High Wind NV has announced the start of the commercialization of its Boom Lock system, which the company asserts will allow the safe installation of all wind turbine components in winds of up to 15 m/s.
According to High Wind, the first Boom Lock was completed in January and then installed on GeoSea’s Neptune.
The system recently underwent its final performance trials, enduring stormy conditions at the REBO site in the port of Ostend. High Wind states that the Boom Lock outperformed the design specifications by keeping a 6 MW-turbine blade steady in wind gusts of up to 20 m/s.
According to the company, different independent parties, including marine warranty surveyors and turbine manufacturers, witnessed the tests, and engineers of the University of Leuven monitored and recorded the movements of the hoisted loads.
Following the successful trials, GeoSea has now committed to using the Boom Lock in its future wind turbine installation and maintenance projects.
The Boom Lock is mounted on an offshore crane that is designed to control the movement of the crane hook and the payload in such a way that installation time can be drastically reduced. The company says this will result in considerable cost savings, including those for installation vessels, installation crews and related costs, and will provide increased income by enabling earlier completion of the wind farms.
Further, High Wind says the use of the Boom Lock will increase safety during the installation of the wind turbines, as the heavy payloads’ uncontrolled movements in windy conditions will be dramatically reduced.
