Follow this guide to build a case using floating turbines. The case we’re going to build looks like this: 

• Assets: 3 x 8.4 MW WTGs. 
• Components: 
  • Blades: transported from Southampton, UK.
  • Floaters: transported from Lisnave, Setúbal, Portugal. 
  • Nacelles and tower components: transported from Esbjerg, Denmark.
• Location: off the coast of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. 
• Integration base: Ferrol, Spain. 
• Wet storage base: Ferrol wet storage, Spain.

These are the tasks required for our WTG floater package: 

1. Component transport: 
   1. Floater 
   2. Blades 
   3. Tower components 
   4. Nacelles 
2. Component assembly: 
   1. Tower assembly 
   2. Floating tower 
   3. Floating WTG 
3. Transport to wet storage 
4. Installation of floating WTG 
5. Commissioning 
6. Testing 
7. Full simulation

Below, you can watch a video walkthrough of this getting started guide. Scroll down for written instructions.

Part one: Basic set up and and transport tasks

Create a new case (and project) if needed.

Step 1: Configure your strategy

You will see a warning toast to add values for two mandatory fields first. 

1. Click on the Build tab. 
2. Click on Strategy. 
3. Enter values for Emergency response limit and Minimum working length. The screenshot shows some suggested values.

Step 2: Add your bases

You will need to create these bases in your Input Library before they appear as options in your case. Perform the following steps in the Input Library first, then add them to your case.

This case requires the following bases:

• Port: Ferrol outer harbour (ES)
• Offshore base: Ferrol wet storage (ES)
• Port: Lisnave (PT)
• Port: Esbjerg (DK)
• Port: Southampton (UK)

Follow these steps for each base: 

1. Click on the Bases tab.
2. Click Add.
3. On the relevant base, click Add instance(s).
   
   
4. Add weather data to your case:
   1. Click on the Edit template button.
      
      
   2. Click on the Weather tab.
   3. Select a weather square for the base. Those which are coloured green have ERA-5 data pre-downloaded (so are quicker to load), but in either case it is possible to download ERA-5 weather data. Click on the square and select Use ERA5 data. This data should appear to the left. 
   4. Click Save to exit. 
5. Repeat for the other bases.

Step 3: Add assets

We’re going to add 3 instances of a single asset, an 8.4 MW WTG. 

1. Click on the Assets tab.
2. Click Add.
3. Select an asset on the Wind turbine tab by clicking on the Add instance(s) to case button. If there isn’t an 8.4 MW asset, add a generic one.
   
   
4. In the Number of Wind turbines to add input, enter 3.
   
   
5. Click Define site area.
6. Click Mark corners on map.
7. Mark a location off the coast of Viana do Costelo. 
8. Click Populate site. 
9. Click Next. 
10. Click on the Parameters tab. 
11. Make sure Rated power is 8.4. 
12. Set Maximum number of technicians in asset to 5. 
13. Click on the Weather tab. 
14. Select a weather square for the asset. This data should appear to the left. 
15. Click Add to exit.

Step 4: Add transport logistics

We need COTVs to transport the components to the assembly port (Ferrol outer harbour (ES)), so add these now. The logistics require the inputs shown in the table below.

The following example is for the nacelles CTV:

1. Click on the Logistics tab. 
2. Click Add.  
3. Click the Component transfer vessel tab. 
4. Add a COTV instance by clicking Add instance(s) to case.
   
   
5. Rename the instance so it’s easy to identify, e.g., Nacelles COTV.

6. Only 1 unit is needed but add the port the vessel will start its journey from, which is Esbjerg in this case.

7. Click Next.

8. A new window will open. Change the name on the instance to Nacelles COTV again.

9. Go to the Capacity tab. Set the Maximum Capacity to 3. This means that the vessel can transport 3 nacelles each time. Minimum Capacity is the minimum number of components a vessel can carry at a time. To ensure all are transported this should usually be 1.
   
   

10. On the Processes tab, set the transit time and restrictions for this vessel type: 

    • 2.0 - Loadout: 

      • Duration: 4 hours. 

    • 3.0 - Transit to Loadoff Port:

      • Speed: 8 kn. 

    • 5.0 - Loadoff:

      • Duration: 4 hours. 

    • 7.0 - Transit to Port:

      • Speed: 15 kn 

11. Click Add. 

Repeat these steps for the other COTVs, using the relevant ports and capacities.

Step 5: Add your first transport tasks

These steps model the nacelle transport task:

1. Click on the Assets tab. 
2. Click on the 8.4MW WTG asset. 
3. Go to the Tasks tab and where it says New Task write a name – e.g., 1. Nacelles to Ferrol. It’s generally a good idea to number the tasks so it’s easy to remember the order you intended to action them. 
4. In the Task Type drop-down menu, select Transport.
   
