Europe’s Favourite Offshore Grouting Material Turns 25

However, maintaining this position requires not only a sharp business sense but also a willingness to move with the market and keep developing new products and solutions. And so, new Ducorit® products are to be introduced to the onshore market this spring.

This year, ITW celebrates the 25^th anniversary of their significant product, Ducorit® – an Ultra High Performance Cementitious (UHPC) based material for grouting offshore connections in the business area renewable energy for foundations solutions and in the business area Oil & Gas for structural subsea and well integrity solutions.

"We are very excited to have introduced a product to the market in 1990, and today, in 2015, where wind turbines have become much larger, heavier and complicated, it still remains the industry’s preferred cementitious material for grouted structural connections", says Peter Gorlitz, Business Development Manager in ITW WindGroup, Europe.

Ducorit® are used for different business areas but has made its strongest mark in the offshore industry. Ever since offshore wind farms started taking off as the new frontier for the wind industry, Ducorit® has been applied as a grouted connection between piles and transition pieces in all foundation types for wind turbines, met masts, sub stations, and wave/tidal energy solutions.

"Industry insiders know that Ducorit® is especially recognised for its extremely high strength, outstanding fatigue properties, and minimal shrinkage, making it perfect for the offshore market", says Gorlitz. He continues:

"However, I believe that our greatest strength besides the product is that we deliver a turnkey grouting solution, from management and installation to test sampling and documentation. In the offshore industry, the use of one supplier for the whole process is a unique and attractive constellation."

"Initiated by the fast development within civil engineering in the early 60s, Aalborg Portland took on the challenge to break the boundaries of traditional concrete. For many years, they worked determinedly on developing a “super cement” with high and compressive strengths and they succeeded with the development of the UHPC based material. The product Ducorit® was introduced in 1990 and today it has been used in over 2,000 monopile connections, taking a market share of more than 70 % of all grouting offshore wind turbine connections in Europe."

"This is quite an accomplishment, however, the development of new, smarter, and more cost-effective technologies for the wind industry are introduced at such a high rate today that suppliers to the industry must continuously stay ahead in the game in order to maintain and hopefully expand their position in the market."

"The offshore wind industry is still relatively new, and so it is important to stay alert and be very flexible because the learning curve is still at an early stage. That’s why we continue to develop new products and solutions for tomorrow’s demands", says Soren Bunch, Installation and Equipment Manager at ITW Engineered Polymers. He continues:

"Ducorit® has been the preferred product in the offshore industry for 25 years now and I strongly believe that it will easily take on 25 more. However, as a company we want to reach out to other segments as well in order to develop and move with the market. Product development has always been a cornerstone for us, and I am happy to announce that we are about to introduce several new products which have been developed especially for the onshore market segment", concludes Bunch.

The 25^th anniversary will of course be celebrated at the EWEA Offshore Exhibition in Copenhagen 10-12 March where ITW WindGroup will exhibit at booth #Hall E – D56.