Selected solution provider(s) may have the opportunity to present their solution to industry at the G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation Board meeting in September 2024. It is also possible that further activities may be undertaken by members of the G+, such as product trials. This is not guaranteed and will be solely at the discretion of G+ members.

The G+ Organisation
G+ is the global health and safety organisation for the offshore wind industry, bringing together the World&rsquo;s major offshore wind farm operators and wind turbine manufacturers to pursue shared goals and outcomes. It is run in partnership with the Energy Institute, which provides the secretariat and supports its work.
The G+ has four main work areas:
<ul>
<li>Incident data reporting</li>
<li>Good practice guidance</li>
<li>Safe by Design workshops</li>
<li>Learning from incidents.</li>
</ul>
Offshore Wind Farm Installation&nbsp;
The UK is a global leader in offshore wind with around 14 Gigawatts of operational offshore wind farms in UK waters.&nbsp; All offshore wind farms require significant infrastructure for installation processes to be complete. There is high demand for large vessels, human resource, and tooling to enable manoeuvre and installation of large components. The costs associated with offshore wind farm installation are high, with jack up vessel chart rates costing up to &pound;250k per day. Any delays during installation can cause large budget overruns. Equally, any efficiencies gained in the installation process can create large savings for an offshore wind farm developer.
Figure 1: <a href="https://www.dnv.com/expert-story/maritime-impact/Fresh-breeze-for-offshore-wind-farms/">Offshore wind farm installation in progress</a>&nbsp;

Background

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The lift and manual handling challenge
Installation technicians manually lift and mount M48 and M72 bolts during offshore wind turbine assembly and it is a major cause of manual handling incidents. The installation often requires all parts to be carried from the point of access in the turbine through challenging pathways to the point of use. Pathways can include short ladders to pass over rotating objects.
Manual handling is a critical safety issue in offshore wind. Full details of recent surveys undertaken by industry can be found on page 19 of this <a href="https://www.gplusoffshorewind.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/937282/G-2021-incident-data-report.pdf">report</a>.
Tensioning or torquing is completed using a heavy powered device, which is also a potential cause of manual handling incidents. This <a href="https://www.gplusoffshorewind.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/671398/G-SbD-REPORT_Hydraulic-Torqueing-Tensioningjk.pdf%20">report</a> provides a good overview of hydraulic torquing and tensioning systems used in offshore wind.

The Challenge

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Figure 2: Single person installation and operation system for heavy tower stud/bolt tension and torque tools (Source: Siemens Gamesa)
The main joints that require offshore bolt procedures during installation are the blade to rotor hub fixing and tower to tower or tower to foundation joints. Each joint could have ~150 bolts that require fitting. The Challenge holder is looking for solutions to make the task easier or to reduce the risk of technicians having manual handling incidents while carrying or installing components. The size of the bolts can make them difficult to hold and rotate, which is required prior to starting the tooling for tightening.
Whilst not limiting the technologies from solution providers, it is expected that applicants would consider innovations from some of the following areas:
<ul>
<li>Lifting and manual handling</li>
<li>Self-lifting and heavy-lifting technology</li>
<li>Robotics and mechatronics</li>
<li>Bio-enhancements or exoskeletal suits</li>
<li>Naval architecture</li>
<li>Aerospace engineering and manufacturing</li>
<li>Heavy engineering and manufacturing</li>
<li>Smart autonomous systems</li>
<li>High accuracy positioning systems</li>
<li>Large air carriers</li>
<li>Existing offshore wind farm O&amp;M industry (new ideas)</li>
<li>Collaborations between service and technology providers</li>
</ul>
To meet the desired timescale and risks, it is preferred that the proposed solution, or the key part(s) of the solution, has been commercially proven in other sectors. As a guideline, solutions should be TRL 5+ or deployable for field tests within one years of competition closure.
Representatives G+ and its member organisations, including turbine manufacturers (and their installation teams) Siemens Games and Vestas, will be involved in the review of submissions to this competition. G+ will give successful applicants the opportunity to present to their member organisations from across both the offshore wind and broader maritime workboat industries, in both the UK and broader global markets.

