87 / 2025-04-24 12:55:53

Design and hydraulic stability investigation of a Nature Inclusive Scour Protection System around a sand embedded monopile

Offshore wind energy infrastructures require effective and sustainable scour protection to ensure
monopile stability and minimize environmental impact. Traditional systems, though hydraulically
stable, lack ecological integration. Nature-Inclusive Scour Protection Systems (NISPS) address
this gap by combining structural integrity with biodiversity promotion. This study evaluates the
performance of a specific NISPS from ECOncrete, called Droplock, through physical modelling
at a Froude scale of 1:30. Experimental testing was conducted at the Coastal & Ocean Basin (COB)
in Belgium and in a first stage at ECOREL in Spain. Tests included cumulative and non-cumulative
wave loading on soft and hard seabed, with configurations with 0%, 30%, and 50% of the units
being alternatively sized, mixed with normal-sized Droplock units. Results demonstrate the
feasibility of application of the tested NISPS around a monopile.