concentration-response relationships between community variables and concentrations of major constituents in drilling muds (C10-C21 HCs) were also compared among years. It was shown that the biological effects on invertebrate communities were highly restricted to reductions in the amount of Paraonidae and Amphipoda near drill centres and at higher C10-C21 HC concentrations. The study revealed that the two most abundant invertebrate communities were not influenced by drilling in terms of standing crop, richness, diversity and evenness.

Offshore atomic power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1975-01-01

Various merits of offshore atomic power plants are illustrated, and their systems are assessed. The planning of the offshore atomic power plants in USA is reviewed, and the construction costs of the offshore plant in Japan were estimated. Air pollution problem may be solved by the offshore atomic power plants remarkably. Deep water at low temperature may be advantageously used as cooling water for condensers. Marine resources may be bred by building artificial habitats and by providing spring-up equipments. In the case of floating plants, the plant design can be standardized so that the construction costs may be reduced. The offshore plants can be classified into three systems, namely artificial island system, floating system and sea bottom-based system. The island system may be realized with the present level of civil engineering, but requires the development of technology for the resistance of base against earthquake and its calculation means. The floating system may be constructed with conventional power plant engineering and shipbuilding engineering, but the aseismatic stability of breakwater may be a problem to be solved. Deep water floating system and deep water submerging system are conceivable, but its realization may be difficult. The sea bottom-based system with large caissons can be realized by the present civil engineering, but the construction of the caissons, stability against earthquake and resistance to waves may be problems to be solved. The technical prediction and assessment of new plant sites for nuclear power plants have been reported by Science and Technology Agency in 1974. The construction costs of an offshore plant has been estimated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to be yen71,026/kW as of 1985. (Iwakiri, K.)

Offshoring and Changes in Firms’ Domestic Employment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Timmermans, Bram; Østergaard, Christian Richter

difference on a set of employment characteristics, i.e. employment growth, growth in high skilled employees, and growth in employees with a background in science and engineering, by using a partial propensity score matching approach. The findings of the analyses show that there are clear differences between......In this paper, we investigate, by merging the Danish linked employer-employee database with a Danish offshoring survey, the difference in employment between offshoring and non-offshoring firms that are active in manufacturing industries and business services in Denmark. We measure the mean...... Danish offshoring and non-offshoring firms in how the employee composition changes over time. The change in employment composition differ considerably between manufacturing industries and business services and on whether firms offshore administrative and technical business functions or other types...

Offshore Financial Centers in Global Capital Flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lutsyshyn Zoriana

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article is dedicated to investigation of the place and role of offshore financial centers in financial globalization system, and of the reasons for using offshores in assets securitization mechanism. Numerous offshore and other preferential zones enabling to avoid the effective national and governmental tax regime are important attributes of global financial system and redistributive links of world financial flows. At present, around 70 countries and territories offer their offshore services for foreign capital, bank transactions, profitability from activities in financial markets proper. The global offshore business concentrates large amounts often having no relation to the country of origin, the so-called cosmopolitan capital (wandering. Although in the early 80's of the XXth century offshore companies were considered to control approximately 500 billion dollars, it was already in the early 90's that this amount doubled and was estimated as 1 trillion dollars. Today, from ⅓ to half of the world capital turnover goes through offshore business channels, and therefore, almost half of non-resident bank deposits are concentrated in world offshore centers. These are the world financial centers comprising international capital markets that provide for the accumulation and redistribution of world capital. From the process of reproduction (circulation of capital, the world financial centers plunge out the most homogeneous and mobile element — money, and freely manipulating with them, concentrate huge economic power in their hands. The role of world financial centers was also enhanced by the latest achievements in computer science, allowing execution of instant transactions and movement of huge amounts to any point of the world within the shortest possible time. The world financial centers consist not only of powerful banks and financial institutions operating on the international scene, but also have currency, stock and other exchanges as their

77 FR 47522 - Special Local Regulation; Port Huron Offshore Gran Prix, St. Clair River; Port Huron, MI

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-09

... 13045, Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks. This rule is not an economically significant rule and does not create an environmental risk to health or risk to safety that may...-AA08 Special Local Regulation; Port Huron Offshore Gran Prix, St. Clair River; Port Huron, MI AGENCY...

A cross-taxa study using environmental DNA/RNA metabarcoding to measure biological impacts of offshore oil and gas drilling and production operations

KAUST Repository

Laroche, Olivier

2017-12-01

Standardized ecosystem-based monitoring surveys are critical for providing information on marine ecosystem health. Environmental DNA/RNA (eDNA/eRNA) metabarcoding may facilitate such surveys by quickly and effectively characterizing multi-trophic levels. In this study, we assessed the suitability of eDNA/eRNA metabarcoding to evaluate changes in benthic assemblages of bacteria, Foraminifera and other eukaryotes along transects at three offshore oil and gas (O&G) drilling and production sites, and compared these to morphologically characterized macro-faunal assemblages. Bacterial communities were the most responsive to O&G activities, followed by Foraminifera, and macro-fauna (the latter assessed by morphology). The molecular approach enabled detection of hydrocarbon degrading taxa such as the bacteria Alcanivorax and Microbulbifer at petroleum impacted stations. Most identified indicator taxa, notably among macro-fauna, were highly specific to site conditions. Based on our results we suggest that eDNA/eRNA metabarcoding can be used as a stand-alone method for biodiversity assessment or as a complement to morphology-based monitoring approaches.

A cross-taxa study using environmental DNA/RNA metabarcoding to measure biological impacts of offshore oil and gas drilling and production operations

KAUST Repository

Laroche, Olivier; Wood, Susanna A.; Tremblay, Louis A.; Ellis, Joanne; Lear, Gavin; Pochon, Xavier

2017-01-01

Standardized ecosystem-based monitoring surveys are critical for providing information on marine ecosystem health. Environmental DNA/RNA (eDNA/eRNA) metabarcoding may facilitate such surveys by quickly and effectively characterizing multi-trophic levels. In this study, we assessed the suitability of eDNA/eRNA metabarcoding to evaluate changes in benthic assemblages of bacteria, Foraminifera and other eukaryotes along transects at three offshore oil and gas (O&G) drilling and production sites, and compared these to morphologically characterized macro-faunal assemblages. Bacterial communities were the most responsive to O&G activities, followed by Foraminifera, and macro-fauna (the latter assessed by morphology). The molecular approach enabled detection of hydrocarbon degrading taxa such as the bacteria Alcanivorax and Microbulbifer at petroleum impacted stations. Most identified indicator taxa, notably among macro-fauna, were highly specific to site conditions. Based on our results we suggest that eDNA/eRNA metabarcoding can be used as a stand-alone method for biodiversity assessment or as a complement to morphology-based monitoring approaches.

Noise from offshore wind turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soendergaard, B.; Plovsing, B.

2005-07-01

Noise assessment of wind turbines through calculations is based on sound power levels measured according to e.g. IEC 61400-11. With larger wind turbines and distances some of the calculation models give erroneous results. Noise propagation over water is different from propagation over land. For that reason it is important be able to make valid noise assessments for offshore wind farms. A suggestion for an offshore measurement method is described and a survey of models for noise propagation offshore has been made. (au)

Sociological investigation of the reception of Horns Rev and Nysted offshore wind farms in the local communities[Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuehn, S.

2005-03-15

This annual report presents the work related to the sociological part of the socio-economic project on the local communities' reception of the Horns Rev Offshore Wind Farm, west of Blaavands Huk in Jutland, and the Nysted Offshore Wind Farm, south of Lolland. The project is part of the monitoring programme in connection with the construction of the offshore wind farms. Unlike projects, which examine the impact of the wind farms on nature, the socio-economic project did not start until 2003. The socio-economic project examines the effects on the local communities. Among other things the environmental-economic part of the project examines the preferences of the population in relation to location of the wind farm and the willingness to pay for increasing the distance between the wind farms and the coast. The sociological survey is qualitative. The survey is divided into three phases, as the aim is to investigate the public community's attitude towards the erection of an offshore wind farm before and after the construction of the wind farm. This aim is based on the assumption that attitudes may change once the wind farm is erected and the population has experienced the visibility of the wind farm, etc. The division into phases is as follows: 1) Phase 1 treats the conditions as they were before the erection of Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. 2) Phase 2 is an investigation of the development in attitudes towards Horns Rev Offshore Wind Farm a year after erection. 3) Phase 3 comprises a follow-up investigation of the local area at Nysted Offshore Wind Farm. This annual report treats phases 1 and 2. Phase 1 was carried out in April-August 2003, and the interviews at Nysted were thus made during the erection of the first offshore wind turbines. Phase 2 was carried out in September-November 2003. The follow-up investigation of the conditions in the local area around Nysted offshore wind farm is to be carried out in August-December 2004. The results of the investigations

Some characteristics of offshore operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popov Đorđe

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Offshore operations are not on the margins of the world economy. They are an integral part of modern business practice. They have become one of the most important instruments in the contemporary globalized financial system. Offshore operations and tax havens are not only conduits for tax avoidance and evasion but belong more broadly to the world of finance, for the business of managing the monetary resources of an organization, country or individuals. Offshore business operating in tax havens is at the heart of a particular type of globalization that is characterized by a growing gap between the very rich and everyone else. Tax havens are financial conduits that, in exchange for a fee, use their one principal asset- their sovereignty to serve a nonresident constituency of accountants and lawyers, bankers and financiers, who bring a demand for offshore operations.

Learning Paths to Offshore Outsourcing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maskell, Peter; Pedersen, Torben; Petersen, Bent

A corporation’s offshore outsourcing may be seen as the result of a discrete, strategic decision taken in response to an increasing pressure from worldwide competition. However, empirical evidence of a representative cross-sector sample of international Danish firms indicates that offshore sourcing...... in low-cost countries is best described as a learning-by-doing process in which the offshore outsourcing of a corporation goes through a sequence of stages towards sourcing for innovation. Initially, a corporation’s outsourcing is driven by a desire for cost minimization. Over a period of time...... the outsourcing experience lessens the cognitive limitations of decision-makers as to the advantages that can be achieved through outsourcing in low-cost countries: the insourcer/vendor may not only offer cost advantages, but also quality improvement and innovation. The quality improvements that offshore...

High-fidelity Modeling of Local Effects of Damage for Derated Offshore Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Phillip W.; Griffith, D. Todd; Hodges, Dewey H.

2014-06-01

Offshore wind power production is an attractive clean energy option, but the difficulty of access can lead to expensive and rare opportunities for maintenance. As part of the Structural Health and Prognostics Management (SHPM) project at Sandia National Laboratories, smart loads management (controls) are investigated for their potential to increase the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine rotor blades. Derating refers to altering the rotor angular speed and blade pitch to limit power production and loads on the rotor blades. High- fidelity analysis techniques like 3D finite element modeling (FEM) should be used alongside beam models of wind turbine blades to characterize these control strategies in terms of their effect to mitigate fatigue damage and extend life of turbine blades. This study will consider a commonly encountered damage type for wind turbine blades, the trailing edge disbond, and show how FEM can be used to quantify the effect of operations and control strategies designed to extend the fatigue life of damaged blades. The Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) will be used to post-process the displacement and stress results to provide estimates of damage severity/criticality and provide a means to estimate the fatigue life under a given operations and control strategy.

