Offshore hydrogen storage system made of UHPC concrete

Standard concrete can suffer various problems due to hydrogen, especially in special applications such as
hydrogen storage or hydrogen pipelines. The main problems are:

1. Micro-cracking due to hydrogen pressure

• Problem: hydrogen is a small molecule that can enter pores and micro-cracks in concrete. When hydrogen is under high pressure in these pores, it can expand the pores and enlarge cracks.
  
• Consequences:
  
• weakening of the mechanical strength of the concrete.
  
• Progressive damage due to cyclic loading.

Due to its very high density, UHPC has significantly fewer problems with this issue and its consequences.

 

2. Damage due to hydrogen embrittlement (indirect)

• Problem: Hydrogen does not chemically attack concrete, but it can embrittle steel reinforcement elements embedded in the concrete. This is referred to as hydrogen embrittlement.
  
• Consequences:
  
• Reduction in load-bearing capacity due to cracking and failure of the reinforcement steel.
  
• Shortening of the service life of the concrete structure.
  

Due to the very high material density, possible hydrogen embrittlement occurs after aconsiderably longer period of time and to a small extent. 

 

3. Reaction with free ions and moisture

• Problem: Hydrogen can react with moisture and chemical compounds in the concrete (e.g. calcium hydroxide), creating by-products such as water or hydroxide ions.
  
• Consequences:
  
• Alteration of the chemical composition of the concrete, which can lead to a reduction in alkalinity.
  
• Accelerated corrosion of the reinforcement due to the loss of the passivation effect.

Occurs to a much lesser extent in UHPC

4. Pore structure and permeability

• Problem: Hydrogen can easily diffuse through the pore structure of concrete due to its small molecular size, especially in porous or poorly compacted concrete.
  
• Consequences:
  
• Loss of tightness, which is critical for hydrogen storage tanks or pipes.
  
• The ingress of hydrogen causes pressure build-up and damage.

Hydrogen can only penetrate UHPC concrete very slowly and under high pressure because UHPC concrete is an extremely dense material.

5. Increased risk of a hydrogen fire

• Problem: If hydrogen escapes from the concrete (e.g. through diffusion or crack formation), there is a risk of a hydrogen fire, as hydrogen is highly flammable.
  
• Consequences:
  
• Safety risk for the surrounding area.
  
• Additional thermal stress on the concrete.

Due to its high material density and strength, the risk is only present to a very limited extent
with UHPC concrete.

Ultra-high performance concrete offers many advantages, but requires careful planning and adaptation when exposed to hydrogen, especially in demanding applications such as hydrogen storage or transport lines.

In the future more people will live one artificial islands made by UHPC concrete constructions

In the future, more and more people will be forced to live on the water in coastal and flat islands.

Most of the world's major sites can be found on the coasts of our continents. the space for enlarging the site is not infinite. The first city planners are working on designs for how cities can spread out on the water. In other parts of the world, coastal sites are so deep in relation to the ocean that if the water rises just a few centimetres, the sites are in danger. Some islands are so deep that they also have extreme problems with today's ocean levels.

The previous wooden constructions of the coastal and river delta inhabitants will no longer be sufficient.
Rising sea levels and flooding are the result of climate change.

New construction designs by architects and new construction material can help coastal residents. Likewise, the existing wooden constructions can be made more stable where possible.

WPE DK HPC and UHPC binder systems are able to use local raw materials as aggregates or reinforcement such as bamboo, coconut fibre, jute fibre, shell casing, desert sand, lawa, granite etc. Everything built from HPC and UHPC concrete with such aggregates is sustainable and can be easily reused.

WPE DK HPC and UHPC concrete is ideal as a construction material for repairs and new constructions. HPC and UHPC concrete can extremely increase the stability and service life of wooden structures both above and underwater and create a corrosion protection for steel construction. 

Artificial islands on stilts on the coast or floating
islands on the high seas can offer solutions of any size. The islands can consist entirely of UHPC concrete. UHPC concrete is absolutely seawater resistant and has enormous strength. Entire cities could emerge on such platforms. The first architectural drafts by large international architectural offices have been around for a long time. Disused oil production platforms could also be upgraded and serve as starting points for such large artificial platforms.

