UK & CHN Core - UK & China Centre for Offshore Renewable Energy
  • Inno-Mpp

Investigation of the novel challenges of an integrated offshore Multi-Purpose Platform – EP/R007497/1

Led by: Dr Maurizio Collu, University of Strathclyde, and Ke Sun, Harbin Engineering University. EPSRC funding: £785,722

The project proposes a multi-disciplinary approach to tackling challenges facing the integration of different offshore technologies, such as renewable energy and aquaculture, in a Multi-Purpose Platform (MPP) system allowing for manufacturing, installation, operation and decommissioning and maintenance costs of different facilities to be shared. MPPs have the potential to save money, reduce overall impact and maximise socio-economic benefits.

It will develop approaches to assess the feasibility of an MPP system and showcase this potential through two case studies, one focusing on an island community in China and one in the UK.

UK Participants

Dr Maurizio Collu

Dr Maurizio Collu (PI) is Senior Lecturer of Dynamics of Offshore Structures, CEng. Recipient of the Calder prize by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (2011), of which he is a member (MRINA), and member of the Energy Institute. His research interests include the coupled dynamics of offshore floating wind turbines and the conceptual/preliminary design of floating support structures for the marine renewable industry. Member of the ITTC Offshore Engineering Committee (2014-17), now member of the ITTC Hydrodynamic Modelling of Marine Renewable Energy Devices Committee (2017-20), and of the RINA Maritime Innovation Committee (2017-now).

His research has focused on coupled dynamics of offshore renewable energy devices since 2009, with around 40 international peer-reviewed papers, and two book chapters on this topic. He led the support system conceptual design in the 2.8M GBP ETI project NOVA, and the development of a coupled model of dynamics as WP leader in H2Ocean (EU FP7, Grant no.288145), managing an international team of six people. PI on the renewable energy project EP/P510348/1, Maurizio is currently Co-I/WP leader on the 3.8M GBP grant EP/P009743/1, focussing on the development of dynamics model for offshore wind farms, and PI of the 0.8M GBP INNO-MP project (EP/R007497/1), a joint UK-China project focusing on the development of offshore renewable energy technologies, managing 19 investigators from 3 UK and 3 Chinese research institutions.

Dr Maurizio Collu

University of Strathclyde

Prof. Ben Wilson

Prof. Ben WILSON studies interactions between marine organisms and industrial activities in coastal waters, recently focusing on potential interactions of animals with marine renewable energy devices.

His research concentrates on devices’ potential to attract prey species for predators, investigating device detectability for animals, and developing monitoring methods appropriate to energetic environments. Relevant projects total 2M GBP

Prof. Ben Wilson

Scottish Association for Marine Science

Prof. Bill Leithead

Prof. Leithead is Head of the Wind Energy and Control Centre in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. He is Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind and Marine Energy Systems and is the Chair of the EPSRC Supergen Wind Hub. Prof. Leithead is a member of the European Energy Research Alliance Joint Programme Wind Steering Committee, the European Academy of Wind Energy Executive Committee, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Norwegian Centre for Offshore Wind Technology (Trondheim) and is Deputy Chair of the ORECatapult, Research Advisory Group.

Prof. Leithead has been conducting research into Wind Energy since 1988 when he founded the wind energy research group at Strathclyde. Its compliment is now approximately 10 academic staff and 70+ PhD students and Research Associates. His research interests include the conceptual design of wind turbines, the modelling and simulation of wind turbines and wind farms, and the dynamic analysis and control of wind turbines and wind farms. Prof. Leithead has been the recipient of more than 65 research grants and is the author of more than 250 academic publications.

Prof. Bill Leithead

University of Strathclyde

Dr Simon Jude

Dr Simon Jude is Senior Lecturer in the Cranfield Institute for Resilient Futures, specialising in transdisciplinary approaches to improve environmental risk analysis and governance.

Projects totalling ~£8m as PI/Co-I include NERC RESPONSE (NE/J016330/1); VertIBase (NE/01765X/1); CASE PhD investigating cumulative effects (NE/L009668/1); EPSRC/ESRC International Centre for Infrastructure Futures (ICIFEP/K012347/1). He co-authored the Guidelines for Marine Environmental Risk Assessment, futures scenarios and climate change risk assessments.

