Offshore company GBM Works has received a subsidy of 1.8 million euros from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) for the further development of their silent and fast offshore turbine foundation installation technology. The funding will enable GBM Works to build a prototype.
GBM Works, a spin-off from Delft University of Technology, has developed a method for anchoring monopiles in the seabed which it claims to be a more silent and faster alternative to current piling methods.
Patented Jet-gun installation technology
With this methodology, waterjet is used to liquefy the soil on the inside of the tube. In combination with vibrating the pile, this removes the resistance and the monopile sinks easily into the ground.
Founder and Director Ben Arntz: “In the coming years many wind turbines will be placed at sea to achieve the EU climate targets. However, the construction has an enormous impact on marine life. In particular, the noise under water causes a lot of nuisance for the environment. With our technology, we not only ensure that the environmental nuisance disappears, it also makes construction faster and therefore cheaper.”
The new foundation method was tested last fall on the Maasvlakte. In addition to a significant reduction in noise pollution, the patented Jet-gun installation technology appears to work twice as deep and four times as fast, GBM Works said. The associated simulation model which provides an accurate prediction of the desired depth, has also now been validated.
Thanks to the grant, GBM Works can further develop their silent and patented installation method technically. The goal is a prototype that is able to penetrate both hard clay and sandy soils.
SIMOX
Last week it was announced that GBM Works also participates in the SIMOX project, in which several innovative installation methods are being tested.
