Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Benchmarking Human-Free Lifting Solutions in the Offshore Wind Energy Environment

energies Article Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Benchmarking Human-Free Lifting Solutions in the Offshore Wind Energy Environment Mark Richmond 1,* ID , Toby Balaam 2, Paul Causon 1 ID , Debora Cevasco 1, Mareike Leimeister 1,3, Athanasios Kolios 1 ID and Feargal Brennan 1 1 Offshore Energy Engineering Centre, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK; P.Causon@cranfield.ac.uk (P.C.); D.Cevasco@cranfield.ac.uk (D.C.); Mareike.Leimeister@cranfield.ac.uk (M.L.); a.kolios@cranfield.ac.uk (A.K.); f.brennan@cranfield.ac.uk (F.B.) 2 Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK; [email protected] 3 Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, 27572 Bremerhaven, Germany * Correspondence: M.Richmond@cranfield.ac.uk; Tel.: +44-1234-75-8082 Received: 19 March 2018; Accepted: 4 May 2018; Published: 7 May 2018 Abstract: With single components weighing up to hundreds of tonnes and lifted to heights of approximately 100 m, offshore wind turbines can pose risks to personnel, assets, and the environment during installation and maintenance interventions. Guidelines and standards for health and safety in lifting operations exist; however, having people directly beneath the load is still common practice in offshore wind turbine installations. Concepts for human-free offshore lifting operations in the categories of guidance and control, connections, and assembly are studied in this work. This paper documents the process of applying Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), using experts’ opinions for the importance of defined criteria obtained by conducting an industry survey, to benchmark the suitability of the concepts at two stages. Stage one streamlined possible options and stage two ranked the remaining suite of options after further development. The survey results showed that criteria such as ‘reduction of risk’, ‘handling improvement’ and ‘reliability of operation’ were most important. The most viable options, weighted by industry opinion, to remove personnel from areas of high risk are: Boom Lock and tag lines, a camera system with mechanical guidance, and automated bolt installation/fastening for seafastening. The decision analysis framework developed can be applied to similar problems to inform choices subject to multiple criteria. Keywords: multi-criteria decision making; Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS); offshore wind turbines; health & safety; offshore lifting operations 1. Introduction Offshore wind energy has seen considerable investment in the last decade, driven by a growing awareness of the effects of climate change and a need to diversify energy production [1,2]. By the end of 2006 the cumulative installed capacity of European offshore windfarms was approximately 1 GW, yet by the end of 2017 the total installed capacity had grown to 15.8 GW [3]. The offshore wind energy industry is set to show continued expansion and it has been estimated that the installed capacity across Europe will reach 25 GW by 2020 [3]. The installation of new turbines and continued maintenance of existing turbines will see the need for frequent onshore and offshore lifting operations. These may range from lifting large wind farm components, such as the tower or nacelle, or smaller loads such as tools, bolts, and bags. Energies 2018, 11, 1175; doi:10.3390/en11051175 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies Energies 2018, 11, 1175 2 of 21 Whilst currentEnergies 2018 guidelines, 11, x attempt to preclude personnel from standing or2 of 21 walking below suspended loads thisWhilst is current not always guidelines possible. attempt to Personnelpreclude personnel are frequentlyfrom standing beneathor walking liftsbelow to guide loads into position andsuspended secure loads them this is once not always in place, possible. as Personnel illustrated are frequently in Figure beneath1 a,lifts where to guide loads a team into are guiding a position and secure them once in place, as illustrated in Figure 1a, where a team are guiding a suspended towersuspended section tower into section place. into place. (a) (b) Figure 1. Examples of mechanical guidance systems: (a) Current use of guide pins; (b) Guide cones Figure 1. Examplesfor human of mechanical-free met mast installation guidance [4] systems:. (a) Current use of guide pins; (b) Guide cones for human-free met mast installation [4]. G+ (formerly G9) [5], the offshore wind health and safety organisation, is a consortium of the largest operators each contributing data on all health and safety incidents offshore which are collated G+ (formerlyinto reports G9) [ 5[6],–8] the. Lifting offshore operations wind are particularly health incident and safety prone, consistently organisation, comingis in athe consortium top of the three most hazardous work processes by incident number. Of these, a high proportion tends to be largest operatorsdue each to dropped contributing objects. data on all health and safety incidents offshore which are collated