A method for installing a floating wind turbine

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of floating wind turbines and discloses a method for installing a floating wind turbine. By setting a window period, the installation of the floating wind turbine is made safer and more convenient, while avoiding the influence of bad weather, thereby solving the problem that a high-performance installation vessel is required or the installation waiting window is too long under the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of floating wind turbines, and in particular to an installation method of a floating wind turbine. Background Art

[0002] As offshore wind power development moves deeper into the sea, floating wind turbines will be used more and more widely. In theory, floating wind turbines can refer to the installation process of fixed-based wind turbines and hoist the various wind turbine components at sea. However, when floating wind turbine components at sea, as the water depth increases, the performance (pile leg length and crane height) and weather window requirements of the self-elevating wind power installation vessel are extremely high. Especially for wind turbine installation construction in deep sea (water depth exceeding 60m), there are almost no wind turbine installation ships that meet the conditions. On the other hand, there are very few continuous operation windows for offshore wind turbine installation. Offshore wind turbine installation is prone to the problem of ships standing by for a long time, waiting for the installation window. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for installing a floating wind turbine, so as to solve the problem that a high-performance installation vessel is required and the installation waiting window is too long in the prior art.

[0004] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: The present invention provides a method for installing a floating wind turbine, comprising the following steps:

[0005] S1, select the location of the floating wind turbine installation dock, select the dock according to the main scale parameters of the floating wind turbine semi-submersible platform and the floating wind turbine, and select the dock with the shortest distance to the offshore construction site;

[0006] S2, use crawlers to hoist floating wind turbines, check the lifting performance of crawler cranes, and select suitable crawler cranes;

[0007] S3, using hydrodynamic software to analyze the overall floating wind turbine during dock mooring, towing or semi-submersible transportation after the integrated installation is completed, and refer to the initial design performance indicators of the wind turbine for verification. If the typhoon resistance of the wind turbine during dock mooring and integrated towing meets the typhoon resistance requirements, then proceed to step S5. If the typhoon resistance of the wind turbine during dock mooring and integrated towing does not meet the typhoon resistance requirements, then proceed to step S4;

[0008] S4, set the window period, assuming that the duration of the wharf wind turbine hoisting is T1, the duration of the floating wind turbine towing is T2, the duration of the mooring chain connection is T3, the safety factor is a constant of 1.5, the window period T = 1.5*(T1+T2+T3), the timeliness of the medium- and long-term forecast is 15 days, T is less than 15, and step S2 is performed; if T is greater than 15, reselect the wharf location, shorten the wharf wind turbine hoisting period, and shorten the mooring chain connection period until T is less than 15.

[0009] S5, use crawler crane to hoist and assemble the floating wind turbine on the selected dock.

[0010] S6 uses 1 dynamic positioning main tug and 2-3 high-powered harbor tugboats to assist in unwinding the dock and receiving the semi-submersible platform, to tow the assembled floating wind turbine to the installation site on the ocean and complete the mooring chain connection.

[0011] Preferably, step S11 is further included between steps S1 and S2, wherein hydrodynamic software is used for analysis, and initial meteorological conditions are input according to the hydrological and meteorological data of the wharf and the main scale model of the floating foundation, so as to determine the change in the displacement of the floating foundation and the change in the dynamic load of the crane caused by the up and down floating of the semi-submersible platform during the installation of the floating wind turbine equipment.

[0012] Preferably, step S51 is further included between steps S5 and S6, in which the load of the floating semi-submersible platform is adjusted in real time according to the load of the crane to ensure that the horizontality of the floating foundation flange is controlled within 3‰ during the process of unhooking the crawler crane.

[0013] Preferably, step S52 is further included between steps S5 and S6, during which load adjustment is performed during the installation of the wind turbine components to reduce the dynamic load of the floating wind turbine components during installation, so that the hoisting of the wind turbine components is carried out under the condition of a small waterline draft.

