EQ-Piling is making waves in the maritime industry as the next generation of “at the source” noise mitigation technology. By tapping into decades of expertise with conventional impact hammers and near-field noise reduction techniques, this innovative method aims to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in offshore construction: noise pollution.
So, how does EQ-Piling work? At its core, it uses a massive water tank as a drop weight—imagine a container filled with up to seventeen hundred tons of seawater. This tank is hoisted up by hydraulic cylinders and then released from a predetermined height. When it falls, the tank lands on buffer cylinders, which absorb the impact and transfer the force to the pile. The catch? The impact is stretched out over a longer period—about 15 to 20 times longer than with traditional piling methods. This longer impact time ensures a smoother transfer of energy to the monopile and drastically cuts down on noise levels.
The benefits of this approach are twofold: reduced noise and lower costs. EQ-Piling ensures the safety of marine life by meeting environmental regulations without requiring additional noise mitigation measures. Thanks to advanced simulations using finite element modeling, the technology has shown a marked reduction in both sound exposure levels and sound pressure levels compared to conventional hammers.
Moreover, EQ-Piling offers significant advantages when it comes to construction. For starters, pile fatigue is reduced by up to 90%, which is a game-changer for pre-installing secondary steel fixings. Because the technology doesn’t rely heavily on external noise mitigation measures, it brings down the overall cost of foundation and installation projects. It also reduces risks like project delays, cuts down CO2 emissions, and lowers energy consumption by minimizing the need for vessel use. There’s even potential for optimizing monopile wall thickness, leading to further cost savings.
But EQ-Piling isn’t just about cutting costs; it’s also about flexibility and adaptability. It can handle larger monopile diameters and weights, which is especially useful in tricky soil conditions where traditional noise mitigation methods fall short. This versatility ensures compliance with underwater noise regulations across various environments, making EQ-Piling an attractive option for projects of all sizes.
In an industry where innovation often moves at a glacial pace, EQ-Piling stands out as a fresh approach to a longstanding problem. It marries environmental responsibility with economic efficiency, providing a viable path forward for sustainable offshore construction. And as regulations around underwater noise continue to tighten, technologies like EQ-Piling could become the new standard for the industry.
