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AR1500 squeaky clean months after splash (Photo + video)

January 18, 2018
Biofouling-free AR1500 (Photo: Atlantis Resources)

 
Atlantis Resources has released footage which shows its AR1500 tidal turbine without any visible biofouling months after it was submerged at the MeyGen tidal array site in the Pentland Firth, off Scotland.

The image was taken as part of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) subsea inspection of the 1.5MW tidal energy turbine.

Biofouling is the settlement and growth of organisms on submerged structures which poses a major concern to industries working in the marine environment, according to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).

The AR1500 was deployed in October 2017 as a final addition to the 4-turbine 6MW tidal energy array which represents the Phase 1A of the MeyGen project.

The AR1500 system was developed by the Turbine and Engineering Services division within Atlantis, while the nacelle was designed under contract by Lockheed Martin Corporation.

The nacelle weighs approximately 150 tonnes in air and has a design life of 25 years.

The rotor diameter of the horizontal axis turbine is 18 meters, and all key operational systems have triple redundancy built in to maximize reliability offshore, according to Atlantis.

The AR1500 turbine is said to be one of the most technologically advanced tidal turbines ever deployed on a commercial scale marine power project.

Check out the short video of the ROV subsea inspection of the AR1500 turbine.