High-fidelity Modeling of Local Effects of Damage for Derated Offshore Wind Turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richards, Phillip W; Griffith, D Todd; Hodges, Dewey H

2014-01-01

Offshore wind power production is an attractive clean energy option, but the difficulty of access can lead to expensive and rare opportunities for maintenance. As part of the Structural Health and Prognostics Management (SHPM) project at Sandia National Laboratories, smart loads management (controls) are investigated for their potential to increase the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine rotor blades. Derating refers to altering the rotor angular speed and blade pitch to limit power production and loads on the rotor blades. High- fidelity analysis techniques like 3D finite element modeling (FEM) should be used alongside beam models of wind turbine blades to characterize these control strategies in terms of their effect to mitigate fatigue damage and extend life of turbine blades. This study will consider a commonly encountered damage type for wind turbine blades, the trailing edge disbond, and show how FEM can be used to quantify the effect of operations and control strategies designed to extend the fatigue life of damaged blades. The Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) will be used to post-process the displacement and stress results to provide estimates of damage severity/criticality and provide a means to estimate the fatigue life under a given operations and control strategy

Effects of Shift and Night Work in the Offshore Petroleum Industry: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

FOSSUM, Ingrid Nesdal; BJORVATN, Bjørn; WAAGE, Siri; PALLESEN, Ståle

2013-01-01

Shift and night work are associated with several negative outcomes. The aim of this study was to make a systematic review of all studies which examine effects of shift and night work in the offshore petroleum industry, to synthesize the knowledge of how shift work offshore may affect the workers. Searches for studies concerning effects on health, sleep, adaptation, safety, working conditions, family- and social life and turnover were conducted via the databases Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO and PubMed. Search was also conducted through inspection of reference lists of relevant literature. We identified studies describing effects of shift work in terms of sleep, adaptation and re-adaptation of circadian rhythms, health outcomes, safety and accidents, family and social life, and work perceptions. Twenty-nine studies were included. In conclusion, the longitudinal studies were generally consistent in showing that adaptation to night work was complete within one to two weeks of work, while re-adaptation to a daytime schedule was slower. Shift workers reported more sleep problems than day workers. The data regarding mental and physical health, family and social life, and accidents yielded inconsistent results, and were insufficient as a base for drawing general conclusions. More research in the field is warranted. PMID:23803497

Offshore Wind Turbine Foundation Design

OpenAIRE

Passon, Patrik; Branner, Kim; Larsen, Søren Ejling; Hvenekær Rasmussen, Jørgen

2015-01-01

Offshore vindenergi er i høj grad modnet i det seneste årti med en årligt installeret kapacitet på mere end1 GW. En vigtig faktor for den videre udvikling af offshore vindenergi i stor målestok, er en reduktion af de samlede udgifter til produceret energi. I betragtning af for eksempel faldet i olieprisen siden sommeren 2014 og dens fortsatte fald ind i 2015, er det endnu vigtigere at sænke omkostningerne til etablering af vedvarende energikilder såsom offshore vindenergi, for at nå frem til ...

Offshore oil and gas development costs: Four decades of technical change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lohrenz, J.

1997-01-01

The worldwide offshore oil and gas business is over 40 years old, but is not, nor does it appear to be soon destined to be, in its dotage. The key role of technology played to enable the business to prosper in volatile and severe environments--physically and otherwise--examined here. Offshore oil and gas technology, like all technologies, is only effective when it shows up at the bottom line. Here the author shows how the 1970's offshore technology continued would have virtually ended the business. But that technology changed the bottom line

Investigation of the effects of platform motion on the aerodynamics of a floating offshore wind turbine

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

万德成

2016-01-01

Along with the flourishing of the wind energy industry, floating offshore wind turbines have aroused much interest among the academia as well as enterprises. In this paper, the effects of the supporting platform motion on the aerodynamics of a floating wind turbine are studied using the open source CFD framework OpenFOAM. The platform motion responses, including surge, heave and pitch, are superimposed onto the rotation of the wind turbine. Thrust and torque on the wind turbine are compared and analysed for the cases of different platform motion patterns together with the flow field. It is shown that the movement of the supporting platform can have large influences on a floating offshore wind turbine and thus needs to be considered carefully during the design process.

Development of Offshore Wind Power Industry

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Liu Xiao

2011-01-01

The offshore wind power development target as initially proposed in "The 12=Five-Year" on energy recourses development and renewable energy recourses currently under development is to reach 5m KW by 2015 and 30m KW by 2020. With the unfolding of offshore wind turbine planning from different areas, the curtain of offshore wind power development for our country's "The 12=Five-Year" has been opened.

Managing Risk Areas in Software Development Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, John Stouby; Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup

2015-01-01

Software companies are increasingly offshoring development to countries with high expertise at lower cost. Offshoring involves particular risk areas that if ignored increase the likelihood of failure. However, the offshoring client’s maturity level may influence the management of these risk areas...

Is the distribution and abundance of waterbirds altered in and around Danish Offshore wind farms?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Ib Krag

programmes for Horns Rev 1 and the Nysted offshore wind farms were initiated, and after the erection of the turbines post-construction monitoring programmes were initiated. Data from these investigations will be touched upon. At Nysted offshore wind farm common eiders (Somateria mollissima) avoided flying...... and the near surroundings. Common scoters (Melanitta nigra) initially showed signs of avoidance, but in the spring of 2007 birds were seen in densities within the Horns Rev 1 wind farm that was equal to the densities found around the wind farm. Very recent findings from Horns Rev 2 indicate that this have......In 1999 a Danish demonstration programme concerning offshore wind farms was initiated. The aim was to evaluate environmental and technical aspects in relation to introducing these new structures at sea. Aarhus University was involved in ornithological investigations in that respect. Monitoring...

CO_2-mitigation options for the offshore oil and gas sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Tock, Laurence; Breuhaus, Peter; Maréchal, François; Elmegaard, Brian

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The possibilities for reducing offshore CO_2-emissions, by CO_2-capture, waste heat recovery and electrification are assessed. • Multi-objective optimisation, process modelling, economic and environmental analyses are used for evaluating system designs. • A reduction of more than 15% of the total CO_2-emissions can be achieved for the present case study. • High sensitivity of the avoidance costs to the natural gas price and CO_2-tax. - Abstract: The offshore extraction of oil and gas is an energy-intensive process leading to the production of CO_2 and methane, discharged into the atmosphere, and of chemicals, rejected into the sea. The taxation of these emissions, in Norway, has encouraged the development of more energy-efficient and environmental-friendly solutions, of which three are assessed in this paper: (i) the implementation of waste heat recovery, (ii) the installation of a CO_2-capture unit and (iii) the platform electrification. A North Sea platform is taken as case study, and these three options are modelled, analysed and compared, using thermodynamic, economic and environmental indicators. The results indicate the benefits of all these options, as the total CO_2-emissions can be reduced by more than 15% in all cases, while the avoidance costs vary widely and are highly sensitive to the natural gas price and CO_2-tax.

Wave Run-Up on Offshore Windturbine Foundations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frigaard, Peter; De Vos, Leen

2005-01-01

In the last decade, several offshore wind-farms are built and offshore wind energy promises to be a suitable alternative to provide green energy. However, there still are some engineering challenges in placing the wind turbine foundations offshore. For example, unexpected damage to boat landing...

China: an emerging offshore wind development hotspot. With a new assessment of China's offshore wind potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reinvang, Rasmus; Enslow, Rachel; Beaumont, Hubert

2010-08-15

This study provides new and more detailed estimates of the offshore wind energy resources in China, with particular focus on Southern China. The study points out that the offshore wind industry is ramping up in China with at least 11.9GW in the development pipeline per April 2010. The study estimates the offshore wind potential of China (excluding Taiwan) to 11,580TWh/year. The study proves estimates and wind energy resource maps per province. Fujian, Zhejiang and Hainan stand out with the highest offshore wind speeds in China while Guangdong also shows significant potential, with annual wind speed averages of 6.5-10.2m/s and an energy density range of 12-36GWh/km2. Even though current offshore wind development is mainly taking place in Fujian and Jiangsu, this study shows that the potential is likely even greater in other provinces. The study was developed by the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA) and Sun Yat-sen University, and commissioned by WWF as part of a project funded by the Norwegian Agency of development Coopeartion (Norad). Methodology and constraints: The wind resource analysis improves upon previous studies in estimating the wind energy generation potential for offshore wind power in China, with available meteorological data adjusted for influence of typhoons. The study models how much energy offshore wind can produce along China's coast up to 100km from the shore by calculating the energy output of theoretical wind farms by applying the power curve of a 3MW turbine at a 100m hub height. In addition the study further expands by giving special consideration to the deep-sea offshore potential at +50m water depths. The study focuses particularly on the coastline from Shandong down to Hainan. The final results provide good indication of the offshore wind resource in China when comparing one area to the other. The report can therefore be used as a preliminary tool to identifying most interesting provinces and locations for offshore wind

Integrated Multidisciplinary Constrained Optimization of Offshore Support Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haghi, Rad; Molenaar, David P; Ashuri, Turaj; Van der Valk, Paul L C

2014-01-01

In the current offshore wind turbine support structure design method, the tower and foundation, which form the support structure are designed separately by the turbine and foundation designer. This method yields a suboptimal design and it results in a heavy, overdesigned and expensive support structure. This paper presents an integrated multidisciplinary approach to design the tower and foundation simultaneously. Aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, structure and soil mechanics are the modeled disciplines to capture the full dynamic behavior of the foundation and tower under different environmental conditions. The objective function to be minimized is the mass of the support structure. The model includes various design constraints: local and global buckling, modal frequencies, and fatigue damage along different stations of the structure. To show the usefulness of the method, an existing SWT-3.6-107 offshore wind turbine where its tower and foundation are designed separately is used as a case study. The result of the integrated multidisciplinary design optimization shows 12.1% reduction in the mass of the support structure, while satisfying all the design constraints

2016 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Musial, Walter; Beiter, Philipp; Schwabe, Paul; Tian, Tian; Stehly, Tyler; Spitsen, Paul; Robertson, Amy; Gevorgian, Vahan

2017-08-08

The 2016 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is intended to provide offshore wind policymakers, regulators, developers, researchers, engineers, financiers, and supply chain participants, with quantitative information about the offshore wind market, technology, and cost trends in the United States and worldwide. In particular, this report is intended to provide detailed information on the domestic offshore wind industry to provide context to help navigate technical and market barriers and opportunities. The scope of the report covers the status of the 111 operating offshore wind projects in the global fleet through December 31, 2016, and provides the status and analysis on a broader pipeline of 593 projects at some stage of development. In addition, this report provides a wider assessment of domestic developments and events through the second quarter of 2017 to provide a more up-to-date discussion of this dynamically evolving industry.

Pore pressure buildup and soil stress relaxation in monopile foundations of offshore wind converters; Porenwasserdruckaufbau und Bodenentfestigung um Pfahlgruendungen von Offshore-Windenergieanlagen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cuellar, Pablo; Baessler, Matthias; Georgi, Steven; Ruecker, Werner [BAM Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung, Berlin (Germany). Fachbereich 7.2 Ingenieurbau

2012-09-15

For the installation of wind turbines in the offshore environment and their foundation in the seabed it is customary to employ large-diameter steel piles, either in monopile or multi-pile configurations (jacket, tripod, etc..). The effects of cyclic lateral loading on the offshore piles and particularly the possibility of a progressive accumulation of residual pore water pressure within the saturated embedding soil are discussed in this article. Here it is shown that this can lead to significant changes of their behaviour under external loading, which can potentially compromise the foundation's stability or serviceability. Furthermore, some of the singular effects arising during a realistic storm of moderate magnitude as well as their potential for transient damages to the foundation's stiffness are addressed in the paper. For the investigation of these phenomena the authors have employed a coupled bi-phasic analytical model of the offshore foundation. The constitutive model employed for the seabed, in the frame of the theory of Generalized Plasticity, can reproduce some complex features of cyclic soil behaviour such as the tendency for a progressive densification under cyclic loading, which is responsible for the soil liquefaction phenomena in undrained conditions. Finally, some implications and specific recommendations for the design of offshore monopiles in the frame of the limit states are provided. (orig.)

U.S. Offshore Wind Manufacturing and Supply Chain Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamilton, Bruce Duncan [Navigant Consulting, Inc.