[0014] Beneficial effect: The wind turbine is installed in advance at a selected dock location, and then the floating semi-submersible platform and the wind turbine are transported to the site as a whole by wet towing or semi-submersible ship and connected to the mooring chain to complete the overall installation of the floating wind turbine. The above method reduces the requirements of the floating wind turbine installation on the performance of the construction ship and the offshore construction weather window. At the same time, when the floating semi-submersible platform and the wind turbine cannot meet the typhoon resistance requirements, the floating semi-submersible platform and the wind turbine can continue to be towed to the target sea area to complete the construction through the selection of the window period, which reduces the standby time of ship equipment and improves economic benefits. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a work flow chart of the installation of the floating wind turbine of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only parts related to the present invention, rather than all structures, are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0017] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0018] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0019] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", etc., directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish in the description and have no special meaning.

[0020] Floating wind turbines are generally installed in the following steps:

[0021] Step (1) If the wind turbine installation location wharf is not in the same location as the construction wharf, it is necessary to select the wharf site in advance and formulate a towing plan for the floating semi-submersible platform to enter the port. Select a suitable wharf based on the main scale parameters after the integrated installation of the floating wind turbine semi-submersible platform and the floating wind turbine. It is mainly necessary to verify the water depth of the wharf inlet and outlet channel and the wharf wind turbine installation location, the foundation bearing capacity of the wharf installation location, the berth length of the wharf installation location and other hard conditions. Under the same wharf conditions, the wharf close to the construction site is given priority. The above steps can shorten the tugboat's sailing distance and reduce the construction time, so that the installation of the floating wind turbine can be completed within the window period.

[0022] Step (2) formulates a dock mooring plan for the floating wind turbine foundation, inputs initial meteorological conditions based on the hydrological and meteorological data of the dock and the main scale model of the floating foundation, uses hydrodynamic software to perform motion response analysis after the integrated installation of the floating wind turbine semi-submersible platform and the floating wind turbine is completed, determines the motion amplitude in each direction of the floating foundation, and determines the change in the displacement of the floating foundation based on the waterline area of ​​the semi-submersible platform. This is used to determine the change in the dynamic load of the crane caused by the up and down floating of the semi-submersible platform during the installation of the floating wind turbine equipment, thereby improving the accuracy of the crane during the lifting process.

[0023] Step (3) formulates a lifting plan for the floating wind turbine terminal, which mainly includes the selection of crawler cranes, assembly and positioning plans, etc. According to the requirements of the lifting height, span, dynamic load and lifting safety factor of each wind turbine component during the lifting process, the lifting performance of the crawler crane is checked and a suitable crawler crane is selected. During the crawler crane assembly and terminal positioning process, the foundation bearing capacity of the terminal needs to be checked according to the ground pressure of the crawler crane.

[0024] Step (4) determines the weather restriction conditions. It is necessary to use hydrodynamic software to analyze the motion response of the floating wind turbine after the integrated installation is completed during dock mooring, towing or semi-submersible transportation. Refer to the initial design performance indicators of the wind turbine to check and determine whether the wind turbine's typhoon resistance during dock mooring and integrated towing meets the design requirements. For special cases where the motion response is too large and cannot withstand severe sea conditions, the window selection for floating wind turbine dock installation and offshore construction is particularly important. The selection is made through step (5). When the hydrodynamic software shows that the motion response is low under abnormal weather conditions, step (6) can be directly entered, skipping step (5); otherwise, step 5 will be entered.

[0025] Step (5) Selection of the construction window period, assuming that the duration of the pier wind turbine hoisting is T1, the duration of the integrated towing of the floating wind turbine (pier-site) is T2, and the duration of the on-site untow and mooring chain connection is T3. Considering a certain safety factor of 1.5, it is theoretically necessary to ensure that the entire construction window period T = 1.5*(T1+T2+T3) is not affected by high sea conditions such as typhoons, tropical depressions or cold waves. Taking into account the timeliness of the medium- and long-term forecasts, which is up to about 15 days, the selection of the construction window should either avoid the typhoon season or the cold wave and strong wind season. If construction must be carried out in the typhoon or cold wave and strong wind season, it is necessary to ensure that T < 15 days, and it is necessary to refer to various weather forecast software models to ensure that there is no tropical depression, typhoon, cold wave or other severe sea conditions forecast within 15 days before starting the installation of the pier wind turbine and waiting for the safe window period for the installation of the floating wind turbine.

