TECH SPOTLIGHT
Finning Provides High Performance OEM Product and Expert Support for Sea Life Friendly Wind Farm Construction
Energy and transportation expert Finning UK & Ireland has supplied 24 Cat® engines to ScanTech Offshore, a James Fisher and Sons product line, who have developed a specialist solution to deliver the first “purpose-built” compressed air delivery package to support bubble curtains which are commonly deployed to mitigate noise during the installation of offshore wind farms.
With the growth in offshore wind power has come the need to ensure construction does not have a harmful effect on local sea life, which can be highly sensitive to loud noises. ScanTech Offshore has developed a unique compressed air delivery package to support Big Bubble Curtains (BBC) which require large volumes of compressed air to reduce underwater noise levels by up to 90%. But in order to ensure round-the-clock, consistent power and performance, they needed an OEM engine supplier who could meet their high standards.
Barry Craig at ScanTech Offshore explains: “Bubble Curtains provide a critical level of noise reduction to keep sea life safe during wind farm construction. Without an effective bubble curtain, the project risks being delayed or stopped due to the critical role in protecting marine mammals during percussive pile driving (installation of the wind turbine foundations).
“We have Cat engines installed inside our current fleet of air compressors which have been supporting bubble
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curtain operations since 2018 with great success across the globe from Europe to Asia. During this period, we have gained invaluable experience and knowledge that led to the development of the first “purpose-built” bubble curtain air compressor (ST3100) which delivers up to 4 x more compressed air on the same footprint.
ScanTech Offshore needed an engine that was compact and could deliver the required output with the highest level of emission compliance (Stage V / EPA Tier 4 Final). The Cat engine married perfectly with our compact ST3100 design which provides the client with a deck space-saving solution thanks to the unique design of the ST3100 air compressors which allows for them to be stacked. The stackability of the air compressors reduces the space required allowing operators to utilise smaller vessels and reduce their overall costs on a project and the environmental footprint. In addition, having a purpose-built solution ensures that the operating environment for both equipment and personnel is maintained well within the desired working parameters ensuring a safe and reliable solution is provided for the end customer & all of those who work on the project”
Vicente Estibeiro, Account Manager at Finning said: “We have been working with other areas of the ScanTech Offshore business for some time, and this led to a discussion on how we could support the development of their new air compressor (ST3100) designed specifically to support bubble curtain applications.
“Our OEM team specialises in helping manufacturers through this process to ensure the resulting
equipment performs to extremely high standards and to the manufacturer’s recommendations. We recommended the use of Cat C32 engines as these offer superior performance in terms of minimising emissions as well as excellent reliability.”
However, specifying the type of engine was only the start as Finning needed to ensure the end product performed as required. The experienced team of Finning engineers worked closely with ScanTech Offshore’s own product development team to ensure the system design was able to make the best use of the engine’s performance characteristics. This included support in testing factors such as torsional vibration analysis as well as a final installation audit to check everything met stringent Cat standards.
Barry Craig at ScanTech Offshore concludes: “The expert support we received from the Finning team was brilliant. The ST3100 air compressors have already successfully supported and completed a foundation installation campaign in the US providing validation that the solution provides a high level of performance & reliability. Our clients have long awaited such a solution and can now realise the unique value proposition our package offers.’’
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