Growth through Research, development & demonstration in Offshore Wind

New project: COAX

Offshore tests and measurements are coming up to collect data for predicting underwater noise for installing and extracting monopiles with a vibratory hammer.

In March, CAPE Holland, Ocean Winds, Ørsted, RWE, Shell, TNO, TU Delft, Van Oord, and Vattenfall started the GROW project called COAX to collect offshore piling data and associated data on underwater noise emission and vibrations of the seabed. The COAX project is an extension of the SIMOX project and strives to bring the vibration-driving technology to a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL).

In this project, the partners will develop an advanced near-field sound measurement system and an advanced pile instrumentation system that will be linked in the time domain, i.e. synchronous measurements of all physical quantities. At various offshore locations, measurements will be carried out; tests and noise and ground vibration measurements will be executed during pile driving. For the execution of the tests, a pile will be purchased with a representative diameter/ thickness ratio (D/ T) of 60 to 70, which will be fully instrumented. This is particularly relevant for validating driving characteristics and noise prediction models.

During the installation of offshore wind farms, noise generated during pile driving is a significant source of noise pollution. The noise can affect marine life, including whales, dolphins, and other aquatic species. It can also disturb fish migrations and breeding patterns. To mitigate the impact of noise emissions and seabed vibrations during offshore wind farm installation, measures are taken to reduce noise levels. These measures are costly. Therefore, more silent installation techniques are being developed. These new techniques will be tested and demonstrated offshore in various ongoing and future GROW projects.

Find out more about the COAX project

Find out more about the SIMOX project


            New project: COAX
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