For more than 30 years, HPC and UHPC concrete has been used in the international offshore industry as a material for new constructions or repairs. A lifetime of several hundred years is assumed for WPE DK UHPC new
designs.

Artificial, near-natural reefs and bank protections with HPC and UHPC are also planned, whereby the bank protections adapt to nature in their design and are not ugly concrete blocks. HPC and UHPC materials are far superior to steel in many areas in the offshore industry. There are already the first plans for underwater structures made of WPE DK UHPC special qualities in the deep sea down to 3000 m /9800 ft. 

 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

 

UHPC - Construction material for floating homes, cities and sailing boats

In times when the living space in all major cities is

becoming ever more limited, architects, designers

and municipalities are discovering the living space

on the water whether it is a river or a coast. Yes, at

sea there are also plots and designs for floating

giant leisure facilities and living space.

These floating homes, hotels or leisure facilities are

designed to be sustainable and environmentally

friendly in terms of energy, water and waste

management.

Traditionally, floating homes are based on hulls of

various designs and materials as well as on existing

pontoon constructions.

Most metal or plastic hulls are used.

It has almost completely forgotten a very old and

proven technology in ship hull construction, the

Ferrocement.

Unfortunately, modern boat designers and designers

have not realized that concrete technology has

changed dramatically in the last twenty years.

UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete materials

have long replaced industry standard concrete,

plastics and metals with success.

concrete hulls. Concrete hulls had advantages in the

past but also a lot of disadvantages. Older boat

builders may remember that they have made sleek

sailing yacht and motorboat hulls out of concrete

and still some of these yachts are sailing the seas

today.

UHPC products have been used in the offshore and

many other industries for decades, under the

toughest temperature, wear and corrosion conditions.

In architecture, UHPC is used for high-strength and

extremely thin structures. UHPC is already much

more environmentally friendly in processing than

previous plastic, glass fiber and metal processing.

Houseboats can be constructed entirely from

prefabricated UHPC hull and structures. Prefabricated

elements made of UHPC can be manufactured precisely

down to a fraction of a milimeter.

The advantage during processing is

• Low to no dust
• No hazardous raw materials
• No filtering or suction systems are necessary
• No odor nuisance
• No hazardous waste

Installation methodes

• Casting
• Spraying 

Most of the time it is possible to use glassfiber or

ceramic fiber reinforcement also as a construction

structure it is possible to use glassfiber or ceramic

fiber mesh.

Here UHPC offers ship builder and ship designer new

opportunities in the future. 

The advantages of UHPC ship structures are:

 - No porosity

  - Absolutely sea water resistance 
 - Over 70% of the nominal strength is reached 
    48 hours after spraying or casting 

 - Very smooth surfaces can be achieved without complex

    grinding work 

 - Anti-fouling painting is not necessary 

 - The life time surpasses that of all other marine materials

     several times 

 - Wall thicknesses of 10 mm or more are possible

     depending on the crosstalk and load 

 - An extremely high compressive and tensile strength

    compared to standard concrete

 - Extremely corrosion resistant
 - Extremely temperature resistant
 - Easy to work with 

 - Use of fiberglass and ceramic fiber reinforcement.

 - Metallic reinforcement is not necessary

 - Any body geometry and size can be made

 - We can combine UHPC concrete with special thermic

     insulation products

 - Resistant to environmental pollution

 - High mechanical load capacity

 - Shortly we will introduce a UHPC material that is

    unsinkable. We poured a big cube without a cavity

    and it floated. We knocked out parts of the cube and

    all parts swam.

At the moment we are also testing whether it is possible

to produce complete hull and superstructure constructions

in a special 3D printing process.

