Method for measuring relative elevation of underwater steel pile of offshore wind power foundation

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of offshore wind power foundation underwater steel pile relative elevation measurement method, using the following steps: 1) complete suction bucket positioning frame leveling;2) complete steel pile relative elevation measurement: after the piling operation of all steel piles is finished, a pressure sensor is carried by diver to each pile top to review elevation, the specific method is: diver places the pressure sensor on the pile top of each steel pile, the data monitor on construction ship obtains the water entry elevation of the pile top of each steel pile by density correction using the data measured by pile top pressure sensor and the data measured by temperature-salinity depth instrument, the water entry elevation of the pile top of each steel pile is subtracted from the water entry elevation of the top of No.1 suction bucket, to obtain a fixed height difference, by comparing the difference of all height differences, the height difference between all pile tops is obtained.The application is a kind of completely underwater real-time measurement mode, which can ensure the continuity of piling operation, thereby improving the efficiency of piling construction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to elevation measurement in offshore wind power foundation construction, particularly the measurement of the relative elevation between multiple steel piles in a fully underwater suction bucket positioning frame pile driving construction. Background Technology

[0002] Offshore wind power facilities typically consist of an upper turbine and tower, and a lower foundation structure. Most foundations are steel pile-fixed jacket structures. First, piles are driven into the seabed, then the jacket is inserted into the piles and grouted for fixation. Subsequently, the tower and turbine can be installed on the jacket. Before pile driving, a positioning frame is placed on the seabed to control the verticality of the steel piles. A suction bucket-type positioning frame is one such method, which uses a suction bucket to create negative pressure and sink to the seabed. Conventional suction bucket positioning frames are bulky, with a working platform above the water surface. The verticality and elevation of the steel piles can be measured on the working platform using a total station, but this type of positioning frame is expensive and prone to deformation, thus affecting the verticality control of the steel piles. Therefore, a new method for measuring the relative elevation of underwater steel piles is needed for a completely underwater suction bucket positioning frame and steel piles, where conventional total station measurements are not feasible. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a method for measuring the relative elevation of underwater steel piles for offshore wind power foundations to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art is: a method for measuring the relative elevation of underwater steel piles for offshore wind power foundations, comprising the following steps: 1) Leveling the suction barrel positioning frame: a pressure sensor is installed on the top of each suction barrel on the positioning frame, a temperature, salinity, and depth gauge is installed on the suction barrel positioning frame platform, and a data monitor is set up on the construction vessel. The data monitor is equipped with a data processing module, which uses the data from the pressure sensor and the temperature, salinity, and depth gauge to calculate the water depth at the top of each suction barrel after density correction. 1) Determine the difference in water depth between the tops of any two suction buckets and the level of the suction bucket positioning frame. If the difference does not meet the design value range, adjust the level accuracy of the suction bucket positioning frame until it does. Once the difference meets the design value range, calculate the lateral and longitudinal tilt angles of the positioning frame platform. Once the lateral and longitudinal tilt angles meet the verticality design requirements of the steel piles, proceed with pile driving. 2) Complete the measurement of the relative elevation of the steel piles: Vertically set a fixed shaft in the center of the leveled positioning frame platform, fasten a movable sleeve on the fixed shaft, and fix the top of the movable sleeve. A reference plate is used, on which an inclinometer I is installed. An inclinometer plate and a constant tension drum are installed on one side of the movable sleeve. The inclinometer plate is hinged to the reference plate. The constant tension drum is located directly below the inclinometer plate. A steel cable connected to the pile lifting lug is wound around the constant tension drum. The inclinometer plate is attached to the steel cable. An inclinometer II is installed on the inclinometer plate. A data monitor receives data from inclinometer I and inclinometer II. During pile driving, the constant tension drum continuously tightens the steel cable, causing the inclinometer plate to flip outwards until it is flush with the reference plate, at which point pile driving stops. The readings of inclinometer I and inclinometer II are equal. After all the steel pile driving operations are completed, a diver carries a pressure sensor to the top of each pile to verify the elevation. Specifically, the diver places the pressure sensor on the top of each steel pile. The data monitor uses the data measured by the pile top pressure sensor and the data measured by the temperature, salinity and depth gauge to calculate the water entry elevation of the pile top of each steel pile after density correction. The water entry elevation of the top of the suction barrel No. 1 is subtracted from the water entry elevation of the top of each steel pile to obtain a fixed elevation difference. By comparing the differences of all elevation differences, the elevation difference between all pile tops is known.

