Design
Designed from the ocean floor up not the ground up.
Working in salt water at depth for prolonged periods demands a focus on parameters such as pressure, stability, corrosion and operational maintenance.
We set about addressing these and other criteria before coming to a realisation. We were not that different from the competition.
How about we only half build the Docgen. By repurposing large ocean going vessels that were past their design life, and placing the generating equipment on and in the repurposed vessel, we didn’t have to build a submersible platform from scratch. We just halved the building costs and time budget.
Suitable vessels to be rescued from the ship breakers yard thus reducing pollution from the ship breaking process.
Strip all unnecessary components such as the superstructure, engines, propellors and anchors. Thoroughly clean hydrocarbons and antifouling inside and out. Hydrodynamic turbine rotors and frames designed to be fabricated from the steel that has been made redundant.Hydraulic pumps and motors are built for high pressure harsh environments.
Turbines drive the hydraulic pumps to produce pressure and flow to drive hydraulic motors which in turn drive the power generator. A submarine cable is attached to the electrical cabinet of the generator capsule that will feed electricity to a shore base switch yard. A ROV manifold built into the side of the Docgen facilitates controlled sinking and raising for maintenance. Overall a practical design to a great solution.