Dutch company Tetrahedron has developed a new crane for the installation of next-generation offshore wind turbines that is designed to fit on both existing and new jack-up vessels.
Tetrahedron said that based on a different motion principle and a structural load transfer, the crane lifts higher than alternatives that can fit in the same footprint.
It added that the crane is designed so that it could deal with future developments in turbine technology up to 20MW.
Tetrahedron founder and director Wilco Stavenuiter said: “Due to its unique design and patented technology, the Tetrahedron crane simply lifts 50 metres higher than existing cranes, without adding any weight or complexity.
“In practice, jackups 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 jackup, and will be able to install future wind turbines such as the SG 14-222 DD or the GE Haliade- X.”
Tetrahedron said the crane is capable of lifting a Haliade-X nacelle at a 40-metre radius, 180 metres above the waterline with sufficient clearances to install the blades, while still fitting on smaller jack-ups with minimal modification.
Offshore installation contractor Van Oord, Delft University of Technology and various industry suppliers have contributed to the development of the crane in collaborative projects co-funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
DNV GL has verified the concept design and Tetrahedron aims to deliver the crane in Rotterdam by 2022.