Posted on November 12, 2020
IQIP and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) have started their joint work on the monopile drivability investigation of the BLUE Piling Technology.
The BLUE Piling Technology, a new monopile installation technique is being developed by IQIP, specialist in hammers for monopile installation. Together with TU Delft, a project has been initiated whereby the hydro-mechanical interactions between a monopile and the surrounding soil during installation is investigated in depth.
BLUE Piling Technology reduces underwater noise levels by creating a gentler blow – when compared to the conventional impact hammers – to install offshore monopiles. This gentle blow is delivered using a large water volume which delivers a longer blow duration on the monopile. As a result, the vibrations of the pile wall reduce, generating less underwater noise. In order to make accurate predictions of the drivability of monopiles, the effect of the longer blow duration will be investigated.
IQIP is currently testing improvements in the technology on a small-scale hammer and these improvements will be implemented in a full-scale hammer next year.
By Jake Frith
Source: maritimejournal
