Anti-scouring device, offshore single-pile wind turbine foundation and installation method thereof

Abstract

This application relates to an anti-scour device, an offshore monopile wind turbine foundation, and an installation method thereof. The anti-scour device includes: an inner flow-blocking ring for installation on the outer periphery of the pile; an outer flow-blocking ring spaced around the outer periphery of the inner flow-blocking ring; and an isolation member disposed within the gap between the inner and outer flow-blocking rings, with the inner ring side of the isolation member connected to the inner flow-blocking ring and the outer ring side connected to the outer flow-blocking ring. Because the isolation member also blocks the ocean current from the pile-soil mixture, even when the ocean current near the pile-soil mixture is disturbed, the current cannot scour the pile-soil mixture, thus preventing the formation of scour pits, ensuring the pile-soil mixture's support and wrapping effect on the pile-soil mixture, and improving the stability and safety of the offshore monopile wind turbine foundation. The anti-scour device of this application has the advantages of simple structure, convenient installation, and good anti-scour effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of offshore wind power engineering technology, and in particular to an anti-scouring device, an offshore monopile foundation and its installation method. Background Technology

[0002] Monopile foundations are the most widely used foundation type in offshore wind power engineering. Currently, in wind farms with water depths of less than 30m, fixed monopile foundations are the most common type. However, because the pile diameter of monopile foundations is usually designed to be very large, ocean currents encountering the piles will flow around them, increasing the current velocity around the piles and easily forming scour pits on the seabed. These scour pits weaken the support provided by the soil near the mud surface to the piles, negatively impacting the stability of the monopile foundation. Therefore, in actual construction, anti-scour measures must be adopted to protect the monopile foundation to ensure its structural safety.

[0003] Currently, the most common practice in engineering is to lay gravity sand blankets, which involves using a crane vessel to spread sand blankets of different sizes flat on the seabed, using the sand blankets as ballast to prevent the soil around the piles from being eroded by wave currents. However, its disadvantages include high construction costs and relatively high operational difficulty, especially in the laying of gravity sand blankets at the base of steel pipe piles, which is difficult to achieve the design requirements, resulting in a significant reduction in actual erosion resistance. Another common method is the rock dumping method, which uses rocks to form a filter layer around the pile foundation to prevent the surface soil from being eroded. However, rock dumping can easily damage the main structure of the wind turbine, and the rocks are difficult to recover, impacting the environment. Furthermore, the rock dumping requires maintenance afterward, posing a risk of secondary erosion. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an anti-scour device, an offshore monopile wind turbine foundation, and its installation method to address the problems of poor scour resistance, high construction difficulty, and high cost.

[0005] On one hand, this application provides an anti-scouring device for installation in a turbulence zone near a pile, the anti-scouring device comprising:

[0006] A flow-blocking inner ring is used to be installed on the outer periphery of the pile;

[0007] An outer flow-blocking ring, wherein the outer flow-blocking ring is spaced and sleeved around the outer periphery of the inner flow-blocking ring; and...

[0008] An isolation component is disposed within the gap between the inner flow-blocking ring and the outer flow-blocking ring, with the inner ring side of the isolation component connected to the inner flow-blocking ring and the outer ring side of the isolation component connected to the outer flow-blocking ring.

[0009] The aforementioned scour protection device is installed in the turbulence zone near the pile. Specifically, an inner and outer flow-blocking ring are nested together on the seabed, and an isolation component is connected between them. In this way, the outer flow-blocking ring first acts as a flow barrier against the impacting current, reducing the direct scour of the pile and surrounding soil. Furthermore, the isolation component also separates the current from the soil, preventing scour even when disturbances occur near the pile, thus preventing the formation of scour pits and ensuring the soil's support and stability, thereby improving the stability and safety of the offshore monopile wind turbine foundation. Compared to existing scour protection structures, the scour protection device of this application has the advantages of simple structure, convenient installation, and good scour protection effect.

[0010] The technical solution of this application will be further described below:

[0011] In one embodiment, the outer flow-blocking ring has a flow-guiding slope on its sidewall away from the inner flow-blocking ring, the flow-guiding slope extending from the bottom to the top of the outer flow-blocking ring and tilting toward the inner flow-blocking ring.

[0012] In one embodiment, the outer flow-blocking ring is further provided with a turbulence-disrupting tunnel, the two ends of which penetrate the guide slope and the top of the outer flow-blocking ring, respectively.

[0013] In one embodiment, the turbulence tunnel includes a horizontal section, an arc-shaped turning section, and a vertical section. The horizontal section is connected to the vertical section through the arc-shaped turning section. The open end of the horizontal section away from the arc-shaped turning section is formed on the guide slope and serves as an inlet. The end of the vertical section away from the arc-shaped turning section is formed at the top of the flow-blocking outer ring and serves as an outlet.

