Motion Compensated Pile Grippers

Monopile grippers are used to hold a monopile upright during the placement and installation of monopiles on the seabed. A set of hydraulic cylinders is used to keep the monopile centred within the gripper ring. Rollers at the end of the cylinders are used to guide the monopile as it is hammered down into the seabed.

A customer wanted to know if it was possible to keep a small clearance between the rollers and the monopile. What would be the impact force on the rollers and cylinders? We created a 3D simulation model of the gripper, cylinders and rollers. In the video you can see a view from above, showing the wave induced movement of the monopile.

This detailed study was part of a larger study into the complete operation of monopile placement from a single hull crane vessel. For more information, click on the button below.