Overall, the yoke is said to reduce installation time by about 50 minutes per turbine.
A recent hydraulic lifting yoke from Danish company Fyns Kran Udstyr (FKU) has been tested in the world’s largest offshore wind farm, London Array. The company says the yoke makes handing offshore turbine foundations faster, cheaper and more secure.
Typically, it can take up to an hour to prepare to lift the 370-ton foundation parts, also known as Transition Pieces or TP’s, from dock to vessel and vessel to offshore structures. With the hydraulic yoke, the TP is ready to lift within 10 minutes with only one employee needed to handle and adjust the TP.
The yoke is hoisted onto the flange on the top of the TP. The hydraulic system then secures the yoke to the flange and the TP is ready to lift. During the lift, the hydraulic yoke adjusts the TP near to the center of gravity. At this point the TP is level so the risk of tilting when the TP is placed onto the vessel is minimal. The same safety remains at sea, where it is even harder to handle the enormous foundations.
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