Dr Simon Jude

Cranfield University

Dr Adam Hughes

Dr Adam Hughes is a marine ecologist with over 20 years’ experience working in marine resource management. For the last 8 years he has been working mainly on the development of sustainable mariculture. This has involved developing close links with small and large companies to diversify the industry and develop alternate high value products.

With global food security becoming more dependent on food farmed in the sea, producing that food in sustainably is becoming increasing important. I am a researcher and lecturer in sustainable aquaculture focusing on the development of economically and environmentally sustainable production systems for marine plants and animals. Much of my work focuses on the diversification of the aquaculture industry into novel species and products. Within my current post I am the coordinator of the 5.7 M€ FP7 project IDREEM (Increasing Industrial Efficiency in European Mariculture) in which 15 partners across Europe aim to develop and to assess the social, economic and environmental performance of IMTA (Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture). He is the Research Area Lead for Aquaculture at SAMS, chair the UHI Aquaculture Knowledge Exchange Hub, convenor of the MASTS sustainable aquaculture forum and an honorary research fellow at the University of the Seychelles.

Dr Adam Hughes

Scottish Association for Marine Science

Dr Olimpo Anaya-Lara

My area of expertise is on power system dynamics and modeling and control of wind power plant to support power system operation. I am member of the Management Team of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Course Director of the MSc in Wind Energy Systems. I am a key participant to the Wind Integration Sub-Programme of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) Joint Programme Wind (JP Wind) leading Strathclyde’s involvement and contribution to this Sub-Programme. During 2010-2011 I was Visiting Professor in Wind Energy at NTNU, Trondheim, Norway funded by Det Norske Veritas. I have published 4 technical books in power systems control and wind energy electrical systems.

Dr Olimpo Anaya-Lara

University of Strathclyde

Dr Hong Yue

Dr Hong Yue is a Senior Lecturer at the Wind Energy and Control Centre, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde. Her research interests include dynamic systems modelling, complex system analysis, optimal experimental design, and advanced control of complex systems such as wind energy, power systems, process systems, biological and biochemical systems. In recent years, her research has focused more on wind energy and power systems, and has taken PI/Co-I roles in a number projects sponsored by UK funding bodies such as EPSRC, Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scottish Funding Council, British Council, and also obtained support through joint UK-China projects such as RSE-NSFC, EPSRC Global Challenge Research Fund.

Dr Yue is a member of the IFAC Technical Committee on Chemical Process Control, and the IFAC Technical Committee on Biosystems and Bioprocesses. She has served as programme committee member for over 40 international conferences. She is an Associate Editor for the IFAC affiliated journal, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, an Associate Editor for IEEE Control Systems, also an Editorial Board Member for International Transactions on Systems Science and Applications. Dr. Yue has published over 160 peer reviewed papers at journals, conferences and book chapters.

Dr Hong Yue

University of Strathclyde

Prof. Athanasios Kolios

Prof. Athanasios Kolios is Professor in Risk and Asset Management Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering Department at the University of Strathclyde. Previously Reader in Risk Management and Reliability, focusing on risk-based design and analysis and operational management of offshore/marine structures at the Cranfield University.

He was PI of the EPSRC/Newton Fund grant EP/M020339/1 with HEU and NOTC (structural monitoring and reliability assessment of ORE technologies). He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed papers.

Prof. Athanasios Kolios

University of Strathclyde

Dr Abhinav Kalathiparambil Abeendranath

Dr Abhinav Kalathiparambil Abeendranath is a Research Associate at the University of Strathclyde. Previously a PDRA with Cranfield University. He received his PhD from Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, in 2017.

His work looked into the significance of including soil-structure interaction in the dynamic analysis of bottom fixed offshore wind structures. As a graduate engineer, he has worked in the foundation industry, with a focus on concrete piles for harbour structures. He will be contributing to Work Packages 1 and 2 of INNO-MPP.

Dr Abhinav Kalathiparambil Abeendranath

University of Strathclyde

Dr Steven Benjamins

Dr Steven BENJAMINS is a Postdoctoral Research Associate, focusing on interactions between marine renewable energy generators and marine vertebrates, and developing monitoring strategies appropriate for energetic conditions.

His interest also includes impacts of aquaculture. He’s PI in the 120K GBP SARF0112-LEAP project assessing impacts of novel Acoustic Deterrent Devices in aquaculture on cetaceans.