2013-02-22

agencies, to assist in identifying policies with low effort and high impact (Chapter 3). Section 3.3 provides specific policy examples that have been demonstrated to be effective in removing barriers to development. (c) Current and potential domestic suppliers in the offshore wind market, in evaluating areas of opportunity and understanding requirements for participation (Chapter 4). Section 4.4 provides a step-by-step description of the qualification process that suppliers looking to sell components into a future U.S. offshore wind market will need to follow.

Evolution and Reduction of Scour around Offshore Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

McGovern, David; Ilic, Suzana

2010-05-01

Evolution and Reduction of Scour around Offshore Wind Turbines In response to growing socio-economic and environmental demands, electricity generation through offshore wind turbine farms is a fast growing sector of the renewable energy market. Considerable numbers of offshore wind farms exist in the shallow continental shelf seas of the North-West Europe, with many more in the planning stages. Wind energy is harnessed by large rotating blades that drive an electricity generating turbine placed on top of a long cylindrical monopile that are driven into the sea-bed, well into the bed rock below the sediment. Offshore wind turbines are popular due to consistently higher wind speeds and lower visual impact than their onshore counter parts, but their construction and maintenance is not without its difficulties. The alteration of flow by the presence of the wind turbine monopile results in changes in sedimentary processes and morphology at its base. The increase in flow velocity and turbulence causes an amplification of bed shear stress and this can result in the creation of a large scour hole at the monopile base. Such a scour hole can adversely affect the structural integrity and hence longevity of the monopile. Changes to the sea bed caused by this may also locally affect the benthic habitat. We conducted an extensive series of rigid and mobile bed experiments to examine the process of scour under tidal currents. We also test the effectiveness of a flow-altering collared monopile in reducing scour. Firstly, we used Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Acoustic Doppler Velocimetry (ADV) to visualise and analyse the flow and turbulence properties in the local flow around the monopile and collared monopile over a smooth rigid bed under tidal flow. The measured flow, turbulence and shear stress properties are related to mobile bed tests where a Seatek 5 MHz Ultrasonic Ranging system is used to identify the evolution of scour under reversing tidal currents. The tidal

Using Satellite SAR to Characterize the Wind Flow around Offshore Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Vincent, Pauline; Badger, Jake

2015-01-01

Offshore wind farm cluster effects between neighboring wind farms increase rapidly with the large-scale deployment of offshore wind turbines. The wind farm wakes observed from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) are sometimes visible and atmospheric and wake models are here shown to convincingly repro...

Offshore Fish Community: Ecological Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

The offshore (>80 m) fish community of Lake Superior is made up of predominately native species. The most prominent species are deepwater sculpin, kiyi, cisco, siscowet lake trout, burbot, and the exotic sea lamprey. Bloater and shortjaw cisco are also found in the offshore zone...

Going offshore or better staying in?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kreutzer, Fabian; Mitze, Timo

2017-01-01

We analyse the short- to mid-run effects of spatial relocation strategies on firm innovativeness and productivity growth. Using conditional difference-in-difference estimation with multiple treatments, we find for a sample of German firms in 1999–2013 that offshoring has a statistically significa...

An economic assessment of tropical cyclone risk on offshore wind farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hong, Lixuan; Möller, Bernd

2012-01-01

and cost and setting design parameters for offshore wind turbines are then discussed. The impact of tropical cyclones on offshore wind farms likes a double-edged sword, which might be advantageous for some regions in terms of increasing full-loaded hours of turbines, but also disadvantageous for others due....... A probabilistic tropical cyclone event model is applied to evaluate 20-year, 30-year, 50-year and 100-year recurrence of extreme wind speeds by geographical location. Combining a damage model derived from empirical loss data and an investment cost model within a Geographical Information System (GIS), the annual...... to its destructive effects. However, specific design standards and insurance of turbines would help reduce risks and economic losses of offshore wind farms in tropical cyclone-prone areas and expand exploitable locations for future offshore wind farms....

DC Collection Network Simulation for Offshore Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vogel, Stephan; Rasmussen, Tonny Wederberg; El-Khatib, Walid Ziad

2015-01-01

The possibility to connect offshore wind turbines with a collection network based on Direct Current (DC), instead of Alternating Current (AC), gained attention in the scientific and industrial environment. There are many promising properties of DC components that could be beneficial such as......: smaller dimensions, less weight, fewer conductors, no reactive power considerations, and less overall losses due to the absence of proximity and skin effects. This work describes a study about the simulation of a Medium Voltage DC (MVDC) grid in an offshore wind farm. Suitable converter concepts...

Offshore Wind Energy Cost Modeling Installation and Decommissioning

CERN Document Server

Kaiser, Mark J

2012-01-01

Offshore wind energy is one of the most promising and fastest growing alternative energy sources in the world. Offshore Wind Energy Cost Modeling provides a methodological framework to assess installation and decommissioning costs, and using examples from the European experience, provides a broad review of existing processes and systems used in the offshore wind industry. Offshore Wind Energy Cost Modeling provides a step-by-step guide to modeling costs over four sections. These sections cover: ·Background and introductory material, ·Installation processes and vessel requirements, ·Installation cost estimation, and ·Decommissioning methods and cost estimation.  This self-contained and detailed treatment of the key principles in offshore wind development is supported throughout by visual aids and data tables. Offshore Wind Energy Cost Modeling is a key resource for anyone interested in the offshore wind industry, particularly those interested in the technical and economic aspects of installation and decom...

Offshore petroleum engineering task force report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruelokke, M.

1999-05-01

The Offshore Petroleum Engineering Task Force was established in July 1998 in response to concerns about Newfoundland and Labrador's share of offshore petroleum engineering activity, with the aim of determining the current capability of the local sector, the demand for such companies and individuals until the year 2010, their capability to grow over that time-frame, and requirements in order to achieve that growth. The report summarizes the analysis undertaken by the Task Force as well as the conclusions it reached and associated recommendations. Section two provides an overview of the offshore engineering activity, including its origins, structure, and key success factors, and its also provides a profile of the industry, internationally, in Canada and in Newfoundland. Section three presents an analysis of the future demand for offshore engineering in Newfoundland until 2010, based on three development scenarios. Section four based on a Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador (CENL) survey, establishes the present offshore engineering capacity and capabilities within the province. Section five examines current education and training programs and their ability to respond to future demands. Section six summarizes the conclusions of the analysis and presents recommendations designed to facilitate and promote the development of the local offshore engineering industry. 6 figs

Grid Integration of Offshore Wind | Wind | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Grid Integration of Offshore Wind Grid Integration of Offshore Wind Much can be learned from the existing land-based integration research for handling the variability and uncertainty of the wind resource Arklow Bank offshore wind park consists of seven GE Wind 3.6-MW wind turbines. Integration and

The effect of corrosion on the structural reliability of steel offshore structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melchers, Robert E.

2005-01-01

This paper considers essential theoretical concepts and data requirements for engineering structural reliability assessment suitable for the estimation of the safety and reliability of corroding ships, offshore structures and pipelines. Such infrastructure operates in a harsh environment. Allowance must be made for structural deterioration since protective measures such as paint coatings, galvanizing or cathodic protection may be ineffective. Reliability analysis requires accurate engineering models for the description and prediction of material corrosion loss and for the maximum depth of pitting. New probability-based models for both these forms of corrosion have been proposed recently and calibrated against a wide range of data. The effects of water velocity and of water pollution are reviewed and compared with recently reported field data for a corrosion at an offshore oil platform. The data interpreted according to the model show good correlation when allowance is made for the season of first immersion and the adverse effects of seawater velocity and of water pollution. An example is given to illustrate the application of reliability analysis to a pipeline subject to pitting corrosion. An important outcome is that good quality estimation of the longer-term probability of loss of structural integrity requires good modelling of the longer-term corrosion behaviour. This is usually associated with anaerobic corrosion. As a result, it cannot be extrapolated from data for short-term corrosion as this is associated with aerobic corrosion conditions

The effect of corrosion on the structural reliability of steel offshore structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melchers, Robert E. [Centre for Infrastructure Performance and Reliability, Department of Civil, Surveying and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan NSW 2300 (Australia)]. E-mail: rob.melchers@newcastle.edu.au

2005-10-01

This paper considers essential theoretical concepts and data requirements for engineering structural reliability assessment suitable for the estimation of the safety and reliability of corroding ships, offshore structures and pipelines. Such infrastructure operates in a harsh environment. Allowance must be made for structural deterioration since protective measures such as paint coatings, galvanizing or cathodic protection may be ineffective. Reliability analysis requires accurate engineering models for the description and prediction of material corrosion loss and for the maximum depth of pitting. New probability-based models for both these forms of corrosion have been proposed recently and calibrated against a wide range of data. The effects of water velocity and of water pollution are reviewed and compared with recently reported field data for a corrosion at an offshore oil platform. The data interpreted according to the model show good correlation when allowance is made for the season of first immersion and the adverse effects of seawater velocity and of water pollution. An example is given to illustrate the application of reliability analysis to a pipeline subject to pitting corrosion. An important outcome is that good quality estimation of the longer-term probability of loss of structural integrity requires good modelling of the longer-term corrosion behaviour. This is usually associated with anaerobic corrosion. As a result, it cannot be extrapolated from data for short-term corrosion as this is associated with aerobic corrosion conditions.

Fiscal 1998 research report. Feasibility survey on offshore wind power generation in Japan; 1998 nendo chosa hokokusho. Nippon ni okeru yojo furyoku hatsuden no donyu kanosei chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

This survey studied the feasibility of large-scale offshore wind power generation in Japan. Attempt was also made on preparation of outline maps of offshore wind around Japan. The cost of future offshore wind power generation systems is roughly dependent on technical issues and environmental issues. As technical issues, 'installation site,' 'foundation,' 'system interconnection' and 'maintenance/management' were summarized based on applications in Europe. As a result, it was clarified that technical issues can be solved with existing technologies to a certain extent, however, those relate to economical problems closely. The previous environment impact assessments say that wind power generation has no problems on the environmental issues. As relatively strong wind coastal areas, the outline maps of offshore wind point out Western Hokkaido area, Japan Sea area of Tohoku district, Pacific ocean area of the central part of Honshu, Genkai Nada area, Western Kyushu area and Southwest islands area, and suggest that these areas are promising for offshore wind power generation. (NEDO)

The onshore influence of offshore fresh groundwater

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Andrew C.; Werner, Adrian D.; Morgan, Leanne K.

2018-06-01

Freshwater contained within the submarine extensions of coastal aquifers is increasingly proposed as a freshwater source for coastal communities. However, the extent to which offshore freshwater supports onshore pumping is currently unknown on a global scale. This study provides the first attempt to examine the likely prevalence of situations where offshore freshwater influences onshore salinities, considering various sites from around the world. The groundwater conditions in twenty-seven confined and semi-confined coastal aquifers with plausible connections to inferred or observed offshore freshwater are explored. The investigation uses available onshore salinities and groundwater levels, and offshore salinity knowledge, in combination with analytical modelling, to develop simplified conceptual models of the study sites. Seven different conceptual models are proposed based on the freshwater-saltwater extent and insights gained from analytical modelling. We consider both present-day and pre-development conditions in assessing potential modern contributions to offshore fresh groundwater. Conceptual models also include interpretations of whether offshore freshwater is a significant factor influencing onshore salinities and well pumping sustainability. The results indicate that onshore water levels have declined between pre-development and present-day conditions in fourteen of the fifteen regions for which pre-development data are available. Estimates of the associated steady-state freshwater extents show the potential for considerable offshore fresh groundwater losses accompanying these declines. Both present-day and pre-development heads are insufficient to account for the observed offshore freshwater in all cases where adequate data exist. This suggests that paleo-freshwater and/or aquifer heterogeneities contribute significantly to offshore freshwater extent. Present-day heads indicate that active seawater intrusion (SWI) will eventually impact onshore pumping

Developments in offshore technology. Entwicklungen in der Offshoretechnik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1981-01-01

This book contains the summarized lectures held on the 8th of October, 1981 within the first status Seminar 'Offshore technology' which was organized by the Federal Minstry for Research and Technology. Contents are divided into: 1. Offshore-natural gas liquefaction, conveying systems. Offshore-tanker charging with supercold liquiefied gases; development of LNG-offshore - convayance systems; 2.) Development of components and installations in offshore structures: mooving-measuring- and monitoring systems for the installation of the EPOS deck; underwater-piling with a hydraulic-pile hammer; cast steel nodes for offshore-structures (material, calculation, design); 3.) underwater tools: the underwater-working system SUPRA; test results and experience with the unmanned UW-instrument-carrier FUGE; development of a mobile diver assistance vehicle for inspection and maintenance duties; 4.) underwater-pipeline-technique: flexible offshore-pipeline/continuous production and assembly, pipeline assembly at sea according to the J-Method with flash-welding technique; construction and testing of UWAG I (underwater working device) for embedding cables and pipes in the ocean soil.

