Iv-Groep
Iv-Groep
Engineering Company with a Passion for Technology
Welcome to Iv-Groep
We are a customer focused and solution orientated engineering company. Technology is our
passion and no project is too challenging.
In the past, we have worked on several challenging projects such as new lock gates for the Panama
Canal, a Rotating Tower (a tower which constantly changes shape) and the ‘self-installing’ F3-FA gas
platform. Our broad expertise enables us to play a leading role in the following markets: Buildings &
Structures, Industry & Energy, Infrastructure & Ports, Maritime, Oil & Gas, and Water. We have extensive
knowledge in-house of all relevant disciplines, enabling us to provide the very best results in even the
largest, fully integrated project. The diversity of our knowledge represents significant added value.
A ‘Passion for Technology’ is our strength and is what sets us apart from other engineering companies.
That passion is shown every day by our committed and enthusiastic specialists. Their unrivalled
expertise forms the very basis of our company and is much appreciated by our clients. A productive
and long-term business relationship based on mutual respect and confidence is key to every project.
These values have formed a crucial part of our customer service for the last 60 years.
This brochure takes you through a journey of our
world of Passion for Technology...
Iv-Groep is expanding
Founded in 1949, Iv-Groep has become an
international engineering company with
over 800 dedicated and highly
knowledgeable employees. In the past
decade our business has grown significantly
and it is our ambition to continue growing
in the future.
Papendrecht (main office)
Alblasserdam
Almere
Amsterdam
Arnhem
Haarlem
Nieuwegein
Sliedrecht
Houston
The Netherlands
New Orleans
USA
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur
multidisciplinary engineering
company we offer a broad range of services in the
As a
following markets:
Buildings & Structures
Industry & Energy
Infrastructure & Ports
Maritime
Oil & Gas
Water
Rotating Tower,
a building which constantly changes shape
Each floor rotates around a central core
Usually, a structural engineer can give a structure the necessary rigidity by adding more raw
material. In this way, the laws of dynamics have no effect. However, the engineer has to take
into account other considerations. Additional weight (in the form of steel or concrete) is
expensive, while the increased weight reduces flexibility.
For example, a crane must remain mobile and must be able to work quickly and efficiently. The
designer must devise a solid but light and safe structure. The crane must function as desired, and its
operation must remain unaffected by any extraneous movement. The designer must calculate the
structure’s sensitivity to dynamic effects in advance. The results of these calculations are then
integrated into the design. It becomes possible to change the mass and rigidity of the structure by
artificially increasing the loads or by dampening undesirable movement.
Iv-Groep carried out the constructive engineering and calculations for the London Eye, a gigantic Ferris
wheel on the banks of the River Thames in London. The structure incorporates countless dampers to
prevent vibration. As a world-class tourist attraction it meets the very highest demands of comfort
and safety. Iv-Groep also designed the new lock gates for the expansion of the Panama Canal. For this
project we had to take the strong seismic zone of activity into consideration. If the gates were to give
way due to a strong earthquake, it would be a disaster for Panama. The lakes situated at high altitudes
which form part of the course of the canal would run dry and this would be disastrous. We therefore
conducted a meticulous study using both spectral and time history analyses to determine how the
gate complex would react in the event of an earthquake.
Besides the dynamics phenomenon, the design process must take fatigue into consideration. A crane
which is used 24 hours a day, to unload containers from ships in the port of Rotterdam will eventually
begin to show signs of fatigue. The same as the huge steel lock gates for the new Panama Canal, or an
oil platform which must withstand the varying force of the waves day and night. The risk of fatigue can
never be ignored when devising a structure that has to withstand variable loads. Indeed our engineers
take this phenomenon into consideration. By using advanced calculation and by applying organic
forms and creative solutions, they ensure that the effects of variable loads remain limited.
Knowledge of
technology
is the core to your success
The A2 motorway: the main north-south route in
the Netherlands
Road design and civil structures
A man, a plan, a canal: Panama! The Panama canal was opened with this slogan. The idea of
constructing a canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was discussed as early as the
sixteenth century, although it was not until 1880 that the first construction attempt was made
by French engineers. The technical difficulties and harsh local conditions forced them to
abandon the project in 1889, by which time over twenty thousand workers had lost their lives
to malaria and yellow fever. It was the Americans who finally completed the canal.