Dr Steven Benjamins

Scottish Association for Marine Science

Dr Natalia Serpetti

Dr Natalia Serpetti, Postdoctoral Research Associate, is using a multi-disciplinary approach to understand spatio-temporal changes of observed ecosystem functioning.

Her interests cover multiple ecosystem levels, from nutrient biogeochemical cycling to fish ecology and food-web ecosystem modelling. She currently works on assessing cumulative effects of environment and human impacts on marine ecosystems (2015-present, funded by NERC project MERP).

Dr Natalia Serpetti

Scottish Association for Marine Science

Dr Luis Recalde-Camacho

Dr Luis Recalde-Camacho is a Research Associate at the Wind Energy and Control Centre, Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde.

He joined the University in 2011 after receiving the PhD degree in control theory from the University of Strathclyde. His areas of expertise include dynamic systems modelling, complex system analysis and advanced control and estimation of complex systems such as wind energy systems and industrial process. His current research is focused on wind energy systems. Dr Recalde-Camacho has published several peer reviewed papers at journals and conferences.

Dr Luis Recalde-Camacho

University of Strathclyde

Dr Xue Xu

Dr Xue Xu is a Research Associate at the University of Strathclyde. She received her PhD from University of Strathclyde, in 2020, which was focused on the dynamic analysis of the floating systems of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines.

She has joined the INNO-MPP project since the June 2019 as a Research Assistant, and contributed partially on Work Packages 2 and 8, which includes the wave energy converter array harbour effect on the MPP, the extreme environmental condition predictions and the risk analysis for the feeding barge system.

Dr Xue Xu

University of Strathclyde

Dr Anuschka Miller

Dr Anuschka Miller

Scottish Association for Marine Science

China Participants

Dr Ke Sun

Dr Ke Sun is an associate professor of college of shipbuilding engineering, Harbin Engineering University. She received PhD in fluid mechanics from Harbin Engineering University at 2008. She was an academic visitor at University of Strathclyde, UK and a short term visitor at Western Sydney University, Australia. Now she is the member of Marine Renewable Energy Branch, Ocean Engineering Consulting Association of China, National Technical Committee for Standardisation of Marine Energy Conversion Equipment and Editorial Committee of Journal of Maritime Technology and Research, the reviewer for National Natural Science Foundation of China, reviewer of Applied Energy, Renewable Energy and China Ocean Engineering. She has been in charge of and participated in 20 major research programs including national science foundation of China, 863 plan and national science and technology support program from Ministry of Science and Technology of China etc. She has published 40 papers on fluid dynamics, ocean renewable energy and offshore engineering. Besides, she was granted 5 rewards, 4 invention patents and 3 software copyrights. Dr. Sun is interested in the numerical and experimental investigation of tidal current and wind turbines’ load, power and flow field characters around single turbine, duct and turbine array. She developed her research in numerical investigation of Bio-fluid Mechanics when she worked at University of Strathclyde. Her recent research interests are numerical simulations and modelling of ocean renewable energy platform integrated of tidal current, wave and offshore wind energy devices.

Dr Ke Sun

Harbin Engineering University

Prof. Liang Zhang

Prof. Liang Zhang (PI in China) was the head of institute of ocean renewable energy system, College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University.

He sadly passed away on 4 May 2019.

He engaged in extensive research on marine hydrodynamics and engineering since 1988. His early work includes dynamics of ships in waves which led to a major interest in wave load prediction. Subsequently he focused on the multi-body hydrodynamic interactions, marine renewable energy and offshore wind energy, particularly on the performance of floating power station in waves and currents.

He published over 180 research papers on journals and conferences, granted around 20 invention patents, 5 awards and 5 books. He was Chief Member of OE sub-brunch of Renewable Energy Association of China, and Observer of IEA-OES ExCo, Chief Member of Heilongjiang Province Society of Mechanics, Academic Committee of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Offshore Wind Power, Renewable Energy Key Lab of Chinese Academy

Prof. Liang Zhang

Harbin Engineering University

Dr Huiwen Cai

Dr Huiwen Cai (Co-PI) is a professor of Marine Environmental Science. Her research interests include the interactions between marine aquaculture and the environment, sustainable marine aquaculture development, environmental carrying capacity, coupled hydrodynamic process in the culturing production, ecological modelling etc. With about 20 peer-reviewed papers on these topics.

