[Åshammar, Sweden, and Ålborg, Denmark, October 31, 2019.] Leading Swedish manufacturer of premium stainless steel fasteners BUMAX has received a large order for corrosion resistant and maintenance free studs to be used for a wind farm off the Belgian coast.
BUMAX won the order to supply stainless studs, nuts and washers for the 219 MW “Northwester 2” offshore wind power plants thanks to its capability to provide high strength fasteners with excellent corrosion resistance that are suitable for extremely challenging North Sea conditions.
The order value is SEK 1.7m and the customer is Danish steel contractor Bladt Industries, a company that specializes in large-scale and highly complex steel structures, including offshore substations and offshore foundations. The wind farm is owned and operated by Parkwind, a Belgian company that develops, finances, builds and operates offshore wind farms.
“This prestigious order is a testament to BUMAX’ ability to develop and market premium stainless steel fasteners of the highest quality, for the most complex constructions and aggressive conditions,” said Patrik Lundström Törnquist, Managing Director of BUMAX.
The delivery to Bladt Industries was completed in July. Development of the offshore wind farm is ongoing and it is expected to be in operation in the first half of 2020.
The product chosen for this project is BUMAX SDX 109, a high strength super duplex fastener with excellent mechanical properties, and exceptional resistance to general crevice, pitting and stress corrosion in aggressive environments.
Maintenance free for at least 27 years
SDX 109 meets the customer’s requirements for a corrosion resistant stud to fasten the wind turbine generator external platform to each of the 23 wind turbine foundations. The studs will have to be maintenance free throughout the 27-year design life of the turbines – which conventional carbon steel bolts are simply not capable of.
The studs require a high degree of corrosion resistance as they are situated within the ‘atmospheric zone’ where they will be affected by saltwater that might cause corrosion problems when salt particles dry on the studs. The studs also need a very high tensile strength to maintain the integrity of the wind turbine generator external platform throughout the turbine’s lifespan.
BUMAX worked closely with the customer to meet an extremely tight delivery deadline. The normal production schedule for these kinds of custom-made fasteners was reduced by several weeks to avoid potentially costly delays to the wind turbine project.
The BUMAX studs will realize cost savings for the customer through lower maintenance costs and less turbine downtime. The low maintenance requirements will also reduce the need for offshore wind turbine maintenance teams to conduct potentially dangerous stud replacement tasks.