The flanged foundation jacket lifting tool can be operated remotely to engage with the underside of an offshore wind turbine foundation jacket flange. It negates the need for human intervention increasing the safety and speed of jacket installation during windfarm construction.

Click here to download the Flanged Jacket Foundation Lifting Tool brochure.

Benefits include;

• The tool design and operation should not require modification to the jacket design
• Capable of lifting a 1000t jacket
• The design also aims to minimise the height and weight of the tool to maximise operational flexibility with regards to hook height
• The Houlder design concept for this equipment allows for the remote engagement and disengagement of the tool
• The requirement for personnel working at height to install the tool prior to lifting is removed

A high level specification is described below;

• The jacket foundation lifting tool engages with the underside of the jacket
• The total weight, including rigging, is estimated at 25t
• Ensures that the jacket is not overstressed for any temporary load cases throughout its operation (i.e.
  engagement, lifting etc.) – this is to be confirmed via FEA modelling of any lifting processes
• Provides the remote operator with confirmation that the tool is engaged and that the lifting operation is safe to commence
• Tool will use 2 mounted cameras to enable the operator to position the lifting tool into the jacket flange
• Tool will include 2 pad eyes to allow tugger lines to be attached for positioning and steering
• Designed such that it is inherently safe inasmuch as power can be safely terminated from the tool if the load is lost or whilst there is load born by the tool
• Has an integrated power supply and contains a secondary means of operation should the primary
  controls and or power system fail
• Provides sufficient protection on areas that physically interface with the jacket such that the tool will not cause any form of damage which may affect the performance of the jacket

The foundation jacket lifting tool includes Houlder’s patent pending latch design which uses a ‘piano finger’ like configuration to distribute the loads into the flange with greater space and weight efficiency. Rather than with a single beam, where the load will concentrate at the end of the its stiffest axis, a piano finger like latch transfers the load evenly across multiple beams, resulting in better load distribution into the flange