into reports [6–8]. LiftingTable 1 shows operations the total number are particularly of incidents reported incident each year prone, and, of consistently those, the number coming of in the top incidents that involved dropped objects. The number of working hours and operations differed from three most hazardousyear to year. work As such processes total number by of incident incidents and number. total number Of these, of dropped a high objects proportion by the number tends to be due to dropped objects.of hours worked for each year have been calculated. This allows for scaled comparisons to be made. Table1 showsFrom thethe data, total we can number see that 2016 of incidents saw the highest reported number of eachlifting inci yeardents and, and dropped of those, objects the number of per hour. Although the increase is relatively small it does indicate that the safety of lifts offshore has incidents that involvednot improved. dropped objects. The number of working hours and operations differed from year to year. As suchThere total will always number be a degree of incidents of risk in lifting and operations. total number The probability of dropped and consequence objects of by the number exposure to such risks may be reduced through careful planning, and procedures and guidelines of hours workedhave for been each put in year place have to ensure been personnel calculated. follow safe This practices. allows However, for it scaled is highly comparisons unlikely that to be made. From the data, wefailures can or seeerrors that can be 2016 prevent sawed or the avoided highest 100% of number the time. of lifting incidents and dropped objects per hour. AlthoughTable the 1.increase Total incidents is and relatively dropped objects small from it2014 does to 2016. indicate [6–8] (Normalized that theby the safety number of lifts offshore has not improved. hours worked and scaled by 10,000,000.) There will always be a degree of riskArea in lifting operations.2014 2015The 2016 probability and consequence of No. of hours worked (×106) 23.71 21.22 21.72 exposure to such risks may beTotal reduced incidents— throughlifting operations careful 143 planning, (6.0) 100 (4.7) and 133 procedures (6.1) and guidelines have been put in place to ensure personnelDropped objects follow—lifting safeoperations practices. 32 (1.3) However,28 (1.3) 37 it(1.7) is highly unlikely that failures or errors can be preventedIn reviewing or the avoided detailed inc 100%ident data of the made time. available by G+, it became clear that the most common incidents included dropped objects, such as tools, chains, and bolts. Equipment failure and Table 1. Totalhuman incidents error were and frequent dropped causes objects of dropped from objects. 2014 If tosuch 2016. objects [6 –were8] (Normalized to hit personnel byit could the number of result in serious injury or loss of life. Thus, removing personnel from areas where falling objects could hours worked and scaled by 10,000,000.) land would greatly reduce the risks to personnel. The aim of this work is to conduct research into and assess the feasibility of methods and technologies that couldArea reduce the need for personnel 2014 in the vicinity 2015 of lifting operations 2016 during installationNo. of ofoffshore hours workedwind turbines. (×106) This is achieved23.71 through employing 21.22 a widely 21.72 used Multi- CriteriaTotal Decision incidents—lifting Analysis (MCDA) operations method combined 143 (6.0) with a 100review (4.7) of existing 133 (6.1)technological solutionsDropped and recommendations objects—lifting operations for new ones, and32 (1.3)a cross industry 28 (1.3) survey, which 37 (1.7) allowed the In reviewing the detailed incident data made available by G+, it became clear that the most common incidents included dropped objects, such as tools, chains, and bolts. Equipment failure and human error were frequent causes of dropped objects. If such objects were to hit personnel it could result in serious injury or loss of life. Thus, removing personnel from areas where falling objects could land would greatly reduce the risks to personnel. The aim of this work is to conduct research into and assess the feasibility of methods and technologies that could reduce the need for personnel in the vicinity of lifting operations during installation of offshore wind turbines. This is achieved through employing a widely used Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method combined with a review of existing technological solutions and recommendations for new ones, and a cross industry survey, which allowed the capturing of real information of the views of operators and practitioners with respect to the criteria importance when it comes to the benchmarking of concepts. Energies 2018, 11, 1175 3 of 21 An MCDA is applied in two stages: the first stage aims to show which alternatives are the most promising and the final stage is to rank the most promising technologies. The target is to not only solve this particular problem but to also demonstrate this methodology which other researchers might apply to their own problems.

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