CNR – Towing Tank “Umberto Pugliese”
TA23 – CNR-TT
Location
Via di Vallerano 139
128 Roma, Italy
Description
Description of the infrastructure:
The Towing Tank (TT) is the largest EU infrastructure used for testing Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) devices. It is 470m long, 13.5m wide, 6.5m deep. Tank section and carriage dimensions are suitable to test very large turbine scale models (up to the full scale) as well as combinations of models in arrays. The facility is equipped with a full range of traditional and advanced measuring systems.
Services offered by the infrastructure:
Facility features such as large dimensions, operability, quality and range of equipment make possible model testing at the highest standards over a full range of device operating conditions. The facility has an adequate environment to perform dedicated tests aimed at providing new knowledge and expertise in current challenges, including site turbulence simulations and tidal array development and optimisation.
Support offered under this proposal:
CNR-INM staff has a wide expertise in working on renewable energy devices. Background experience includes testing, modelling and design of MRE systems for waves, currents, wind and hybrid. Know-how has been matured under partnership within national and international research projects as well as consultancy to developers.
Extraordinary scientific aspects/possibilities of the infrastructure not available at other infrastructures:
Facility dimensions allow for the testing of large-sized models with negligible flow confinement effects in highly controlled and repeatable conditions. Equipment provides a comprehensive framework for testing energy conversion systems under currents and wind.
Testing Capabilities
Facility features such as large dimensions, operability, quality and a range of equipment make possible model testing at the highest standards over a full range of device operating conditions. The facility has an adequate environment to perform dedicated tests specifically aimed at providing new knowledge and expertise in current challenges, including site turbulence simulations and tidal array development and optimization, assessment of tidal/wind hybrid concepts.
The facility is suited to address the full range of criticalities involved in MRE devices as:
- Characterisation of system performance
- Analysis of system reliability under combined effect of wind and current
- System survivability in current peaks and fluctuations
- Analysis of solutions for turbine-supporting structures
- Analysis of device environmental impact: radiated perturbation to the far-field, noise signature, etc.
- Simulation of deployment, maintenance operations (including device interactions with supply vessels).
Technical Equipment
Models can be towed to simulate currents and a movable fan array can be used to simulate wind. Facility dimensions provide an ideal environment for scale models of tidal turbines that allows to perform tests at a Reynolds number range fully comparable to prototype-scale devices tested in real tidal sites. Furthermore, tank sections (width and depth) and carriage dimensions are suitable to test very large turbine scale models (up to the full scale for selected applications), as well as combinations of models in arrays. Very large and heavy models and set-up components are handled by easy access to tank harbour and fixed/travelling cranes with 1 to 5 tons capacities. The facility is equipped with a full range of measuring systems (dedicated dynamometers, torque meters, wave gauges, LDV, PIV, Stereo-PIV, Tomographic PIV, high-speed cameras and hydroacoustics sensoring) to obtain an accurate characterisation of the facility operating conditions, device performance parameters as well as of the main hydrodynamic quantities of interest. Data acquisition systems are easily interfaced with users measuring and monitoring hardware.
Additional information
Technology Readiness Level: 4-6
Special considerations: N/A
Technology clusters: Ocean Energy, Offshore Wind
Website: http://www.inm.cnr.it/labs/umberto-pugliese-towing-tank/
Availability: September 2024- January 2025
Provision of tools to prepare data sets in a FAIR way: Yes
