A deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform and its draft control method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform and its draft control method. The installation platform as a whole adopts a column-stabilized structure, the lower structure includes side columns, central columns and buoys, and the upper structure includes a deck box and a main hoist pontoon, an auxiliary hoist pontoon, and a main hoist support pontoon. The main hoist pontoon is installed with a main hoist and an auxiliary hoist support, the auxiliary hoist is installed on the auxiliary hoist pontoon, and the main hoist support is installed on the main hoist support pontoon. The main hoist and auxiliary hoist are used to transfer the segmented structure of the floating wind turbine foundation buoy to the deck box and are used for offshore installation of the wind turbine tower and wind turbine generator set. The height of the main hoist pontoon, the auxiliary hoist pontoon, and the main hoist support pontoon is greater than the draft depth of the floating wind turbine foundation pontoon. The present invention can realize the offshore segmented assembly of the deep-sea floating wind turbine foundation pontoon, the offshore hoisting of the wind turbine, and the floating and launching of the floating wind turbine as a whole, and can carry out batch operations in deep-sea floating wind farms.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to floating wind power equipment, in particular to a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform and a draft control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the global energy transition and increasing demand for renewable energy, offshore wind power, as a key component of clean energy, has attracted widespread attention for its development and utilization. Offshore wind power offers advantages such as high wind speeds, stable wind sources, and the absence of land resources. Deepwater wind resources are particularly abundant, but offshore wind power also presents a range of technical challenges and construction difficulties.

[0003] Currently, the manufacturing and assembly of deep-sea floating wind turbine foundation pontoons are usually carried out at onshore construction bases. Their construction is largely dependent on the construction conditions of the onshore construction bases, which not only limits the flexibility of construction, but also limits the capacity of the floating wind turbines and the main dimensions of the foundation pontoons. As the capacity of deep-sea floating wind turbines increases, the main dimensions of the foundation pontoons also increase. Therefore, it is necessary to use the less efficient wet towing method (placing the foundation pontoons directly on the water surface) to transport the foundation pontoons to the wind turbine installation dock. The hoisting operation of large-capacity wind turbines also has extremely high requirements for the water depth and cranes at the dock. Existing wind turbine installation docks are not suitable for hoisting operations of large-capacity wind turbines. In addition, the integrated offshore towing process of floating wind turbines is extremely susceptible to severe weather and complex sea conditions. This not only increases the difficulty of offshore towing operations, but also easily causes damage to the entire floating wind turbine, thereby reducing the assembly efficiency of floating wind turbines in wind farms and increasing the risks of offshore installation operations.

[0004] Against the backdrop of continuous advancements in offshore wind power technology, floating wind farms are moving farther and farther offshore, the water depth is getting deeper, and the marine environment is becoming more complex. How to ensure the safety, economy, and efficiency of the construction and installation of floating wind turbines has become a major issue facing current technological development. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an offshore installation platform for deep-sea floating wind turbines and a draft control method thereof, so as to realize the offshore segmented assembly of the basic floating body of a large-capacity floating wind turbine, the offshore hoisting of the floating wind turbine and the overall floating and launching, and to carry out batch operations near deep-sea floating wind farms.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform adopts a column-stabilized structure as a whole, including a lower structure and a superstructure, wherein:

[0008] The lower structure includes side columns located at the periphery, a central column located at the center, and pontoons located at the bottom of the side columns and the central column;

[0009] The superstructure includes a deck box located on top of the side columns and the central column and a main hoist pontoon, an auxiliary hoist pontoon, and a main hoist support pontoon located on the deck box. The main hoist pontoon is equipped with a main hoist and an auxiliary hoist support, the auxiliary hoist is installed on the auxiliary hoist pontoon, and the main hoist support is installed on the main hoist support pontoon. The main hoist and the auxiliary hoist are used to transfer the segmented structure of the floating wind turbine foundation buoy to the deck box and are used for the offshore installation of the wind turbine tower and the wind turbine generator set. The heights of the main hoist pontoon, the auxiliary hoist pontoon, and the main hoist support pontoon are greater than the draft of the floating wind turbine foundation buoy.

