We’re thrilled to announce that our pioneering EQ-Piling technique is now in action! This milestone confirms our commitment to innovation and sustainability in the industry. Thanks to EQ-Piling, noise-compliant installation of even the largest monopiles is now within reach.
Stay tuned and follow our journey as we push the boundaries of what’s possible with EQ-Piling.
Published on September 5, 2024
Last month, we experienced a pivotal moment in our journey towards EQ-Piling: the transport of a colossal IQIP-branded water tank, standing at a majestic height of 31.5 meters with an impressive diameter of 11.5 meters and weighing in at 760 tonnes. This vast tank, with its central guiding tube, is vital to our EQ-Piling noise mitigation technology. After collection from the quay, it was set on a barge, and manoeuvred through Rotterdam harbour to the Maasvlakte 2 test site by tugboats.
EQ-Piling technology makes noise-compliant next-generation monopile installation possible. How does this highly innovative approach to pile driving work? The required force is generated by a vast water tank acting as a drop weight. This applies deceleration of a vast water column to deliver a long-duration blow to the pile. Testing shows the resulting prolonged, gradual increase in force results in significantly reduced sound exposure levels as well as sound pressure levels compared to conventional hammers.
Current TRL 6 testing is a major step in our journey towards making EQ-Piling technology with unmitigated noise reduction commercially available. Follow each exciting phase of our project as we push the boundaries of offshore construction and make operations more efficient and cost-effective while preserving marine habitats!
Published on September 10, 2024
Load-out of the central guiding tube from our production hall in Sliedrecht last November was a milestone in our journey towards redefining offshore piling. This vast central guiding tube went on special transport by road to be assembled and completed with a water tank at a different site. Check out our time-lapse footage from the assembly location and see how the central guiding tube is placed on a modular trailer using overhead cranes.
The central guiding tube has a length of 30.2 meters and an assembled weight of 113 tons including pipes, hoses, and manifolds. It’s the backbone of a vast water tank which is key to EQ-Piling. The goal of this technology is to significantly reduce the impact of underwater noise generated during ever-larger monopile installations. Simulations show strongly reduced sound exposure levels and sound pressure levels compared to conventional hammers. This significant reduction eliminates the need for further noise mitigation steps in most locations.
Published on September 12, 2024
Check out our video of the vast central guiding tube being lifted into the ever-bigger water tank last November. Working closely with several specialist lifting partners, this phase was executed at a dedicated construction site. During this stage, two key elements were brought together and completed.
Force required for piling is generated by the water tank, which can hold up to seventeen hundred tons of seawater, which acts as a drop weight, exerting force onto the buffer cylinders. These dampen the impact, enabling smoother energy transfer to the monopile, while significantly reducing noise levels.
EQ-Piling enables next-generation monopile installation with substantial noise mitigation, while significantly reducing project management complexity and costs. What’s more, the reduced vessel count means lower energy consumption and carbon emissions and simplifies project management.
Published on September 17, 2024
The base construction is the literal foundation of our noise-mitigating EQ-Piling technology for offshore monopile installation. It weighs 306 tonnes, is 11 metres high, has a diameter of 7,67 metres and houses 8 hydraulic cylinders for lifting the tank and 16 buffer cylinders.
Our timelapse footage from December 2023 shows the base construction being placed on an SPMT modular transporter, which transports it to the quay of our Sliedrecht site. The base supports and guides a vast water tank which is utilized as a drop weight. On reaching the drop height setpoint, the tank automatically falls onto the buffer cylinders which transmit the impact force onto the monopile. Dampening extends impact fifteen to twenty times compared to conventional piling. The prolonged, gradual increase in force produces a smoother transfer of energy, significantly reducing noise levels.
EQ-piling also supports a less complex, more efficient installation process. What’s more, low acceleration levels during pile driving allow secondary steel fixings, such as boat landings, to be installed on monopiles beforehand.
Published on September 19, 2024
In the load-out phase, a range of equipment was collected and assembled for testing at the Maasvlakte 2 site. A barge carrying the EQ30 base construction and test pile, and another carrying an S-2000 hammer spread, were accompanied by a jack-up vessel and tugboats. Watch this impressive array of equipment and vessels sail to Maasvlakte 2, where mobilization for the EQ-Piling test period commences.
IQIP is fully committed to innovative EQ-Piling technology. We’re utilizing all our resources to make this a reality. EQ-Piling ensures compliance with stringent noise regulations while minimizing the need for additional mitigation measures. That means cost savings and reduced emissions. The ramped downward force also reduces pile fatigue.
Published on September 26, 2024
In EQ-Piling, hydraulic lift cylinders raise a huge water tank, which is automatically released upon reaching a drop setpoint. Force required for piling is generated by a vast water tank acting as a drop weight, providing gradual, measured force and severely mitigating noise at source. A test pile was installed on July 2. In this video from July 8, a water tank is aligned, positioned, and lowered onto the base construction that had been placed on the test pile. Rigging was disconnected and assembly activities started.
As offshore wind growth leads to installation of significantly larger monopile foundations at greater depths, more force is needed, while at the same time mitigation legislation is becoming stricter. Compared to conventional hammers, EQ-Piling offers a significant reduction in sound exposure and sound pressure levels. This new technology, based on considerable practical expertise and theoretical knowledge, makes noise-compliant next-generation monopile installation possible. And because the technology isn’t limited to any anvil size or ram weight, it can be used in a vast array of future projects.
Fun fact: monopile foundations of the windmills in the background were installed with IQIP’s S-1400 Hydrohammer in 2022. Placing 12 turbines on the beach in front of sand dunes introduced design and construction challenges. The solution was to use a monopile foundation – a proven offshore method which had never been attempted on nearshore locations.