[0005] In step 2), a limiting pin is provided below the movable sleeve, and the limiting pin is inserted into the fixed shaft.

[0006] In step 2), the inclinometer I and the inclinometer II are single-axis inclinometers.

[0007] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows: By installing a pressure sensor on the suction tank and combining it with density correction from a temperature, salinity, and depth gauge (TDT) to obtain the precise water immersion depth of the suction tank, the overall attitude angle of the suction tank positioning frame can be calculated, avoiding the situation where the inclinometer can only represent the local attitude of the installation point. The use of a movable sleeve allows for single-axis inclinometer angle measurement during pile driving in multiple directions, ensuring the consistency of the elevation measurement benchmark for all steel piles. By comparing data between a reference single-axis inclinometer and a rotating single-axis inclinometer, it is possible to determine whether the pile top elevation meets the design requirements, ensuring the consistency of the pile top elevation for all steel piles. This is a fully underwater real-time measurement mode, which guarantees the continuity of pile driving operations, thereby improving the efficiency of pile driving construction. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Fig. 1 This is a planar schematic diagram of step 1) of the present invention;

[0009] Fig. 2 This is a side view of the suction barrel positioning frame structure;

[0010] Fig. 3 This is a schematic diagram of step 2) of the present invention.

[0011] Fig. 1 In the middle: 11. Suction bucket No. 1 of the suction bucket positioning frame; 12. Suction bucket No. 1 of the suction bucket positioning frame; 13. Suction bucket No. 3 of the suction bucket positioning frame; 14. Suction bucket No. 4 of the suction bucket positioning frame; 21. Steel pile sleeve No. 1; 22. Steel pile sleeve No. 2; 23. Steel pile sleeve No. 3; 24. Steel pile sleeve No. 4; 31. Pressure sensor on suction bucket No. 1; 32. Pressure sensor on suction bucket No. 2; 33. Pressure sensor on suction bucket No. 3; 34. Pressure sensor on suction bucket No. 4.

[0012] Fig. 2 In the middle: 101, suction bucket; 102, vertical steel structure; 201, vertical structure of steel pile sleeve; 202, guide structure of steel pile sleeve.

[0013] Fig. 3 In the middle: 301, steel pile; 302, lifting lug; 401, fixed shaft; 402, movable sleeve; 403, limit pin; 404, reference plate; 405, constant tension drum; 406, hinge; 407, inclinometer plate; 408, steel cable routing hole; 409, steel cable routing hole; 501, single-axis inclinometer; 502, single-axis inclinometer; 503, cable; 504, cable; 601, steel cable. Detailed Implementation

[0014] To further understand the invention's content, features, and effects, the following embodiments are provided, and detailed descriptions are given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0015] Please see Figs. 1-3 A method for measuring the relative elevation of underwater steel piles for offshore wind turbine foundations, comprising the following steps:

[0016] 1) Complete the leveling of the suction barrel positioning frame.

