Application report underwater noise protection
An underwater noise protection or also called bubble curtain is a technical noise protection, which is produced by air bubbles.
Especially hearing-sensitive underwater animals such as whales or any other mammal species suffer enormously from the noise pollution that occurs during the construction of offshore facilities such as oil platforms, wind farms but also research platforms. The drilling and hammering create a noise pollution under water which you cannot imagine. Due to the higher speed of sound, especially in salt water, the sound spreads better, faster and over a larger area. The sensitive marine life suffers extremely here.
The underwater sound protection is generated by an air bubble system, which is fed by a compressor station, this is located for example on a boat or the offshore park itself. Up to 24 compressors feeding compressed air simultaneously are not uncommon. The bubble curtain dampens the sound underwater and provides an environmentally friendly noise protection.
In the picture above, the boat on which the compressor station is located can be clearly seen next to the bubble curtain. It is easy to imagine that enormous amounts of energy are needed for such a bubble curtain, an optimized gas supply can therefore bring a great cost advantage. A monitoring of the compressed air consumption is more than recommendable.
Since the required compressed air is gassed directly into the sea, it must be obligatory oil-free, otherwise the noise protection would represent an even greater danger for flora and fauna, the oiling of the world’s oceans.