Offshore wind; proposed study areas; Havvind; forslag til utredningsomraader

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drivenes, Arvid; Eirum, Tale; Johnson, Nils Henrik; Mindeberg, Sigrun Kavli; Lunde, Synnoeve; Undem, Linn Silje; Veggeland, Kirsti; Veie-Rosvoll, Brit; Voksoe, Astrid

2010-10-15

The report suggests areas that may be suitable for establishing of offshore wind power, and should be further evaluated in a strategic environmental impact assessment, as it is designed to through Proposition. No. 107 (2008-2009). The proposed areas is shown in Figure 1 Eleven of the areas suitable for fixed installations and four sites suitable for floating installations. The work of the report has been carried out by a Directorate group led by the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate. (AG)

Evaluating stress analysis and failure criteria for offshore structures for Pechora Sea conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Nesic, S.; Donskoy, Y.; Zolotukhin, A.

2017-12-01

Development of Arctic hydrocarbon resources has faced many challenges due to sensitive environmental conditions including low temperatures, ice cover and terrestrial permafrost and extreme seasonal variation in sunlight. Russian offshore field development in Arctic region is usually associated with annual ice cover, which can cause serious damage on the offshore platforms. The Pechora Sea has claimed as one of the most perspective oil and gas region of the Russian Arctic with seven discovered oil and gas fields and several dozens of structures. Our rough assessment, based on in-place hydrocarbon volumes and recovery factor evaluation concept, indicates that Pechora Sea alone has in-place volumes amounting to ca. 20 billion barrel oil equivalent (BOE). This quantity is enough to secure produced volumes by 2040 exceeding 3 billion BOE [1] that indicates huge resource potential of the region. The environmental conditions are primarily function of water dynamics and ice cover. The sea is covered by the ice for greatest part of the year. In this article, the ice load simulations were performed using explicit dynamic analysis system in ANSYS software to determine best shape and size of an offshore platform for the Pechora Sea ice conditions. Different gravity based structures (GBS) were analyzed: artificial island, hollow cylindrical and conical concrete structures and four-leg GBS. Relationships between the stress, deformations and time were analyzed and important observations from the simulation results were a basis for selecting the most preferable structures.

Global Production: The Case of Offshore Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørbjerg, Jacob; Havn, Erling; Bansler, Jørgen P.

1997-01-01

of software is no exception.In this paper, we present a newly started research project on offshore program-ming, that is the practice of sending software development “offshore,” to India or other low wage areas. The project focuses on the organisation of offshore program-ming and, particularly, on the role...

Continuous spatial modelling to analyse planning and economic consequences of offshore wind energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moeller, Bernd

2011-01-01

Offshore wind resources appear abundant, but technological, economic and planning issues significantly reduce the theoretical potential. While massive investments are anticipated and planners and developers are scouting for viable locations and consider risk and impact, few studies simultaneously address potentials and costs together with the consequences of proposed planning in an analytical and continuous manner and for larger areas at once. Consequences may be investments short of efficiency and equity, and failed planning routines. A spatial resource economic model for the Danish offshore waters is presented, used to analyse area constraints, technological risks, priorities for development and opportunity costs of maintaining competing area uses. The SCREAM-offshore wind model (Spatially Continuous Resource Economic Analysis Model) uses raster-based geographical information systems (GIS) and considers numerous geographical factors, technology and cost data as well as planning information. Novel elements are weighted visibility analysis and geographically recorded shipping movements as variable constraints. A number of scenarios have been described, which include restrictions of using offshore areas, as well as alternative uses such as conservation and tourism. The results comprise maps, tables and cost-supply curves for further resource economic assessment and policy analysis. A discussion of parameter variations exposes uncertainties of technology development, environmental protection as well as competing area uses and illustrates how such models might assist in ameliorating public planning, while procuring decision bases for the political process. The method can be adapted to different research questions, and is largely applicable in other parts of the world. - Research Highlights: → A model for the spatially continuous evaluation of offshore wind resources. → Assessment of spatial constraints, costs and resources for each location. → Planning tool for

Socio-economic Impacts—Offshore Activities/Energy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halsnæs, Kirsten; Drews, Martin; Clausen, Niels-Erik

2016-01-01

sector and renewable electricity generation—mainly from offshore wind—is increasing. Energy and offshore activities in the North Sea are critically vulnerable to climate change along the full supply chain. The major vulnerabilities for offshore installations like rigs, offshore wind energy and pipelines......, it is highly uncertain how much the future potential of other renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, terrestrial biomass, or emerging technologies like wave, tidal or marine biomass could be positively or negatively affected. Due to the different national energy supply mixes the vulnerability to climate......-related impacts will vary among North Sea countries. To ensure safe and reliable future operations comprehensive and systematic risk assessments are therefore needed which account for, for example, the high integration of power systems in the region....

Optimal Risk-Based Inspection Planning for Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rangel-Ramirez, Jose G.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2008-01-01

, inspection and maintenance activities are developed. This paper considers aspects of inspection and maintenance planning of fatigue prone details in jacket and tripod types of wind turbine support structures. Based oil risk-based inspection planning methods used for oil & gas installations, a framework......Wind turbines for electricity production have increased significantly the last years both in production capability and size. This development is expected to continue also in the coining years. The Support structure for offshore wind turbines is typically a steel structure consisting of a tower...... for optimal inspection and maintenance planning of offshore wind turbines is presented. Special aspects for offshore wind turbines are considered: usually the wind loading are dominating the wave loading, wake effects in wind farms are important and the reliability level is typically significantly lower than...

The use of environmental assessments in the Brae field development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grogan, W.C.

1991-01-01

This paper reviews the principle environmental aspects associated with North Sea offshore oil and gas development and through the case history of Marathon Oil UK's Brae Field Development illustrates the scope and function of environmental assessments as applied to offshore developments. Details of the approach taken are described including the chronological evolution of the scope and aims of individual assessments. Examples of discharge inventory preparation, effluent and receiving environment monitoring programs, audits and inspections and procedures are described. The role of these components in the development of environmental management systems is discussed

Fine Slicing of the Value Chain and Offshoring of Essential Activities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Linares-Navarro, Esmeralda; Pedersen, Torben; Pla-Barber, José

2014-01-01

The offshoring of more advanced activities is increasing and a debate about the limits of offshoring has emerged. Companies are fine-slicing their value chains, and moving beyond the offshoring of peripheral and non-core activities to the offshoring of advanced and essential activities that are c......The offshoring of more advanced activities is increasing and a debate about the limits of offshoring has emerged. Companies are fine-slicing their value chains, and moving beyond the offshoring of peripheral and non-core activities to the offshoring of advanced and essential activities...... that companies are redefining their core activities and in this process, some essential activities previously viewed as core activities are being detached from the core, and they become more offshorable. The study uses a sample of 565 offshoring operations conducted by 263 multinational companies from 15...... European countries. A logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between the activities offshored (non-core versus essential activities) and the offshoring mode implemented (captive offshoring versus offshore outsourcing). We find that essential activities are typically offshored using...

Research of Cemented Paste Backfill in Offshore Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kun; Yang, Peng; Lyu, Wensheng; Lin, Zhixiang

2018-01-01

To promote comprehensive utilization of mine waste tailings and control ground pressure, filling mine stopes with cement paste backfill (CPB) is becoming the most widely used and applicable method in contemporary underground mining. However, many urgent new problems have arisen during the exploitation in offshore mines owing to the complex geohydrology conditions. A series of rheological, settling and mechanical tests were carried out to study the influences of bittern ions on CPB properties in offshore mining. The results showed that: (1) the bittern ion compositions and concentrations of backfill water sampled in mine filling station were similar to seawater. Backfill water mixed CPB slurry with its higher viscosity coefficient was adverse to pipeline gravity transporting; (2) Bleeding rate of backfill water mixed slurry was lower than that prepared with tap water at each cement-tailings ratio; (3) The UCS values of backfill water mixed samples were higher at early curing ages (3d, 7d) and then became lower after longer curing time at 14d and 28d. Therefore, for mine production practice, the offshore environments can have adverse effects on the pipeline gravity transporting and have positive effects on stope dewatering process and early-age strength growth.

Assessing Fish and Motile Fauna around Offshore Windfarms Using Stereo Baited Video.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ross A Griffin

Full Text Available There remains limited knowledge of how offshore windfarm developments influence fish assemblages, particularly at a local scale around the turbine structures. Considering the existing levels of anthropogenic pressures on coastal fish populations it is becoming increasingly important for developers and environmental regulators to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing fish assemblages. Improving our ability to assess such fish populations in close proximity to structures will assist in increasing this knowledge. In the present study we provide the first trial use of Baited Remote Underwater Stereo-Video systems (stereo BRUVs for the quantification of motile fauna in close proximity to offshore wind turbines. The study was conducted in the Irish Sea and finds the technique to be a viable means of assessing the motile fauna of such environments. The present study found a mixture of species including bottom dwellers, motile crustaceans and large predatory fish. The majority of taxa observed were found to be immature individuals with few adult individuals recorded. The most abundant species were the angular crab (Goneplax rhomboides and the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula. Of note in this study was the generally low abundance and diversity of taxa recorded across all samples, we hypothesise that this reflects the generally poor state of the local fauna of the Irish Sea. The faunal assemblages sampled in close proximity to turbines were observed to alter with increasing distance from the structure, species more characteristic of hard bottom environments were in abundance at the turbines (e.g. Homarus gammarus, Cancer pagarus, Scyliorhinus spp. and those further away more characteristic of soft bottoms (e.g. Norwegian Lobster. This study highlights the need for the environmental impacts of offshore renewables on motile fauna to be assessed using targeted and appropriate tools. Stereo BRUVs provide one of those

Offshore Supply Industry Dynamics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roslyng Olesen, Thomas

This report is part of the research project “The competitive challenges and strategic development possibilities for The Blue Denmark”, which was launched in 2014. The project is funded by the Danish Maritime Fund and carried out by researchers at CBS Maritime which is a Business in Society Platform...... with companies in the maritime sector. This report “Offshore Supply Industry Dynamics – Business strategies in the offshore supply industry” is the second report in mapping project D. It examines the markets and business strategies of various suppliers and furthermore presents an analysis of the challenges...... at Copenhagen Business School with a focus on value creation in the maritime industries. The project embraces various maritime segments from shipping and offshore to ports and suppliers. The research questions for the individual projects have been formulated by researchers at CBS Maritime in cooperation...

Computationally Efficient Modelling of Dynamic Soil-Structure Interaction of Offshore Wind Turbines on Gravity Footings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Mads; Andersen, Lars Vabbersgaard; Ibsen, Lars Bo

2014-01-01

of a 5.0 MW offshore wind turbine is evaluated for different stratifications, environmental conditions and foundation geometries by the aeroelastic nonlinear multi-body code HAWC2. Analyses show that a consistent lumped-parameter model with three to five internal degrees of freedom per displacement...

Offshore rectenna feasbility

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, J. W.; Hervey, D.; Glaser, P.

