SERVICES - ONSHORE
The Decom Cockpit offers a variety of services for both on- and offshore projects. From contractual support to the whole value chain management. A few of our main services for the onshore sector can be found below. Get in touch with us to check which services can be tailored to your assets.
BASELINE MEASUREMENTS
DecomCockpit starts with a thorough analysis of the assets. This typically starts by analyzing the as-built dossiers, the maintenance logs and the inspection reports. Our technical team will make an initial review of the current status with a few points highlighted for further analysis. After that, our inspectors visit the turbine and further analyze the situation within the turbine and balance of plant. Depending on this inspection, more in-depth inspection with the manufacturer and its supply chain can be executed. All information gathered is put together in our Circular Strategy Model.
CIRCULAR STRATEGY MODEL
With the gathered data our circularity advisors and engineers will write a material strategy model (MSM). This model has the goal to retain the highest possible value of a component. The model is based on the medium to high-value circular R strategies, starting at Re-use and ending at Recycling. Incineration or landfilling of materials is not considered in this model.
RE-USE, REPAIR, REFURBISHMENT
During the development of this model our team is actively sourcing at our European connections such as utilities, original equipment manufacturers, their supply chain and the secondhand marketplaces to get each component re-used or refurbished if possible. When there is no buyer or when the material has a poor quality, it will be send for recycling at one of the partners.
METAL REMANUFACTURING & RECYCLING
Metal recycling can be widely interpreted. In the sector we see a huge quality difference in recycling and therefore as DecomCockpit we want to clarify our standards. First, we remove contaminating components. Then we do a first sorting of metals before resizing. After that, we decrease the size of the material to sizes required by steel manufacturers. Sorting again is necessary to obtain such a high standard that delivering the material as secondary raw material instead of waste, is possible. With this process we can guarantee that the material is re-used in its highest value possible.
BLADE RECYCLING
In 2018, CRC started with testing composite recycling methods. One of the most important goals was to reduce the CO2-emissions of the blade recycling process. After succeeding in this, our next goal is to scale up to larger volumes already from 2023 onwards, always optimizing our production line with the batches that already have been processed. We can cut blades to smaller pieces of 25-50cm, after which they go into our production line to grind them into very small particles (as far as we know, we can mill to the smallest fraction known world-wide). Also, we remove the thermoplastic resin during this process to make future recycling easier. The removed resin will be transformed into oil with a pyrolysis process, while the particles function as great feedstock for new composites.
PRODUCTS
Our responsibility does not end with processing the composite. Together with the asset-owner, and/or the manufacturer we will search for new ways to integrate the outcome of step 5 in the production of new wind turbines. We already started small with building furniture, tiles and more small composite products for the asset owner. However, we are also searching for ways (together with the manufacturer) to bring back the composites in turbines, for instance to the nacelle housing.
DOCUMENTATION
Probably one of the most important products in material processing is clear documentation of the materials. It already starts at step 1 (the inspection) and step 2 (Circular Strategy Model). At those steps we map all the materials and the quality of them. However, during the decommissioning process, materials can get another end-of-life solution. This needs to be mapped and clearly documented for the asset owner. You can best compare this to an as-built dossier. The documentation is the transparent material passport that proofs the destination of the materials and its circular solution.