[0017] A pressure sensor is installed on the top of each suction barrel on the positioning frame, and a temperature, salinity, and depth gauge is installed on the suction barrel positioning frame platform. A data monitor is set up on the construction vessel. The data monitor is equipped with a data processing module. The data processing module uses the data from the pressure sensor and the temperature, salinity, and depth gauge to calculate the water depth of the top of each suction barrel after density correction, as well as the difference in water depth between the tops of any two suction barrels. It then determines whether the difference meets the design value range for the horizontality of the suction barrel positioning frame. If not, the horizontal accuracy of the suction barrel positioning frame is adjusted until it does. Once the difference meets the design value range, the lateral and longitudinal tilt angles of the positioning frame platform are calculated. Once the lateral and longitudinal tilt angles meet the verticality design requirements of the steel piles, pile driving construction is carried out.

[0018] 2) Complete the construction survey of the steel piles.

[0019] A fixed shaft 401 is vertically installed in the center of the leveled positioning frame platform. A movable sleeve 402 is fastened to the fixed shaft 401. A reference plate 404 is fixed to the top of the movable sleeve 402. An inclinometer I is installed on the reference plate 404. An inclinometer plate 407 and a constant tension drum 405 are installed on one side of the movable sleeve 402. The inclinometer plate 407 is hinged to the reference plate 404. The constant tension drum 405 is located directly below the inclinometer plate 407. A steel cable 601 connected to the steel pile lifting lug 302 is wound around the constant tension drum 405. The inclinometer plate 407 is attached to the steel cable 601. An inclinometer II is installed on the inclinometer plate 407. A data monitor receives data from the inclinometer I and the inclinometer II. The inclinometer I is connected to the data monitor via a cable 503, and the inclinometer II is connected to the data monitor via a cable 504.

[0020] During the pile driving process, the constant tension drum continuously tightens the steel cable 601, causing the inclinometer plate 407 to flip outward until it is flush with the reference plate 404, at which point the pile driving stops. At this time, the readings of the inclinometer I 501 and the inclinometer II 502 are equal, and the readings of the inclinometer I 501 and the inclinometer II 502 are displayed on the data monitor.

[0021] After the piling work of all steel piles 301 is completed, a diver carries a pressure sensor to the top of each pile to check the elevation. The specific procedure is as follows: the diver places the pressure sensor on the top of each steel pile 301, and the data monitor uses the data measured by the pile top pressure sensor and the data measured by the temperature, salinity and depth gauge to calculate the water entry elevation of the pile top of each steel pile after density correction. The water entry elevation of the top of the No. 1 suction tank is subtracted from the water entry elevation of the pile top of each steel pile to obtain a fixed elevation difference. By comparing the differences of all elevation differences, the elevation difference between all pile tops is known.

[0022] To make the installation height of the movable sleeve 402 adjustable and convenient to use, in step 2), a limiting pin 403 is provided below the movable sleeve 402, and the limiting pin 403 is inserted into the fixed shaft 401. In step 2), the inclinometer I 501 and the inclinometer II 502 are single-axis inclinometers.

[0023] Application examples of this invention:

[0024] Please see Figs. 1-3 There are four offshore wind power foundation steel piles 301, which are underwater steel piles. The pile driving is carried out by a suction barrel positioning frame. The suction barrel positioning frame mainly includes four suction barrels 11, 12, 13, and 14, which are used to anchor the positioning frame on the seabed. A pressure sensor 31, 32, 33, or 34 is installed on each suction barrel. Four steel pile sleeves 21, 22, 23, and 24 are provided on the positioning frame.

[0025] Fig. 2 This is a side view of the suction bucket positioning frame structure. 101 is the suction bucket, which sinks by creating negative pressure through internal water pumping, thus serving as an anchor. 102 is the vertical steel structure connecting the suction bucket and the platform. 201 is the vertical steel structure of the steel pile sleeve, used to control the verticality of the steel pile during pile driving. 202 is the guide structure of the steel pile sleeve, ensuring that the steel pile enters the sleeve when the pile is inserted.

[0026] The suction barrel positioning frame leveling system includes pressure sensors 31, 32, 33, and 34, a temperature, salinity, and depth gauge, and a data monitor. The four pressure sensors are installed on the top of the four suction barrels of the suction barrel positioning frame, the temperature, salinity, and depth gauge is installed on the platform of the suction barrel positioning frame, and the data monitor is installed on the construction boat. The pressure sensors and the temperature, salinity, and depth gauge are all connected to the data monitor via cables, and the data monitor is equipped with a data processing unit.

