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.