Rotterdam-based Tetrahedron today launches a novel crane for the installation of the next-generation of offshore wind turbines, designed to fit on both existing and new jack up wind turbine installation vessels.
The increasing size of wind turbine generators sets a challenge for the offshore wind installation industry. Existing jack up vessels are rapidly becoming uncompetitive because they cannot lift high enough to reach the highest parts of wind turbines.
Based on a fundamentally different motion principle and an efficient structural load transfer, the Tetrahedron crane lifts higher than alternatives that can fit in the same crane footprint, offering an economically viable path for owners who want to upgrade jack ups or build more cost competitive units to compete in the turbine installation market.
Jack up installation vessels owners face a multitude of risks with installing the latest 10-14 MW class turbines, but if owners are unable to increase the lifting height sufficiently on existing installation jack ups, their ships are at risk of becoming unusable within the offshore wind industry by 2023.
Netherlands-based Tetrahedron has developed an innovative crane that can make existing jack up vessels suitable for installing the next generation of wind turbines at sea, with a design that is future-proof even for future turbine developments up to the 20MW class. The innovative crane can be retrofitted onto existing jack up vessels easily, delivering a competitive upgrade in lifting height and allowing existing vessels to compete well into the next decade.
Founder and Director Wilco Stavenuiter says: “Due to its unique design and patented technology, the Tetrahedron crane simply lifts 50m higher than existing cranes, without adding any weight or complexity”.
“In practice, jack ups that are originally designed to install 5MW turbines can be upgraded without hull re-enforcement (due to the low moment a Tetrahedron crane exerts on the jack up) and will be able to install future wind turbines such as the SG 14-222 DD or the GE Haliade-X.”
This drop-in solution on existing jack ups unlocks additional earning power for jack up vessel owners. As an example, the Tetrahedron 45 can lift a Haliade-X nacelle at 40m radius, 180m above the waterline with sufficient clearances to install the blades, while still fitting on smaller jack ups with minimal modification.