Balmoral HexDefence
Scour phenomena
Offshore wind power is a fast-growing solution for the global demand for clean, renewable energy. Offshore wind farms are now being built in increasingly hostile hydrodynamic environments and, in typical shallow installations, monopiles, jacket, gravity-based and suction bucket structures are used.
These structures are often subject to scour phenomena which can lead to turbine foundation instability and inter array cable damage ultimately resulting in expensive cable failure. To mitigate these consequences scour protection is used to defend the seabed around a structure.
Scour phenomena
Scour phenomena
Scour protection typically involves the installation of a layer of material around the base of the monopile or jacket foundations to prevent sediment erosion. This can be made of various materials including rock, concrete or a specially designed geotextile fabric. The layer is placed on the seabed around the foundations to dissipate the energy of the fluid flow and reduce erosion rates.
These measures need to be carefully monitored to avoid damage to the turbine, seabed and any associated cabling. The costs involved in this process, along with the carbon footprint implicated with extra quarrying and vessel time for installation, is significant.
Get in touch with us today to learn more about Balmoral HexDefence and how it can improve your offshore wind farm's installation, management, and maintenance.
Balmoral Comtec Ltd
Balmoral Park, Loirston, Aberdeen AB12 3GY | +44 (0)1224 859000 | surety@balmoral.co.uk
Registered number SC301819