1980-01-01

A preliminary study of the feasibility and cost of an offshore rectenna to serve the upper metropolitan east coast was performed. A candidate site at which to build a 5 GW rectenna was selected on the basis of proximity to load centers, avoidance of shipping lanes, sea floor terrain, and relocated conditions. Several types of support structures were selected for study based initially on the reference system rectenna concept of a wire mesh ground screen and dipoles each with its own rectifier and filter circuits. Possible secondary uses of an offshore rectenna were examined and are evaluated.

Gela offshore field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pagliughi, G

1965-06-01

The field of Gela, off the southern shore of Sicily, is the only producing offshore field in the Mediterranean. It produces from Triassic dolimite limestones of 434-m thickness, water level at -3517 m. It is a water-drive reservoir producing 10/sup 0/F API oil and has 79 wells, some of them on shore. Most offshore wells are directional wells from shore; there are also 2 fixed platforms and a special mobile platform. The wells are on pump (stroke, 72 in.; capacity 200 tons per day). The crude goes directly to a combination refinery-petrochemical complex at Gela.

Offshore Energy Knowledge Exchange Workshop Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2012-04-12

A report detailing the presentations and topics discussed at the Offshore Energy Knowledge Exchange Workshop, an event designed to bring together offshore energy industry representatives to share information, best practices, and lessons learned.

Detection of oil spills near offshore installations using synthetic aperture radar (SAR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Espedal, H.A.; Johannessen, O.M.

2000-01-01

Remote sensing using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is attracting increasing interest for the detection of oil spills from offshore oil installations. Three systems are already operating and three more are planned. SAR can provide high spatial resolution and is not affected by the time of day or cloud conditions. Examples of images obtained from UK and Norwegian offshore installations are shown and their interpretation are explained. SAR image analysis is used by a satellite-based oil spill monitoring service covering the Norwegian sector of the North Sea and part of the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Baltic Sea. An algorithm has been developed at the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre (NERSC) in Norway to help distinguish between oil spills, natural films, current shear zones and rain cells

The Capabilities of the Offshore Middlemen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mahnke, Volker; Wareham, Jonathan

preliminary theoretical justification for the emergence of offshore intermediaries; describe how and why they develop intermediation capabilities; and offer initial evidence substantiating their function and processes in intermediating transnational offshoring relationships in software development...

Final environmental statement. Final addendum to Part II: Manufacture of floating nuclear power plants by Offshore Power Systems. DOCKET-STN--50-437

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-06-01

This Addendum to Part II of the Final Environmental Statement related to manufacture of floating nuclear power plants by Offshore Power Systems (OPS), NUREG-0056, issued September 1976, was prepared by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. The staff's basic evaluation is presented in NUREG-0056. The current Addendum provides further consideration of a number of topics discussed in NUREG-0056, particularly additional consideration of shore zone siting at estuarine and ocean regions. This Summary and Conclusions recapitulates and is cumulative for Part II of the FES and the current Addendum. Augmentations to the Summary and Conclusions presented in Part II of the FES and arising from the evaluations contained in this Addendum are italicized

Tsunamis effects at coastal sites due to offshore faulting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miloh, T.; Striem, H.L.

1976-07-01

Unusual waves (tsunamis) triggered by submarine tectonic activity such as a fault displacement in the sea bottom may have considerable effect on a coastal site. The possiblity of such phenomena to occur at the southern coast of Israel due to a series of shore-parallel faults, about twenty kilometers offshore, is examined in this paper. The analysis relates the energy or the momentum imparted to the body of water due to a fault displacement of the sea bottom to the energy or the momentum of he water waves thus created. The faults off the Ashdod coast may cause surface waves with amplitudes of about five metres and periods of about one third of an hour. It is also considered that because of the downward movement of the faulted blocks a recession of the sea level rather than a flooding would be the first and the predominant effect at the shore, and this is in agreement with some historical reports. The analysis here presented might be of interest to those designing coastal power plants. (author)

Experimental study on moonpool resonance of offshore floating structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seung-Ho Yang

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Offshore floating structures have so-called moonpool in the centre area for the purpose of drilling, installation of subsea structures, recovery of Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV and divers. However, this vertical opening has an effect on the operating performance of floating offshore structure in the vicinity of moonpool resonance frequency; piston mode and sloshing mode. Experimental study based on model test was carried out. Moonpool resonance of floating offshore structure on fixed condition and motion free condition were investigated. And, the effect of cofferdam which is representative inner structure inside moonpool was examined. Model test results showed that Molin's theoretical formula can predict moonpool resonance on fixed condition quite accurately. However, motion free condition has higher resonance frequency when it is compared with that of motion fixed. The installation of cofferdam moves resonance frequency to higher region and also generates secondary resonance at lower frequency. Furthermore, it was found that cofferdam was the cause of generating waves in the longitudinal direction when the vessel was in beam sea.

Offshore wind farms for hydrogen production subject to uncertainties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kassem, Nabil [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden). Dept. of Energy Processes

2002-07-01

Wind power is a source of clean, nonpolluting electricity, which is fully competitive, if installed at favorable wind sites, with fossil fuel and nuclear power generation. Major technical growth has been in Europe, where government policies and high conventional energy costs favor the use of wind power. As part of its strategy, the EU-Commission has launched a target to increase the installed capacity of Wind power from 7 GWe, in 1998 to 40 GWe by year 2012. Wind power is an intermittent electricity generator, thus it does not provide electric power on an 'as needed' basis. Off-peak power generated from offshore wind farms can be utilized for hydrogen production using water electrolysis. Like electricity, hydrogen is a second energy carrier, which will pave the way for future sustainable energy systems. It is environmentally friendly, versatile, with great potentials in stationary and mobile power applications. Water electrolysis is a well-established technology, which depends on the availability of cheap electrical power. Offshore wind farms have longer lifetime due to lower mechanical fatigue loads, yet to be economic, they have to be of sizes greater than 150 MW using large turbines (> 1.5 MW). The major challenge in wind energy assessment is how accurately the wind speed and hence the error in wind energy can be predicted. Therefore, wind power is subject to a great deal of uncertainties, which should be accounted for in order to provide meaningful and reliable estimates of performance and economic figures-of-merit. Failure to account for uncertainties would result in deterministic estimates that tend to overstate performance and underestimate costs. This study uses methods of risk analysis to evaluate the simultaneous effect of multiple input uncertainties, and provide Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the-economic viability of offshore wind systems for hydrogen production subject to technical and economical uncertainties (Published in summary form only)

California study compares natural/drilling discharge contaminants offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinhauer, W.G.; Imamura, E.; Barminski, J.R.; Neff, J.M.

1992-01-01

An analysis of drilling fluid and this paper reports that cuttings discharges in the southern Santa Maria basin offshore California indicates that the amount of metal and hydrocarbon contaminants from drilling operations is small relative to that from natural sources. The metal and hydrocarbon discharges were calculated for only one of the three platforms discharging between 1986 and 1989 in the Point Arguello field. However, assuming concentrations are similar on each platform, the combined input of metals and hydrocarbons over the 3-year period was still low (except for barium and lead) compared to the average annual flux from natural sources. The MMS is monitoring the Santa Maria basin to understand possible long-term environmental effects of oil and gas development (California Monitoring Program, Phase II; and Effects of OCS Production Platforms on Rocky Reef Fishes and Fisheries). A site-specific study area was established to determine effects of drilling-related discharges at Chevron U.S.S. Inc.'s platform Hidalgo in the Point Arguello field. Part of the study included review of discharge records for platforms Hidalgo, Hermosa (Chevron), and Harvest (Texaco Exploration and Production Inc.)

Haztech Canada Halifax '91: 1st annual Atlantic onshore and offshore environmental conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-01-01

A conference on hazardous waste management presented papers on such topics as emergency response plans, legal aspects of hazardous and petroleum-related waste spills, groundwater protection, site remediation, waste treatment and disposal, polychlorinated biphenyls decontamination and analysis, waste-related aspects of offshore oil operations, community involvement in hazardous waste facility siting, municipal landfill siting, design and operation of resource recovery facilities, and bioremediation of hydrocarbon contamination. Separate abstracts have been prepared for 10 papers from this conference.

Dynamic Analysis of Jacket Substructure for Offshore Wind Turbine Generators under Extreme Environmental Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Jeng Lai

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In order to develop dynamic analysis technologies regarding the design of offshore wind turbine generators (OWTGs, a special project called Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation (OC4 was conducted by IEA (International Energy Agency in 2010. A similar project named INER-OC4 has been performed by the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER to develop the OWTG technologies of Taiwan. Since the jacket substructure will be applied to Taiwan OWTGs before 2020, the INER-OC4 project has been devoted to the design and analysis of jacket support structure. In this work, the preliminary result of INER-OC4 is presented. A simplified analysis procedure for jacket support structure has been proposed. Both of the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5 MW OWTG FAST model and OC4 jacket substructure model have been built and analyzed under severe design load cases (DLCs of IEC (International Electrotechnical commission 61400-3. Simulation results of six severe DLCs are performed in this work and the results are in agreement with the requirements of API (American Petroleum Institute and NORSOK (Norwegian Petroleum Industry standards.

British Columbia offshore oil and gas socio-economic issue papers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boydell, T.; Brar, C.; Dodd, M.; Kwong, N.; Seeley

2004-05-01

Some of the key social and economic issues regarding offshore oil and gas exploration and development in British Columbia's coastal waters were examined by the Science, Technology and Environment Division of Royal Roads University in conjunction with Glenn Bridges and Associates. In 1972, the federal government imposed a moratorium to prevent crude oil tankers from travelling the west coast due to concerns over environmental impacts. A provincial moratorium on exploration followed shortly thereafter. The government of British Columbia recently suggested lifting the moratorium, and conducted public hearings and scientific reviews of issues related to offshore oil and exploration. In the Spring of 2002, the provincial government asked the federal government to consider lifting its moratorium. In response, a Federal Interdepartmental Offshore Oil and Gas Socio-Economic Issues Working Group conducted a series of study plans in the areas of science, legal, aboriginal, socio-economic, oceans and management regimes. This report provides the outcomes of the studies. It is organized in tabular form to facilitate presentation. All 8 tabs were catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. They include: (1) an introduction and overview, (2) illustrative development scenarios, (3) resource revenues report, (4) socio-economic expenditure report, (5) human resources report, (6) due diligence issues report, (7) knowledge management strategy for policy formation, and, (8) bibliography. refs., tabs., figs

British Columbia offshore oil and gas socio-economic issue papers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boydell, T.; Brar, C.; Dodd, M.; Kwong, N.; Seeley [Royal Roads Univ., Victoria, BC (Canada). Science Technology and Environment Division; Bridges, G.; Shrimpton, M.; Burke, H.; Johnson, J. [GE Bridges and Associates, Victoria, BC (Canada)

2004-05-01

Some of the key social and economic issues regarding offshore oil and gas exploration and development in British Columbia's coastal waters were examined by the Science, Technology and Environment Division of Royal Roads University in conjunction with Glenn Bridges and Associates. In 1972, the federal government imposed a moratorium to prevent crude oil tankers from travelling the west coast due to concerns over environmental impacts. A provincial moratorium on exploration followed shortly thereafter. The government of British Columbia recently suggested lifting the moratorium, and conducted public hearings and scientific reviews of issues related to offshore oil and exploration. In the Spring of 2002, the provincial government asked the federal government to consider lifting its moratorium. In response, a Federal Interdepartmental Offshore Oil and Gas Socio-Economic Issues Working Group conducted a series of study plans in the areas of science, legal, aboriginal, socio-economic, oceans and management regimes. This report provides the outcomes of the studies. It is organized in tabular form to facilitate presentation. All 8 tabs were catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. They include: (1) an introduction and overview, (2) illustrative development scenarios, (3) resource revenues report, (4) socio-economic expenditure report, (5) human resources report, (6) due diligence issues report, (7) knowledge management strategy for policy formation, and, (8) bibliography. refs., tabs., figs.

