Marine-i has announced that it is providing support to Reflex Marine, who are developing a new system for anchoring floating offshore wind (FLOW) installations.
Javelin is a concept which is differentiated from existing mooring solutions in that the anchor is installed in a borehole deep below the seabed, in higher strength geological formations. It is then locked into the borehole using a technical solution. The Javelin concept makes use of existing offshore drilling techniques to drill boreholes for the anchors. The company says that Javelin is particularly well suited for high angle loadings required for taut-line mooring systems. This will be key to allowing denser spacing of wind turbine generators. Reflex Marine engaged with the Marine-i project to gain RD&I support in developing Javelin. A structured research programme was developed which covered key areas such as soil analysis, mooring design, load modelling, component testing and anchor performance testing.