At Flintmore, we have delivered a multitude of partnership projects, working alonsider clients to deliver a solution that works for them. Here we present a selection of our work, demonstrating the expertise of our agile and innovative team.
CASE STUDIES
SENSEWIND
Delivering Insight at the Cutting Edge of Renewable Power
THE PROJECT
Flintmore were thrilled to work on SENSEWind’s SENSE System project! This innovative system combines a departure from traditional wind turbine tower design with a novel machine that can climb the side of the tower itself, using the height and carrying capacity of the tower structure rather than relying on increasingly large and specialised cranes to reach the dizzying heights of modern turbines.
Their recent tests have verified the function of their concept and system at scale as they push towards construction and demonstration of a machine capable of building a 2 MW turbine, in turn paving the way for even larger machines at 10+ MW scale.
Flintmore were on site working with Blackfish Engineering, a project partner in the SENSE System, to conduct the program to test the lower module for the upcoming 2MW demonstrator. With 41 separate transducers of eight different types this was a relatively straightforward acquisition system with the added requirements of a live readout for an operator to understand the function of the machine and ‘drive’ it. This test balanced multiple factors, both increasing the understanding of the system and also demonstrating that the physical hardware behaved as specified.
THE REQUIREMENTS
This was a transient test, rather than a fully static situation, or fully dynamic where we would examining frequency response, instead we are looking at time limited responses to distinct events. The data acquisition system was required to provide insight into the SENSE rig’s behaviour in real time, providing crucial information to the rigs operators. It also served the dual purpose of storing all data for analysis. This is a typical task for test instrumentation and if all factors were well understood, a very practical job. The challenge at this time, was that the understanding of what the key variables were to characterise function of the machine only started to emerge as the tests progressed.
Alongside our equipment and expertise we delivered a custom live graphic display to run the rig. This was reconfigured several times over the program as real time knowledge of some metrics became key and others become secondary. SENSEWind are the leader in this kind of lifting technology, nobody has done this before, when pushing the boundaries like this the ability to react to fresh challenge quickly is key to delivering success within budget. Flintmore has experience in development of renewable technology on various marine turbine and other marine energy harvesting projects, we understand the challenges that can arise bringing these revolutionary concepts into the real world. In this case, the program has demonstrated that SENSEWind’s system works brilliantly and has cleared the way for their full 2 MW demonstrator.
THE DELIVERY
As both mechanical and instrumentation engineers, we’re able to provide analysis and interpretation of the data our systems output. Flintmore remained onsite supporting our system and the program ready to adapt as key features and behaviours were uncovered. In this case, we produced automation to produce the required derived variables in a format easy to review and analyse seconds after each individual test was complete. Not only does this mean the customer had access to insights into their data the same day, same hour, it also meant that conclusions can be drawn from each test on the shop floor taking the turn-around time between tests down to mere minutes. Had a more traditional approach been taken, where data was reviewed after the program was complete, key insights would have been missed and many re-test cycles would have had to have been undertaken. Furthermore, if we had simply delivered a system and left, the reaction to key challenges would have been delayed, hampering program success. This more flexible approach saves time and money without sacrificing robust analysis and review of the data. This is why Flintmore consistently succeeds in delivering, combining the skillsets of mechanical and instrumentation engineers into full mechanical test specialists.
This project was particularly rewarding. We always want to work with our clients closely, developing strong working relationships and understanding their project and the role that we are playing in it. Not only does this mean we deliver a better service for our client, being able to truly appreciate their needs and offer a top notch service, it’s also more enjoyable and rewarding. SENSEWind’s SENSE System is revolutionary and ingenious. Working alongside passionate engineers determined to deliver a machine that will push back the limits of onshore and offshore wind has been a pleasure, especially when we can contribute expertise and insight to ensure that these concepts can make a real difference in the world.
SLIP RIG
A peek at a typical Flintmore Project
THE PROJECT
At the straightforward end of our work are projects like this one. Working with Blackfish Engineering we were tasked with developing an instrumentation system for a series of experimental tensile tests for an upcoming revolutionary concept in marine wind. With no conventional test regime for this particular application we have worked alongside Blackfish to capture the neccesary variables to gain the understanding required. We worked onsite with the customer to commission the rig, this allowed us to react to some unexpected challenges and ensure that the system we delivered met the requirements of the customer and the test. Data was gathered from multiple sensors including pressure and promiximity probes and the machine itself to create a system that allowed monitoring of the test parameters in real time from a single display whilst logging at very high fidelity.
This is typical of the service that Flintmore provides, our agile team is ready to react to unexpected challenges, and to support the customer, even if the project at hand is the simple collection of data on a relatively straightforward rig.
Being qualified mechanical and aerospace engineers we not only understand our instrumentation solution but the experiments themselves and the factors at play allowing us to ensure the solution delivered not only meets specification but meets purpose also. This was crucial in this instance and meant we could rapidly react to complex installation requirements and deliver practical and tangible assistance to our partners.
