Research and development

IHC Merwede delivers high-quality products, with its business units acting as centres of excellence in their respective fields. As the technology innovator, the research and development programmes are of strategic importance to the company and it spends approximately three per cent of its revenue on product development. Over 300 people are employed in this sector and IHC Merwede is in the top 20 of the Dutch research and development list. This position is also based on the availability of the in-house R&D institutes MTI Holland and IHC OTI (Offshore Technology Institute). IHC Merwede is continuously strengthening its research programmes. The focus is on the advancement of the latest technology for exploring new markets, the start-up of strategic business units and the environment.

The technology innovator

MTI Holland has accumulated a wealth of expertise on dredging processes through the countless research and development projects carried out for IHC Merwede BV. They have been closely involved in the development of vital dredger components and the knowledge they have acquired allows them to make accurate theoretical predictions of dredger behaviour and output. They are increasingly using simulation technology to improve these predictions. Furthermore, they constantly verify and refine their knowledge through the performance of tests, both in their laboratories and in actual operating conditions.

A good example of a successful MTI Holland programme is the design, prediction and optimisation tool for accurate modeling of motional behaviour of equipment, DODO (Dynamic Operation in Dredging and Offshore). This tool has proven to be even more successful than originally anticipated. It can now be used for a broad range of purposes, such as the calculation of cutterhead forces and use for offshore applications.

Another R&D subject focuses on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). IHC Merwede’s goal is to have much higher concentrations in slurry mixtures and calculation tools are required to predict the performance of the equipment. Successful CFD projects resulted in the hydraulic design of The Curve^® pump impeller, drag head optimisation and the hydraulic redesign of cutters. MTI Holland’s research also focuses on deep-sea dredging and mining, with topics such as riser dynamics, studies on cutting forces under high pressure at depths of 1,800m and vertical transportation of solids in the riser.

The IHC Offshore Technology Institute (IHC OTI) carries out offshore-focussed research programmes for IHC Merwede. It operates in close cooperation with MTI Holland.

IHC OTI performs applied industrial research comprising development of technology and (sub-) system concepts, feasibility studies, etcetera. A significant amount of IHC OTI’s projects are carried out by initiative of and/or in collaboration with third parties, mainly (future) clients and major oil & gas companies. IHC OTI’s main areas of expertise in this respect are well intervention, pipelay, cablelay, trenching, diving support, offshore construction and renewables.

In addition, extensive expertise in (deep sea) mining, dredging and automation is readily available from MTI Holland and other IHC Merwede business units. This multidisciplinary background provides IHC OTI for a proper source for  technological and applied research.