[0010] Furthermore, the installation platform is triangular in shape, with the main and main suspension pontoons mounted at two vertices of the deck box. The auxiliary suspension pontoons, with the auxiliary suspension brackets mounted on top of the main suspension pontoons, are positioned near the other vertex and offset 40-80 meters inward along the deck box's edge. This arrangement of the auxiliary suspension pontoons increases the auxiliary suspension's lifting range relative to the berthed vessel and provides greater operational space for the segmented assembly and launch of the floating wind turbine foundation.

[0011] Furthermore, the side of the deck box near the auxiliary crane pontoon is used for berthing vessels. Thus, the main crane and auxiliary cranes equipped with the installation platform can transfer the segmented structure of the floating wind turbine foundation pontoon to the deck box for offshore installation of the wind turbine tower and wind turbine generator. A self-propelled modular transporter equipped with the deck box can assist in transporting the segmented structure or components to the designated location.

[0012] Furthermore, the installation platform has a draft range of 32-54 meters. During towing, the draft is close to the buoys, effectively reducing towing resistance and facilitating scheduling operations. During the segmented assembly and installation of the floating wind turbine, the draft is located at the side columns or center columns, improving the installation platform's mobility and providing favorable external conditions for offshore operations. When the floating wind turbine is launched from the water, the draft is located at the main buoy, auxiliary buoy, or main buoy, and the buoy height meets the displacement requirements for large-capacity floating wind turbines to achieve a floating state.

[0013] Furthermore, the diameter of the side columns is 18-24m, the diameter of the central column is 8-12m, and the heights of the side columns and the central column are 32-46m.

[0014] Furthermore, the deck box is triangular in shape, with a single-side width of 136-172m and a height of 4-7m. When fully submerged, the ratio of the displacement volume of the deck box to the enclosed volume is less than 50%, so as to reduce the amount of ballast water adjustment and improve the efficiency of draft adjustment.

[0015] Furthermore: watertight doors are provided at the bottom of the auxiliary hoisting pontoon and the main hoisting bracket pontoon, and a self-propelled modular transport vehicle is provided on the deck box. Before the floating wind turbine floats out of the water for launching operation, the self-propelled modular transport vehicle is tied and fixed in the auxiliary hoisting pontoon and the main hoisting bracket pontoon and the watertight doors are closed.

[0016] Furthermore: the main crane meets the hoisting requirements of wind turbines with a power greater than 15MW, the boom length of the main crane exceeds 160m, and the height of the main crane pontoon is 24-56m.

[0017] Furthermore, the upper parts of the side columns and the central column are connected to the deck box, and the lower parts are connected to the buoys, and the components form a stable structure as a whole to improve the overall strength of the installation platform.

[0018] Furthermore, the main buoyancy box, auxiliary buoyancy box and main buoyancy support buoyancy box are distributed as much as possible on the outer edge of the deck box to ensure that the installation platform has sufficient stability when the floating wind turbine floats out of the water.

[0019] Furthermore: the installation platform has a large deck area, a long main crane boom, an expandable pontoon, and an operating water depth of more than 60m, which can meet the requirements of offshore installation operations of large-capacity floating wind turbines in deep seas and has wide applicability.

[0020] Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention also provides a method for controlling the draft of the deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform, wherein:

[0021] When the installation platform is towed, the draft does not exceed the height of the buoy;

[0022] When the segmented structure of the floating wind turbine foundation buoy is transferred to the deck box, the draft of the installation platform is adjusted so that the upper surface of the deck box of the installation platform is flush with the main deck of the transport ship of the segmented structure of the floating foundation;

[0023] When the floating wind turbine foundation float is assembled offshore and the wind turbine components are hoisted offshore, the draft is located at the side columns or the center column;

[0024] When the floating wind turbine is released from the water, the draft of the installation platform is gradually adjusted: first, the draft of the installation platform is adjusted to reach the deck box, and the lashing and fixation between the floating wind turbine and the installation platform is gradually released; then, after the draft of the installation platform is adjusted to reach the main hoisting buoyancy box, the auxiliary hoisting buoyancy box and the main hoisting support buoyancy box, the draft is continued to be increased until the floating wind turbine is close to a floating state; then, the draft of the installation platform is further rapidly increased until the vertical gap between the floating wind turbine and the installation platform exceeds 1m, that is, after the floating wind turbine is separated from the installation platform, under the towing action of the vessel, the floating wind turbine gradually moves away from the main deck of the installation platform along a predetermined route, and then the draft of the installation platform returns to the side column or the center column.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0026] 1. The present invention frees the installation of floating wind turbines from dependence on the basic conditions of the foundation floating body construction site and the wind turbine hoisting dock, thereby improving the flexibility and adaptability of the construction.

