Mário Vieira, PhD alumnus, was one of the winners of the APREN Award 2020, in the PhD thesis category. The alumnus José Cardoso received an honourable mention in the MSc category. The award is delivered annually and aims to promote academic theses completed in Portuguese universities and related to renewable electricity.
The € 2,000 award recognised the PhD thesis titled “Viability of Structural Health Monitoring Systems on the Support Structures of Offshore Wind”, supervised by professors Luís Reis and Elsa Henriques, Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM), and by professor Brian Snyder, Louisiana State University.
“It is encouraging to see my work recognised by APREN, which is an association that brings together almost all the developers of the renewable energy sector in Portugal, and by the jury that did not have an easy task evaluating all these high quality works”, says Mário Vieira. “We should congratulate and praise APREN for improving the visibility of national academic works, year after year”, adds the Técnico alumnus.
The award-winning work focuses on the analysis of the technical-economic feasibility of structural health monitoring systems on the support structures of offshore wind, which are responsible for supporting the turbines. “These wind technologies are very promising, however, in order to democratize their use the costs must be reduced. In this sense, these monitoring systems can contribute to this cost reduction, since they help to reduce the risk associated with the implementation of wind turbines on the high seas. There are a lot of advantages: by reducing the risk we reduce insurance costs and capital costs”, stresses Mário Vieira.
“These monitoring systems allow us to know, in real time, the condition of the wind turbines on the high seas, thus eliminating the need for periodic inspections that, otherwise , would have to be carried out, which are extremely expensive”, says the award winner. “In addition, these systems are able to detect structural failures that would otherwise not be detected, and which could result in the total loss of the turbine”, he adds.
In addition to all these benefits, these systems accurately calculate the remaining lifetime of the structures, “which may allow to extend their operating time beyond the initially expected lifetime”, explains the alumnus. “The only negative aspect of these monitoring systems is the implementation costs; however, my research anticipates that the technological and economic benefits outweigh largely this higher initial cost”, he adds.
In 2016, Mário Vieira entered the doctoral program Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing – Leaders for Technical Industries, created in partnership with MIT Portugal Program. “This doctoral program aims to broaden students’ knowledge in subjects that are not usually covered in engineering courses, such as, for example, social sciences, entrepreneurship and leadership, public policies, innovation, etc.”, stresses Mário Vieira. The Técnico alumnus recalls the opportunities he had, namely the possibility of doing research in the USA, more specifically at Louisiana State University, where he collaborated with professor Brian Snyder in the development of economic models that proved to be fundamental for his research conclusion.
According to the Técnico alumnus “this multidisciplinary doctoral program allowed me analyse objectively a complex industrial problem, from a much more holistic perspective than technical”, which might have been decisive factors that positively influenced the jury.
Mário Vieira currently works at + Atlantic, a collaborative laboratory that develops research on the sustainable use of our oceans.
Honourable mention rewards work “made in” Técnico
The APREN Awards 2020 rewarded another Técnico alumnus: José Cardoso. The former student received an honourable mention for his MSc thesis titled “Analysis of the Transportation Phase of an Innovative Foundation for an Offshore Wind Turbine”. The MSc thesis was also supervised by professor Luís Reis and is directly related to the award given to Mário Vieira.
José Cardoso’s work is based on the research project led by Mário Vieira. “The idea was to develop a new type of foundation for offshore wind turbines, with floating capacity”, explains José Cardoso. The master’s thesis focuses “on the development of adequate numerical models that allow to analyse the magnitude of the loads, such as wind and sea waves, during transport, and their effects”, highlights the alumnus.
According to the author, this thesis brings “an innovative solution: a hybrid structure (fixed and floating foundation), which allows easier and cheaper installation, as well as a greater depth compared to the most common offshore wind” . “This thesis is based on the study of a specific case: the implementation of offshore wind turbines in Portugal, with local weather and maritime conditions. And it also involves the development of realistic numerical models to study the behaviour of these structures, which is usually the first step of any mechanical structure”, says the Técnico alumnus.
According to José Cardoso, the work “demonstrates that this type of structures could actually be implemented, and could be developed in the future”. “This is not a pure theoretical hypothesis. It demonstrates, in a practical way, the validation and viability of such a structure”, adds the alumnus. “This is particularly important for Portugal, which is, at the moment, implementing its first floating offshore wind farm”.
José Cardoso is honoured and proud for this recognition. “This is an opportunity to make my work public. I think that these works, which sometimes seem more theoretical or of little relevance, may in fact be appealing to the industry sector and the scientific community, and may have a real impact”.