Ships no longer had to go around Cape Horn, the most southerly point of South America, to sail
between the Atlantic and the Pacific or vice versa . The voyage between New York and San Francisco
could be completed in less than half the time, and at far less risk. Clearly, the Panama Canal was of
immense economic importance and remains so to this day. In the past, many ships were designed to
be just small enough to pass through the Panama Canal. They were known as the ‘Panamax’ class.
Today, much larger ‘Post Panamax’ vessels are being built. Their greater payload is more economically
efficient, but they must of course sail around Cape Horn.
The current standards in international shipping demand for a widening of the Panama Canal. The new,
expanded canal is scheduled to open in 2014, exactly one hundred years after its predecessor.
Iv-Groep is closely involved in this extremely prestigious project. It is imperative that the canal’s new
lock gates function properly under all conditions. There are many challenges, not least the fact that
the canal lies above two major geological fault lines. The engineers working on this project are
technical experts of the highest calibre who enjoy brainstorming about such seemingly
insurmountable challenges. Creativity gives rise to surprising solutions, whereas the impossible
becomes possible. In this project, Iv-Groep is helping to write history!
Creativity
offers added value
Strict hygiene regulations in the food and pharmaceutical industries give rise to many
challenges with regard to both the production and packaging processes. Nothing can be left to
chance. All equipment must be made of stainless steel. There can be no exposed horizontal
surfaces where dust and product residue may accumulate. Special valves must be designed.
Manufacturers in these industries are not satisfied with meeting the minimum standards: they
wish to exceed them.
On a packaging line for powdered baby food, massive 1000 kilogram bags must be filled without
spilling a single gram. The pipe carrying the powder has a number of valves to prevent leakage. When
the final valve closes, absolutely no powder must fall onto the sealed bag. The design of the valve
therefore involves hundreds of hours of engineering work. Few people who buy a pack of baby food
will give this a second thought.
A packaging machine includes thousands of such intricate components. All must be carefully
designed to meet the high hygiene requirements. Moreover, the machine is installed in a ‘clean room’
which provides the highest standards of hygiene. Staff must don special protective clothing and
equipment to enter this area, which also has a special climate control installation. Air circulation,
temperature and humidity are very precisely monitored and adjusted. This is necessary because of the
nature of the powder itself. There must be no condensation, for example, since that would cause
lumps to form. Designing a climate control installation to meet the rigid requirements of this industry
is no simple undertaking. No pipes or channels can run through the clean room itself, for instance, and
there is no ceiling area in which they can be concealed. This is an empty, bare room.
Iv-Groep offers solutions to meet the challenges faced by producers in the food and pharmaceutical
industries. Everything must meet the very highest quality requirements. And rightly so, since then we
can all be certain of having safe food and medicines.
Quality
is an ongoing process
Optimizing a packaging line for medicines
Sterile and climate-controlled packaging
Observing without being observed; gathering intelligence without being discovered. This is
the main purpose of a submarine. To remain as inconspicuous as possible, the vessel must be
compact.
The interior layout of a submarine is extremely complex, since its crew must live and work in a very
small area. The submarine must have all the equipment required to operate and to gather information
and play its defence role: radar systems, sensors, weapon systems and so forth. It must also have
sleeping accommodation, sanitary facilities and a kitchen for a crew of up to 55 individuals. Of course,
the submarine must also be able to move from one point to another, sometimes doing so more than
two hundred metres below the surface. Reliability and safety are of immense importance. If there is a
fire or other emergency, the crew cannot simply open a door and step outside. Designing a submarine
therefore entails looking at all aspects of reliability and safety from every angle.
