Congratulations to all the participants to the first PRINCIPIA Innovation Challenge!

In September 2017, PRINCIPIA launched an “Innovation Challenge” with an internal call for innovative projects. Different criteria of selection have been defined to push short-term projects in-line with PRINCIPIA global business plan with incentive to justify the investment.

Engineers had two months to elaborate their projects, fifteen projects have been finally proposed!

They were all of good quality but after a first selection round, five projects have been elected to be presented during the PRINCIPIA Scientific Committee on November, the 23rd.

The Scientific Committee is composed of representatives of TOTAL, NAVAL GROUP, EDF EN, EDF R&D, ENGIE, CEA, IFP EN and STX and chaired by Genevieve MOUILLERAT EVOLEN

Five shortlisted projects were first selected. Two of them have been grouped giving the following list

  1. “Cable/Pipeline stability”: The purpose is to propose an “easy to apply” methodology to reduce three sources of conservatisms when performing a cable or pipeline stability analysis: wave loading at the seabed, macro/micro spans assessment, hydrodynamic coefficients
  2. “Probabilistic approach for lateral buckling”: based on PRINCIPIA experience and know-how, the objective is to develop a probabilistic tool to reduce conservatism and get a better definition of mitigation devices;
  3. “Connected fixed Offshore Wind turbines”: based on a methodology recently developed by PRINCIPIA and PHIMECA for floating units, the idea consists in creating a “connected” application for Fix Offshore Wind Farm to follow their fitness to purpose in “real time”.
  4. “ONDE”: A preprocessor tool to define time dependent loadings on structures as per standard codes (UFC, INERIS…) for blast, seism or waves whatever the F.E. tool used. This approach will greatly reduce engineering delays and allow design optimization.

The Innovation Challenge award ceremony was done simultaneously in Nantes and La Ciotat, followed by a non-alcoholic cocktail.

PRINCIPIA was proud to mark the end of the year with the final selection of the winning project: “Cable/Pipeline Stability».

Congratulations to all the participants to the first PRINCIPIA Innovation Challenge!