[0026] Step (6) formulates a measurement and monitoring plan for the process of hoisting the dock floating platform. During the hoisting of the wind turbine components, the floating semi-submersible platform needs to be adjusted in real time according to the load of the crane to ensure that the horizontality of the floating foundation flange is controlled within 3‰ during the process of unhooking the crawler crane, and to ensure that the bolts can be smoothly aligned and connected. During the load adjustment process, high-precision inclinometers and other measuring equipment need to be installed on the semi-submersible platform, and the calibration of the measuring equipment needs to be completed after the construction of the floating foundation dock is completed and before launching.

[0027] Step (7) formulate a load adjustment plan during the installation of the wind turbine components. The installation of the wind turbine components needs to be carried out synchronously to ensure that the lateral and longitudinal inclinations of the floating semi-submersible platform meet the bolt docking requirements. The formulation of the load adjustment plan needs to control the draft of the platform according to the ballast system and cabin layout of the floating foundation. At the same time, in order to minimize the dynamic load during the installation of the floating wind turbine components, it is necessary to ensure that the lifting of the wind turbine components is carried out under the condition of a small waterline draft as much as possible.

[0028] Step (8) formulate a towing plan for the integrated floating wind turbine towing out of the port. After completing the dock installation of the floating wind turbine, use a dynamic positioning main tug and 2-3 high-powered port tugboats to assist the dock in unwinding and the semi-submersible platform towing to complete the integrated floating wind turbine out of the port towing operation.

[0029] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made without departing from the protection scope of the present invention. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for installing a floating wind turbine, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1, select the location of the floating wind turbine installation dock, select the dock according to the main scale parameters of the floating wind turbine semi-submersible platform and the floating wind turbine, and select the dock with the shortest distance to the offshore construction site; S2, use crawlers to hoist floating wind turbines to check the crawler crane's lifting performance, and select a suitable crawler crane according to the requirements of lifting height, span, dynamic load and lifting safety factor during the hoisting of each component of the floating wind turbine; S3, using hydrodynamic software to analyze the entire floating wind turbine during dock mooring, towing or semi-submersible transportation after the integrated installation is completed, and refer to the initial design performance indicators of the wind turbine for verification. If the typhoon resistance of the wind turbine during dock mooring and integrated towing meets the typhoon resistance requirements, then proceed to step S5. If the typhoon resistance of the wind turbine during dock mooring and integrated towing does not meet the typhoon resistance requirements, then proceed to step S4; S4, set the window period, assuming that the duration of the wind turbine hoisting at the wharf is T1, the duration of the floating wind turbine towing is T2, the duration of the mooring chain connection is T3, the safety factor is a constant of 1.5, the window period T=1.5*(T1+T2+T3), the timeliness of the medium- and long-term forecast is 15 days, T is less than 15, and step S2 is performed; if T is greater than 15, reselect the wharf location, shorten the duration of the wind turbine hoisting at the wharf, and shorten the duration of the mooring chain connection until T is less than 15; S5, use crawler crane to hoist and assemble the floating wind turbine on the selected dock; S6 uses 1 dynamic positioning main tug and 2-3 high-powered harbor tugboats to assist in unwinding the dock and receiving the semi-submersible platform, to tow the assembled floating wind turbine to the installation site on the ocean and complete the mooring chain connection.

2. The method for installing a floating wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step S11 is also included between the steps S1 and S2, in which the hydrodynamic software is used for analysis, and the initial meteorological conditions are input according to the hydrological and meteorological data of the wharf and the main scale model of the floating foundation, so as to determine the change in the displacement of the floating foundation and the change in the dynamic load of the crane caused by the up and down floating of the semi-submersible platform during the installation of the floating wind turbine equipment.

3. The method for installing a floating wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step S51 is also included between the steps S5 and S6, which adjusts the load of the floating semi-submersible platform in real time according to the load of the crane to ensure that the horizontality of the floating foundation flange is controlled within 3‰ during the process of unhooking the crawler crane.

4. The method for installing a floating wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step S52 is also included between the steps S5 and S6, in which the load is adjusted during the installation of the wind turbine components to reduce the dynamic load of the floating wind turbine components during the installation process, so that the hoisting of the wind turbine components is carried out under the condition of small waterline draft.

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