As with all seagoing vessels, stability is extremely important. The optimum balance between the
submarine’s weight and its volume must be found. The vessel must remain upright at all times. The
process of fitting all the various systems into the limited space is further complicated by the water
pressure exerted on the submarine when sailing at depth. The water ‘squeezes’ the vessel from all
sides. We might compare this to a washing line which is stretched taut above the surface but will hang
limply when deep under water. All systems and pipes can be affected by this pressure. As a submarine
often operates in enemy waters, there is also a danger of explosions from mines or depth charges. All
the various systems on board, and the vessel itself, must be able to withstand explosions and the
pressure waves they cause. In short, a submarine is unlike any other type of vessel. The design process
is a challenging puzzle. The engineers of Iv-Groep have many decades of experience in designing all
types of vessels, structures, and installations for the marine and offshore sectors.
Approaching
Safety
from every angle
A longer life for marine vessels
Refurbishment and improvement
An increasing proportion of our energy requirement is now being generated by large offshore
wind farms. They offer the prospect of sustainable energy from a readily available renewable
source, while making no demand on the limited space on land. The energy generated by the
turbines is first collected at a substation. The energy from various substations is then
transmitted to a ‘converter platform’ where it is converted from alternating current to direct
current before being transported to shore. When transporting high voltage electricity over
long distances, it is more economical to do so in the form of direct current since this reduces
the energy losses.
Once the contract for the design of a converter platform has been awarded, action begins at once. The
first step is to order any equipment which has a longer delivery time. Detailed specifications are sent to
the suppliers immediately after the project has been awarded. Such orders may be worth many
millions of euros. Time is the most crucial factor. Completing the entire project within the shortest
possible lead time is an enormous challenge. Much of the preparatory work is therefore done during
the tendering phase. Iv-Groep looks beyond the standard solutions and takes a proactive approach in
finding the best possible solution for its clients. All alternatives are carefully considered and compared.
Back to the converter platform. Within a week, a project team comprising no fewer than eight technical
disciplines has been assembled. The support departments are also represented within the team, which
is led by an experienced project manager. The right ‘mix’ of people is essential. This multidisciplinary
project team will ensure that the design of the platform is completed on time, and in accordance with
all the requirements stated by the client. Soon, the converter platform will be part of a system which
will assure many households and companies of a stable supply of sustainable energy, well into the
future.
Success demands the right
dynamics
F3-FA gas platform
The first ‘self-installing’ platform with a total weight of
8,800 tons
Renovation and expansion of Steenwijk wastewater
treatment plant
A complex phased plan
Most of the world’s surface consists of water. Water is essential to life on earth, but it can also
present a threat. We must meet our need for readily available water, but at the same time we
must protect ourselves against its potentially destructive force with dikes, dams and other
water defences. The pictures that we see in the news of heavy flooding and long-term drought
in affected areas are well known to us.
Water management, in terms of both quantity and quality, is a matter of global importance. How can
fresh water be stored? How can we protect vulnerable regions against flooding? How do we ensure
that everyone has access to the water they need? And how can drinking water be produced in the
most efficient manner possible? Iv-Groep is actively involved in finding answers to these and many
other questions.
It is possible to produce drinking water from salt water at relatively low cost by the process of reverse
osmosis, this entails filtering the water through membranes under very high pressure (60bar). The
membranes trap the salt and the resulting filtrate is pure and fresh drinking water. Iv-Groep has
applied this technology at various locations, including the seawater reverse osmosis installations on
the Caribbean island of Aruba.
Elsewhere, much drinking water production continues to rely on the distillation process. Unlike reverse
osmosis, distillation has a very high energy requirement. Besides offering benefits in terms of costs and
energy efficiency, reverse osmosis is a good solution for regions which are susceptible to drought but
have ready access to salt water. In short, reverse osmosis technology offers new opportunities for the
entire world.
Sustainable
technologies
offer new opportunities
The companies which make up Iv-Groep are Iv-Oil & Gas, Iv-Infra, Iv-Industrie, Iv-Consult,
Iv-Water, Iv-Bouw, Escher Process Modules, Muzada, Iv-AGA, Iv-Consult Malaysia,
Iv-Infra USA, Iv-Caribbean and Nevesbu.
For further information about our projects and services, please visit www.iv-groep.com.
Iv-Groep b.v.
Noordhoek 37
3351 LD Papendrecht
P.O. Box 1155
3350 CD Papendrecht
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 88 943 3000
www.iv-groep.com
Iv-Groep