[0027] The horizontal alignment of the suction tank positioning frame must be less than 1‰, which translates to 0.057°. Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 represent four pressure sensors. DQ1 is the water depth after correction based on the density value measured by the Q1 pressure sensor and then by a temperature, salinity, and depth analyzer; DQ2 is the water depth after correction based on the density value measured by the Q2 pressure sensor and then by a temperature, salinity, and depth analyzer; DQ3 is the water depth after correction based on the density value measured by the Q3 pressure sensor and then by a temperature, salinity, and depth analyzer; and DQ4 is the water depth after correction based on the density value measured by the Q4 pressure sensor and then by a temperature, salinity, and depth analyzer. The horizontal distance between any two adjacent pressure sensors is 32 meters. The horizontal alignment of the suction tank positioning frame will meet the requirements if all of the following conditions are met; otherwise, further adjustments are necessary:

[0028] |DQ1-QD2|≤0.032

[0029] |DQ2-QD3|≤0.032

[0030] |DQ3-QD4|≤0.032

[0031] |DQ4-QD1|≤0.032

[0032] After the suction bucket positioning frame meets the levelness requirements, it is necessary to calculate the overall attitude of the positioning frame platform. Define the direction of the line connecting Q1 and Q2 as the roll direction of the positioning frame platform, and the direction of the line connecting Q1 and Q4 as the pitch direction. Then, the attitude angles Roll and Pitch of the platform can be calculated using the following formula:

[0033]

[0034]

[0035] Once the lateral and longitudinal tilt angles meet the verticality design requirements of the steel piles, pile driving construction can proceed.

[0036] Fig. 3 The image shows a steel pile relative elevation measurement system, which includes...

[0037] The system includes single-axis inclinometers 501 and 502, a reference plate 404, an inclinometer plate 407, a movable sleeve 402, a constant tension drum 405, and a steel cable 601. The reference single-axis inclinometer 501 is mounted on the reference plate 404 and connected to a data monitor on the ship's deck via a cable 503. The rotating single-axis inclinometer 502 is mounted on the inclinometer plate 407 and connected to the data monitor on the ship's deck via a cable 504. The movable sleeve 402 is fastened to a vertical fixed shaft 401. The installation height of the movable sleeve 402 and the constant tension drum 405 can be adjusted by changing the position of the limit pin 403. The fixed shaft 401 is welded to the center of the positioning frame platform. The constant tension drum 405 is mounted on the movable sleeve 402 and is used to tighten the steel cable 601. The reference plate 404 and the inclinometer plate 407 are connected by a hinge 406, allowing the inclinometer plate 407 to rotate around the hinge. The steel cable 601 connects the lifting lug 302 of the steel pile 301 and the constant tension drum 405, and passes through the cable routing holes 408 and 409 of the inclinometer plate 407 to drive the inclinometer plate to rotate. After the steel cable 601 is tightened, the reference plate 404 and the inclinometer plate 407 can be directly aligned with the steel pile 301.

[0038] When driving piles, it is necessary to control the top elevation of the four steel piles to be on the same horizontal plane as much as possible, so as to ensure the smooth installation of the upper guide frame.

[0039] C1 represents the angle data measured by a single-axis inclinometer mounted on the reference plate, and C2 represents the angle data measured by a single-axis inclinometer mounted on the inclinometer plate. After the steel pile is fully submerged, a diver connects the steel cable 601 on the constant tension drum 405 to the lifting lug 302 of the steel pile 301. As the steel pile 301 continues to sink, the constant tension drum 405 continuously tightens the steel cable 601, causing the inclinometer plate 407 to rotate slowly until it is flush with the reference plate 404. For each steel pile, driving stops when the reading C2 of the single-axis inclinometer mounted on the inclinometer plate matches the angle data C1 measured by the single-axis inclinometer mounted on the reference plate.