[0014] In one embodiment, the isolation member includes at least one isolation membrane, which is laid between the outer flow-blocking ring and the inner flow-blocking ring.

[0015] In one embodiment, the isolation member further includes at least one reinforcing rib, and the isolation membrane is provided with a mounting groove, the reinforcing rib being connected to the mounting groove.

[0016] In one embodiment, the anti-scouring device further includes a diaphragm element disposed in the inner ring cavity of the flow-blocking inner ring; the diaphragm element has a pleated structure.

[0017] On the other hand, this application also provides an offshore monopile wind turbine foundation, which includes:

[0018] Piles; and,

[0019] As described above, in the anti-scour device, the pile passes through the middle of the inner ring of the anti-scour device and is inserted into the seabed for fixation.

[0020] In one embodiment, the bottom end of the pile inserted into the seabed has a conical structure; and / or

[0021] The diameter of the pile is smaller than the inner ring diameter of the flow-blocking inner ring.

[0022] In addition, this application also provides an installation method for constructing the offshore monopile wind turbine foundation of the aforementioned claim, comprising the following steps:

[0023] Determine the machine location coordinates, using the center of the anti-scouring device as a reference point, and hoist the anti-scouring device.

[0024] After the anti-scouring device is installed, the center coordinates of the anti-scouring device are remeasured, and the remeasured center coordinates are used as the initial coordinates as the positioning reference for the pile column.

[0025] The pile is hoisted and inserted into the seabed through the center of the inner ring to carry out the pile driving operation. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of this application. The illustrative embodiments of this application and their descriptions are used to explain this application and do not constitute an undue limitation of this application.

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an offshore monopile wind turbine foundation according to an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of the structure at point A in the middle.

[0030] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Top view of the structure.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of the installation method for the offshore monopile wind turbine foundation in this application.

[0032] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0033] 100. Offshore monopile wind turbine foundation; 10. Anti-scour device; 11. Inner flow-blocking ring; 12. Outer flow-blocking ring; 121. Guide slope; 122. Turbine tunnel; 122a. Horizontal section; 122b. Arc-shaped turning section; 122c. Vertical section; 13. Isolation component; 131. Isolation membrane; 132. Reinforcing rib; 20. Pile; 30. Membrane component. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0035] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" appear, these terms indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0036] Furthermore, where the terms "first" and "second" appear, these terms are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, where the term "multiple" appears, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0037] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0038] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the use of descriptions such as "above" or "below" the second feature indicates that the first and second features are in direct contact or indirect contact via an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. Similarly, "below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0039] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. If so, the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0040] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 This application illustrates an embodiment of an offshore monopile wind turbine foundation 100, which includes a pile 20 and an anti-scour device 10. The pile 20 can specifically be a steel pipe pile. During installation, the lower end of the steel pipe pile is driven below the seabed for installation and fixation. The upper end of the pile 20, located above the sea surface, is used to install the wind turbine and related equipment, enabling the wind turbine to generate electricity using wind energy.

[0041] It is easy to understand that, in order to avoid the service life and structural safety being affected by seawater corrosion, the outer wall of the steel pipe pile needs to be coated with an acid and alkali resistant anti-corrosion coating material.

[0042] In this embodiment, the anti-scouring device 10 is installed in the turbulence zone near the pile 20. Because the pile diameter of the pile 20 is typically large, it obstructs ocean currents, causing increased current velocity around the pile 20 and creating turbulence. The soil on the seabed near the outer perimeter of the pile 20 is easily scoured away by the current, forming scour pits. This increases the exposed portion at the base of the pile 20, adversely affecting the installation stability of the pile 20. To address this, this solution proposes an anti-scouring device 10 that can suppress and mitigate the scouring effect of ocean currents on the pile 20.

[0043] For example, the anti-scouring device 10 includes an inner flow-blocking ring 11, an outer flow-blocking ring 12, and an isolation member 13.

[0044] The inner flow-blocking ring 11 is installed around the outer periphery of the pile 20; the outer flow-blocking ring 12 is spaced around the outer periphery of the inner flow-blocking ring 11; the isolation member 13 is disposed within the gap between the inner flow-blocking ring 11 and the outer flow-blocking ring 12, with the inner ring side of the isolation member 13 connected to the inner flow-blocking ring 11 and the outer ring side of the isolation member 13 connected to the outer flow-blocking ring 12. The pile 20 passes through the middle of the inner flow-blocking ring 11 of the anti-scour device 10 and is inserted into the seabed for fixation.

[0045] Optionally, the inner baffle ring 11 and the outer baffle ring 12 can be made of any material such as concrete or metal. For example, in this embodiment, both the inner baffle ring 11 and the outer baffle ring 12 are made of concrete, which has high structural strength, strong resistance to acid and alkali corrosion, and excellent blocking effect against the impact of ocean currents.