 

 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC Floating platforms

The future will take place more and more on the water of the oceans, whether on the coast or in the open sea. UHPC Ultra high Performance Concrete will play a crucial role in this. The two main construction materials in the offshore sector so far are steel and concrete. However, both have significant disadvantages compared to UHPC.
On the one hand, there is resistance to salt water. Steel is very difficult to protect against corrosion and even then the construction still has to be serviced regularly and very time-consuming and expensive. Floating structures should have a lifespan of at least 100+ years in the future.
With normal concrete structures the problems are similar, if not more serious. Once extremely corrosive seawater has penetrated the steel reinforcement unnoticed, the repair effort is enormous. In addition, for this very reason, the construction must be extremely thick-walled. An anti-corrosion coating makes the entire construction additionally expensive and here too the entire construction must be checked regularly in short periods of time.
Special UHPC concretes have extremely high strength values ​​compared to normal concretes, they are waterproof after a wall thickness of a few millimeters and are absolutely salt water resistant. Some of our UHPC binders are also extremely temperature-resistant (up to max. 1200°C) and they are very good wear-resistant (resistant to wear and tear caused by moving ice floes). Due to the high strength values, structural elements can be optimized or minimized in terms of size and weight.
UHPC concrete will be the much cheaper material for the required service life.

As developers and producers of high-quality UHPC binder materials, we want to focus on three future projects:

1st project
Floating work platforms for energy generation and storage.
All the major offshore wind farm operators worldwide are currently planning not only to generate energy with wind turbines, but also to use this energy to produce hydrogen on site in the wind farm. Solar systems on the platforms should contribute to additional energy generation. The platforms can be manufactured in several standard segments and connected to form a network at sea. These platforms can be made from very lightweight UHPC. This UHPC material can be self-floating.

2nd project
Floating living and working platforms, artificial islands for the coastal area and for the open sea. Platforms
for residential buildings, hotels, schools, hospitals, office buildings and production facilities.
Please see the corresponding article below.

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: ber@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC Concrete for windturbine floating systems

UHPC Ultra High Performance concrete has over twenty years of experience in the offshore industry. It is used as a construction material and as a corrosion protection material.
For floating windturbine constructions, UHPC offers
many advantages over steel constructions and
concrete constructions.

UHPC is absolutely seawater resistant and does not corrode. Most of the extremely expensive and maintenance-intensive corrosion protection systems are no longer necessary.
UHPC achieves extremely high strength values    (max.240 MPa / 34800 psi) even without steel, fiber or ceramic reinforcement. 

UHPC can be used as a cast material, spray material and as a mortar material.
UHPC reaches approx. 70% of its maximum nomina strength after 48 hours.
UHPC is self-compacting in casting. During casting,
UHPC develops significantly less heat than standard concrete. Problems like corrosion in weld seams do  not exist with UHPC.

A corrosion protection coating of the UHPC construction is not necessary.  

Due to the high strength values, the entire construction can be optimized for the required wall thickness and thus weight. There is also the option of using low weight UHPC. These UHPC are half the density of our standard construction UHPC. There is also a UHPC that swims with a density below 1. UHPC concrete can be manufactured and mixed locally on site. Costly transports can be omitted. For assembly stations in Arab, African and Indian countries, we could offer a binder that can be manufactured and mixed with desert sand. This would eliminate the need for additional, costly transports.

 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC Gravity Platforms

The construction of gravity platforms is not a new technology. There are already several concrete gravity
platforms in use nearshore. They are designed and manufactured like a barge. Oil and gas processing plants including storage facilities are installed on them.

Compared to standard concrete platforms, gravity platforms made of UHPC concrete are more durable,
much more resistant and almost maintenance-free.
UHPC offshore structures have been around for over 20 years. UHPC Offshore concretes are absolut salt water resistant. In the meantime, UHPC offshore structures are beginning to replace the outdated offshore steel structures. Offshore steel structures are also stabilised with UHPC concrete or the statics of the structure are improved. UHPC structures are also very resistant to ice floes.

Thanks to mobile production facilities, all our UHPC materials can be manufactured and processed on site. There is definitely the possibility to use local raw materials in the local binder production.

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

Living and working on water and under water with UHPC as construction material

Since than 30 years, UHPC Ultra High
Performance Concrete has been used
worldwide in the offshore sector as
a foundation, repair and construction material.
In offshore wind power technology, UHPC
is used as a floating foundation construction.

Deep sea constructions with UHPC have
also been successfully tested down to a
depth of 3500 m / 11480ft. Together with a  
German university, we tested dome 
constructions with different concrete 
qualities and UHPC. Only UHPC was able 
to withstand the enormous water pressure.

