HIGH PRODUCTIVITY WELDING

How reduced pressure electron beam welding was used in the Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm Project? (First-in Class)

If we go back in time to 2020, SSE Renewables , Cambridge Vacuum Engineering , Sif Netherlands B.V. and The Welding Institute (TWI) gained the Innovate UK smart funding for the Rapidweld project. The RapidWeld project aimed to develop and demonstrate fabrication capability using RPEBW. A full-size longitudinally welded can should be fabricated, and integrated into one of the foundations of the Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm. If this welding technique was proven to be successful, it would be the first-in-class of its type globally. In this article, we will tell you a bit more about the Rapidweld project.

The sustainability benefits of Reduced Pressure Electron Beam

As the sustainability benefits are undeniable, Reduced Pressure Electron Beam Welding (RPEBW) has been in development for the past decades. One of the major benefits is lowering the carbon footprint of the welding process because it uses far less energy than conventional welding techniques. Another benefit is that it reduces production welding time substantially. Combining all benefits would allow increased production of wind assets and accelerate the route towards Net Zero.

Based on welding a single Dogger Bank Monopile, a comparison is made between conventional Arc Welding and RPEB (see picture below).

The first-ever RPEB welded can

Within the project, Sif purchased and specified the base metal. Designed to be welded by RPEB and provided test assemblies for fatigue and fracture toughness tests.

In addition, Sif served as a host for the RPEB welding equipment. The equipment was installed at the Maasvlakte 2 facility in Rotterdam. The plate segments that formed the can, were cold formed by roll bending and assembled in the Roermond facility and shipped to the Maasvlakte 2 facility. This large diameter can (? 8.000 mm) was precisely positioned and offered to the machine. Tight dimensional tolerances were required to suit the RPEB process.

In December 2022, the first-in-class RPEB welded can was manufactured by Sif and incorporated into a transition piece (a vital part of the foundation structure). By summer 2024 installation of the transition piece in the Dogger Bank Windfarm is scheduled.

International Energy Awards

Sif and the project partners are extremely proud to have been shortlisted for the Technology Award. Our mutual project is one of the six nominees from over 140 entries, across 29 countries. This precious award gives an opportunity to represent the diversity in our industry and contribute to the energy sector process.

William Lafleur, Technology Officer of Material & Welding, and Bart Theunissen, Manager of Process Technology & Innovation, from Sif, emphasize that achieving this result was not a one-man job, but a joint effort between many different departments within Sif. They would like to thank them for their effort, continued interest, and help.

On the 29th of February 2024, during the International Energy Week, the International Energy Awards will be presented in Londen. On behalf of Sif, Bart Theunissen will be present.