[0027] 2. The present invention meets the requirements for batch assembly of the basic floating body segmented structure, greatly improves the construction efficiency, and effectively reduces the construction cost.

[0028] 3. The present invention realizes the offshore hoisting of floating wind turbines, avoiding the construction risks brought by long-distance integrated towing and the long construction interruption caused by the construction window period.

[0029] 4. The present invention can realize the offshore segmented assembly of the floating body of a floating wind turbine with a capacity of 15MW or above, the offshore hoisting of the tower and wind turbine unit, and the overall floating and launching of the floating wind turbine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 It is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the floating wind turbine installed in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a floating wind turbine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention floating out of the water.

[0035] In the figure: 1. Side column, 2. Center column, 3. Buoy, 4. Deck box, 5. Main crane pontoon, 6. Auxiliary crane pontoon, 7. Main crane support pontoon, 8. Main crane, 9. Auxiliary crane, 10. Main crane support, 11. Auxiliary crane support, 12. Watertight door, 13. Self-propelled modular transport vehicle, 21. Floating wind turbine, 22. Floating wind turbine foundation pontoon, 23. Wind turbine tower, 24. Wind turbine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereby.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of the present invention and simplify the description. They are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they may refer to mechanical connections; they may refer to direct connections, indirect connections through an intermediate medium, or internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0039] Figure 1A perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The installation platform of the present invention is a column-stabilized structure. The lower structure primarily comprises side columns 1, a central column 2, and pontoons 3. The diameter of the side columns 1 ranges from 18 to 24 meters, and the diameter of the central column 2 ranges from 8 to 12 meters. The heights of the side columns 1 and central column 2 range from 32 to 46 meters. The upper structure primarily comprises a deck box 4, a main buoyancy pontoon 5, an auxiliary buoyancy pontoon 6, and a main buoyancy support pontoon 7. The heights of the main buoyancy pontoon 5, the auxiliary buoyancy pontoon 6, and the main buoyancy support pontoon 7 are greater than the draft of the floating wind turbine foundation. The side columns 1 and central column 2 are connected to the deck box 4 at the top and to the pontoon 3 at the bottom. These components together form a stable structure, enhancing the overall strength of the installation platform. The main buoy 8 is located on the main buoy pontoon 5, the auxiliary buoy 9 is located on the auxiliary buoy pontoon 6, and the main buoy support 10 is located on the main buoy support pontoon 7. The deck box 4 has ample deck area, sufficient for offshore assembly of the floating wind turbine's foundation pontoon, offshore installation of the wind turbine, and overall launch. The deck box 4 can accommodate vessels on the side adjacent to the auxiliary pontoon 6. The deck box 4 is triangular in shape, with a single-side width of 136-172 meters and a height of 4-7 meters. When fully submerged, the ratio of the deck box 4's displacement volume to its enclosed volume is less than 50%. The main crane 8 and auxiliary crane 9 transfer the subassembly of the floating wind turbine's foundation pontoon 22 to the deck box 4 for offshore installation of the wind turbine tower 23 and wind turbine generator 24. The auxiliary crane bracket 11 is mounted on the main pontoon 5 to conserve the deck box 4's main deck area and enable a compact layout of the auxiliary crane 9. Multiple self-propelled modular transport vehicles 13 are positioned on the deck box 4 to transport subassemblies or components of the floating wind turbine foundation pontoon 22, wind turbine tower 23, and wind turbine generator 24 to the main deck of the deck box 4. Main crane 8 meets the requirements for hoisting wind turbines larger than 15MW. Its boom length exceeds 160m, and the main crane buoy 5 at its base ranges from 24-56m in height, further increasing the hoisting height of main crane 8. While the floating installation platform undergoes continuous motion under environmental loads, the movements of main crane 8 and floating wind turbine 21 on the platform remain synchronized, facilitating offshore installation of large-capacity floating wind turbines 21.

