Windports

WindPorts is a project based on new designs for concrete caissons used in the construction of seawalls, enabling their use in port facilities to be compatible with wind power generation.

To date, various wind farms have been installed on port breakwaters around the world, always on sloped seawalls. The main innovation developed by WindPorts is the adaptation of a concrete harbor caisson design that allows for the installation and foundation of wind turbines on new or existing breakwaters or caisson piers.

To tackle this project, reference characteristics for the wind turbine were first determined, taking into account the existing wind resources at different ports throughout Spain (Valencia, Bilbao, Tenerife). Based on data from the 11 wind turbines, the loads acting on the caisson were calculated as a preliminary step toward developing a new model of marine caisson with circular cells, specifically designed to accommodate the foundation of a wind turbine, as shown in the scaled figure. The proposed caisson designs were modeled using finite element software and taking service conditions into account.

High-performance concrete (UHPC) was used to manufacture certain components of the caisson prototype, thanks to Rover’s prior experience in other R&D projects, which allowed us to achieve a better design by requiring less space, offering greater long-term durability, and shortening the construction timeline by reducing the amount of material used. The end result was a validated design for installing wind turbines on caisson-based piers or harbor breakwaters.