MSc Assignment - Noise mitigation modeling

As a leading offshore contractor, Boskalis is committed to ensuring sustainable and environmentally responsible operations in all its projects. Offshore construction activities, particularly pile driving, are essential for developing infrastructure such as offshore wind farms, oil and gas platforms, and other marine structures. However, these activities generate significant underwater noise, which can have detrimental effects on marine life. Marine organisms, including marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates, rely on sound for crucial life functions such as communication, navigation, and foraging. Elevated noise levels can disrupt these behaviors, leading to adverse impacts on marine ecosystems.

To address this challenge, Boskalis has been at the forefront of implementing innovative noise mitigation techniques around the monopile. Various noise mitigation systems have been developed and employed to reduce the underwater noise propagating during pile driving. These systems include bubble curtains, cofferdams, and acoustic screens, among others. Each system works by different mechanisms to scatter, reflect, or absorb sound waves, thereby reducing the noise levels that propagate through the water.

This MSc assignment aims to develop a best in class noise mitigation system for Boskalis. The study will focus on optimizing current systems and also exploring emerging concepts for next-generation noise mitigation in order to increase efficiency and reduce uncertainty in mitigating offshore piling noise from a Boskalis perspective. Given Boskalis' extensive experience and commitment to sustainable offshore projects, this study will leverage a numerical modeling approach to gain a deeper understanding of the interaction between various noise mitigation systems. The insights gained from this research will help the design and implementation of more effective noise mitigation strategies in future offshore construction projects.

Research Questions
To gain more knowledge on optimum noise mitigation systems around the monopile, the following research questions need to be investigated in more detail:

• Which concepts are available, can be newly developed or adapted for increased noise reduction?
• What are the key factors driving the design of more effective noise mitigation strategies in offshore construction projects?
• What methods can be used to model the behavior of these noise mitigation systems numerically?
• How can these mitigation system be optimized / configured to better suit various circumstances in offshore construction projects?
• What is the most suitable system based on various selection criteria (attenuation potential, robustness, environmental forces, etc)

How You Can Make Your Mark
Some examples of the scope that can be covered are provided below:

• Conduct a literature review on the state-of-the-art modeling, performance, and physics of various noise mitigation systems, including information from academic studies, patents, and industry case studies.
• Analyze field measurements to assess the performance of actual deployments of noise mitigation systems, using available historical project data or monitoring campaign results.
• Simulate shock waves in COMSOL Multiphysics to improve insight into the working principles, structure–fluid–acoustic interaction, and overall mitigation efficiency, including both near-field and far-field propagation.
• Enhance existing finite element numerical models with the above results to simulate the behavior of noise mitigation systems under varying conditions, incorporating hydrodynamic loads, environmental forces, and site-specific variables.