RAMPION OFFSHORE WIND FARM

Vessels MPI Discovery and Pacific Orca.
System comprised of 2-off tilt cylinders & 2-off lift cylinders.
Each tilt cylinder able to put into a float condition, to allow for crane movements and to operate at the same operating speed. Tilt system returns to the park condition in 6.5 minutes.
Each lift cylinders are capable of a 300Te lift.
System operates from a control pendent to allow the operator to be able to see the operation from the ship side.

Overview

Rampion Offshore Wind Farm is the first offshore wind farm off the south coast of England. It has an installed capacity of 400 megawatts (MW) and generates almost 1,400 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of power each year.

The wind farm is located in the English Channel between 13 and 20 kilometres from the Sussex coast, covering an area of 72 square kilometres.

As offshore wind turbines increased in size, the vessels used to transport and install their components needed to adapt. IMH was commissioned to provide the offshore wind hydraulic systems required for new tilting frames aboard vessels supporting the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm development.

The Offshore Wind Installation Challenge

Transition pieces (TPs), which form part of the foundation for offshore wind turbines, had previously been carried and positioned on the vessel from the back.

As transition pieces increased in length, they instead needed to be transported along the side of the vessel. This required new frames to be designed and installed to enable the vessels to safely transport and install the larger components.

IMH was commissioned to design, manufacture and install the wind farm vessel hydraulics for the tilting frames aboard MPI Discovery, which was being used to transport and install monopiles at Rampion Offshore Wind Farm.

Following the success of the first project, the solution was repeated for Rampion aboard the hired vessel Pacific Orca.

Designing the Hydraulic Tilting Frame System

IMH designed and manufactured the hydraulic tilting frame system required to control the new frames.

Each system comprised two tilt cylinders and two lift cylinders. The tilt cylinders could be placed into a float condition to accommodate crane movements and allow them to operate at the same speed.

The tilt system was capable of returning to its parked condition in 6.5 minutes, while each lift cylinder provided a lifting capacity of 300Te.

The system was operated using a control pendant, allowing the operator to control the equipment from the ship side while maintaining visibility of the operation.

Hydraulic Power Unit and Pipework Installation

The scale of the new tilting frames required large hydraulic cylinders. IMH worked to source the required components and bring the specialist parts together to support the assembly, testing and transportation of the transition pieces.

IMH designed and manufactured the hydraulic power unit before transporting it to the vessel.

Our engineers then installed and flushed the hydraulic pipework that had been fabricated for the system, providing a complete hydraulic solution for the new tilting frame equipment.

The completed hydraulic systems enabled the vessels to lift and install much larger monopiles than they had originally been designed to handle.

Delivering the Pacific Orca System to a Tight Deadline

Following the success of the system installed aboard MPI Discovery, the project was repeated aboard the Pacific Orca.

The limited availability of the hired vessel in port created a particularly tight turnaround time for the second installation.

Despite the complex technical and build requirements, IMH completed the project within just eight weeks.

This required close coordination of the design, manufacture, sourcing, transportation, installation and flushing of the hydraulic equipment to ensure the system was ready within the vessel’s available timeframe.

Project Outcome

The completed hydraulic systems enabled MPI Discovery and Pacific Orca to transport, lift and install larger offshore wind components than the vessels had originally been designed to accommodate.

By developing the hydraulic systems for the new tilting frames, IMH provided a solution to the operational challenges created by the increasing size of offshore wind turbines, transition pieces and monopiles.

The project demonstrates IMH’s ability to design, manufacture and install specialist hydraulic systems for offshore wind installation vessels while working to complex technical requirements and demanding project timescales.