   
5. In the Loadout base (where the components are going from) dropdown, select Esbjerg (DK). 
6. In the Loadoff base (where the components are going to) dropdown, select Ferrol outer harbour (ES). 
7. In the Componentssection, we can set what is being transported by the logistic, in this case nacelles: 
   1. Click Add Component. 
   2. Enter Nacelle as the Component name. 
   3. Leave Quantity as 1. All tasks are listed per WTG, so although a total of 3 nacelles will be transported as part of the project, only 1 should be itemised here.
      
      
8. In the Component transfer vessel dropdown, select the relevant vessel for the task, in this case the one called Nacelles COTV. 
9. Click Save. 

Repeat the process of adding transport tasks for all the other components (on the same WTG asset), noting the quantity for each in the table above.  

Step 6: Add components to the relevant bases

The next step is to ensure all the components are logged at the bases they travel to and from. This is necessary for the Inventory Management solution to work and let view the Inventory Management graph on the Output page. 

When adding components to a base, you need to enter the total components for the wind farm, so 3 nacelles as opposed to 1 nacelle, in this case. 

1. Click on the Bases tab. 
2. Click on Esbjerg (DK).  
3. Click on the Inventory Management tab. 
4. Select Add component and start typing Nacelle. The name with the same title as you wrote before should appear. Select it (spelling is important).
   
   
5. Select Set stock levels. In this project there will only be a total of 3 nacelles, all of which start out at Esbjerg (DK). So set the following:
   
   
6. Click Add component and add relevant information for Blades.  
7. Click Save.

Repeat this process for Southampton (UK) and Lisnave (PT). The components and values for each base are in the table below. 

For Ferrol outer harbor (ES), the Initial stock level on each component should be 0 since the components will be transported to this destination, rather than starting from there. 

Step 7: Run a test simulation

Your case now has enough tasks to run a simulation. Run test simulations at key points when building a case to ensure you have modelled everything correctly up to that point. 

1. Click on the Simulate tab. 
2. Choose Historical weather and 1 runs (enough for a test at this stage).  
3. Once the simulation is complete, click on 2 simulation runs in the top right corner. The runs should be green and show as Completed. If you have any red runs, return through steps 1–6 to ensure your inputs are correct.
   

Step 8: Check your outputs

Now go to the Output tab and check your results. Do they make sense? They should look something like this, although the dates will be different for your case:

Since you used the Inventory Management feature on your bases, you should also have access to the Inventory management graph, which can be found in the Reports section, with the selected P-value in front of the name:

Click on it. The results should show the flow of components in and out of the various bases. 

Part two: Create assembly and installation tasks 

When you’re happy with your outputs, you can start to add the assembly and installation tasks for your project. The instructions in this section are less detailed, since we covered basic navigation in part one. If you’re unsure of anything, please return to that section to check. 

In part 2, we will model the following:  

1. Assembly of components 
   1. Tower 
   2. Floating tower 
   3. Floating WTG 
2. Component transport to wet storage 
3. Installation of floating WTG 

Step 1: Add an assembly crane 

The assembly tasks will all take place at Ferrol outer harbor (ES) and will use the same crane. The first step is to add the crane to our case. 

Clear the simulation runs to unlock the case for editing.

Go back to the Build section, click on Logistics, select Crane, and then select an Onshore crane. Only 1 crane is required, and the port should be Ferrol outer harbor (ES). Change the processes to something appropriate. The Maximum capacity should be 1 since only one task will be conducted at a time.  

Step 2: Create component assembly tasks  

You need to create the tasks listed in the table below, all of which should use the crane your added in the previous step. The aim is to log the various steps of assembly of the WTG on the floater so components can arrive just in time—particularly key for floaters which take up lots of space.  

Click on the Assets tab and select your WTG. Go to the Tasks tab. Create the tasks in the table below using the Assembly Task type. 

Two important things to note when creating tasks: 

1. Add dependencies, otherwise the simulation engine must guess the order of the tasks to be performed. You can select Some for the Dependency. Here is an example for 5. Assemble towers:
   
   
2. Component names must always use the same spelling and capitalization. The tool will prompt you to select a previously created component name to help with this.

Step 3: Add the new output components to the Ferrol base

You created three new component types on the tasks in the previous step. You need to add these in the Inventory Management tab of the Ferrol outer harbor (ES):

If you’re not sure how to do this, refer to part one, step 6. 

Step 4: Simulate!

Check that you modelled everything correctly by running a simulation and observing the outputs. The S-curve should look something like this:

If your simulation fails, or you notice any anomalies in your S-Curve, go back through steps 1–3 to check you entered everything correctly. 

