G+ Safe by Design Workshop Report: WTG Access To The Transition Piece (Below Airtight Deck)
G+ Safe by Design Workshop Report: WTG Access To The Transition Piece (Below Airtight Deck)
G+ Safe by Design Workshop Report: WTG Access To The Transition Piece (Below Airtight Deck)
In partnership with
G+ SAFE BY DESIGN
First edition
November 2018
Published by
Energy Institute, London
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G+ SAFE BY DESIGN WORKSHOP REPORT: WTG ACCESS TO THE TRANSITION PIECE (BELOW AIRTIGHT DECK)
CONTENTS
Page
1 Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.1 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3 Method/attendance/agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.1 Method �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
3.2 Agenda �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
3.3 Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Annex A
Detailed workshop notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A.1 Workshop exercise 1: Accessing transition piece (below airtight deck)/
foundations and associated hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A.1.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A.1.2 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A.2 Workshop exercise 2: Hazard analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A.2.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A.2.2 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A.3 Workshop exercise 3: Hierarchy of controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
A.3.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
A.3.2 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Annex B
Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
B.1 Presentation 1 – ScottishPower Renewables – Foundations and
transition piece access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
B.1.1 Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
B.2 Presentation 2 – ORE Catapult – Management of hydrogen sulphide
(H2S) in wind turbine sub-structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
B.2.1 Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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Tables
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1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The latest G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation (G+) Safe by Design
workshop focused on the issues associated with access below the airtight deck in a Wind
Turbine Generator (WTG). This included the design/infrastructure of the WTG and human
factors. The workshop, comprising several data gathering and data analysis activities, was
held in Berlin on 23 May 2018. The workshop format was developed to explore reasons for
access below the airtight deck in monopiles and the associated hazards and issues, with a
focus on the Safe by Design principles.
Across the workshop, many common and interrelated issues and associated recommendations
were identified, and these are shown in 1.1.
1.1 RECOMMENDATIONS
−− An approach of 'we don't go below the airtight deck often, so it doesn't need to be
perfect' by foundation designers was perceived. This could be explored further to
determine if this is an industry-wide perception and if so identify ways of addressing
that perception with direct input from technicians.
−− It is believed that offshore wind farm owners and operators are not always actively
involved or engaged with the development of industry standards. It is recommended
that this is reviewed in conjunction with the WTG original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) to determine if this is the case and if so, develop a strategy for both parties to
provide input, as they have the most knowledge on activities and hazards associated
with inspections below the airtight deck.
−− The G+ could facilitate an industry-wide effort to identify and demonstrate remote
inspection and robotics that could be or are being used to perform work below
the airtight deck for current and future wind farms, hence limiting the number of
technician visits below the airtight deck.
−− As the foundation ladder may be designed differently to ladders in the rest of the
turbine, there are specific features of the sub-structure environment that are not fully
covered in the working at heights training. The industry may benefit from a more
tailored course that focuses on ladder climbing and hazards within the Transition
Piece (TP) and monopile. Alternatively, existing training courses could be updated
to include these issues. Additionally, the design of foundation ladders could be
reviewed to ensure alignment with other access area health and safety (H&S) systems/
requirements. G+ should facilitate discussion on this area.
−− Industry-wide knowledge sharing of issues encountered, how these were solved,
what works and what doesn't with regard to activities below the airtight deck
would help to improve the current operation and maintenance (O&M) activities and
future monopile designs, both in terms of H&S and cost. This could be targeted at
particular areas, for example, a comparison of ventilation of monopiles. Additionally,
the development of a guidance document on access and working below the airtight
deck could be useful.
−− Musculoskeletal disorders were identified as a significant issue associated with
working below the airtight deck (and many other areas of a WTG). A G+ Safe by
Design workshop exploring this topic more fully could be beneficial.
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−− The G+ could facilitate a study into the benefits of using remote, real-time monitoring
below the airtight deck, as it is not completely clear whether the use of remote, real-
time monitoring equipment below the airtight deck would reduce the number of
visits by technicians.
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2.1 BACKGROUND
The G+ comprises the world's largest offshore wind developers who have come together to
form a group that places health and safety at the forefront of all offshore wind activity and
development. The primary aim of the G+ is to create and deliver world class health and safety
performance across all its activities in the offshore wind industry. The G+ has partnered with
the Energy Institute (EI) to develop materials including good practice guidelines to improve
health and safety performance. Through sharing and analysis of incident data provided by
G+ member companies, an evidence-based understanding of the risks encountered during
the development, construction and operational phases of a wind farm project has been
developed. This information has been used to identify the health and safety risk profile for
the offshore wind industry.