[0046] In summary, implementing the technical solution of this embodiment will have the following beneficial effects: The anti-scouring device 10 of the above solution is used to be installed in the turbulence zone near the pile 20. Specifically, the inner flow-blocking ring 11 and the outer flow-blocking ring 12 are nested inside and outside the seabed, and then the isolation member 13 is connected in the gap between the inner flow-blocking ring 11 and the outer flow-blocking ring 12. In this way, the outer flow-blocking ring 12 can first form a certain flow-blocking effect towards the ocean current impacting the pile 20, reducing the direct scouring of the ocean current on the pile 20 and the soil near the pile 20. In addition, since the isolation member 13 can also block the ocean current from the pile soil, even if the ocean current near the pile 20 is disturbed, the ocean current cannot have a scouring effect on the pile soil, thereby preventing the formation of scouring pits, ensuring the wrapping and supporting effect of the pile soil on the pile 20, and improving the stability and safety of the offshore monopile wind turbine foundation 100. Furthermore, compared with the existing anti-erosion structures, the anti-erosion device 10 of this application has the advantages of simple structure, convenient installation and construction, and good anti-erosion effect.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, based on the above embodiment, the diameter of the pile 20 is smaller than the inner ring diameter of the flow-blocking inner ring 11. For example, it is preferable that the diameter of the pile 20 is 1m smaller than the inner ring diameter of the flow-blocking inner ring 11, thereby effectively compensating for radial alignment construction errors caused by horizontal swaying and hoisting machinery operation errors during the hoisting of the pile 20.

[0048] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the outer flow-blocking ring 12 has a guiding slope 121 on its sidewall away from the inner flow-blocking ring 11. The guiding slope 121 extends from the bottom to the top of the outer flow-blocking ring 12 and slopes towards the inner flow-blocking ring 11. Therefore, when the ocean current flows horizontally towards the pile 20, it will be blocked and guided by the guiding slope 121. The ocean current will then gradually change from horizontal flow to upward flow along the guiding slope 121, thereby avoiding the ocean current directly impacting the pile 20 and forming turbulence near the pile 20, which would cause erosion of the pile soil.

[0049] Furthermore, the outer ring 12 is also provided with a turbulence tunnel 122, with both ends of the turbulence tunnel 122 penetrating the guide slope 121 and the top of the outer ring 12, respectively. The turbulence tunnel 122 allows horizontally flowing ocean currents to pass through it, reducing the direct impact damage of the ocean currents on the outer ring 12.

[0050] Please continue reading. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Specifically, the turbulence tunnel 122 includes a horizontal section 122a, an arc-shaped turning section 122b, and a vertical section 122c. The horizontal section 122a is connected to the vertical section 122c via the arc-shaped turning section 122b. The open end of the horizontal section 122a away from the arc-shaped turning section 122b is formed on the guide slope 121 and serves as an inlet. The end of the vertical section 122c away from the arc-shaped turning section 122b is formed at the top of the flow-blocking outer ring 12 and serves as an outlet. In actual operation, the ocean current flows in from the horizontal section 122a and turns along the arc-shaped turning section 122b into the vertical section 122c, finally exiting from the outlet above the flow-blocking outer ring 12. This creates a turbulence effect where the vertically upward-flowing ocean current and the horizontally flowing ocean current collide, interfering with the flow field above the flow-blocking outer ring 12 and reducing the scouring of the pile 20 and the surrounding soil by the ocean current.

[0051] Preferably, the outer periphery of the flow-blocking outer ring 12 is also provided with a flexible skirt structure. The flexible skirt structure can prevent the ocean current from scouring the flow-blocking outer ring 12, thus protecting the structural safety and service life of the flow-blocking outer ring 12.

[0052] Based on any of the above embodiments, the isolation member 13 includes at least one isolation membrane 131, which is laid between the outer flow-blocking ring 12 and the inner flow-blocking ring 11. The isolation membrane 131 can not only effectively isolate the ocean current from the pile soil around the pile 20, preventing the ocean current in a turbulent state from eroding the pile soil, but also has the advantages of low cost, convenient installation and use, and strong impact resistance.

[0053] Please continue reading. Figure 3 Furthermore, the isolation component 13 also includes at least one reinforcing rib 132, and the isolation membrane 131 is provided with a mounting groove, into which the reinforcing rib 132 is connected. The reinforcing rib 132 not only enables the isolation component 13 to obtain higher structural strength, but also serves as a lifting point, facilitating the lifting operation of the isolation component 13.