[0040] After the driving of the four steel piles was completed, divers used a pressure sensor to verify the elevation at the top of each pile. Specifically, the divers placed the pressure sensor at the top of pile number 1, and after correcting the data with a temperature, salinity, and depth gauge (TDT), compared its depth to the depth of the pressure sensor on the suction tank (H1) to obtain a fixed elevation difference (H1). The same method was used to compare the elevations of piles numbered 2, 3, and 4 with the depth of the pressure sensor on the suction tank (H1) to obtain H2, H3, and H4 respectively. By comparing the differences between H1, H2, H3, and H4, the elevation difference between the tops of the four piles could be determined.

[0041] After leveling the suction bucket positioning frame, measuring the relative elevation of the underwater steel piles, and verifying the elevation of the pile top, the accuracy of the foundation steel pile elevation measurement can be ensured.

[0042] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other modifications under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these modifications are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the relative elevation of underwater steel piles for offshore wind turbine foundations, characterized in that, The following steps are adopted: 1) Complete the leveling of the suction barrel positioning frame. A pressure sensor is installed on the top of each suction barrel on the positioning frame, and a temperature, salinity, and depth gauge is installed on the suction barrel positioning frame platform. A data monitor is set up on the construction vessel. The data monitor is equipped with a data processing module. The data processing module uses the data from the pressure sensor and the temperature, salinity, and depth gauge to calculate the water depth of the top of each suction barrel after density correction, as well as the difference in water depth between the tops of any two suction barrels. It then determines whether the difference meets the design value range for the horizontality of the suction barrel positioning frame. If not, the horizontal accuracy of the suction barrel positioning frame is adjusted until it does. Once the difference meets the design value range, the lateral and longitudinal tilt angles of the positioning frame platform are calculated. Once the lateral and longitudinal tilt angles meet the verticality design requirements of the steel piles, pile driving construction is carried out. 2) Complete the measurement of the relative elevation of the steel piles. A fixed shaft is vertically installed in the center of the leveled positioning frame platform, and a movable sleeve is fastened to the fixed shaft. A reference plate is fixed to the top of the movable sleeve, and an inclinometer I is installed on the reference plate. An inclinometer plate and a constant tension drum are installed on one side of the movable sleeve. The inclinometer plate is hinged to the reference plate, and the constant tension drum is located directly below the inclinometer plate. A steel cable connected to the steel pile lifting lug is wound around the constant tension drum. The inclinometer plate is attached to the steel cable, and an inclinometer II is installed on the inclinometer plate. The data monitor receives data from tiltmeter I and tiltmeter II. During the pile driving process, the constant tension drum continuously tightens the steel cable, causing the inclinometer plate to flip outward until it is flush with the reference plate, at which point the pile driving stops. At this time, the readings of the inclinometer I and the inclinometer II are equal. After all the steel piles were driven, divers carried a pressure sensor to the top of each pile to verify the elevation. The specific procedure was as follows: the divers placed the pressure sensor on the top of each steel pile, and the data monitor used the data measured by the pile top pressure sensor and the data measured by the temperature, salinity and depth gauge to calculate the water entry elevation of the pile top of each steel pile after density correction. The water entry elevation of the top of the No. 1 suction tank was subtracted from the water entry elevation of the top of each steel pile to obtain a fixed elevation difference. By comparing the differences of all elevation differences, the elevation difference between all pile tops was obtained.

2. The method for measuring the relative elevation of underwater steel piles for offshore wind power foundations according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 2), a limiting pin is provided below the movable sleeve, and the limiting pin is inserted into the fixed shaft.

3. The method for measuring the relative elevation of underwater steel piles for offshore wind power foundations according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 2), the inclinometer I and the inclinometer II are single-axis inclinometers.

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