
Maurizio ColluUniversity of Strathclyde · Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering
Maurizio Collu
PhD CEng MRINA MEI FHEA
About
150
Publications
74,360
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2,956
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
October 2010 - June 2016
October 2010 - September 2015
Position
- 2008-09 Advanced Mechanical Engineering MSC Group Assignment Supervisor: Conceptual and preliminary design of an Aerodynamically Alleviated Marine Vehicle.
Education
November 2005 - October 2008
October 1999 - December 2004
Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic of Milan)
Field of study
- Aviation & Aerospace industry
Publications
Publications (150)
The dynamic behaviour of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT) involves complex interactions of multivariate loads from wind, waves, and currents, which result in complex motion characteristics. Although methods for analysing global motion responses are well-established, the time- and location-dependent kinematics remain underexplored. This paper...
Floating offshore wind technology experiences significant motion responses when exposed to environmental wave and wind loads, possibly interfering with technicians conducting maintenance work. Industrial interest is rising in the assessment of workability, as impairments will decrease the availability of the asset and possibly affect the business c...
Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are still in the pre-commercial stage and, although different concepts of FOWTs are being developed, cost is a main barrier to commercializing the FOWT system. This article aims to use a shape parameterization technique within a multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization framework to alter the shape o...
Floating offshore wind (FOW) is a renewable energy source that is set to play an essential role in addressing climate change and the need for sustainable development. However, due to the increasing threat of climate emergency, more wind turbines are required to be deployed in deep water locations, further offshore. This presents heightened challeng...
The goals for zero-carbon sustainable industries and the demand for diverse energy matrix have triggered the research for alternative energy sources. Due to its enormous potential, ocean renewables have become the preferred choice, and several works are devoted to the study of offshore hydrogen production systems powered by offshore wind turbines....
As the demand for renewable energy grows, floating offshore wind turbines have become crucial, especially in deep water areas where traditional structures are impractical. These turbines need station keeping systems, which often consist in catenary mooring lines, making their durability vital against extreme weather conditions. While direct monitor...
The global installed capacity of floating offshore wind turbines is projected to increase by at least 100 times over the next decades. Station-keeping of floating offshore renewable energy devices is achieved through the use of mooring systems. Mooring systems are exposed to a variety of environmental and operational conditions that cause corrosion...
Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT) can harness the abundant wind resource in deep-water offshore conditions. However, they face challenges in harsh, unsheltered marine environments. The mean hydro- and aerodynamic loads coupled with fluctuating stochastic wind and wave loads contribute to varied failure mechanisms. Therefore, the serviceability...
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs), which are primarily used in small-scale applications, such as in remote or urban areas, could be particularly promising for floating offshore wind projects, where they offer benefits like increased stability, lower maintenance costs, and the potential for closer spacing due to lesser aerodynamic wake effects. Ho...
The deployment of floating offshore wind farms marks a pivotal step in unlocking the vast potential of offshore wind energy and propelling the world towards sustainable energy solutions. Despite the compelling prospects of floating wind technology, its implementation is challenging. Complex installation procedures, associated high costs, and evolvi...
The climate emergency has prompted rapid and intensive research into sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy alternatives. Offshore wind has developed and exceeded all expectations over the last 2 decades and is now a central pillar of the UK and other international strategies to decarbonise energy systems. As the dependence on variable renewa...
In the structural design of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT), fatigue plays a critical role in determining the final design of the system. The fatigue loads are the result of combined aerodynamic and hydrodynamic forces acting on the elastic structure. The industry standard approach for assessing the fatigue loads involves grouping the enviro...
Nacelle‐mounted, forward‐facing light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology can deliver benefits to rotor speed regulation and loading reductions of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) when assisting with blade pitch control in above‐rated wind speed conditions. Large‐scale wind turbines may be subject to significant variations in structural...
The climate emergency has prompted rapid and intensive research into sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy alternatives. Offshore wind has developed and exceeded all expectations over the last two decades and is now a central pillar of the UK and other international strategies to decarbonise energy systems. As the dependence on variable rene...
Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT) can be installed at the sites of the most abundant wind resource. However, the design uncertainties and risks must be reduced to make them economically competitive. The design and optimisation methodologies for FOWT support structures adopted up to date tend to follow a sequential analysis strategy. Since the...
Nacelle-mounted, forward-facing Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology is able to measure the wind field as it approaches a wind turbine. Knowledge of the incoming wind can be used for feedforward turbine control, enabling torque, pitch or yaw systems in advance of the wind’s impact. This can enhance turbine performance through improved rot...
Wild fires and excessive floodings have been seasonal climatic changes across the globe in the past decade. The need for clean energy to fight against the climate changes observed as a result of excessive green-house emission over the years is driving the development of the offshore wind sector. This drive is pushing the exploitation of rich wind r...
Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT) can harness the abundant offshore wind resource at reduced
installation requirements. However, a further decrease in the development risks through higher confidence
in the design and analysis methods is needed. The dynamic behaviour of FOWT systems is complex due to
the strong interactions between the large tr...
Nacelle-mounted, forward-facing LIDAR technology is able to deliver benefits to rotor speed regulation and loading reductions of floating offshore wind turbines when assisting with blade pitch control in above-rated wind speed conditions. Large-scale wind turbines may be subject to significant variations in structural loads due to differences in th...
The drive for the cost reduction of floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) systems to the levels of fixed bottom foundation turbine systems can be achieved with creative design and analysis techniques of the platform with free-form curves to save numerical simulation time and minimize the mass of steel (cost of steel) required for design. This study...
The deployment of offshore wind in the UK has seen a rapid increase in the past decade and will continue to increase with the securement of the recent Scotwind sites. Floating platforms will be utilised for 60% of these new sites, creating opportunities to try new platform typologies and further solidify the validity of existing concepts. Since the...
Integrating point absorber wave energy converters (PAWECs) and an offshore floating wind platform provide a cost-effective way of joint wind and wave energy exploitation. However, the coupled dynamics of the complicated hybrid system and its influence on power performance are not well understood. Here, a frequency-domain-coupled hydrodynamics, cons...
Due to increasing environmental concerns and global energy demand, the development of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) is on the rise. FOWTs offer a promising solution to expand wind farm deployment into deeper waters with abundant wind resources. However, their harsh operating conditions and lower maturity level compared to fixed structures...
The development of novel energy technologies to meet net zero carbon emission is essential in the provision of solutions to realize an increasing worldwide demand for renewable energy. Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) is one of the emerging technologies to exploit the vast wind resources available in deep waters within the offshore wind sector...
This paper presents the results of a field experimental campaign on a 1:15 scaled prototype of an innovative floating multi-purpose platform, developed within “The Blue Growth Farm” (BGF) EU H2020 project. The critical technical innovation of the concept is the integration of an industrial aquaculture production system, installed in deep waters, wi...
Integrating multi-type Wave Energy Converters (WECs) enables wave energy to be extracted from multiple harvesting manners simultaneously, which presents a more competitive energy conversion technology. In this study, an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) and an Oscillating Buoy (OB) are combined to devise a hybrid WEC system that serves as a floating b...
This paper presents the key operations & maintenance (O&M) modelling inputs for fixed-bottom wind (FBW) and highlights the adaptations required for floating offshore wind (FOW) uses. The work also highlights major repair strategies such as tow to shore (T2S) and discusses the limitations and constraints which arise in an operational context. The te...
Nacelle-mounted, forward-facing Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology is able to provide knowledge of the incoming wind so that wind turbines can prepare in advance, through feedforward control. LIDAR can aid in improving wind turbine performance across the full operating range, assisting with torque control in below rated wind speeds, pit...
New wind turbine technologies and designs are being explored in order to reduce the cost of energy from offshore wind farms. Two potential routes to a lower cost of energy are the X- Rotor Concept (XRC) and Multi-Rotor System (MRS) turbines. A key cost saving for both Novel concepts included in this paper is operation and maintenance (O&M) costs sa...