[0054] Specifically, in this embodiment, there are multiple isolation membranes 131 in a fan-shaped structure, and multiple reinforcing ribs 132. The multiple isolation membranes 131 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a reinforcing rib 132 is installed between every two adjacent isolation membranes 131. This helps to ensure that the strength of each part of the isolation component 13 is consistent and provides more lifting points, reducing the difficulty of lifting.

[0055] In some embodiments, the anti-scouring device 10 further includes a diaphragm element 30, which is disposed in the inner annular cavity of the flow-blocking inner ring 11; the diaphragm element 30 has a pleated structure. The diaphragm element 30 has low strength, and because the inner ring diameter of the flow-blocking inner ring 11 is larger than the diameter of the pile 20, the pile 20 can easily pierce and pass through the diaphragm element 30 under its own weight and insert itself below the seabed. At the same time, the remaining annular portion of the diaphragm element 30 can still cover the annular gap between the pile 20 and the flow-blocking inner ring 11, thus completely blocking the ocean current. Preferably, the diaphragm element 30 has a pleated structure, which can meet the requirements of local deformation and is easily cut and punctured by the pile 20.

[0056] Furthermore, the bottom end of the pile 20 inserted into the seabed is provided with a conical structure. That is, the bottom end of the pile 20 can form a conical structure, making it easier to break through the membrane component 30.

[0057] Please continue reading. Figure 4 Furthermore, this application also provides an installation method for constructing the aforementioned offshore monopile wind turbine foundation 100, comprising the following steps:

[0058] S100: Determine the machine position coordinates, and hoist the anti-scouring device 10 with the center of the anti-scouring device 10 as the reference point.

[0059] S200: After the anti-scour device 10 is installed, remeasure the center coordinates of the anti-scour device 10, and use the remeasured center coordinates as the initial coordinates as the positioning reference for the pile column 20.

[0060] S300: Hoist pile 20, so that pile 20 passes through the center of the inner ring and is inserted into the seabed for pile driving operation.

[0061] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0062] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An anti-scouring device for installation in a turbulence zone near a pile, characterized in that, The anti-erosion device includes: A flow-blocking inner ring is used to be installed on the outer periphery of the pile; An outer flow-blocking ring, wherein the outer flow-blocking ring is spaced and sleeved around the outer periphery of the inner flow-blocking ring; and... An isolation component is disposed within the gap between the inner flow-blocking ring and the outer flow-blocking ring, with the inner ring side of the isolation component connected to the inner flow-blocking ring and the outer ring side of the isolation component connected to the outer flow-blocking ring; the isolation component includes at least one isolation membrane, with at least one isolation membrane laid between the outer flow-blocking ring and the inner flow-blocking ring.

2. The anti-erosion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer flow-blocking ring has a flow-guiding slope on its sidewall away from the inner flow-blocking ring. The flow-guiding slope extends from the bottom of the outer flow-blocking ring to the top and slopes toward the inner flow-blocking ring.

3. The anti-erosion device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The outer ring of the flow barrier is also provided with a turbulence tunnel, the two ends of which penetrate the guide slope and the top of the outer ring of the flow barrier, respectively.

4. The anti-erosion device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The turbulence tunnel includes a horizontal section, an arc-shaped turning section, and a vertical section. The horizontal section is connected to the vertical section through the arc-shaped turning section. The opening end of the horizontal section away from the arc-shaped turning section is formed on the guide slope and serves as an inlet. The end of the vertical section away from the arc-shaped turning section is formed at the top of the flow-blocking outer ring and serves as an outlet.

5. The anti-erosion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The isolation member further includes at least one reinforcing rib, and the isolation membrane is provided with a mounting groove, with the reinforcing rib connected to the mounting groove.

6. The anti-erosion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The anti-scouring device further includes a diaphragm element disposed in the inner ring cavity of the flow-blocking inner ring; the diaphragm element adopts a pleated structure.

7. A type of offshore monopile wind turbine foundation, characterized in that, include: Piles; as well as, According to any one of claims 1 to 6, the scour prevention device is wherein the pile passes through the middle of the inner ring of the scour prevention device and is inserted into the seabed for fixation.

8. The offshore monopile wind turbine foundation according to claim 7, characterized in that, The bottom end of the pile inserted into the seabed has a conical structure.

9. The offshore monopile wind turbine foundation according to claim 7, characterized in that, The diameter of the pile is smaller than the inner ring diameter of the flow-blocking inner ring.

10. A method for constructing an offshore monopile wind turbine foundation as described in any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Determine the machine location coordinates, using the center of the anti-scouring device as a reference point, and hoist the anti-scouring device. After the anti-scouring device is installed, the center coordinates of the anti-scouring device are remeasured, and the remeasured center coordinates are used as the initial coordinates as the positioning reference for the pile column. The pile is hoisted and inserted into the seabed through the center of the inner ring to carry out the pile driving operation.

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