Removal of the Need for Boreholes for Micropile Design and Installation

Subsea micropile foundation and anchoring technology is currently under development in support of the growing US marine wind energy industry. Subsea micropiles allow for marine anchors to be installed at significantly reduced cost and with a smaller environmental impact. Deep Reach Technology proposes to develop technology that will further reduce cost and environmental impact by eliminating the need for boreholes in the micropile design process. The boreholes will be eliminated by adding sensors to the subsea micropile installation system and collecting geotechnical data during the installation process. These data can be correlated to geotechnical design parameters, which will allow the pile design to be modified in real-time and in response to actual soil conditions. This eliminates the need for an anchor design phase and the associated geotechnical boreholes. The Phase I SBIR work will first compile a list of geotechnical parameters needed for subsea micropile design. It will develop a conceptual design for an integrated sensor system that can be deployed to collect data that will provide the required parameters. The Phase I work will end with a mock-up of commercial software that will ultimately be licensed to subsea micropile installers. Subsea micropiles have the potential to expand the wind and wave resources available for energy generation in the United States. Anchoring systems make up a significant amount of the overall project cost for such systems, and cost savings will enable more systems to be economically feasible. At a price ranging from $500,000 - $1,000,000 each, boreholes represent a significant portion of the anchoring system cost. This effect is magnified by the fact that a borehole is required at each anchor site. By further reducing costs, DRT’s proposed technology can accelerate adoption of subsea micropiled anchors. It can also continue to drive offshore renewable energy costs down, with an ultimate objective of getting them cost-competitive with fossil fuels without the need for government subsidies.