An offshore lift base booster station and method of installation and maintenance thereof

Abstract

The application provides an offshore lifting base booster station and a mounting and maintenance method thereof, and relates to the technical field of offshore booster stations.The structure comprises a booster station system, wherein the booster station system comprises a concrete counterweight foundation, a booster station chamber is arranged on the concrete counterweight foundation, and a booster station chamber pressure bearing cylinder is arranged outside the booster station chamber; lifting control pressure buckets and pile shoe sleeve pipes are arranged around the concrete counterweight foundation, piles are arranged in the pile shoe sleeve pipes, and auxiliary operation platforms are arranged on the top of the piles.After the application is mounted, the booster station system is submerged in the sea, and the influence of typhoons and hot high temperatures on the booster station system can be avoided to the greatest extent.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of offshore booster station technology, and in particular to an offshore lifting base booster station and its installation and maintenance methods. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most offshore substations are jacket foundation type, where the jacket foundation is fixed to the seabed using steel pipe piles, and the superstructure is then fixed to the top of the jacket foundation, above the sea surface. Therefore, existing offshore substation technology has the following problems:

[0003] 1. The upper module is fixed above the sea surface, and the impact of typhoons must be considered during the design and construction.

[0004] 2. The transportation of offshore booster stations is mostly carried out by towing by transport ships and lifting by hoisting ships on the sea surface. Due to the large weight of offshore booster stations, the towing cost is very high, and the requirements for towing and hoisting become more and more demanding as the weight increases.

[0005] 3. As offshore wind power develops towards deeper and more distant waters, the cost of constructing jacket foundation-type offshore booster stations is enormous;

[0006] 4. As the size of offshore substations increases, the root area of ​​the piles also increases, requiring more advanced construction techniques for the superstructure and a greater amount of steel.

[0007] 5. Under the hot and humid conditions, the steel structure of the upper module, built on the horizontal plane, heats up rapidly. How to dissipate heat from the entire upper module has become a key issue that the substation needs to consider. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This invention provides a marine lifting base booster station and its installation and maintenance method, aiming to solve at least one of the technical problems of the prior art mentioned in the background section.

[0009] The present invention provides the following technical solution to achieve the above objectives:

[0010] A marine lifting base booster station includes a booster station system, which includes a concrete counterweight foundation, a booster station chamber on the concrete counterweight foundation, and a booster station chamber pressure-bearing cylinder outside the booster station chamber; a lifting control pressure tank and a pile shoe sleeve are arranged around the concrete counterweight foundation, a pile is installed in the pile shoe sleeve, and an auxiliary operation platform is provided on the top of the pile.

[0011] Furthermore, multiple lifting control pressure tanks and pile shoe sleeves are provided and evenly arranged around the concrete counterweight foundation.

[0012] Furthermore, the top of the booster station is equipped with a ventilation duct, and the top of the ventilation duct is equipped with a maintenance access platform. The maintenance access platform includes an elevator and stairs installed inside the ventilation duct, as well as a platform base plate on top. The platform base plate is connected to columns, and the columns are connected to the platform top plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the top of the booster station chamber is equipped with an equipment replacement hatch cover; the pile is equipped with a floating positioning slot, and the distance from the floating positioning slot to the auxiliary operating platform is equal to the height of the booster station chamber.

[0014] Furthermore, the piles are provided in four parallel configurations; the auxiliary operation platform includes a helicopter platform, a crane platform, a lightning rod platform, and a debris platform, each mounted on one pile, with adjacent platforms connected by a passageway.

[0015] Furthermore, the pile is equipped with a boat mooring device.

