Flowing offshore wind prompts Dynamica Ropes to invest in a braiding machine

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 constructions are tested. Some of the prevailing ones right now are "semi-submersible", "tension leg platform", and "TetraSpar", which the Danish Henrik Stiesdal is known for. Regardless of which construction 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 in 25 million DKK in the largest braiding machine in Denmark and the buildings it is in. The hall here, where the braiding machine stands, is built at double the height of the normal 12 meters. It is a big investment for us, emphasizes Jørgen Sørensen, who is managing director 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 why we have made this investment, says sales manager Kate Christensen.

- The braiding machine is one out of six worldwide of that size, and the only one in Denmark, and it will probably continue to be. We are going to produce for our local markets mostly around the North Sea such as Scotland, England, Norway, Holland 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 is perhaps difficult to say exactly yet. However, it is not small amounts of rope that are used. The company has already delivered ropes to 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 for keellines were used 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 must 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. We can feel that the investments are now here 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 wind turbines are particularly interesting in Norway.

- It is the case that the water depth quickly becomes very deep in Norway. Therefore, it makes sense here, where monopoles 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 out 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 ropes in Dyneema, there is honesty about 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 just can hold more in the same size. This makes it easier to handle on installation ships, because the steel weighs seven to eight times as much, explains Kate Christesen.

- Steel is typically good where weight is important, while it emits less CO2 to manufacture and dispose of Dyneema than with steel, adds Rasmus Hovgaard about a parameter that is becoming more and more important.

First order for the braiding machine has been received.

Although it is expected that the new braiding machine will supply floating offshore turbines with rope, the first order will have to go elsewhere.

- We got 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 mistakes must not be made so that the raw materials are wasted. All in all, Dynamica Ropes is lucky enough that a good number of customers turn to themselves.

- We have got a new website, and we actually find that the customers themselves find us via our website, says company owner Jørgen Sørensen, although he emphasizes that Dynamica Ropes also does outreach sales.