Tidal Turbine Foundations

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TIDAL TURBINE FOUNDATIONS

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MONOPILES

Monopiles are the most common tidal turbine foundations, suitable for waters up to 30 meters.

The monopiles are drilled or hammered in the seabed.

They have simple design and easy fabrication.

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POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS OF MONOPILES

Possible bending and fatigue cracks due to current and wave loads that

may grow into fatigue cracks and provoke brittle fracture;

Failures caused by welding defects between the transition piece and

the monopile;

Seabed penetration which can irreversibly damage the surface;

Installation is not permitted in certain areas due to environmental

constraints.

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GRAVITY-BASED FOUNDATIONS

Gravity-based structures maintain stability by means of their own gravity.

They don’t penetrate the seabed.

Gravity foundations are suitable for waters from 20 to 80 meters - unreachable for installation vessels that can perform drilling operations.

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POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS OF GRAVITY FOUNDATIONS

Gravity foundations are made of very heavy large concrete block,

which complicates maintenance;

Concrete is subjected to erosion;

Since the foundation is extremely large and heavy, the footprint can

damage the seabed.

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OTHER TIDAL TURBINE FOUNDATIONS

Foundation Type Water Depth Benefits Drawbacks

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THE NEW APPROACH

FMGC, the ultimate European leader in cast iron counterweights manufactured a new type of tidal turbine foundation that can overcome the drawbacks of all existing ones.

This is a gravity-based tripod structure with gray cast iron tidal ballast.

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ADVANTAGES OF FMGC TIDAL TURBINE FOUNDATION

It doesn’t require seabed penetration

The tripod structure eliminates the well-known gravity bases' negative environmental impact of the footprint.

Gray cast iron has numerous advantages compared to concrete and enables steady support and reliable structure. 

This tidal turbine ballast doesn’t require any in-depth geological analysis.

The installation process is also much easier since there is no need for human operational power or installation vessel.

Another common problem – the corrosion – is solved with the high resistant coating of the

cast iron ballast.

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