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CONSTRUCTION EUROPE
SEPTEMBER 2013
FOUNDATIONS
Underwater innovation prize
Bauer was awarded the Bauma Innovation Prize in the construction process category for a
new underwater drilling rig to be used on tidal turbines off the coast of Scotland.
The underwater rig demonstrated that monopile foundations for a tidal engine turbine
could be installed in the seabed, even into the hardest rock. It was designed for situations
where jack-up platforms and drill ships cannot be used because of the depth of the water
or strong currents.
The rig was lowered to the sea bed from a special ship. Only during the period of relative
tidal calm was it possible to lower the key components of the rig, including the drilling
template with casing oscillator, guide casing and drilling tool.
The drilling was carried out using a roller bit. The cuttings were transported to the surface
by an air-lift system, and torque was provided by a BG 28 rotary drive. At a depth of around
37m under water, the 23m long, 2m diameter mono-pile was compacted in an 11m deep
rock socket. The pile is now capable of supporting a 1MW turbine.
Bauer engineer Paull Scheller received the Bauma Innovation award fromMartin Zeil,
Bavarian Minister of Economics (left) and Frank Dupré, vice-president of the German
Construction Confederation (right)
Insta
High Performance
Foundation Equipment
RIC (RAPID IMPACT COMPACTION)
BSP RIC is a dynamic compaction
technique that impacts the ground at a rate
of 40 to 60 times per minute using 5, 7, 9,
12 or 16t dropweights. Ideal for low cost
foundations in granular soils.
HYDRAULIC PILING HAMMERS
Provide an economical and versatile
solution for the installation of all types of
steel or concrete piles in either land or
marine environments. Ram weights
from 1.5t to 60t. Impact energy from
20 kNm to 900 kNm.
BSP INTERNATIONAL
FOUNDATIONS LTD
Claydon Business Park,
Gt Blakenham, Ipswich
Suffolk, UK, IP6 0NL
Tel: +44 (0) 1473 830431
Fax: +44 (0) 1473 832019
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