[0016] The aforementioned installation and maintenance method for the offshore lift-type base substation includes the following steps: The piles, auxiliary operating platform, and substation system are manufactured and assembled on land; after the substation system is manufactured and assembled, it is towed into the water, and the buoyancy generated by the system, even before the lifting control pressure tank is filled with water, allows it to float on the water's surface; a towboat is used to tow the piles, auxiliary operating platform, and substation system to the designated wind farm, and the stability of the substation system on the water surface can be adjusted via the lifting control pressure tank during towing; after the substation system is stable, the piles are driven into the seabed through the pile shoe sleeve; after pile driving is completed, the lifting control pressure tank is filled with water to allow the substation system to sink to the seabed, and then the auxiliary operating platform is hoisted onto the top of the piles.

[0017] The aforementioned installation and maintenance method for the offshore lifting base booster station includes the following steps: During routine maintenance, the equipment is maintained and inspected by taking the elevator or climbing the stairs from the top of the ventilation and maintenance passage; when replacing equipment, the lifting control pressure tank is pressurized and drained, causing the entire booster station system to float along the pile through the pile shoe sleeve until the pile shoe sleeve is stuck in the floating positioning groove. At this point, the equipment replacement hatch cover is on the same plane as the auxiliary operating platform. Opening the equipment replacement hatch cover allows entry into the booster station room to replace the equipment. Beneficial effects

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. After installation, the substation system is submerged on the seabed and protected by seawater, which can minimize the impact of typhoons and high temperatures on the substation system.

[0020] 2. After the booster station system of this invention is manufactured and assembled, it is towed into the water. Under the buoyancy of the unfilled lifting control pressure tank, the entire lifting control pressure tank, concrete counterweight foundation, and pile shoe sleeve float on the horizontal surface, facilitating towing by transport vessels and significantly reducing towing costs. During hoisting, there is no need to hoist the booster station system itself, greatly reducing the weight, difficulty, and cost of hoisting. The concrete counterweight foundation provides load-bearing capacity for the booster station system, significantly reducing the cost of steel used in the jacket foundation and booster station chamber. Therefore, this invention has good economic efficiency and practicality, providing a certain solution for deep-sea offshore booster stations.

[0021] 3. This invention is applicable to offshore wind farms of various water depths. The equipment can be manufactured at the dock or on shore. It can also be installed directly at the dock, on shore or at sea, reducing the overall construction difficulty to the greatest extent.

[0022] 4. This invention can adjust the rise and fall of the booster station system by raising and lowering the pressure tank, and ensures the stability of the booster station system when rising and falling by the guiding effect of the pile shoe sleeve and pile.

[0023] 5. During routine maintenance, the equipment can be maintained and repaired by taking the elevator or stairs from the top of the ventilation and maintenance passage to the substation room. The invention features a floating locking slot on the pile, and the distance from the floating locking slot to the auxiliary operating platform is equal to the height of the substation room. When equipment needs to be replaced in the substation room, the lifting control pressure tank is pressurized and drained, causing the entire substation system to float along the pile through the pile shoe sleeve until the pile shoe sleeve is locked in the floating locking slot. At this point, the equipment replacement hatch cover is on the same plane as the auxiliary operating platform. Opening the equipment replacement hatch cover allows entry into the substation room to replace the equipment, effectively shortening the distance through the ventilation pipe and making the operation very convenient. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention (the auxiliary operation platform is not placed directly on the pile for ease of showing the structure).

[0026] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged structural schematic diagram of the middle maintenance access platform 7;

[0027] Figure 3A schematic diagram of the connection structure of the concrete counterweight foundation, the lifting control pressure tank and the pile shoe sleeve.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a side view of the structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a top view of the structure of the present invention;

[0030] Attached reference numerals: 1. Concrete counterweight foundation; 2. Lifting control pressure tank; 3. Pile shoe sleeve; 4. Pressure-bearing cylinder of booster station chamber; 5. Pile; 6. Equipment replacement hatch cover; 7. Maintenance access platform; 7. Platform top plate; 701. Platform column; 702. Platform bottom plate; 703. Elevator; 704. Staircase; 705. Ventilation pipe; 8. Cable interface; 9. Floating positioning slot; 10. Mooring device; 11. Lift platform; 12. Crane platform; 13. Lightning rod platform; 14. Miscellaneous platform; 15. Passageway; 16. Implementation