Step 5: Add vessels for transport to wet storage and installation tasks 

You need to add 2 vessels for transport and installation: 

• A harbor-based tug to transport the floating WTGs to the Ferrol wet storage (ES). 
  • Construction Design requires a component transfer vessel for this, so you to make sure your processes are altered to accommodate this smaller vessel type: 
    • Under 3.0 - Transit to Loadoff Port set Speed to 3 kn.
    • Under 5.0 - Loadoff, set the Duration to 4 hours. 
  • Name the vessel Tug COTV at Ferrol. 
  • Set the Port to Ferrol outer harbor (ES).  
• An installation tug to install the Floating WTGs at sea. 
  • This should be a towing vessel. 
  • Name the vessel Installation towing vessel. 
  • Set the vessel’s Port to Ferrol wet storage (ES).
  • Set the relevant processes as follows:
    • Under 2.0 - Loadout towing out set Duration to 12 hours.
    • Under 3.0. - Tow to windfarm set Speed to 3 kn.
    • Under 4.0 - Install component set Duration to 24 hours.
    • Under 6.0 - Transit to port set Speed to 10 kn.

Step 6: Add the transport to wet storage and installation tasks 

We're going to model the transport of the floaters to wet storage, since in the real world it is unlikely that it will be possible to stock multiple floating towers and floating WTGs at the assembly port. 

Create the following tasks:

Step 7: Simulate!

Run another test simulation with history weather data.

If you have modelled everything correctly, you should again see 2 green runs. If not, return through steps 5 and 6 and check your inputs.  

Part three: Commissioning and testing 

The final element of the WTG floater package is the commissioning and testing of the WTG and floater at sea. This element includes both the creation of a vessel and the personnel with the requisite skills to staff the vessel. 

Step 1: Add a commissioning port 

For the commissioning task, you need to add a crew transfer vessel and personnel based at Viana do Castelo (PT). If this base isn’t in your input library, add it there first and then add it to the case, including weather data. 

Step 2: Add a crew transfer vessel 

Commissioning will require a personnel-carrying vessel to perform the tasks. 

1. Go to Logistics. 
2. Click the Crew transfer Vessel tab 
3. Add an instance. 
4. Set the port to Viana do Castelo (PT). 
5. Click Next. 
6. Enter these inputs for each of the tabs:  
   • Capacity: 
     • Technician capacity: 12 seats 
   • Performance: 
     • Cruising speed: 20 kn 
   • Weather Criteria: 
     • Significant wave height access limit: 1.75 m 
   • Activity Durations: 
     • Connection time: 10m 
     • Disconnection time: 5m 
     • Personnel transfer time per technician: 5m 
     • Equipment transfer time: 10m 
     • Mobilising time per port visit: 15m 
     • Demobilising time per port visit: 15m 

Step 3: Create a commissioning task 

Return to your WTG asset and go to the Tasks tab. Click Add task, select Commissioning as the Task type, and name it 10. Commissioning

Add the following inputs: 

• Dependent task: 9. Installation. 
  • Individual is generally the most sensible dependency type here as it allows commissioning to begin as soon as the first WTG installation is complete. 
• Team size: 5 (4-5 technicians are usually adequate for a commissioning task) 
• Required skill: Commissioning, 5. 
• Duration: 250 
• Min. weather window: 2 
• Select the appropriate Crew transfer vessel. 

Step 4: Create Personnel 

The next step is to add personnel to staff the vessel and perform the commissioning. 

1. Go to Personnel. 
2. Click Add.  
3. Add a technician group: 
   1. Title: Commissioning techs. 
   2. Group type: Subcontractors. 
   3. Members: 5. 
   4. Home base: VianaI  do Castello (PT). 
   5. Work hours: As required. 
   6. Skills: Check Commissioning. 
   7. Allowed transport: Only check Crew transfer vessel (CTV). 
   8. Hourly salary: 70 (or as required). 

Step 5: Simulate! 

Check everything was modelled correctly by running the simulation. It should now look something like this:

Step 6: Add a testing task

Return to your WTG asset and add a Testing task called 11. Reliability testing. Add a dependency on the commissioning task (e.g., Individual). A suggested time frame could be 500 hours, e.g., for a 500-hour service.  

Step 7: Simulate! 

Check your testing task is correct by running another simulation, again with historical weather data. It should now look something like this:

Congratulations! You have successfully modelled a floating WTG case. Reach out to support if you experience any issues you cannot resolve.

Step 8: Run a full simulation 

Now that your case is complete and your test simulation shows your inputs are correct, you can run multiple simulations with realistic weather data. 

1. Go to the Simulate tab. 
2. Set Weather to Increment start year. This means each simulation you run will start with weather data from one year further into the future. For example: 
   • Run 1: 1970 
   • Run 2: 1971 
   • Run 3: 1972 
   • … 
   • Run XX: 20XX 
3. Set the number of runs. It’s good practice to set the number of runs to the number of years in your weather data for the most comprehensive simulation outputs.

With the incremental start year and the relevant number of runs, your output data will be much more comprehensive than your test runs. You can switch between p-values to analyze more and less likely scenarios.