Navantia Synergies, a business unit of the general shipbuilder dedicated to offshore wind and hydrogen, will use the technology developed at the shipyard for ships to maintain marine infrastructure. Through this technological 'migration', the operation and efficiency of these wind farms will be improved, safety increased and their useful life extended.
“Currently the maintenance of these facilities is expensive and we believe there is a lot of room for improvement with our digital tools, some already Tested successfully in Navy Department” he explained Jose Luis InojesBusiness Development Director of Navantia Synergies during the WindEurope Congress in Bilbao. According to the manager, the first large-scale parks start with intensive maintenance, and developers are looking for ways to improve it.
Large energy companies such as Ocean Winds or Iberdrola have already visited the Navantia Training Center in Cádiz to see these technologies in action. In fact, Navantia Synergies will conduct experiments with some of them in real environments At the Iberdrola Wikinger offshore wind farm (Germany), with a total installed capacity of 350 MW, next June.
There, Navantia's 'star' proposition will be tested in this section: E-Park Scheme, has seven million in European funds. These grants are aimed at carrying out a technology demonstration to operate and maintain offshore wind farms. Use of unmanned vehiclesAs well as testing with a real prototype.
“This is the use of unmanned vessels to carry out inspections of infrastructure, which will reduce costs, increase the safety of professionals, Improve equipment life and reduce emissions CO2,” Inogés explained.
Aerial and underwater drones
The system consists of a 12-meter-long boat, which is “new”, from which aerial and underwater drones will operate, and a remote control center that will centralize all information from the vehicles' sensors. “Thanks Artificial Intelligence Image Recognition ToolsIncidents will be classified according to their urgency and human factor bias will be reduced. Of course, those incidents that the AI doesn't know how to categorize will be sent to a “techie, so The human factor will continue to be important In the process,” commented Business Development Director, Navantia Synergies.
With this previous data, maintenance crews coming to the park know what they need to fix, rather than finding it 'in situ'. “Also, with this system You are not dependent on adverse weather conditions And offers more security and more efficiency,” concludes Jose Luis Inojes.
Navantia Synergies is already implementing other digital tools in the marine sector in offshore wind Remote assistance through augmented reality, and virtual reality for training and team building. “To maintain a wind turbine you need to send several specialists. With a multipurpose profile connected to augmented reality glasses, they can perform tasks under motion from the ground, which reduces deadlines and lowers logistics costs,” says Inogés.
Meanwhile, with a tool based on virtual reality and 3D digital infrastructure, “you can train yourself in tasks. This does not mean having fewer employees, but using them more efficiently.” Also, it allows you to train a team working at the same time, each with their own avatar. “'Offshore' is very important to increase securitySaid Navantia Synergies Director.