Likewise, energy storage systems for

offshore wind turbines are currently being
developed, which consist of hollow concrete
balls measuring over 30 m in diameter,
which are sunk to a depth of 300 m. These
energy storage systems would also be ideal
for supplying energy to floating cities.

Living and working on water and under water
can be realized sustainably and without an
problems with UHPC Ultra High Performance
Concrete materials.

The first serious projects are already planned
and are about to be realized. International
architect groups are already working on
self-sufficient cities above and under water.
UHPC is an important building construction
material for the designs, which are designed for
extreme longevity with very little to no
maintenance.

The advantages are

• Absolute seawater resistance
• Extreme corrosion resistance
• Extreme compressive strength
• Extreme tensile strengths
• Almost any design geometry can be made
• Material combinations of all kinds are easily possible
• Installation methode same as standard concrete

UHPC - a material for many applications in onshore and offshore wind energy production

UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete has been used for many years in offshore wind

and onshore wind energy production.

We produce our UHPC for these applications. The new grades UHPC are currently being tested and will be available to the market later this year.

Monopile wind turbine designs are still the most widely used standard foundation design in many coastal areas. Jackets -, Gravity base -, Tripods - and Tri-piles systems are also used depending on requirements and needs.

UHPC grouting is used in all foundation techniques.

Monopiles

UHPC grouting material is used for the connection between monopile and transition pieces.

We estimate that more than 2000 monopiles worldwide have been installed with UHPC grouting and transitions pieces.

At the moment we are working on the 4th generation of grouting material. In addition to the technical improvements, the fulfillment of a wide variety of environmental requirements is the prime objective of the development.

Benefits of using UHPC grouting material for the transition piece

• Extremely high strength
• Very good fatigue properties
• Minimal shrinkage
• Extreme bond between UHPC grouting material and steel
• Fast setting development
• Very high inner cohesion
• No mixing with sea water
• Absolutly seawater resistant
• Very low hydration heat
• No corrosion

Tripile

A Tripile foundation consists of three steel piles driven into the seabed after which a three-legged transition piece structure is slid into the three piles. The overlaps between piles and transition piece are grouted with UHPC concrete.

The UHPC concrete connections evenly distribute the forces from the three-legged transition piece to the piles

Tripod

A Tripod support structure/foundation is secured in place by driving three piles into the seabed through a sleeve in each of the three corners.

UHPC concrete is pumped into the annuli between pile and sleeve to ensure a strong and durable connection.

Jacket

Jacket foundations are secured to the seabed by four piles placed in a sleeve in each corner and driven into the seabed. Jackets are generally considered to be better than monopiles for seabeds where the substrate is poor or deeper water. So here UHPC grouting can be used in the "transition piece" and in the lower foundation.

Gravity foundations

Are well suited for rocky sea beds. The complete foundation system can be manufactured on land and then pulled into position with a ship and then sunk. Depending on the design, the entire foundation piece can be made from UHPC. UHPC will be perfect for slip casting the entire foundation.

                                                       
After the use of UHPC grout in offshore wind energy generation, the experience gained in onshore wind energy production has also been exploited.

Steel Tower

So far, steel towers in cylindrical or conical segment construction have been the state of the art.

Depending on the required hub height, up to five segments were mounted on top of each other. With the new tower heights, the segment diameters are getting bigger and bigger and the road transport between production and the site is becoming an ever greater problem.

Concrete Tower

More and more, as an alternative to steel towers, concrete towers are also produced and assembled in cylindrical, conical or polygonal segments. A disadvantage compared to the steel towers is the high wall thickness, which makes larger foundations necessary

