ORCID
- Jessica Guichard: 0009-0009-4166-5299
- Martyn Hann: 0000-0003-3965-9331
- Deborah Greaves: 0000-0003-3906-9630
Abstract
Dolphyn Hydrogen aims to support the UK Government’s 2030 hydrogen targets by deploying a 10-15 MW Commercial Scale Demonstrator that produces hydrogen offshore using wind energy. To achieve this, hydrodynamic studies are required to optimise the flexible pipeline transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine to the seabed, as well as the buoyancy modules that create the riser’s lazy wave shape. A key parameter is ensuring the riser never bends below its minimum allowable radius. The hydrodynamic behaviour of a 6-inch NOV flexible pipe is tested at 1:62 scale in the University of Plymouth’s COAST Laboratory Ocean Basin. The riser is connected to a semi submersible platform with heave plates, and both operational and storm conditions representative of the Celtic Sea are examined. Design waves that maximise platform surge or mooring loads are also identified and tested. Underwater Qualisys cameras track ten markers along the riser, enabling reconstruction of its shape at each time step and calculation of the minimum bending radius. Comparing full sea-state results with those from Design waves helps assess whether Design waves can reliably predict minimum radii for flexible risers.
Publication Date
2026-06-16
Event
10th international Conference on Hydroelasticity in Marine Technology
Publication Title
Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on HYDROELASTICITY IN MARINE TECHNOLOGY
Publisher
Department of Marine Technology, NTNU
ISBN
978-82-691120-6-1
Acceptance Date
2026-05-22
Deposit Date
2026-08-11
Funding
Funding came from the EPSRC-funded project EP/W003732/1, the R&D Solutions Fund by Enterprise Solutions from the University of Plymouth, the Supergen ORE ECR fund, the EPSRC IAA of the University of Plymouth, and GW Shift.
Additional Links
Keywords
Flexible riser, Semi-submersible platform, Design waves, Scaled tank testing, Offshore green hydrogen
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
First Page
145
Last Page
145
Recommended Citation
Guichard, J., Hann, M., Tosdevin, T., & Greaves, D. (2026) 'Experimental Study of a Scaled Flexible Riser for Hydrogen Transport from a Floating Wind Turbine Platform to the Seabed', Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on HYDROELASTICITY IN MARINE TECHNOLOGY, , pp. 145-145. Department of Marine Technology, NTNU: Retrieved from https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/secam-research/2258