This paper reviews the existing literature surrounding floating offshore wind (FOW) operations and maintenance (O&M) models. A review of the technology is presented with a comparison with current practise for bottom-fixed offshore wind O&M activities. This article divides existing publications into the following categories: cost modelling, O&M mode...
Wave energy converters(WECs) integrated into floating breakwaters or, more generally, their designs also used as wave absorbers can provide a space- and cost-sharing solution to enhance the efficiency of coastal protection. In this study, the hydrodynamic performances of an oscillating buoy(OB)-type single-pontoon floating breakwater(SPFB) and an o...
Combining multiple-types of Wave Energy Converters (WECs) and integrating them into in-development or pre-existing marine platforms can reduce the total Levelised Cost of Energy (LCoE) by sharing infrastructures and maintenance costs. The current study proposes an innovative multi-purpose solution by deploying an Oscillating Buoy (OB) device inside...
Meeting climate and air quality targets, while preserving the focus on the reliability and cost-effectiveness of energy, became a central issue for offshore wind turbine engineers. Floating offshore wind turbines, which allow harnessing the large untapped wind resources in deep waters, are highly complex and coupled systems. Subsystem-level optimis...
The development of novel energy technologies is considered imperative in the provision of solutions to meet an increasing global demand for clean energy. Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) is one of the emerging technologies to exploit the vast wind resources available in deeper waters. To lower the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) or optimise th...
As the installed capacity of individual turbines increases, so do costs associated with manufacture and maintenance. One proposed solution to this problem is the Multi-Rotor System (MRS) which utilises many small rotors to yield the same energy capture as a single large turbine. The operational advantage of the MRS is the built in redundancy betwee...
As the UK takes a step towards a greener, cleaner future aiming to be net zero by 2050, continuous development of the power network is required. A clear solution is offshore wind, having already proved its feasibility and success in nearshore sites. However, a large majority of near shore sites in the UK are already being utilised. The next step is...
The upscaling of wind turbines results in fewer units per installed MW reducing infrastructure and maintenance costs of offshore wind farms. Multi rotor systems (MRS), comprising many wind turbine rotors on a single support structure, are potentially a means to maximize the upscaling benefit in achieving larger unit capacities than is feasible or e...
There is increasing competition for space in coastal seas as new industrial sectors, such as Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) and Aquaculture, seek to expand. Multi-Use - involving sharing of space and, in some cases, facilities - can lessen competition and reduce industry costs if societal and economic challenges can be overcome. An example societal...
A large deployment of energy storage solutions will be required by the stochastic and non-controllable nature of most renewable energy sources when planning for higher penetration of renewable electricity into the energy mix. Various solutions have been suggested for dealing with medium-and long-term energy storage. Hydrogen and ammonia are two of...
Spar-type platforms for floating offshore wind turbines are considered suitable for commercial wind farm deployment. To reduce the hurdles of such floating systems becoming competitive, in situ aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations are applied to support conceptual design optimization by including transient and non-linear loads. For reasons of flexi...
The number of installed floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) has doubled since 2017, quadrupling the total installed capacity, and is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. Consequently, there is a growing consideration towards the main challenges for FOWT projects: monitoring the system’s integrity, extending the lifespan of t...
Combing floating breakwaters with wave energy converters (WECs) and integrating them into very large floating structure (VLFS) can provide a viable option to explore economically offshore wave energy resources and simultaneously to protect marine structures. In this paper, the time-domain numerical model is developed based on the modal expansion th...
The hybrid concept of multi-type wave energy converters provides viable solutions to improve the wave energy exploitation per-unit area and reduce the Levelised Cost of Electricity. In this paper, a multi-degree-of-freedom hybrid system combining an oscillating wave surge converter and two oscillating buoys, is proposed and integrated into a semi-s...
Offshore wind farms are a rapidly developing source of clean, low-carbon energy and as they continue to grow in scale and capacity, so does the requirement for their efficient and optimised operation and maintenance. Historically, approaches to maintenance have been purely reactive. However, there is a movement in offshore wind, and wider industry...
