It is the future that has been invested in at Dynamica Ropes, and according to the company, it belongs to floating offshore wind. It is a market where new designs are being tested. Some of the prevailing ones right now are “semi-submersible”, “tension leg platform”, and “TetraSpar” as Danish Henrik Stiesdal is known for. Regardless of which design will win in the future within floating wind, Dynamica Ropes is convinced that ropes made of Dyneema fibers will be used in large quantities. That is why the company has invested massively in the facilities in Taulov.
- We have invested 25 million DKK in the largest braiding machine in Denmark and the buildings in which it is located. The hall here, where the braiding machine is located, is built at double the height of the normal 12 meters. It is a major investment for us, emphasizes Jørgen Sørensen, who is CEO and owner of Dynamica Ropes and is supplemented by one of his employees.
- Offshore moorings and floating structures for offshore wind farms are the reason we have made this investment, says sales manager Kate Christensen.
- The braiding machine is one of six in the world of that size, and the only one in Denmark, and it will probably continue to be so. We will produce for our local markets mostly around the North Sea such as Scotland, England, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium in addition to the Baltic Sea, says Jørgen Sørensen.
Inquiries from near and far
What floating offshore wind will mean for Dynamica Ropes may be difficult to say exactly yet. However, it is not small amounts of rope that are used. The company has already supplied ropes for Stiesdal's "TetraSpar" - which is now being tested off Stavanger.
- "TetraSpar" is built with a 3.6 MW wind turbine. For it, 1500 meters of rope were used for keellines to hold the keel and 300 meters of winchlines. So even more rope will be used in the future just for a floating offshore wind turbine, when it becomes a 20 MW turbine. You can't just multiply, but significantly more will have to be used, explains Rasmus Hovgaard, an engineer at Dynamica Ropes.
And the company clearly feels the interest in ropes for floating offshore wind.
- We are asked by many people. We can see that the investments are here now from the oil and energy companies throughout the EU and especially from Norway, where there is state support for the development of floating wind turbines, says Kate Christensen.
There is a special reason why floating offshore turbines are interesting in Norway.
- The water depth quickly becomes very deep in Norway. That is why it makes sense here, where monopiles cannot be used due to the depth of the sea, says Rasmus Hovgaard.
The engineer is also pleased with the development in the area of floating wind right now.
- Everyone is trying different concepts right now, and it is an incredibly exciting time, he says.
Steel or Dyneema
Ropework in Dyneema or DM20 as it is also called, often replaces steel. Although Dynamica Ropes produces the rope in Dyneema, there is honesty in the fact that it is the application that determines which solution is the best.
- For some things steel is better. It depends on what the rope or steel chain is to be used for. Dyneema behaves like steel, it can only withstand more in the same size. This makes it easier to handle on installation ships, because steel weighs seven to eight times as much, explains Kate Christesen.
- Steel is typically good where weight is important, while producing and disposing of Dyneema emits less CO2 than steel, adds Rasmus Hovgaard about a parameter that is becoming increasingly important.
First order for the braiding machine has been received.
Although it is expected that the new braiding machine will supply floating offshore wind turbines with ropes, the first order will go somewhere else.
- We received the first order last week, and it is for ropes for a hotel in the oil and gas industry, a so-called flotel, as it is called, says Kate Christensen about the order to Norway.
The large braiding machine has so far only been used for tests and more.
- It takes time to put such a braiding machine into use, so we have waited to take orders until we had everything in place, explains Jørgen Sørensen.
These are very large dimensions, and therefore no mistakes must be made, so that the raw materials go to waste. Overall, Dynamica Ropes is lucky that a good number of customers contact us themselves.
- We have a new website, and we actually experience that customers find us themselves via our website, says company owner Jørgen Sørensen, although he emphasizes that Dynamica Ropes also does outreach sales.
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