Inalia

OceanWings — Aerodynamic and Structural Load Monitoring for Rigid Wingsails

Inalia designed and deployed a structural monitoring system for OceanWings’ rigid wingsail propulsion units, enabling real measurement of aerodynamic and structural loads under operational conditions.

Need

Measure real structural loads at the wingsail base and estimate aerodynamic load contributions under actual operating conditions.

Challenges

Separation of aerodynamic, vessel dynamic, and sail vibration load contributions from a single set of field measurements.

Durability and remote data acquisition in marine environment.

Complex load signal analysis.

Integration with customer’s onboard platform.

Solution

Definition of the monitoring strategy and sensor architecture to capture bending moments at the wingsail base.

Installation of strain, acceleration, and motion sensors.

Proprietary load separation algorithm to resolve aerodynamic, dynamic, and vibratory components.

Total load histograms and load relationships mapped against wind speed and direction, sail configuration, vessel motion, sea state, and slamming events.

Full calibration, commissioning, and remote monitoring management.