- Alternative energy
- Environmental impacts
- Hydrodynamic modeling
- Sediment dispersion modeling
Cape Wind Energy, LLC has proposed to build a wind turbine farm off the coast of Massachusetts. The project would consist of 130 wind turbine generators, an electric service platform, a series of cables connecting the generators to the service platform and a pair of cables from the platform to the mainland shore. ASA carried out a number of modeling studies and engineering analyses to determine the potential impacts from the project.
SCIENCE. SERVICES. SOLUTIONS.
ASA performed a modeling analysis to estimate potential impacts from electrical cable burial using the HYDROMAP model to calculate currents, and the SSFATE model to calculate suspended sediments in the water column and bottom deposition resulting from burial operations.
ASA performed an engineering analysis to estimate the expected changes in waves and currents from the placement of the generator pile foundation array on the Shoal. The study used both a hydrodynamic model, HYDROMAP to calculate currents in the area and wave data collected from the Scientific Measurement Devices Station (SMDS) to provide input information for the analytic approaches used to estimate the zone of influence of the generator piles.
During the hydraulic jetting process used to embed the cables some sediment is injected into the water column and a portion is transported by currents away from the trench, resulting in a depression or scar on the seabed. Sediment flux at discrete locations along the proposed cable routes was calculated. These flux rates represent the range of sediment flux throughout Nantucket Sound, and based on these transport rates, recovery rates for jetting scars along the cable route were estimated.
Results from application of the models and analysis of the sediment flux rates were used to support permit applications for the project.