In 2014, the Crown Estate asked the G+ to take over the running and delivery of their Safe by
Design workshops. The Crown Estate had run a number of these previously, covering topics
such as diving operations, lifting operations, wind turbine design and installation and the
safe optimisation of marine operations.
By bringing the Safe by Design workshops into the G+ work programme, the G+ aims to
explore industry operations and technologies with a focus on Safe by Design principles.
The G+ workshops examine the current design controls relating to a topic, discuss where
current design has potentially failed, identify opportunities for improvement and then seek
to demonstrate the potential risk reduction to be gained from these new ways of thinking
and operating.
To date six workshops have been held under the auspices of the G+ covering: marine transfer/
access systems, escape from a nacelle in the event of a fire, lifting operations, service lifts,
davit cranes, and access/egress in a WTG. The outputs from five of these workshops have
been made available in reports which can be downloaded from the G+ website to be used
as a reference by the industry.
https://www.gplusoffshorewind.com/work-programme/workshops
2.2 INTRODUCTION
From data analysis and feedback received by the G+, access below the airtight deck within
a WTG was identified as an area that should receive additional focus. Therefore, under the
direction of the G+ Focal Group, a Safe by Design workshop on this subject was held on
23 May 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
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3 METHOD/ATTENDANCE/AGENDA
3.1 METHOD
A one-day workshop was held on 23 May 2018 in Berlin, bringing together stakeholders
from across the industry to consider the issues associated with access below the airtight deck
in a WTG in the offshore environment. This was focused on monopiles, which make up most
of the current installations. After opening remarks from Frank Monaghan, Health and Safety
Director, ScottishPower Renewables, the workshop commenced with a short presentation
providing the top-level details of the workshops exercises that followed, as shown here.
The attendees were split into three groups and all participated in each of these exercises.
At the end of the day the initial findings and conclusions were presented to the attendees
in a plenary session, before concluding the workshop. The full findings and conclusions are
included in this report.
3.2 AGENDA
Cristina Navarro, Engineering Manager – East Anglia One, Iberdrola Renewables and Michael
Crawford, H&S Consultant ScottishPower Renewables
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Workshop exercises
Each exercise led by an ORE Catapult facilitator; Owen Murphy, Conaill Soraghan and Roberts
Proskovics
Closing remarks
3.3 ATTENDANCE
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The attendees were split into three groups and all attendees participated in each of these
exercises.
Note – the full results and details of the exercises are shown in Annex A.
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ANNEX A
DETAILED WORKSHOP NOTES
A.1.1 Purpose
The purpose of this exercise was to identify activities undertaken below the airtight deck in
the TP and in the monopile. For each identified activity, the associated hazards were also
identified. Where available, further information on these activities, such as how often these
are performed, life cycle phase of the activity and additional comments from workshop
participants were also captured.
The most significant activities and hazards (as prioritised by the workshop participants' votes)
were then taken to Exercise 2 for hazard analysis.
A.1.2 Outputs
A.1.2.1 Evidence
See Table A1 for a list of activities and associated hazards that were identified in the first
workshop session.
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The list of activities split by life cycle phases is shown in Figure A1. It should be noted that
Figure A1 does not reflect the likely frequency, duration or repetition (e.g. construction
technicians performing activities on a daily basis versus maintenance technicians performing
activities below the airtight deck on a yearly or five-yearly basis) of the activities.
Decommissioning*
7%
Construction
32%
O&M
61%
* Decommissioning has only two activities assigned against it due to very limited experience
of performing monopile decommissioning.
The hazards identified vary significantly. With the exception of the diving hazard, which is
only associated with divers, all other hazards can impact any personnel performing work or
rescue below the airtight deck.
A silo-based design approach is perceived to be used in the industry, including in the design
of monopiles. Without engagement and communication with all stakeholders this can lead
to suboptimal designs, which are not fully fit for purpose, and consequently result in an
increased number of potential H&S hazards. As highlighted by the workshop participants,
airtight decks are often not optimally designed to facilitate access. They were possibly
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designed with little engagement with technicians and assuming that they will not be accessed
regularly, which is not the case for many projects.
Standards defining the number of inspections to be made below the airtight deck are
potentially written by people with limited operational experience, potentially leading to an
unnecessarily large number of inspections below the airtight deck. Similarly, onerous warranty
requirements can often lead to a large number of inspection activities, which can be of low
value. This was further confirmed by a workshop participant saying: 'An engineer will always
want to look at something, but do we really need to?'