10 CFR 150.7 - Persons in offshore waters not exempt.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Persons in offshore waters not exempt. 150.7 Section 150.7... AGREEMENT STATES AND IN OFFSHORE WATERS UNDER SECTION 274 Continued Commission Regulatory Authority in Offshore Waters § 150.7 Persons in offshore waters not exempt. Persons in offshore waters are not exempt...

Tacit knowledge and risk perceptions: Tullow Oil and lay publics in Ghana's offshore oil region.

Science.gov (United States)

Ofori-Parku, Sylvester Senyo

2018-02-01

This study examines how local residents make sense of offshore oil production risks in Ghana's nascent petroleum industry. From a naturalistic-interpretive perspective, it is primarily based on in-depth interviews with community residents: 8 opinion leaders, 15 residents, and 1 journalist. Residents associate Tullow's oil activities with health concerns (e.g. conjunctivitis), environmental challenges (e.g. the emergence of decomposed seaweeds along the shore), and socio-economic concerns (e.g. loss of livelihoods, decline in fish harvest, and increased rent and cost of living). Focusing on how the local, practical knowledge of interviewees manifest in their sense of offshore oil risks, the study identifies two strategies-scapegoating and tacit knowing-underlying how residents construe offshore oil risks and benefits. Beyond its theoretical contribution to the social construction of risk process, the study illustrates the challenge the expert-lay publics dichotomy poses (and the potential bridging this dichotomy has) for corporate and societal risk management.

Water-hydraulic power transmission for offshore wind farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Diepeveen, N.F.B.; Jarquin Laguna, A.; Kempenaar, A.S.

2012-01-01

The current state of the art of offshore wind turbine power transmission technology is expensive, heavy and maintenance intensive. The Delft Offshore Turbine project considers a radically new concept for power transmission in an offshore wind farm: using seawater as power transmission medium. For

Offshore heat dissipation for nuclear energy centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauman, H.F.

1978-09-01

The technical, environmental, and economic aspects of utilizing the ocean or other large water bodies for the dissipation of reject heat from Nuclear Energy Centers (NECs) were investigated. An NEC in concept is an aggregate of nuclear power plants of 10 GW(e) capacity or greater on a common site. The use of once-through cooling for large power installations offers advantages including higher thermal efficiencies, especially under summer peak-load conditions, compared to closed-cycle cooling systems. A disadvantage of once-through cooling is the potential for greater adverse impacts on the aquatic environment. A concept is presented for minimizing the impacts of such systems by placing water intake and discharge locations relatively distant from shore in deeper water than has heretofore been the practice. This technique would avoid impacts on relatively biologically productive and ecologically sensitive shallow inshore areas. The NEC itself would be set back from the shoreline so that recreational use of the shore area would not be impaired. The characteristics of a heat-dissipation system of the size required for a NEC were predicted from the known characteristics of a smaller system by applying hydraulic scaling laws. The results showed that adequate heat dissipation can be obtained from NEC-sized systems located in water of appropriate depth. Offshore intake and discharge structures would be connected to the NEC pump house on shore via tunnels or buried pipelines. Tunnels have the advantage that shoreline and beach areas would not be disturbed. The cost of an offshore heat-dissipation system depends on the characteristics of the site, particularly the distance to suitably deep water and the type of soil or rock in which water conduits would be constructed. For a favorable site, the cost of an offshore system is estimated to be less than the cost of a closed-cycle system

The Canadian offshore: a still largely untapped potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1996-01-01

Nova Scotia, on the Eastern coast of Canada, has revealed to be a promising region for hydrocarbons but still remains largely untapped. Its environment is similar to the North Sea and its situation close to the energy markets of Eastern Canada and North-Eastern USA represents a favourable advantage. Significant natural gas and condensates offshore reserves where discovered in the Venture structure such as the Cohasset and the Panuke natural gas fields with a good productivity and a low depth. Reserves with 7 to 40 billions of m 3 are located within a radius of 40 km around the Sable Island. According to a study ordered by the Nova-Scotia Department of Natural Resources, the exploitation of these gas fields should be carried out after the year 2000. Its socio-economical and environmental impacts on the George Bank fishing zone is also studied. The offshore petroleum and natural gas survey around Newfoundland led to the discovery of 15 fields such as the great Hibernia field. The paper describes also the contracts and means involved in the exploitation of the Hibernia, the Terra Nova, the Whiterose and the Hebron fields and the productions expected. (J.S.)

Offshore Wind Energy Systems Engineering Curriculum Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGowan, Jon G. [Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); Manwell, James F. [Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); Lackner, Matthew A. [Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)

2012-12-31

Utility-scale electricity produced from offshore wind farms has the potential to contribute significantly to the energy production of the United States. In order for the U.S. to rapidly develop these abundant resources, knowledgeable scientists and engineers with sound understanding of offshore wind energy systems are critical. This report summarizes the development of an upper-level engineering course in "Offshore Wind Energy Systems Engineering." This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of both the technical challenges of offshore wind energy and the practical regulatory, permitting, and planning aspects of developing offshore wind farms in the U.S. This course was offered on a pilot basis in 2011 at the University of Massachusetts and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), TU Delft, and GL Garrad Hassan have reviewed its content. As summarized in this report, the course consists of 17 separate topic areas emphasizing appropriate engineering fundamentals as well as development, planning, and regulatory issues. In addition to the course summary, the report gives the details of a public Internet site where references and related course material can be obtained. This course will fill a pressing need for the education and training of the U.S. workforce in this critically important area. Fundamentally, this course will be unique due to two attributes: an emphasis on the engineering and technical aspects of offshore wind energy systems, and a focus on offshore wind energy issues specific to the United States.

Offshoring in textile industry

OpenAIRE

MONTÓN GARCÍA, JORGE

2015-01-01

[ EN] This project is about offshoring in the textile industry, focusing in the rights violated in this process, this concept can be defined as the moving of various operations of a company to another country for reasons such as lower labor costs or more favorable economic conditions in that other country. The project describes the evolution of offshoring, which started in 1960’s and has continued since then; it was characterized primarily by the transferring of factories from the develope...

The market value and impact of offshore wind on the electricity spot market: Evidence from Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ederer, Nikolaus

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Market value of offshore wind based on feed-in and weather data is assessed. • Merit order effect caused by wind energy is simulated for 2006–2014. • Results indicate same impact of on- and offshore wind on market price and value. • Steadier wind resource offshore imposes less variability on market price. • Characteristic of variable wind feed-in cannot be blamed for price deterioration. - Abstract: Although the expansion of offshore wind has recently increased in Germany, as in other countries, it is still forced to defend its role in long-term energy policy plans, particularly against its onshore counterpart, to secure future expansion targets and financial support. The objective of this article is to investigate the economic effects of offshore wind on the electricity spot market and thus open up another perspective that has not been part of the debate about offshore vs. onshore wind thus far. A comprehensive assessment based on a large amount of market, feed-in and weather data in Germany revealed that the market value of offshore wind is generally higher than that of onshore wind. Simulating the merit order effect on the German day-ahead electricity market for the short term and long term in the years 2006–2014 aimed to identify the reason for this observation and show whether it is also an indication of a lower impact on the electricity spot market due to a steadier wind resource prevailing offshore. Although the results suggest no difference regarding the impact on market price and value, they indeed reveal that offshore wind imposes less variability on the spot market price than onshore wind. In addition, the long-term simulation proved that the ongoing price deterioration cannot be blamed on the characteristic of variable wind production

MUDMAP: Simulation model for releases from offshore platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1994-01-01

The present article deals with a Norwegian developed simulation model dubbed MUDMAP. MUDMAP is a numerical model that simulates releases of drill muds and cuttings, produced water and other substances from offshore platforms. The model is envisioned as an advanced tool to assist in the rapid design and placement of intakes and release pipes on platforms, as well as in evaluating potential long-term impacts in the water and on the sea floor. MUDMAP allows rapid visual/graphical analysis of potential alternative solutions under various realistic environmental conditions, and for planning and executing platform monitoring projects. 4 figs

Boundary Spanning in Offshored Information Systems Development Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnan, Poornima

2010-01-01

Recent growth in offshore outsourcing of information systems (IS) services is accompanied by managing the offshore projects successfully. Much of the project failures can be attributed to geographic and organizational boundaries which create differences in culture, language, work patterns, and decision making processes among the offshore project…

Risk-based Inspection Planning Optimisation of Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramirez, José Rangel; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2011-01-01

Wind industry is substantially propelled and the future scenarios designate offshore locations as important sites for energy production. With this development, offshore wind farms represent a feasible option to accomplish the needed energy, bringing with it technical and economical challenges......, but considering the lower reliability level for wind turbines. This framework is addressing fatigue prone details in welded steel joints typically located in the wind turbine substructure. The increase of turbulence in-wind farms (IWF) due to wake effects is taken into account using a code-based turbulence model...

Natural frequency and vibration analysis of jacket type foundation for offshore wind power

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Y.-C.; Chang, Y.-Y.; Chen, S.-Y.

2017-12-01

There are various types of foundation structure for offshore wind power, engineers may assess the condition of ocean at wind farm, and arrange the transportation, installation of each structure members, furthermore, considering the ability of manufacture steel structure as well, then make an optimum design. To design jacket offshore structure, unlike onshore cases, offshore structure also need to estimate the wave excitation effect. The aim of this paper is to study the difference of natural frequency between different kinds of structural stiffness and discuss the effect of different setting of boundary condition during analysis, besides, compare this value with the natural frequency of sea wave, in order to avoid the resonance effect. In this paper, the finite element analysis software ABAQUS is used to model and analyze the natural vibration behavior of the jacket structure.

Alliance contract for offshore EPC projects; Acordos de alianca em projetos EPC para instalacoes offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbosa, Sergio Gil Sias; Barbosa, Fernando Sampaio [Odebrecht S.A. (Brazil)

2004-07-01

This paper has the objective of divulgation of the Alliance Agreements concepts in Brazil and to promote its practice amongst organizations with complimentary competencies for the execution of EPC offshore projects. These alliances were first adopted in the 80's as part of the outsourcing process in the industry in general and were adapted to suit EPC offshore projects on the North Sea in the 90's, to render feasible some projects that presented high level of prices and risks. The contractual modality of Alliance Agreements is characterized by an integrated project team composed by the best professionals of the client and the contractor. This team is responsible for the engineering, planning, estimation and risk analysis, matching both client's and contractor's viewpoints and needs, focusing on constructability, suitability for the purpose and cost effectiveness, aiming at having a project realized cost closer to the feasibility studies and creating a 'Win Win' type relationship for all partners involved. (author)

Alliance contract for offshore EPC projects; Acordos de alianca em projetos EPC para instalacoes offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbosa, Sergio Gil Sias; Barbosa, Fernando Sampaio [Odebrecht S.A. (Brazil)

2004-07-01

This paper has the objective of divulgation of the Alliance Agreements concepts in Brazil and to promote its practice amongst organizations with complimentary competencies for the execution of EPC offshore projects. These alliances were first adopted in the 80's as part of the outsourcing process in the industry in general and were adapted to suit EPC offshore projects on the North Sea in the 90's, to render feasible some projects that presented high level of prices and risks. The contractual modality of Alliance Agreements is characterized by an integrated project team composed by the best professionals of the client and the contractor. This team is responsible for the engineering, planning, estimation and risk analysis, matching both client's and contractor's viewpoints and needs, focusing on constructability, suitability for the purpose and cost effectiveness, aiming at having a project realized cost closer to the feasibility studies and creating a 'Win Win' type relationship for all partners involved. (author)

Environmental impact of offshore operation reduced using innovative engineering solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritchie, C.J.; Wensel, E.A.; Edelblum, L.S.; Beal, D.