A manual handling solution should:
<ul>
<li>Help remove the burden of weight on the technician or make their ability to move the bolt into position much easier.</li>
<li>Be ready for use in offshore in remote location.</li>
<li>Not negatively impact a technician&rsquo;s freedom of movement.</li>
<li>Be affordable, meeting the needs of the highly cost constrained offshore wind industry.</li>
<li>Align with the current practice of loading tower sections onto the deck of a ship, where bolts are replenished</li>
<li>Be able to cope with approximately 110 bolts per blade (3 blades per turbine) and 150 bolts per tower section (2 joints per turbine).</li>
<li>Be able to support fixing of bolts in a 360 degree arc around the technician (above, below and to the side.</li>
</ul>
All solutions must align to offshore and marine operational, health and safety statutory standards. G+ Provide a good practice guide for working in this environment.
The initial market for these solutions is the UK and as such, the HSE will likely need to have assessed the approach (or something similar to the final solution) before commercial deployment and must be shown some confidence in its potential future certification. G+ will be supportive of successful solutions and may offer help to the company to navigate standards and safety in the UK industry.

Functional Requirements

A manual handling solution for bolt fitting should:
<ul>
<li>Be capable of supporting a technician to lift or remove the need for a technician to lift: - Equipment with a mass of up to 25Kg. - Bolts up to 450mm in length and 13-15kg in mass (M72 bolt) - Bolts or bolt equipment above, below or to the side of the technician (fitting of blade to hub would require the circumference of the joint to be perpendicular to the technician, rather than a tower-to-tower flange which would be lateral).</li>
</ul>

Technical Requirements

The solution should:
<ul>
<li>Be operated safely and reliably in offshore conditions of: - Up to 12m/s wind speeds - 1-2m wave heights - ambient temperatures of -10&deg;C to +40&deg;C</li>
<li>Maintain safe clearances from the turbine structure during the lift in dynamic operational conditions.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Operating Conditions

The solution must not include the use of Davit cranes.
Figure 3 and 4 show attempts made by Siemens Gamesa to implement the following solutions. While that presented in figure 4 had not yet been trialled at sea, the solution in figure 3 was not successful in mitigating the challenge. Applicants that make a significant improvement to these would be considered but identical solutions to those presented below will not be taken to the presentation stage in the competition. System trialled by Siemens Gamesa:
<ol>
<li>System enabling the mounting of tower sections in pre-assembly without manually handling heavy tower studs/bolt</li>
<li>Single person operation system for heavy tower stud/bolt tension and torque tools</li>
<li>Lifting aids and safety devises designed for installing heavy bolt assemblies off-shore prior to lifting tower to foundation</li>
</ol>

Out of Scope

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972c16d2-2bb2-4dc3-bfb7-428554ad35e6/oREpic6.png

Figure 3: System enabling the mounting of tower sections in pre-assembly without manually handling heavy tower studs/bolt (Source: Siemens Gamesa)
System designed but not yet trialled by Siemens Gamesa New method of installing studs prior to tower loadout thereby increasing room to work is under development
<ol>
<li>Introduction of new easier to use and more agile crane type for lifting heavy studs is being implemented</li>
<li>New system to reduce manual handling of Nut-runner + torque tool in nacelle joint&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

54446fa3-25ce-4f77-9669-6c24b9c459a8/OREPIC12.png

Figure 4: New significant more flexible type bolt-crane (Source: Siemens Gamesa)
Neither of these solutions are core business of Siemens Gamesa and the company does not seek to establish IP in the bolt fitting solutions. This challenge is industry wide and an industry wide solution that all market participants can use is required.

