courtesy Dock90/Principle Power
Dyneema®: powerful support for the offshore industry
Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™, is the premium ingredient brand for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. From offshore wind farms to the world’s highest mountains, this ultra-strong, ultra-light material is with you when it matters, performing in critical applications, protecting millions of people worldwide, and enabling industry to work smarter. Dyneema® fiber offers unmatched levels of tensile strength, durability, abrasion resistance, cut resistance, and energy absorption, making it ideal for applications across a wide range of industries, including the offshore sector.
As this industry continues to grow, we work closely alongside innovators and engineers to co-create game-changing solutions, with innovation, collaboration, and sustainability at the heart of everything we do.
Offshore wind farms represent a growing share of global electricity generation. Thanks to the unrivaled performance of Dyneema® fiber in offshore wind applications, we support the industry in addressing its biggest challenges and help create a more sustainable future.
Our focus on offshore wind speaks to our longstanding approach to sustainability and circularity. Recent advancements such as bio-based Dyneema® fiber have helped embed more sustainable ways of working across multiple industries. The world’s first-ever bio-based high-modulus polyethylene (HMPE) fiber is based on renewable feedstock and has a carbon footprint that is 90% lower than generic HMPE. It offers customers a sustainable solution without compromising product performance.
Dyneema® in offshore applications
Offshore applications for Dyneema® fiber include mooring ropes, slings, turret pull-in ropes, stinger ropes, anchor retrieval lines, and riser tensioning ropes. Dyneema® DM20 fiber and Dyneema® SK78 fiber can be found in the most demanding floating offshore wind applications, including mooring lines, keel lines and slings and chains for lifting and lashing.
Here, we look at three primary benefits of Dyneema® fiber for offshore applications.
- Ease of handling
In scenarios such as ultra-deep moorings, lines made from conventional steel wire become too heavy or bulky and difficult to handle. With Dyneema®, we offer a solution to this problem: our fiber is 15 times stronger than steel at the same weight and up to 40% stronger than aramids.
The benefits for workers are clear: smooth, lightweight lines accelerate job completion and significantly reduce back strain, as well as lowering the risk of injuries from steel-wire “fishhooks.” Dyneema® fiber also helps protect boats and equipment through reduced abrasion.
- Increased efficiency
As well as being safer for crews, the low weight and improved maneuverability of Dyneema® fiber also drive efficiency, by allowing the use of smaller vessels and lowering handling times. On larger projects, the overall efficiency gains can be significant, particularly when it comes to complex offshore wind developments.
Furthermore, ropes made with Dyneema® outperform traditional ropes in terms of tension and bending fatigue. They have minimal elongation for greater precision in the placement of equipment or pipes. The fiber is resistant to most chemicals, has good UV resistance, is not affected by salt, and does not absorb water. The resulting durability and longevity of Dyneema®-based ropes and lines mean fewer repairs and replacements, reducing costs for operators and optimizing resource efficiency.
- Engineering support
Through our expert engineering support, we are also able to review the functional requirements of projects and make recommendations to optimize system design with minimal material use.
Targeting continuous progress
Thanks to these key benefits, Dyneema® is well positioned to support the growing ambitions of the offshore wind industry, including the development of next-generation FOWT projects. For these large, multi-gigawatt floating wind farms, engineers can reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by leveraging the unique benefits of high-performance tendons or ropes made with Dyneema®.
Supported by our partnerships with leading rope manufacturers, we are continuously working toward improvements and application developments for the offshore wind industry, supported by our well-equipped testing facilities for Dyneema®. We keep up a close dialogue with institutes, customers, and end users on ways to make our solutions even better for all our stakeholders.
Are you looking for a solution of offshore wind project with Dyneema® fiber, please get in touch with our experts and let us know how we can help you. Connect to an expert | Dyneema