1994-01-01

The North Dauphin Island Tract 73 platform is located in eleven feet (3.4 m) of water and one mile (1.6 km) from shore in Mobile Bay, Alabama. The platform is designed to dehydrate and compress up to 70 MMSCFD (1.98 x 10 6 SM 3 ) from five remote gas production wells. Located near the city of Mobile, Alabama, the surrounding metropolitan and coastal areas has multiple uses including manufacturing, tourism, commercial and sport fishing, and wetlands and wildlife conservation. The multiple and interdependent economic uses of the area required that the platform be designed to minimize any adverse environmental impact. A cost-effective environmental engineering solution was desired at the design phase of the project. A water catchment, containment and disposal system was designed to meet the zero discharge requirement. Pollution from air emissions was reduced by the installation of lean burning engines. A floatover installation process was used to prevent dredging of the bay, thus protecting the bay water quality. An aesthetically concealing paint and lighting scheme was chosen and applied to the entire structure. These cost-effective engineering solutions during the design phase of the project saved time and money over the life of the project. All regulatory permits were obtained in a timely manner, with little or no opposition. The operator of the North Dauphin Island Development won several environmental awards due to the implementation of innovative solutions and their commitment to conservation of the natural environment

Application of natural antimicrobial compounds for reservoir souring and MIC prevention in offshore oil and gas production systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Mette Hedegaard; Skovhus, Torben Lund; Mashietti, Marco

Offshore oil production facilities are subjectable to internal corrosion, potentially leading to human and environmental risk and significant economic losses. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) and reservoir souring - sulphide production by sulfate reducing microorganisms in the reservo...

Comparison of SAR Wind Speed Retrieval Algorithms for Evaluating Offshore Wind Energy Resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kozai, K.; Ohsawa, T.; Takeyama, Y.

2010-01-01

Envisat/ASAR-derived offshore wind speeds and energy densities based on 4 different SAR wind speed retrieval algorithms (CMOD4, CMOD-IFR2, CMOD5, CMOD5.N) are compared with observed wind speeds and energy densities for evaluating offshore wind energy resources. CMOD4 ignores effects of atmospheri...

Offshore Vendors’ Software Development Team Configurations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chakraborty, Suranjan; Sarker, Saonee; Rai, Sudhanshu

2012-01-01

This research uses configuration theory and data collected from a major IT vendor organization to examine primary configurations of distributed teams in a global off-shoring context. The study indicates that off-shoring vendor organizations typically deploy three different types of configurations...

46 CFR 15.520 - Mobile offshore drilling units.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Mobile offshore drilling units. 15.520 Section 15.520... REQUIREMENTS Manning Requirements; Inspected Vessels § 15.520 Mobile offshore drilling units. (a) The requirements in this section for mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) supplement other requirements in this...

L'exploitation pétrolière offshore : production et sécurité Offshore Oil Production and Safety

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Champlon D.

2006-11-01

. To keep pace with increasing worldwide needs of hydrocarbons, exploration has steadily been extended to all sedimentary basins capable of containing oil or natural gas. Considering the promising hydrocarbon potential of seabeds, the search for new fields has been extended to sedimentary basins at sea - initially right near the coast, then on continental shelves (at depths of less than 200 m of water, and now farther offshore at water depths of several thousand meters. Since 1960, this expansion of offshore activities has been based on the development of many original techniques to face up to the novelty and complexity of the problems to be solved. At the saure time, the development of offshore activities and, now, the conquest of difficult and deep offshore areas have led to the implementation of safety specifications and vert' strict regulations so as to guarantee effective protection of installations, persons and other users of the sea, and to avert any danger of possible pollution. If all current offshore activities are considered within the world energy context, the following two questions can be asked: (1 Is the cost of offshore marine operations becoming prohibitive? (2 Does the energy situation justify the conquest of deeper and deeper seas? It would be useless as of now to pretend to give a precise and categorical answer to all such questions. Nevertheless, an economic analysis of offshore activities, being cons-cious of passed experience, and the extrapolating of the trends observed already constitute extremely useful bases for making an assessment.

Sustainable Site Selection for Offshore Wind Farms in the South Aegean—Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitra G. Vagiona

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The present research study develops and implements an integrated methodology for the evaluation and prioritization of appropriate sites for sustainable offshore wind-farm development at a regional level. The methodological framework includes the application of several siting criteria (technical, spatial, economic, social and environmental proposed either by the national legislative framework (Specific Plan for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development for Renewable Energy or the international literature with the combined use of geographic information systems (GIS and multi-criteria decision methods, namely the analytical hierarchy process (AHP and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS. The whole methodology provides a decision-making process for offshore wind-farm planning at regional level. The proposed methodology and the outputs of this work can be used to ensure the sustainable spatial development and policy of renewable energy resources.

EWeA Offshore 2013 - Side event: 'Offshore wind energy - Potentialities and industrial opportunities in France and in Germany. French-German cross perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Genachte, Anne-Benedicte; Kavafyan, Philippe; Wagner, Andreas; Bour, Gregoire

2013-01-01

At the EWEA Offshore 2013 exhibition, the French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a side-conference on Offshore wind energy and its Potentialities and industrial opportunities in France and in Germany. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, about 50 participants exchanged views on the conditions for the development of a durable offshore wind energy industry both in France and in Germany. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - Supporting industrial development of offshore wind in Europe (Anne-Benedicte Genachte); 2 - Offshore wind energy: the Bremerhaven experience. An asset for the deployment of a complete industrial field in France (Philippe Kavafyan); 3 - Status, Prospects and Challenges for Offshore Wind energy in Germany - incl. Legal Framework and Presentation of cost reduction study results (Andreas Wagner); 4 - Offshore grid connection in Germany - Challenges and recommendations (Gregoire Bour)

Offshore regulators focus on incentives for safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reid, W.

2000-11-27

Strict safety regulations in effect at offshore drilling sites are discussed. The guiding principle in all existing regulation is that while economic or industrial considerations are important, the value and the concern for human life is paramount. Should some tragic event occur at an offshore drilling site that is shown to have been caused by negligence of an operator, there is no question at all that the regulatory authority, in this case the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (CNOPB), would take the negligent operator to court. Nevertheless, Canadian authorities remain confident that encouragement of maintaining a safe working environment is likely to be more successful in ensuring workplace safety than threats of punishment. Indeed, Canadian regulators have, in recent times, shown a tendency to move towards performance-based systems, as opposed to the more usual prescriptive or rule-bound regulatory regime. This new approach involves setting targets and giving companies the responsibility to implement measures to reach the targets rather than relying on government instructions. Still, performance-based regulation in Canada is relatively new and some regulations remain prescriptive. Examples are the requirement for two immersion suits and two lifeboat seats for every worker on a drilling unit.

Offshore and coastal dispersion (OCD) model. Users guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanna, S.R.; Schulman, L.L.; Paine, R.J.; Pleim, J.E.

1984-09-01

The Offshore and Coastal Dispersion (OCD) model was adapted from the EPA guideline model MPTER to simulate the effect of offshore emissions from point sources in coastal regions. Modifications were made to incorporate overwater plume transport and dispersion as well as changes that occur as the plume crosses the shoreline. Hourly meteorological data are needed from overwater and overland locations. Turbulence intensities are used but are not mandatory. For overwater dispersion, the turbulence intensities are parameterized from boundary-layer similarity relationships if they are not measured. Specifications of emission characteristics and receptor locations are the same as for MPTER; 250 point sources and 180 receptors may be used

Offshoring and financial markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gianfranco Battisti

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The paper analyses the nature and extent of the offshore world, a grey area that is playing a major role in present-day economy. The main institutions moulding this peculiar environment are discussed: preferential tax regimes, tax havens and offshore financial centers. Their role in the globalised world is outlined after a scrutiny of the specialized literature, reports by non-governmental bodies and companies’ advertisings. Finally, we present a tentative reconstruction of its geographical organization, inclusive of cartographic representations of the main international networks.

31 CFR 587.406 - Offshore transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Offshore transactions. 587.406 Section 587.406 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) OFFICE... MONTENEGRO) MILOSEVIC SANCTIONS REGULATIONS Interpretations § 587.406 Offshore transactions. The prohibitions...

Project alliancing in the offshore industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Halman, Johannes I.M.; Braks, B.F.M.

In this paper the shift towards new types of project organisation within the Offshore Industry is explained and discussed. Special focus is given to the organisational concept of Project Alliancing. The principles, structure and culture of a Project Alliance as applied within the Offshore Industry

The Reconfiguration of Service Production Systems in Response to Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandl, Kristin; Mol, Michael J.; Petersen, Bent

2017-01-01

Purpose: A service production system has a structure composed of task execution, agents performing tasks and a resulting service output. The purpose of this paper is to understand how such a service production system changes as a consequence of offshoring.Design/methodology/approach: Drawing...... of a service production system in response to change ignited by offshoring. The authors find recurring effects between structures that enable and constrain agents and agents who shape the structure of the production system. Research limitations/implications: The paper offers a novel contribution to the service...... operations management literature by applying practice theory. Moreover, the authors propose a detailed, activity-driven view of service production systems and service offshoring. The authors contribute to practice theory by extending its domain to operations management.Practical implications...

Screening Criteria and Considerations of Offshore Enhanced Oil Recovery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pan-Sang Kang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The application of enhanced oil recovery (EOR in offshore oil fields has received significant attention due to the potentially enormous amount of recoverable oil. However, EOR application offshore is in its very early stage due to conditions that are more complex than onshore oil fields, owing to the unique parameters present offshore. Therefore, successful EOR applications in offshore oil fields require different screening criteria than those for conventional onshore applications. A comprehensive database for onshore applications of EOR processes together with a limited offshore EOR application database are analyzed in this paper, and the important parameters for successful offshore application are incorporated into the new EOR screening criteria. In this paper, screening criteria to determine acceptable EOR processes for offshore fields, including hydrocarbon gas miscible, CO2 miscible, and polymer processes, are presented. Suggested screening criteria for these EOR processes comprise quantitative boundaries and qualitative considerations. Quantitative screening criteria are predominantly based on quantifiable data, such as oil and reservoir properties. Qualitative screening considerations mainly focus on the operational issues present offshore, including platform space constraints, limited disposal options, injectant availability, and flow assurance matters (including hydrate formation and difficulties in emulsion separation.

Review of BEPCo's exploration drilling environmental assessment update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

This report was presented in response to a request from the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board for advice on the accuracy of an update to an environmental assessment report related to BEPCo's proposed exploratory drilling project offshore of Nova Scotia, which had received approval in June 2005 but was then delayed. BEPCo was seeking approval to proceed with the same project from 2009 to 2015, although the proposed project lease area was half the size of the original proposal. Advice was sought with respect to potential drilling and seismic impacts to the marine environment, any new information since 2005 regarding marine benthic habitat, non-commercial fish species, marine animals, or spawning areas of critical habitat in the area, and whether DFO Science was planning to undertake research in the area during the period in question. Summaries were presented for the new environmental impact information and the new ecosystem information, including updated species at risk information. BEPCo's updated environmental assessment did not include all of the newly available information. Although it was not clear that is new information would change the conclusions of the initial environmental assessment, it would be useful in designing and implementing an Environmental Effects Monitoring program. 21 refs.

Energy Usage of Residents on Offshore Islands in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szu-Cheng Lu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available A field study was conducted through interviews on offshore islands in Taiwan to investigate the energy usage of local residents. A comparison of household appliance usage in mainland Taiwan with that on the offshore islands revealed that, overall, the most commonly used household appliances are steam cookers/rice cookers, water dispensers, and washing machines. For other household appliances, Levels 2 and 3 offshore isles have lower use penetration rates compared with those in mainland Taiwan and on Level 1 offshore isles, particularly for the use of computers. By contrast, the use penetration rate for chest freezers on Levels 2 and 3 offshore isles is high, and each household has one or more freezers on average. This appliance is not a commonly observed household product in mainland Taiwan or on Level 1 offshore isles. Furthermore, because of the government policy, every household on parts of Level 2 offshore isles and on all Level 3 offshore isles has a fixed monthly charge of electricity. The transportation of liquefied petroleum gas is also inconvenient, and the gas price is slightly higher, leading to the tendency of residents to consume excessive amounts of electrical energy, which does not correspond with the aim of the government to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions; thus, the relevant authorities’ review and improvement on energy consumption on Levels 2 and 3 offshore isles are required.