Selected solution provider(s) will have the opportunity to present their solution to industry. It is also possible that further activities may be undertaken by members of the G+, including product trials, although this is not guaranteed.
The solution has potential to be deployed across offshore wind farm sites in development, globally.
The benefits package for a successful applicant may also include:
<ul>
<li>Support from Innovate UK Business Connect</li>
<li>Technical support</li>
<li>Invitation to attend or present at Innovate UK Business Connect events</li>
<li>A potential business collaboration</li>
<li>Investor introductions (if investment is required)</li>
<li>Support if any Innovate UK or similar competitions are relevant.</li>
</ul>

Rewards & Market Opportunity

<ul>
<li>Launch of the Competition: 20th May 2024</li>
<li>Deadline for applications: 31st July 2024</li>
<li>Selection and notification of finalists: 16th August 2024</li>
<li>Potential presentation at G+ Board meeting: 26th September 2024</li>
</ul>
Solutions should be:
<ul>
<li>Fully deployable for prototype testing within 12 months of competition win.</li>
<li>Full commercial deployment within 18 months (there are operational sites that a solution could start work on immediately if the solution is already commercially available).</li>
</ul>

Timescales

Entrants to this competition must be:
<ul>
<li>Established businesses, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs, or individual entrepreneurs</li>
<li>UK based or have the intention to set up a UK base</li>
</ul>
Applications will be assessed on:
<ul>
<li>Relevance to the defined challenge</li>
<li>Benefit of implementation</li>
<li>Feasibility/economic viability</li>
<li>Innovative nature</li>
<li>Ability to launch in line with expected timescales</li>
<li>Credibility of applicant company</li>
<li>Coherence of the proposed business model</li>
<li>Development potential</li>
<li>Maturity of the solution</li>
<li>Suitability for the intended geographic market</li>
</ul>

Eligibility & Assessment Criteria

<ul>
<li>Existing background IP associated with a potential solution will remain with Solution Provider(s). Where any new IP generation is envisaged, it will be subject to the mutual IP agreement of the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger.</li>
<li>Any commercial deployment of transferred solution or newly developed solution, through licensing, joint venture, partnership or direct investment, will be subject to the commercial agreement between the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger.</li>
<li>Where necessary, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) may be signed to uphold confidentiality in the engagement between the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger.</li>
<li>Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect do not take any share of IP ownership or enter into commercial venture through the iX programme.</li>
</ul>

IP & Potential Commercial Route

A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application. The panel of assessors will meet and agree a consensus score. Successful solutions will be selected by the Challenge holder. Success will be based upon total consensus scores, a portfolio approach and capacity within the challenge holders to carry out the projects.

Terms & Conditions

<ul>
<li>The application form for this challenge will require applicants to provide company information and answer 3 questions - Idea Summary, Technology Readiness and Intellectual Property &ndash; each with a limit of 300 words.</li>
<li>Optionally, supporting documents can be attached to the application. We recommend that supporting documents are limited to those which are directly relevant to the application. Please note that applications with no supporting document will not receive any penalty in assessment. Supporting documents which the Assessment Panel deems to be superfluous may be disregarded. Examples of useful additional documents include product images or short specification sheets, slide decks detailing the solution and/or company background, or solution case studies.</li>
<li>We recommend that you complete the application form in Google Chrome as other browsers may have compatibility issues. The application form does not need to be completed in one session and can be saved for future edits. Please ensure that you toggle &ldquo;Stage Complete&rdquo; for each section before submission. Note that you will no longer be able to edit your application once you have clicked &ldquo;Submit Idea&rdquo; at the bottom of the Summary page.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Avoiding Injury due to Manual Handling during Bolt Installation

Opportunity

Challenge opens

Challenge closes

Benefit

Background

This challenge is brought to you by:

Avoiding Injury due to Manual Handling during Bolt InstallationCopy Link

Opportunity

Challenge opens

Challenge closes

Benefit

Background

This challenge is brought to you by:

Avoiding Injury due to Manual Handling during Bolt Installation