Roxtec supplies Orbital Marine Power with safety seals for world’s most powerful tidal turbine

Orbital is the world’s leading developer of floating tidal stream turbines. The company’s O2 turbine is nearing completion at TEXO Group’s manufacturing facility in Dundee and will enter operation this spring at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) off the coast of Orkney. The O2 will be towed from Dundee to Orkney in the coming weeks before being anchored at EMEC’s site in the Fall of Warness where tidal speeds can exceed 3m/s. Once operational it will become the world’s most powerful tidal turbine, capable of providing enough clean and sustainable electricity to power more than 1,700 UK homes every year.

Richard Keith, Marine & Offshore Market Manager for Roxtec in Scotland, said the company’s sealing solutions will help protect the turbine’s control systems and ensure operational reliability. Roxtec transits are being used to create dustproof and watertight seals where electrical control and instrumentation cables pass through compartments in the turbine’s hull, and between its nacelles and pitching hubs.

Roxtec is an industry leader in sealing solutions for the marine and renewables sector, and its products have featured in offshore green energy projects throughout Europe. In 2015, the company supplied Orbital (formerly Scotrenewables Tidal Power) with certified waterproof bulkhead seals for its prototype 2MW floating tidal turbine, the SR2000.

Mr Keith said: “Roxtec seals helped ensure the safe and reliable operation of the SR2000 and we are delighted to be working with the team at Orbital once again to support the development of world-leading tidal technology.

“Our cable transits are capable of withstanding exactly the kind of harsh marine environment that the O2 turbine will face off the coast of Orkney. The system is designed for cost efficiency, enabling multiple cables of varying sizes to be sealed quickly and easily, with the need for fewer openings. This flexible design not only speeds up the installation process but ensures future upgrades and maintenance work will be time and cost effective.”

Orbital’s team used the web-based Roxtec Transit Designer to save time during the project’s planning and installation phases. The online software is the most advanced of its kind on the market and allowed Orbital’s designers to quickly and simply produce detailed drawings of cable and pipe transit locations within the O2 tidal turbine.

Orbital’s CEO, Andrew Scott said, “It’s great to have access to the expertise, understanding and proven capabilities of suppliers like Roxtec; it helps make our lives easier and our product better, so we were more than happy to continue our relationship with Roxtec in developing solutions for the O2.”

Swedish-owned Roxtec first entered the marketplace in 1990 and is now active in more than 80 markets worldwide. Its transits protect people and assets from multiple hazards, and are renowned for their durability, reliability and flexibility. They are also widely used to seal pipe and cable entry points within the manufacturing, power, infrastructure and process industries.

For further details contact Roxtec UK at Waterfold Business Park, Bury. Tel: 0161 761 5280 Email info@uk.roxtec.com or go online at: www.roxtec.com/uk

Background

Roxtec global success stories: https://www.roxtec.com/en/success-stories/

See Wikipedia listing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxtec

Roxtec was founded in Sweden in 1990. It is now the global leader in the manufacture of innovative cable and pipe transit systems, supplying many of the world’s biggest firms. It is active in more than 80 markets. Roxtec’s products are designed to seal cables and pipes, and are used to protect people, buildings and equipment from multiple hazards. Its key market sectors include Marine, Oil and Gas, Telecoms, Construction, Power (generation, distribution and transmission) OEM (e.g. trains, engines, motors, generators) and the Process Industries. Roxtec has a Triple-A credit rating and is actively expanding into new areas offering innovative and safe sealing solutions to a variety of industries.

Media contacts at Orbital Marine Power:

Sarah Watt, Marketing & Media Manager: s.watt@orbitalmarine.com

About Orbital Marine Power Ltd.

Orbital Marine Power Ltd is an innovative Scottish engineering company focused on the development of a tidal energy turbine technology capable of producing a dramatic reduction in the cost of energy from tidal currents. The Orbital technology has been under continuous engineering development, including rigorous testing of scaled systems in both tank conditions and open ocean environments since the company was founded in 2002. The company currently employs 32 staff with offices in Orkney and Edinburgh.

The O2 project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the FloTEC project (grant agreement No. 691916) and the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg North West Europe Programme under the ITEG project. This project has also received support under the framework of the OCEANERA-NET COFUND project, with funding provided by national / regional sources and co-funding by the European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation programme.