Early October 2022, TP-Products has received Approval in Principle (AIP) from DNV for its patented structural compact flange that can be used in primary load bearing members of floating wind structures. This is a huge milestone for the company. After severe physical tests in the laboratory, full-size flanges have been exposed to realistic load forces and extensive finite element analyses to make sure the flanges comply with the required critical parameters. The outcome was that the TP structural flanges were found technically feasible as a structural connection on a floater for wind turbines according to DNV-RP-A203 “Technology qualification” and technical requirements in DNVRU-OU-0512 “Floating offshore wind turbine installations”.

“This AIP together with some recent contracts we received from customers for use of our structural flanges in floating primary structures are showing that we also reached a big milestone with our specialised products in the wind industry. These achievements prove that the industry fully supports our solution. Our maintenance free bolted connections for floating wind structures assure a more efficient assembly of the structures at yard compared to welded solutions”, says Sjur Lassesen, Technical Director and the main inventor behind this solution.

TP-Products is now in the process of getting certified for these flanges so that they can also be used in wind towers and transition pieces.

It took 4 years of engineering to develop these flanges in order to make them the perfect companion for the wind industry for use in floaters, transition pieces and wind turbine towers. Our patented structural flange solutions are stronger, weigh less and make use of smaller bolts compared to traditional flat L-flange solutions that are currently used in the wind industry. Using TP-Products’ compact flange technology in these critical connections solves the fatigue problems encountered under extreme dynamic loadings, particularly occurring in offshore floating wind turbine structures. Our solutions can cope with the challenges the wind industry is facing today such as larger turbines and restriction on transportation dimension on land. That’s why the industry needs stronger towers with smaller overall dimensions, and this can be perfectly achieved with our compact flange solutions. In addition, the floating industry is specifically looking for efficient solutions to ease assembly. With our bolted flange solutions, the assembly time compared to welded solutions can be reduced drastically. Our flanged solutions are also maintenance free, so operational expenditures can be brought down to a minimum.