[0031] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] It should be noted that in this invention, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. The terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "middle," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," "longitudinal," etc., indicate orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. The terminology used is primarily for the purpose of better describing the invention and its embodiments, and is not intended to limit the indicated devices, elements, or components to having a specific orientation, or to construct and operate in a specific orientation. Terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Terms such as "installed," "set," "equipped with," "connected," "linked," "socketed," etc., should be interpreted broadly; for example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; 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, or an internal connection between two devices, elements, or components. Furthermore, some terms, in addition to indicating orientation or positional relationships, may also have other meanings; for example, the term "above" may in some cases indicate a dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] Example. A marine-mounted, lift-type base booster station, such as... Figure 1-5 As shown, the structure includes a booster station system, which comprises a concrete counterweight foundation 1. A booster station chamber 4 is mounted on the concrete counterweight foundation 1, and a pressure-bearing cylinder is installed outside the booster station chamber 4. A lifting control pressure tank 2 and a pile shoe sleeve 3 are arranged around the concrete counterweight foundation 1. A pile 5 is installed within the pile shoe sleeve 3, with an auxiliary operating platform at the top of the pile 5 and its bottom driven into the seabed. The lifting control pressure tank 2 can achieve the floating and sinking of the booster station system by draining and filling water, during which the pile shoe sleeve 3 moves along the pile 5. The function of the booster station chamber pressure-bearing cylinder is to protect the internal booster station chamber 4 from seawater pressure.

[0034] Four lifting control pressure tanks 2 and four pile shoe sleeves 3 are provided, and they are evenly distributed around the concrete counterweight foundation 1. The lifting control pressure tanks 2 and pile shoe sleeves 3 are distributed in an alternating pattern. This makes the structural stability of the entire system better.

[0035] The top of the booster station 4 is provided with a ventilation pipe 8, and the top of the ventilation pipe 8 is provided with a maintenance access platform 7. The maintenance access platform 7 includes an elevator 704, a staircase 705 and a platform base plate 703 installed inside the ventilation pipe 8. The platform base plate 703 is connected to a column 702, and the column 702 is connected to a platform top plate 701.

[0036] The top of the booster station chamber 4 is equipped with an equipment replacement hatch cover 6; the pile 5 is equipped with a floating positioning groove 10, and the distance from the floating positioning groove 10 to the auxiliary operating platform is equal to the height of the booster station chamber 4. With this configuration, the entire booster station system floats along the pile 5 via the pile shoe sleeve 3 until the pile shoe sleeve 3 is engaged in the floating positioning groove 10. At this point, the equipment replacement hatch cover 6 is exactly on the same plane as the auxiliary operating platform.

[0037] The piles 5 are provided in four parallel configurations; the auxiliary operation platform includes a helicopter platform 12, a crane platform 13, a lightning rod platform 14, and a debris platform 15, each mounted on one of the piles 5, with adjacent platforms connected by a passageway 16. The passageway 16 enables communication between the platforms.

[0038] The pile 5 is equipped with a boat mooring device 11. The boat mooring device 11 facilitates boat mooring.

[0039] The installation method of this invention includes the following steps: On land, the pile 5, auxiliary operating platform, and booster station system are manufactured and assembled; after the booster station system is manufactured and assembled, it is towed into the water, and when the lifting control pressure tank 2 is not filled with water, the buoyancy generated by it allows the booster station system (including the lifting control pressure tank 2, concrete counterweight foundation 1, pile shoe sleeve 3, booster station chamber 4, and all electrical equipment, etc.) to float on the horizontal surface; a towing vessel is used to tow the pile 5, auxiliary operating platform, and booster station system to the designated wind farm. During the towing process, the stability of the booster station system on the water surface can be adjusted through the lifting control pressure tank 2; after the booster station system is stable, the pile 5 is driven into the seabed through the pile shoe sleeve 3; after the pile driving is completed, the lifting control pressure tank 2 is filled with water to allow the booster station system to sink to the seabed, and then the auxiliary operating platform is hoisted onto the top of the pile 5.

