Company insight
Offshore wind looks to welding automation
The market for offshore wind energy grows rapidly, resulting in larger diameter foundations and towers. The question for manufacturers is where to acquire the capabilities to produce such massive structures for steepening waters. Pemamek Wind Sector application manager, Juhani Tuomola, explains the importance of welding automation to overcome manufacturing challenges.
he offshore wind energy industry is booming, and the current trend is towards building even bigger structures further out to sea. With new technology being developed, it is possible to put wind turbines far from the shore. The farther out the towers are, the more stable the wind is, resulting in more energy. However, the longer the distance from the shore, the harsher the conditions are and the deeper the sea gets. This requires a lot from the offshore wind turbine design, foundation, methods, and of course, manufacturers. The wind tower monopiles are approximately ten metres in diameter and are constantly growing. They can be put in the seabed at a depth of 60m and serve as the base for wind towers that reach over 300m into the sky. However, the deep water also creates challenges. As the water gets deeper, an alternative solution is offshore wind turbine floating foundations. According to Juhani Tuomola, wind energy application manager at Pemamek, new technology is being developed all the time and the trend is towards even bigger structures. “The offshore wind energy industry is thriving, and the development speed is high,” he explains. “The trend is [moving] towards bigger structures, soon there will be monopiles that are 15m in diameter and 120m in length. Floating wind turbines with floating foundations enable us to put the wind towers in places, where it hasn’t been possible before. The question is how to build durable foundations that will last in the harsh offshore conditions.”
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Welding automation for floating offshore wind turbine foundations A floating foundation or structure means that the wind tower base is kept in place with the help of long cables that are attached to the seafloor. This makes it possible to put wind towers far out, even
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PEMA WS2 welding platform is a solution for welding multiple joints simultaneously. PEMA WS2 enables manufacturing even the heaviest offshore structures efficiently and safely.
to the depths of 200–300m of water. The offshore wind turbine foundation design is different but has similarities to the technical structures that are used in submarines, shipbuilding, oil rigs and wind tower manufacturing. By combining different PEMA welding automation solutions it’s possible to build these huge structures with the preciseness that is needed.
One example of the solution is the modern technology Pemamek uses that makes it possible to weld the thick and heavy plates together perfectly to last in harsh marine conditions. Lincoln Electric’s long-stick-out process combined with WeldControl 500 software and laser seam tracking is one of the safest and most efficient ways to weld. With the help of the software, all guesswork is eliminated. One operator can do the work of multiple welders and do multiple welds at one time.
Production of offshore wind turbine foundations
Foundations for floating offshore wind turbines can be built in different ways.
Three common styles of floating foundation structures are spar, tension leg platform, and semisubmersible. A spar foundation structure can be built by combining different PEMA welding solutions such as an assembly station, flange fitting, PEMA Column & Boom for longitudinal and circular welding, milling machine, and WS2 welding platform.
A tension leg platform can be built by using PEMA robotic welding solutions: PEMA VRWP-C and PEMA VRWP-X2. These solutions are often used in robotic welding in the shipbuilding industry. PEMA VRWP-C, for example, has a working width of six meters and the length of the working area can be expanded into six- meter modules.
Pemamek has an extensive selection for part fabrication but also for the entire production lines. For section assembly and welding, Pemamek can provide for example assembly line, WS2 welding platform, PEMA column and boom, and rollerbeds. ●
www.pemamek.com World Wind Technology /
www.worldwind-technology.com
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