The key activities, sub-activities and hazard groups are shown in Figure A2.
termination Corrosion
Sub–activities
Grouting or bolt protection Confined space
Hazard groups
installation Work at heights
tensioning
Corrosion Manual handling
Fit out work inspection Working with
substances
Inspection Seal installation
Welding
Mould, algae
Remediation Mechanical work
cleaning
Rescue and Electrical work
Ventilation
Work near/on water
evacuation Weld inspection Fire and explosions
Decommissioning Equipment repairs Dropped/falling objects
Figure A2: Key activities, sub-activities and hazard groups associated with access
below airtight deck
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A.2.1 Purpose
The purpose of this exercise was to analyse hazardous activities that occur within the TP and
monopile at offshore wind farms with a focus on the design issues causing them. The approach
involved drilling into the prioritised hazardous activities identified in the previous workshop
exercise. For each hazardous activity, the workgroup explored the design issues causing the
hazardous activity and any control measures that are currently in place. Throughout the
discussion, any relevant additional comments were recorded.
A.2.2 Outputs
A.2.2.1 Evidence
See Table A2 for a list of design issues causing hazardous activities that were identified in the
second workshop session.
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The analysis of hazardous activities within TPs and monopiles to identify the root cause design
issues revealed a set of design principles that should be adhered to:
−− Design should aim for the complete removal of people within the substructures.
−− Design should aim for zero maintenance requirement over the full 25-year life cycle.
−− Keep designs simple to minimise unforeseen issues and any complications if access
is ultimately required.
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It is apparent that the existing monopile and TP designs may not have consistently applied a
similar set of principles because the sub-structures are not prioritised for access/egress with
small hatches and confined spaces; however, potential design issues have led to a higher than
expected volume of personnel having to access these areas. The main drivers of this unforeseen
access are widespread grouted connection slippage and internal monopile corrosion.
Consequently, there is significant access required for inspections and remedial works.
The most significant and common design issues that were identified are illustrated in Figure A3.
Grouted slippage
TP to monopile
connections
Bolts need torquing
Location of switchgear
and cable routes
Given the design assumption of minimal access, there is, in some cases, a lack of hook-on
points, lifting points, anchor points and ladders. This is leading to the adaption of convoluted
rope/slinging set-ups and retrofitting additional hang-off points and load-bearing plates.
Furthermore, the equipment and components such as cathodic protection anodes being
manually handled in the awkward environment is inconsistent and the impacts on long-term
technician wellbeing are unknown.
Current control measures include procedures, planning and PPE as expected. Minimising
human intervention is key and remote monitoring and robotics solutions are emerging
and already exist in other industries to address this issue. However, they need to be tested
to provide confidence that they are robust and effective. Additionally, moving to risk- or
condition-based maintenance would have a significant positive impact due to the expected
reduction in visits.
A common hazard is the lack of knowledge and information. The main technical areas where
this is a problem are corrosion, the development of hazardous gases and the long-term
impact of manual handling. In particular, the risk of long-term musculoskeletal issues due to
manual handling needs to be investigated. Data are needed to help in solving the problem.
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Lessons from operations need to be fed back into design. It was noted that progress is being
made with almost no requirement to access in some new designs. However, there remains
the challenge of the approximately 15 GW of existing plant in Europe with legacy issues
and the unknown future for the end-of-life phase for the newer designs. It was generally
accepted that standards and design improvements change slowly and there will always be
unforeseen technical issues, especially approaching end of life so access will continue to be
required.
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A.3.1 Purpose
The purpose of this exercise was to apply the top two levels of hierarchy of controls (elimination
and substitution), as shown in Figure A4, to the identified activities and associated hazards in
Exercises 1 and 2, respectively. Each group chose several activities and hazards from Exercise
1 and applied the hierarchy of control to each, starting with elimination and followed
by substitution. These were captured by a group's scribe and shared with all workshop
participants by a group's spokesperson at the feedback session.
Most
effective
Physically remove Eliminations
the hazard
Replace the
Substitution
hazard
Isolate people
Engineering controls
from the hazard
Administrative
Change the way control
people work
A.3.2 Outputs
A.3.2.1 Evidence
See Table A3 for a list of hazard eliminations and substitutions that were identified in the
workshop session.
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Across all the activities and hazards discussed, three main approaches to hierarchy of controls
were noted:
– Remove the necessity to go below airtight deck by means of redesigning assets
(mainly applicable to future wind farms).
– Move equipment from below the airtight hatch.
– Holistic review of cable routing (e.g. external cable routing, pre-installed cable).
– Use of new materials to avoid corrosion and potential development of hazardous
gases.
