PULSE®

What is PULSE? Add-on to the standard hammer PULSE® is an innovative add-on to the Hydrohammer®, designed to enhance noise mitigation during offshore monopile installations. It consists of two pistons in a housing with a column of fluid in between. This fluid-filled volume allows PULSE to control impact characteristics, reducing noise at the source and protecting marine life.

Why PULSE? Energy efficient and adaptable Due to its placement, PULSE can easily be combined with other underwater noise mitigating measures. One such is IQIP’s Integrated Monopile Installer, which directly mitigates noise by shielding the pile with a double-walled steel tube into which a bubble curtain can be fed. In most cases, the combination of those two systems would eliminate the need for a Big Bubble Curtain (BBC). Secure installation The liquid between the pistons can be drained to transform the system into a conventional Hydrohammer. A PULSE system without any liquid in the volume between the top and bottom piston corresponds to PULSE in zero-mode while the maximum mode features a fully filled liquid volume. This means the system eliminates the need for the safety margins a pre-set system would necessitate; instead, it can adjust to ensure maximum noise reduction and optimum drivability of the pile in different locations and soil strengths.

To date, the IQIP PULSE system has been deployed on 74 monopiles in various offshore wind installation projects. PULSE has proven effective in offshore wind projects such as Arcadis Ost 1, where soil conditions were particularly challenging. IQIP is developing PULSE for all hammer sizes in Offshore Wind, Oil & Gas and Coastal & Civil markets. Modelling and results of applications are available for optional combination of PULSE and other mitigation techniques tailored for specific project conditions