Member of the Ecological Society of China. She is PI of the NSFC project (Grant no. 41206088), focusing on the interactions between marine cage farming and the surrounding environment by developing the growth and wastes generation model for Large Yellow Croakers as well as the field observation. PI of the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation ( Grant no. LQ12D06001) focusing on the development of hydrodynamics model for wastes transportation simulation by fish farming process. She was founded by MASTS, Scotland on development of a bioenergetics model on nutrient loading assessment from cage farming in China. PI of two projects supported by Bureau of Science and Technology of Zhoushan (Grant no. 2015C41002 and 10250) focussing on the development of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture with local species. As in the joint UK-China project, focusing on modelling the ecological effects of the combined marine renewable energy platform with marine aquaculture.

Dr Huiwen Cai

Zhejiang Ocean University

Dr Fukun Gui

Dr Fukun Gui is a professor of Marine Science. His research interests include the marine aquaculture equipment development, hydrodynamic of marine engineering, fish behaviour dynamic, ecological aquaculture etc.

Fukun has published 70 peer-reviewed papers and 25 patents related to these topics. He is member of the Fisheries Society of China, member of National Fisheries Science and Technology Innovation Alliance - Fisheries Science and Technology International Cooperation Coalition. He is PI of the NSFC project (Grant no. 51109187), focusing on the hydrodynamic characteristics of big area aquaculture in coastal area. Co-PI of NSFC project ( Grant no. 51239002) focusing on the hydrodynamics process of the offshore marine aquaculture equipments under harsh marine environment, Manage The National Key Technology R&D program focusing on key technologies on ecological surveillance and protection of islands (Grant no. 2012BAB16B02). As in the joint UK-China project, focusing on the ecological process of the MPP system.

Dr Fukun Gui

Zhejiang Ocean University

Dr Binzhen Zhou

Dr Zhou got her PhD’ degree from Dalian University of Technology. From 2013, she is Lecture of Harbin Engineering University. She has participated in “International Clean Energy Talent program”, which allow her visit Mälardalen University in Sweden for three months and University of Oxford for one year (2018.5-2019.5).

Her research interests lie in numerical simulations of different kinds of waves and their interaction with marine structures based on fully nonlinear potential theory. She is particular interested in hydrodynamics of wave energy converters, the development and utilization technology of marine energy and wind energy, and numerical techniques of Higher Order Boundary Element Method and CFD.

She has taken charge of more than 10 projects funded by China and is currently participating an UK-China International Cooperation Key Project supported by the NSFC-EPSRC-NERC, in charge of the coupled dynamics of an integrated system of floating offshore platform-wave energy converter-mooring system. She has published more than twenty international journal and conference papers, and one book. She has 2 graduate master students and is supervising 6 master students and assisting supervising 2 doctoral students at the present time.

Dr Binzhen Zhou

Harbin Engineering University

Dr Hengxu Liu

Dr Hengxu Liu is an assistant professor and master tutor in Harbin Engineering University. Also he is a reviewer of China Ocean Engineering and Polish Maritime Research Journal, Evaluation expert of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,Member of Chinese Society of Theoretical and applied Mechanics.

He engaged in researches of hydrodynamics, wave structure interaction and the use of wave energy, based on the analysis of hydrodynamics in frequency domain and time domain, carried out a series of researches on the hot topics in recent years about the wave energy utilization technology. Contributed to the research of wave theory, wave and ocean structure interaction.

He won the Science and Technology of China Shipbuilding Engineering Society (2017, the 3rd place) second science prize; presided over more than 10 scientific research projects; Published more than 20 related articles in the international, domestic core periodicals and conferences, including the international well-known SCI search more than 10; developed a variety of wave energy device and obtained 4 patents for inventions and 6 Software registration rights; translated the book waves and oscillation system to Chinese, and used the book as basic teaching material, set up postgraduate courses.

Dr Hengxu Liu

Harbin Engineering University

Dr Qihu Sheng

Dr Sheng Qihu is associated professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. He is member of China Shipbuilding Engineering Society and member of China Renewable Energy Society.

His research interests include conceptual design on mooring system and platform for floating renewable system, the fluid dynamics of turbine in waves, and coupled dynamic model of floating tidal energy system.

Dr Qihu Sheng

Harbin Engineering University

Dr Xiong-bo Zheng

Dr Xiong-bo Zheng is a lecturer of college of Science. He has been engaged in extensive research on marine hydrodynamics and marine renewable energy since 2010, especially on the utilization of wave energy.

