A study on periodical biofouling management plan for sustainable marine renewable energy

Abstract

Biofouling is the unwanted accumulation of microorganisms, plant, algae, or small animals on surfaces such as ships, marine structures, water inlets, and rivers. Biofouling reduces fuel efficiency due to increased hull resistance and cause ecosystem disturbances in ship operation. To manage the biofouling, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is discussing regulations. Moreover, Biofouling can cause major problems in marine renewable energy systems. The problems include measurement errors of Wave and Tide Gauges (WTG) due to increased weight, malfunction and efficiency reduction in energy conversion. According to previous studies, it has been reported to the efficiency reduction due to biofouling, reduced by 3% in a tidal power generation system and by 10% in a wave energy converter. Also, the 20% of the life cycle was shorten in mooring lines. To mitigate the effect of biofouling, a biofouling management is required for marine renewable energy system.

In this paper, an appropriate cleaning cycle was proposed and tested using curing specimens that were prepared in real-sea environments. Biofouling progression was evaluated based on the IMO rating system, providing fundamental data for antifouling research on marine structures.