Van Oord has begun installing monopiles at the Ecowende offshore wind farm in the Netherlands and will soon use vibration technology to minimize underwater noise. This technology will be deployed at specific installation sites.
Van Oord’s offshore vessel Boreas started construction at the project, owned by a consortium of Shell, Eneco, and Chubu Electric Power, on December 3.
CAPE Holland will supply the CAPE Vibro Lifting Tool (CAPE VLT), specifically the VLT-640 Quad, for driving monopiles into the seabed from the Boreas at six test locations.
The technology uses vertical vibrations to reduce soil resistance, enabling monopiles to sink under their own weight.
“In the Dutch North Sea, dense sands challenge vibro-driving monopiles, making Ecowende ideal for testing vibro-based methods,” said the Ecowende consortium.
At three locations, Van Oord will also use GBM Works’ VibroJet with Vibro Technology, which combines vibrations with controlled water jets to fluidize the soil, reducing resistance and noise compared to impact hammers.
“Noise regulations for wind projects are stricter, and turbines are heavier, creating more underwater noise,” said Dick van Wijngaarden of CAPE Holland. “Vibro Technology offers ecological benefits in commercial projects, but needs further testing in dense soils for reliability.”
Combining Vibro Technology with VibroJet Technology is viewed as a significant advancement for installing monopiles with minimal noise, according to GBM Works.
The technology will allow researchers to compare these methods with traditional impact hammers, analyzing performance, pile stress, and noise to validate predictive models for broader adoption in future wind farms.
The Ecowende site is 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast near IJmuiden. Van Oord will install 52 monopile foundations produced by Sif and Smulders to support 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW wind turbines.
Original Story at www.offshorewind.biz