He has been in the University of Central Florida as a visiting scholar for one year since August 2014. He has published 10 papers in the areas of wave energy converters on journals and conferences.

He has received the first prize in the Scientific Progress Award for Power Engineering from the China Electric Power Planning and Design Association. He has been in charge of or participated in several major national research programs including The High-tech Ship Research Projects Sponsored by MIIT, the National Ocean Renewable Energy Special Funds and national science foundation of China (¥3million).

Dr Xiong-bo Zheng

University of Science & Technology China

Dr Qiang Zhang

Dr Zhang is a professor of Electrical Engineering Institute of Harbin Engineering University.

His research interests include energy conversion control technology of Distributed Generation/load distribution control technology for Distributed Generation in microgrid/energy optimization management of microgrid based on energy storage device.

His research has focused on renewable energy generation since 2010, with around 10 papers and 15 invention patents on this topic. He led the research on AC excited variable speed constant frequency wind power generator with middle and small energy storage in exciting system of the National Natural Science Foundation Project.

Dr Qiang Zhang

Harbin Engineering University

Dr Jiang You

Jiang You is an associate professor in Electrical Engineering Institution, Harbin Engineering University. He received his bachelor, master and doctor degree in 2000, 2003 and 2007 respectively, all in Harbin Engineering University.

He is a member of IEEE Power Electronics. His research areas includes analysis and digital control of power converter, stability analysis and control of interconnected power converters and analysis and control of multi-port converter in DC distribution system

Dr Jiang You

Harbin Engineering University

Dr Fang Lu

D. Fang Lu is a lecturer of College of Automation. She occupied in researching power generation and power system analysis in island micro-grid.

She mainly concentrates on the capacity allocation of diverse ocean energy near the offshore islands. She published more than 10research papers in journals and conferences; in addition, she obtained three patents for inventions and utility models. She participated in a number of national research projects such as the Hi-Tech R & D Program and the Ministry of Science and Technology's special program.

Dr Fang Lu

Harbin Engineering University

Dr Lin Cui

Dr Lin Cui is the senior engineer in offshore renewable energy device and hybrid power system, and also the deputy director of marine renewable energy technology department at NOTC.

He has been engaged in the extensive research on wave energy conversion, hybrid renewable energy power system and power supply technology for offshore equipment since 2008. His expertise covers the design and development of wave energy converters and marine energy hybrid power systems, including the system architecture and overall design, numerical and physical modelling of converters, PTO system optimization, operational monitoring and assessment of prototypes or demonstration systems.

He led the research of multiple-body wave energy convertor modelling and physical model test in the ¥16M SOA funded project "Research on General Supporting Infrastructure for Marine Renewable Energy (2014)" and electrical control system development in the¥10M project "Industrialization of High Reliability Isolated Wind Power System in Island" funded by MIIT. He acted as the alternative representatives of IEA OES-TCP ExCo from 2011 to 2016 and the member of IOC/WESTPAC MRET Group from 2012 to 2014. In international scientific collaborations, he is the Co-I of EPSRC/Newton Fund projects EP/M020339/1 with Cranfield University and EP/M019942/1 with University of Exeter in offshore renewable energy collaboration between UK and China. He is also the Co-I of EPSRC/NERC-NSFC jointly funded project "Investigation of the novel challenges of an integrated offshore multi-purpose platform(EP/R007497/1)" and member of the high-level offshore renewable energy group for the five jointly funded projects.

Dr Lin Cui

National Ocean Technology Center China

Bo Jiang

Bo Jiang (Co-l) is an associate research fellow of National Ocean Technology Centre, China.

He research has focused on the assessment of offshore wind and wave energy resources since 2006, with around 20 papers, 5 national standard, and 4 branch standard on this topic. He has been in charge of and participated in several research programs including national soft science research plan (S2013GX0296), 908 program (908-01-NY), national science foundation of Tianjin(16JCYBJC20600), national marine renewable energy program of Chian(GHME2011ZC07, GHME2012ZC05, GHME2014ZC01, GHME2015ZC01), national standard, branch standard, etc. He is the member of Marine Renewable Energy Branch, Ocean Engineering Consulting Association of China.

Bo Jiang

National Ocean Technology Center China

Penghui Cui

Penghui Cui is a graduate student of ZJOU. As the member of the joint UK-China project, his research focuses on the EwE model development in the case study area in China.

Penghui Cui

Zhejiang Ocean University