– Different or no interface between the monopile and TP (e.g. use external
connection between monopile and TP, TP free foundations).
– Use alternative means for inspection and maintenance (current and future wind
farms).
– Remote inspection and monitoring (e.g. ROVs, condition monitoring).
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– If access of personnel below the airtight deck cannot be designed out, improve
safety (current and future wind farms).
– Improving ventilation and lighting.
– Sufficient hook-on points.
– Hatches better suited to technicians/ergonomics.
– Using evidence to justify increased time between inspections and maintenance.
– Doing as much work as possible onshore.
– Use mechanical aids.
Two schools of thought were identified during the workshop. One that believed that access
below the airtight hatch can and should be designed out for future monopile wind turbine
designs. The other school was of an opinion that the access might be needed in the future
(e.g. tackling unknown unknowns) and as such, future designs should account for this by
improving H&S of personnel by improving ventilation, access, and other safety features, if
they do need to go down the airtight hatch.
A holistic risk-based approach was also identified as useful to the industry to minimise the
overall risk profile of access and working on offshore wind turbines. For example, using
externally mounted cables would eliminate the need for technicians to go below the airtight
deck, but would introduce new risks (e.g. use of divers). Additionally, risk mitigation should
be proportional to the risk score (i.e. the cost of risk mitigation should not outweigh the
benefits of the control).
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ANNEX B
PRESENTATIONS
This presentation was provided to highlight the design characteristics of offshore foundation
and TP structures when people are required to enter restricted spaces. It also contains an
overview of the hazards identified with the jacket foundations for East Anglia ONE Offshore
wind farm and the design controls in place to mitigate hazards. This presentation focused
on monopile structures as almost 70 % of the UK offshore wind farms have monopile
foundations.
By incorporating safety within design phases and lessons learnt from previous projects, it
identified the need for improved interfaces to ensure designs consider the right questions
during the project HAZID processes – safety vs cost.
A key message is that it is critical to ensure that health and safety and lessons learned are
considered from the initial design stage and throughout all phases of a project to eliminate,
reduce or control foreseeable risks.
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This presentation was provided to showcase one of the reasons why offshore wind turbine
sub-structures need to be accessed throughout the O&M phase of the project life cycle;
namely the investigation and management of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) generated from within
monopiles. The wind farm is Teesside Offshore Wind Farm which is owned by EDF and the
ORE Catapult published a case study regarding this issue in 2016.
In the first week of operations in 2013, EDF identified H2S at site – a poisonous, corrosive and
flammable gas. A full site investigation revealed that:
−− The airtight platform (between the transition piece and the monopole) was leaking
on some turbines.
−− The H2S was being produced as a by-product of a reaction between microbes in the
sea water and the internal cathodic protection (CP) system.
−− The conditions that lead to H2S and its impact on integrity, particularly corrosion, are
not well understood.
−− The CP was under-protecting the top and bottom of the monopiles and over-
protecting a region in the middle of the monopile.
−− The ventilation system was not fit for purpose on some turbines, and it was designed
to ventilate hydrogen as opposed to H2S.
EDF are carrying out the following actions as a result of this investigation:
−− Obtaining revised fatigue lives using stress cycle (S-N) curves for free corrosion, for
welds subject to tidal exposure or lack of protection from the CP system.
−− Modification of the internal CP system to extend the coverage of protection and
make the protection potential distribution more uniform across the height of
the monopile. Also exploring control of CP potentials through diodes to reduce
over-protected zones (to significantly reduce gas production).
−− Modification of the internal passive ventilation system to improve its effectiveness
and mitigate all gas build-up.
−− Introduction of monopile flushing to remove the acidic water condition and H2S gas
production.
A key message here is that the management of H2S has been a risky and costly issue to
manage and it was largely unforeseen at the design stage. It has been the root cause of
much of the need to access the sub-structure at Teesside Offshore Wind Farm. Furthermore,
the actions being carried out to manage H2S at this site, such as improved CP, ventilation and
monopile flushing, will require continued access to the sub-structure.
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ANNEX C
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
CO carbon monoxide
CO2 carbon dioxide
CP cathodic protection
EI Energy Institute
G+ G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation
HAZID hazard identification study
H&S health and safety
HSE Health and Safety Executive
H2S hydrogen sulfide
NDT non-destructive testing
OEM original equipment manufacturer
O&M operation and maintenance
PPE personal protective equipment
RPE respiratory protective equipment
ROV remotely operated vehicle
SbD Safe by Design
TP transition piece
WTG wind turbine generator
35
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