The need for high-speed high-payload craft has led to considerable efforts within the marine transport industry towards a vehicle capable of bridging the gap between conventional ships and aircraft. One such concept uses the forward motion of the craft to create aerodynamic lift forces on a wing-like superstructure and hence, reduce the displacemen...
This paper investigates the limiting wave conditions at which a wind turbine technician can complete maintenance activities safely and effectively on a 15MW floating offshore wind turbine. Through linear, frequency-domain statistical analysis of floating turbine motion and applying acceptable motion limits for technician working, significant wave h...
Aquaculture and marine renewable energy are two expanding sectors of the Blue Economy in Europe. Assessing the long-term environmental impacts in terms of eutrophication and noise is a priority for both the EU Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and cumulative impacts will be important for the Maritime Spatial Pla...
The hydromechanics analysis of floating offshore wind turbines is a fundamental and time consuming part of the design process, traditionally analysed with methods of computational fluid dynamics. In this work, an alternative computational framework is suggested, able to significantly accelerate the design process with minimal accuracy loss. Through...
Floating offshore wind turbines are subjected to higher tower fatigue loads than their fixed-to-seabed counterparts, which could lead to reductions in turbine life. The worst increases are generally seen in the tower axial fatigue, associated with the tower fore-aft bending moment. For a spar type platform this has been shown to increase by up to x...
Multi-purpose floating platforms are emerging as a promising concept in ocean engineering applications, thanks to their capability of ensuring system integration, cost reduction and modularization. However, their increasing complexity requires the development of numerical tools, which need to be validated experimentally through adequate physical mo...
Dimensioning and assessment of a specific wind turbine imply iterative steps for design optimization, as well as load calculations and performance analyses of the system in various environmental conditions. However, due to the complexity of wind turbine systems, fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic codes are indispensable to represent and simulat...
Offshore wind turbines are now a mature technology to produce renewable energy on a vast scale, nonetheless several design and maintenance planning challenges remain. There have been attempts to investigate the impact of marine growth on fixed offshore wind turbine structures, but only few adopted a whole dynamics approach. This work presents a met...
A multi-purpose platform (MPP) is an offshore system designed to serve the purposes of more than one off-shore industry. Over the past decades, a number of industries have expanded or are expanding, from onshore to offshore locations. In the present work, the MPP proposed in the framework of Blue Growth Farm project is considered. The aim here is t...
The heaving wave energy converter (WEC) is one typical type of point absorber WECs with high energy conversion efficiency but significantly affected by the viscous effect. It is widely known that the bottom shape of such WECs plays an important role in influencing the viscosity, so a detailed qualitative investigation is essential. Here a numerical...
A multipurpose platform is an offshore system designed to serve the purposes of more than one offshore industry. Within the context of "The Blue Growth Farm" project, an innovative multipurpose configuration, comprising a wind turbine, wave energy converters, and an internal pool to accommodate aquaculture fish cages, has been proposed. The present...
Combined floating offshore wind platform and Wave Energy Converters (WECs) systems have the potential to provide a cost-effective solution to offshore power supply and platform protection. The objective of this paper is to optimize the size and layout of WECs within the hybrid system under a given sea state with a numerical study. The numerical mod...
Spar-type platforms for floating offshore wind turbines are considered suitable for commercial wind farm deployment. To reduce the hurdles of such floating systems to become competitive, a fully integrated optimization framework is applied to design an advanced spar-type floater for a 5 MW wind turbine. Three cylindrical sections with individual di...
Expansion of marine aquaculture into more remote areas will likely accelerate over the next decade. Integrating Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) generation technologies (e.g., wind turbines) into remote, off-grid aquaculture sites will reduce reliance on fossil fuels by allowing localised low-carbon power generation, but may also result in novel envir...
Wind power plays a key role in reducing global carbon emission. The power curve provided by wind turbine manufacturers offers an effective way of presenting the global performance of wind turbines. However, due to the complicated dynamics nature of offshore wind turbines, and the harsh environment in which they are operating, wind power forecasting...