Industry-wide standardisation of nodes
Background: Manufacturing of substructures is suboptimal due to too many geometries of jackets. The use of standardised nodes (joints) can enable significant cost saving to the production of jacket structures and is a necessary step automation. Innovation: The standardisation of manufactured parts can reduce cost through a number of channels. By allowing the manufacturing supply chain to produce standard parts, they can optimise manufacturing, improve quality inspections and reduce cost/lead time of components. It also could reduce design time as ‘off the shelf’ components can be selected and utilised (no need for bespoke design and analysis each time for each component).
Type of Entry: Innovation Area
Requires implementation offshore: No
Start TRL: TRL 7
Target TRL: TRL 9
Enabler: Industry
Beneficiary: Original Equipment Manufacturers
Strategic Outcome: Commercialising >15MW turbine platforms
Forecast Start: 2022
Forecatest Finish: 2023
Potential to Reduce LCOE: Medium
UK Benefit: Medium
Case for Intervention: Medium
HSE impact: Low
LCOE Notes: Reduce cost of manufacturing jackets
UK Benefit - notes: Medium low as not a huge number of jackets in use and manufacture in UK supply chain. However, could make UK more competitive for jacket supply.
Intervention - notes: Node standardisation is investigated by research organisation but needs a buy from the industry
HSE impact notes: Standardisation itself does not improve HSE, however it is foreseen as a requirement to enable increased automation in the manufacturing process.