[0040] The maintenance method of this invention includes the following steps: During routine maintenance, the equipment is maintained and inspected by taking the elevator 704 or climbing the staircase 705 from the top of the ventilation and maintenance passage 7. When replacing equipment, the pressure tank 2 of the lifting control is drained under pressure, so that the entire substation system floats up along the pile 5 through the pile shoe sleeve 3 until the pile shoe sleeve 3 is stuck in the floating locking groove 10. At this time, the equipment replacement hatch cover 6 is just on the same plane as the auxiliary operating platform. The equipment replacement hatch cover 6 can be opened to enter the substation 4 to replace the equipment.

[0041] Obviously, the above description is only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. The above embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any combination, modification, equivalent substitution, improvement, and all other embodiments that can be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A marine-type lifting base booster station, characterized in that: The system includes a booster station system, which includes a concrete counterweight foundation (1), a booster station chamber (4) on the concrete counterweight foundation (1), and a booster station chamber pressure cylinder outside the booster station chamber (4); a lifting control pressure tank (2) and a pile shoe sleeve (3) are provided around the concrete counterweight foundation (1), and a pile (5) is provided in the pile shoe sleeve (3), and an auxiliary operating platform is provided on the top of the pile (5); The top of the booster station room (4) is provided with a ventilation pipe (8), and the top of the ventilation pipe (8) is provided with a maintenance access platform (7). The maintenance access platform (7) includes an elevator (704), a staircase (705) and a platform base plate (703) installed inside the ventilation pipe (8). The platform base plate (703) is connected to a column (702), and the column (702) is connected to a platform top plate (701). The top of the booster station room (4) is provided with an equipment replacement hatch cover (6). The pile (5) is provided with a floating positioning slot (10), and the distance from the floating positioning slot (10) to the auxiliary operating platform is equal to the height of the booster station room (4).

2. The offshore lifting base booster station according to claim 1, characterized in that: Multiple lifting control pressure tanks (2) and pile shoe sleeves (3) are provided and are evenly arranged around the concrete counterweight foundation (1).

3. The offshore lifting base booster station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pile (5) has four piles arranged in parallel; the auxiliary operation platform includes a helicopter platform (12), a crane platform (13), a lightning rod platform (14) and a debris platform (15) respectively set on one pile (5), and adjacent platforms are connected by a passage (16).

4. The offshore lifting base booster station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pile (5) is equipped with a mooring device (11).

5. The installation method of the offshore lifting base booster station as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The installation method includes the following steps: manufacture and assemble the pile (5), auxiliary operating platform and booster station system on land; after the booster station system is manufactured and assembled, it is towed into the water, and when the lifting control pressure tank (2) is not filled with water, the buoyancy generated by it can make the booster station system float on the horizontal surface; use a towing vessel to tow the pile (5), auxiliary operating platform and booster station system to the predetermined wind farm, and adjust the stability of the booster station system on the water surface through the lifting control pressure tank (2) during the towing process; after the booster station system is stable, drive the pile (5) through the pile shoe sleeve (3) into the seabed, after the pile is driven, fill the lifting control pressure tank (2) with water to make the booster station system sink to the seabed, and then hoist the auxiliary operating platform to the top of the pile (5).

6. The maintenance method for the offshore lifting base booster station as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The maintenance method includes the following steps: During routine maintenance, take the elevator (704) or the staircase (705) from the top of the maintenance access platform (7) to enter the booster station room to maintain and inspect the equipment; When replacing equipment, drain the pressure of the lifting control pressure tank (2) so that the entire booster station system floats up along the pile (5) through the pile shoe sleeve (3) until the pile shoe sleeve (3) is stuck in the floating slot (10). At this time, the equipment replacement hatch cover (6) is on the same plane as the auxiliary operation platform. Open the equipment replacement hatch cover (6) to enter the booster station room (4) to replace the equipment.

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