The advantage is

• Favorable vibration characteristics, which leads to reduced noise emissions.
• Long life expectancy
• An ideal solution for high tower high and large rotor diameter
• Transport cost savings due to possible on-site manufacture
• The use of special UHPC concrete grades can lead to slender constructions and thus rougher component weight.
• Lower component weight can also make the foundation dimensioning more favorable, which can lead to cost reduction. The material experiences in the offshore transitionpiece technology can also be of advantage when using UHPC grout in the imbed ring assembly (connection tower / foundation).
• Since UHPC concrete of high quality have virtually no pore formation, they are extremely resistant to corrosion.
• There are little or no maintenance costs.
• The individual segments can be transported more cheaply than is possible with the steel segments.
• On-site fabrication is the use of slipforming is another option including the use of local concrete raw materials for the production of high-quality UHPCs.
• Furthermore, it is possible to produce extremely exact segments with UHPC grout material, which requires no or very little post-processing of the segment abutment surfaces.
• Our UHPC materials reach at least 70% of their rated strength in less than 48 hours, which can lead to lower manufacturing costs for segment production and delivery times can be drastically reduced.

Hybrid towers

This type of tower construction is a combination of concrete (lower part) and steel construction (upper part). IT combines most of the advantages of steel tower and accentuated tower technology. Here, too, the use of UHPC can lead to additional benefits and savings in terms of material and financial resources.
A segment construction or on-site casting by slipforming are possible. This reduces the costs of transport and reduces the foundation geometries.

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

                                                        

UHPC Applications for the Offshore Windmill Technology

Monopiles

75% of the capacity installed or under construction offshore is based on the monopile concept UHPC concrete.
Whereby transition pieces are grouted to piles by applying a monopile foundation consists of a steel pile driven into the seabed and a transition piece slid onto or into the pile. After adjustment of the verticality of the transition piece, the space between pile and transition piece is grouted with UHPC concrete which is mixed and pumped through flexible hoses into the annulus.

Tripile

A Tripile foundation consists of three steel piles driven into the seabed after which a three-legged transition piece structure is slid into the three piles. The overlaps between piles and transition piece are grouted with UHPC concrete.
The UHPC concrete connections evenly distribute the forces from the three-legged transition piece to the piles.

Tripod

A Tripod support structure/foundation is secured in place by driving three piles into the seabed through a sleeve in each of the three corners.
UHPC concrete is pumped into the annuli between pile and sleeve to ensure a strong and durable connection.

Jacket

Jacket foundations are secured to the seabed by four piles placed in a sleeve in each corner and driven into the seabed.
A strong, cost-effective connection between pile and jacket substructure is ensured using UHPC concrete.

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC concrete as structural construction and corrosion protection material in Offshore projects

UHPC concrete is through its properties, such as
high E-modulus, high strength, and low
permeability excellent for rehabilitation,
protection and strengthening of offshore structures.

The splash zone is without doubt one of the more
aggressive environment for wood, concrete and/or
steel. Here you have the movement of the water
inducing wear on the structures, high level of
 oxygen inducing a perfect corrosive environment.
In salt water chlorides are present all over but
combined with good access of oxygenthis zone is
where the problem is.
 In icy regions ice sliding by
a structure will tear and wear the structure. UHPC
is here an ideal protection layer.


Splash zone protection is in general made on pillars
standing in water, and is made by creating a mold
around the pillar and cast the UHPC into the
mold.
When the UHPC has set the mold can be removed.

In case of wood pillars wood will usually rot over
time, leading to insufficient load bearing capacity of
the pillars. A mold can be placed around the pillar
and a UHPC pillar is created by casting.



Oil and gas platforms

When oil is pumped out of the ground the buttom

of the ocean will sink, which means that the
platform itself will sink slowly. As the ocean will
cover more and more of the legs of the platform
the wave forces influencing the platform will
increase over time. Eventually the strength of the
platform is not high enough to sustain heavy
storms.
 The strengthening of the platform is done
by filling the legs or part thereof with UHPC. This
will stiffen the structure and increase the strength
of this. By special engineering it is possible only
to fill part of legs, ie areas of the connections of
the steel.


Harbour fronts


Harbour fronts, piers and jetties are usually
subjected to splash zone issues a long with the
occasional impact by ships.
Splash zone issues being hammered with ice
and debris and of course the corrosion from salt,
water and oxygen.
 UHPC has the necessary
strength and impact resistance to withstand these
forces and the impermeability of the UHPC
prevents chlorides, water and oxygen in
penetration the protection layer which makes
corrosion impossible.



 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com