March 12 - High Wind has launched its Boom Lock system, which facilitates the safe installation of wind turbine components in winds of up to 15 m/s.
The first Boom Lock was completed in January 2015, before being installed on GeoSea's jack-up platform Neptune and undertaking final performance trials.
During tests in stormy conditions at the REBO site in the Belgian port of Ostend, the Boom Lock outperformed the design specifications by keeping a 6 MW wind turbine blade steady in gusts of up to 20 m/s.
Following the successful trials, GeoSea will use the Boom Lock in future wind turbine installation and maintenance projects, said High Wind.
The Boom Lock is a system that is mounted on an offshore crane, and is designed to control the movement of the crane hook and payload in such a way that installation time can be drastically reduced.
More importantly, said High Wind, the use of the Boom Lock will increase safety during the installation of wind turbines as the uncontrolled movements of the heavy payloads in windy conditions will be dramatically reduced.
Although initially developed specifically for the offshore wind installation and maintenance market, other critical lifting operations could also benefit from the increased safety and uptime guaranteed by the Boom Lock, said High Wind.