Sensitivity analysis of floating offshore wind farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro-Santos, Laura; Diaz-Casas, Vicente

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Develop a sensitivity analysis of a floating offshore wind farm. • Influence on the life-cycle costs involved in a floating offshore wind farm. • Influence on IRR, NPV, pay-back period, LCOE and cost of power. • Important variables: distance, wind resource, electric tariff, etc. • It helps to investors to take decisions in the future. - Abstract: The future of offshore wind energy will be in deep waters. In this context, the main objective of the present paper is to develop a sensitivity analysis of a floating offshore wind farm. It will show how much the output variables can vary when the input variables are changing. For this purpose two different scenarios will be taken into account: the life-cycle costs involved in a floating offshore wind farm (cost of conception and definition, cost of design and development, cost of manufacturing, cost of installation, cost of exploitation and cost of dismantling) and the most important economic indexes in terms of economic feasibility of a floating offshore wind farm (internal rate of return, net present value, discounted pay-back period, levelized cost of energy and cost of power). Results indicate that the most important variables in economic terms are the number of wind turbines and the distance from farm to shore in the costs’ scenario, and the wind scale parameter and the electric tariff for the economic indexes. This study will help investors to take into account these variables in the development of floating offshore wind farms in the future

Preliminary Design of a Multi-Column TLP Foundation for a 5-MW Offshore Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanping He

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Currently, floating wind turbines (FWTs may be the more economical and suitable systems with which to exploit offshore wind energy in deep waters. Among the various types of floating foundations for offshore wind farms, a tension leg platform (TLP foundation can provide a relatively stable platform for currently available offshore wind turbines without requiring major modifications. In this study, a new multi-column TLP foundation (WindStar TLP was developed for the NREL 5-MW offshore wind turbine according to site-specific environmental conditions, which are the same as the OC3-Hywind (NREL conditions. The general arrangement, main structure and mooring system were also designed and investigated through hydrodynamic and natural frequency analyses. The complete system avoids resonance through the rotor excitations. An aero-hydro-servo-elastic coupled analysis was carried out in the time domain with the numerical tool FAST. Statistics of the key parameters were obtained and analysed and comparisons to MIT/NREL TLP are made. As a result, the design requirements were shown to be satisfied, and the proposed WindStar TLP was shown to have favourable motion characteristics under extreme wind and wave conditions with a lighter and smaller structure. The new concept holds great potential for further development.

78 FR 45965 - Research Lease on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Virginia, Request for Competitive...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-30

... Atlantic Wind One (ATLW1), as described in the following section. Relationship of the DMME Proposal to the...'s Virginia Intergovernmental Task Force and is intended to balance the protection of environmentally sensitive areas and minimize space-use conflicts while maximizing the area available for commercial offshore...

Canadian East Coast offshore petroleum industry safe lifting practices respecting offshore pedestal cranes, offshore containers, loose gear, other lifting devices, and operational best practices : standard practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-11-15

This document was developed by a working group with representatives from the petroleum industry, the Offshore Petroleum Boards and Certifying Authorities. It outlines industry best practices for operators responsible for the management, planning and execution of offshore lifting operations. Its purpose is to assist in the interpretation of applicable legislation and standards. Considered within the practice are safe design requirements, manufacture, certification, testing, maintenance and inspection requirements for pedestal cranes, offshore containers, loose gear and lifting devices. Operational best practices for lifting operations are also included along with a section that identifies additional requirements for personnel lifting operations, including personnel transfers by crane and man-riding operations. 82 refs., 2 tabs., 4 figs., 3 appendices.

31 CFR 544.406 - Offshore transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Offshore transactions. 544.406 Section 544.406 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) OFFICE... SANCTIONS REGULATIONS Interpretations § 544.406 Offshore transactions. The prohibitions in § 544.201 on...

31 CFR 593.406 - Offshore transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Offshore transactions. 593.406 Section 593.406 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) OFFICE... SANCTIONS REGULATIONS Interpretations § 593.406 Offshore transactions. The prohibitions in § 593.201 on...

31 CFR 541.406 - Offshore transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Offshore transactions. 541.406 Section 541.406 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) OFFICE... § 541.406 Offshore transactions. The prohibitions in § 541.201 on transactions involving blocked...

31 CFR 537.406 - Offshore transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Offshore transactions. 537.406 Section 537.406 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) OFFICE... § 537.406 Offshore transactions. The prohibitions in § 537.201 on transactions involving blocked...

31 CFR 542.406 - Offshore transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Offshore transactions. 542.406 Section 542.406 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) OFFICE... § 542.406 Offshore transactions. The prohibitions in § 542.201 on transactions involving blocked...

Noise and Vibrations Measurements. External noise and vibrations measurements for offshore SODAR application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ormel, F.T.; Eecen, P.J.; Herman, S.A.

2003-10-01

The partners in the WISE project investigate whether application of the SODAR (sonic detection and ranging) measurement technique in wind energy experimental work is feasible as a replacement for cup anemometers, wind direction sensors and tall meteorological masts. In Work Package 2 of the WISE project extensive controlled experiments with the SODAR are performed. For example SODAR measurements are compared with measurements from nearby masts and different brands of SODARs are compared. Part of the work package is the measurement of vibration and noise on an offshore SODAR system. The results of these measurements are presented in this report. ECN performed measurements at an offshore location to investigate the influence of noise and vibrations on the performance of a MiniSODAR measurement system. The aim of the measurements is to quantify the effect of these external noise and vibrations disturbances on the MiniSODAR's performance. Measurements on an identical SODAR system onshore are carried out to compare the disturbances of offshore and onshore external conditions. The effect of background noise on SODAR operation has clearly been established in literature. Therefore, measurements have been performed only to establish the absolute sound pressure levels. This is done at the Measuring Platform Noordwijk (MPN) located in the North Sea, nine kilometres out of the coast at Noordwijk, The Netherlands, and at two locations onshore. At the MPN-platform, the SODAR has been moved from the middle deck to the upper deck to diminish the influence of the diesel generator needed for the electric powering of the island. Although the absolute sound pressure level became higher at the new location, this level became lower at the most important frequencies inside the SODAR, due to the use of absorbing foam. With regards to the sound pressure level the move improved the situation. The sound pressure levels measured offshore were 6 to 15 dB higher than for the two locations

Managing Hidden Costs of Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Marcus M.; Pedersen, Torben

2014-01-01

This chapter investigates the concept of the ‘hidden costs’ of offshoring, i.e. unexpected offshoring costs exceeding the initially expected costs. Due to the highly undefined nature of these costs, we position our analysis towards the strategic responses of firms’ realisation of hidden costs....... In this regard, we argue that a major response to the hidden costs of offshoring is the identification and utilisation of strategic mechanisms in the organisational design to eventually achieving system integration in a globally dispersed and disaggregated organisation. This is heavily moderated by a learning......-by-doing process, where hidden costs motivate firms and their employees to search for new and better knowledge on how to successfully manage the organisation. We illustrate this thesis based on the case of the LEGO Group....

Nonlinear soil parameter effects on dynamic embedment of offshore pipeline on soft clay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su Young Yu

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the effects of nonlinear soft clay on dynamic embedment of offshore pipeline were investigated. Seabed embedment by pipe-soil interactions has impacts on the structural boundary conditions for various subsea structures such as pipeline, riser, pile, and many other systems. A number of studies have been performed to estimate real soil behavior, but their estimation of seabed embedment has not been fully identified and there are still many uncertainties. In this regards, comparison of embedment between field survey and existing empirical models has been performed to identify uncertainties and investigate the effect of nonlinear soil parameter on dynamic embedment. From the comparison, it is found that the dynamic embedment with installation effects based on nonlinear soil model have an influence on seabed embedment. Therefore, the pipe embedment under dynamic condition by nonlinear para- meters of soil models was investigated by Dynamic Embedment Factor (DEF concept, which is defined as the ratio of the dynamic and static embedment of pipeline, in order to overcome the gap between field embedment and currently used empirical and numerical formula. Although DEF through various researches is suggested, its range is too wide and it does not consider dynamic laying effect. It is difficult to find critical parameters that are affecting to the embedment result. Therefore, the study on dynamic embedment factor by soft clay parameters of nonlinear soil model was conducted and the sensitivity analyses about parameters of nonlinear soil model were performed as well. The tendency on dynamic embedment factor was found by conducting numerical analyses using OrcaFlex software. It is found that DEF was influenced by shear strength gradient than other factors. The obtained results will be useful to understand the pipe embedment on soft clay seabed for applying offshore pipeline designs such as on-bottom stability and free span analyses.

Offshore Wind Turbine Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frandsen, Sten; Hansen, Erik Asp; Ibsen, Lars Bo

2006-01-01

Current offshore wind turbine design methods have matured to a 1st generation state, manifested in the draft of a possible standard, IEC 61400-3 (2005). It is now time to investigate the possibilities of improving existing methods. To do so in an efficient manner a clear identification of the most...... important uncertainty drivers specific for offshore wind turbine design loads is required. Describing the initial efforts in a Danish research project, the paper points to focal points for research and development. These are mainly: soil-structure interaction, improved modelling of wave loads from deep...

A crude solution: should the moratorium on offshore oil and gas development in BC be lifted

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parfitt, B.; Venton, M.; Bartoszewski, D.

1999-04-01

A discussion on the pros and cons of lifting the moratorium on offshore oil development is presented. The Federal Fisheries Minister is not convinced that technological advances have reached a point where the moratorium can be lifted and guarantee that major accidents would not occur. The Fisheries Act states that any degradation of fish habitat is illegal. Coastal communities are also opposed to lifting the moratorium, yet it is widely rumored that the provincial government is planning to set up an environmental review to investigate the possibility of developing the offshore resource. The Sierra Legal Defence Fund supports the federal government's position that lifting the moratorium on offshore oil development would seriously jeopardize many sectors of the coastal economy, and urges both levels of government to work together and instead of engaging in such potentially hazardous and costly endeavour, encourage growth and development in the domestic renewable energy sector. 37 refs., figs

Efficient promotion of electricity production from offshore wind; Effiziente Foerderung der Stromerzeugung aus Offshore-Wind

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panzer, Christian; Auer, Hans; Lettner, Georg [Technische Univ. Wien (Austria). Energy Economics Group (EEG)

2014-03-15

Efficient promotion of electricity production from offshore wind stands in dynamic relationship with various influence factors, the most important of which are promotion instruments, topographic givens, regulation of grid connection, and supraregional market integration concepts. Using three case studies from different countries to highlight national differences in the promotion of offshore wind power plants the present analysis points out ways of improving the efficiency of promotion instruments.

Offshore wind potential evaluation and remote sensing imagery; Evaluation du potentiel eolien offshore et imagerie satellitale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fichaux, N.

2003-12-15

Offshore wind energy may help to contribute to the respect of the Kyoto objectives by Europe. It is a key issue to struggle against global change. To sit the future offshore wind parks, it is necessary to accurately evaluate the spatial repartition of the wind potential. We demonstrate that the offshore wind potential shall be represented by maps of wind statistics. As remote sensing is a tool for measuring space physical phenomena, we evaluate its potentialities for mapping wind statistics. Space-borne scatterometers enables the obtention of wind statistics, but far from our areas of interest and at low spatial resolution. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) enables the computation of high resolution wind maps over our areas of interest, but are unsuitable to compute wind statistics. We define the mathematical framework of a statistical method. That method enables to take advantage of both scatterometer and SAR to compute maps of wind statistics at high spatial resolution over the areas of interest. It enables remote sensing to be used operationally to map the offshore wind potential. (author)