QAZAQ GREEN.  Wind Catching Systems announced its 40MW Windcatcher design has received approval in principle (AIP) from DNV, reports Offshore Engineer.

The objective of an AIP is to perform a third-party technical evaluation of a design to assess whether there are any conceptual showstoppers or rule compliance aspects that need improvement. As such, a successful AIP indicates the likelihood of the design meeting applicable rule criteria for future DNV classification.

Wind Catching Systems said the technical development work leading up to the AIP has been a joint effort with engineering partners Aibel and Arup, who have supported with in-depth knowledge and experience in advanced simulations and design of offshore structures. This work has covered a range of engineering disciplines including structural and marine design, stability and hydrodynamics, mooring system arrangement, layout and technical safety, and transport and installation.

As a supplement to the engineering work, a physical model test campaign was performed at Stadt Towing Tank in Måløy, Norway. The purpose of the campaign was to better understand how the Windcatcher performs in various wave conditions, and further use this insight to validate and calibrate our analysis models and assumptions.

Wind Catching Systems, through its subsidiary Wind Catching Demo AS has started the process towards a license for a demonstrator project off the coast of Øygarden, Norway. The 40MW design that has now achieved the AIP will be the first out of four expected units in the project.