[0040] Figure 2A side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The installation platform has a draft range of 32-54m, which is sufficient to meet different functional requirements. During towing, the draft is close to the buoy 3, which helps reduce towing resistance. The draft of the floating wind turbine foundation buoy 22 segmented structure is located at the side column 1 or the center column 2 during offshore assembly and the wind turbine tower 23 and wind turbine unit 24 are hoisted at sea. This can improve the movement performance of the installation platform and thus provide better external conditions for offshore operations. When the floating wind turbine 21 floats off the water, the draft is located at the main hoisting pontoon 5, the auxiliary hoisting pontoon or the main hoisting support pontoon 7, and the draft depth meets the displacement requirement for the floating wind turbine 21 to reach a floating state. The deck box 4 is an equilateral triangle as a whole, and the main hoisting pontoon 5, the auxiliary hoisting pontoon 6 and the main hoisting support pontoon 7 are distributed on the outermost side of the deck to improve the stability of the installation platform during the floating off-water operation. The main hoist pontoons 5 and main hoist support pontoons 7 are located at two vertices of the deck box 4. The auxiliary hoist pontoons 6 are located near the other vertex, but offset 40-80 meters inward along the deck edge. This solution helps improve the main deck space layout margin during the segmented assembly and launch of the floating wind turbine 21. Before the launch operation, the self-propelled modular transporter 13 is lashed and secured inside the pontoon, and the watertight door 12 is closed.

[0041] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the installation of a floating wind turbine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrates the launch and disembarkation of a floating wind turbine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. After the offshore assembly of the floating wind turbine's foundation pontoon 22 and the offshore hoisting of the wind turbine tower 23 and wind turbine generator 24 are complete, the launch and disembarkation process begins. When the installation platform's draft reaches the deck box 4, the lashings securing the floating wind turbine 21 to the installation platform are gradually released. Once the installation platform's draft reaches the main hoisting pontoon 5, auxiliary hoisting pontoon, and main hoisting support pontoon 7, the draft continues to increase until the floating wind turbine 21 is nearly afloat. The installation platform's draft is further rapidly increased, and when the vertical clearance between the floating wind turbine 21 and the installation platform exceeds 1 meter, the two are considered separated. Towed by other vessels, the floating wind turbine 21 gradually moves away from the installation platform's main deck along a predetermined route, after which the installation platform returns to the offshore installation state for the floating wind turbine. The periodic operations of the installation platform enable the mass offshore assembly of the foundation pontoon, offshore hoisting of the wind turbine, and the launch and disembarkation of the entire installation platform for deep-sea floating wind turbines.

[0042] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention using the technical content disclosed above, or modify it into an equivalent embodiment with equivalent changes. Therefore, any simple modification, equivalent change, and modification made to the above embodiment in accordance with the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the draft of a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform, wherein the installation platform as a whole adopts a column-stabilized configuration and includes a lower structure and a superstructure, and is characterized by: The lower structure includes side columns located at the periphery, a central column located at the center, and pontoons located at the bottom of the side columns and the central column; The superstructure includes a deck box located on top of the side columns and the central column, and a main hoist pontoon, an auxiliary hoist pontoon, and a main hoist support pontoon located on the deck box. A main hoist is installed on the main hoist pontoon, an auxiliary hoist is installed on the auxiliary hoist pontoon, and a main hoist support and an auxiliary hoist support are installed on the main hoist support pontoon. The main hoist and auxiliary hoist are used to transfer the segmented structure of the floating wind turbine foundation buoy to the deck box and are used for offshore installation of the wind turbine tower and wind turbine generator set. The heights of the main hoist pontoon, the auxiliary hoist pontoon, and the main hoist support pontoon are greater than the draft of the floating wind turbine foundation buoy. When the installation platform is towed, the draft does not exceed the height of the buoy; When the segmented structure of the floating wind turbine foundation buoy is transferred to the deck box, the draft of the installation platform is adjusted so that the upper surface of the deck box of the installation platform is flush with the main deck of the transport ship of the segmented structure of the floating foundation; When the floating wind turbine foundation float is assembled offshore and the wind turbine components are hoisted offshore, the draft is located at the side columns or the center column; When the floating wind turbine is released from the water, the draft of the installation platform is gradually adjusted: first, the draft of the installation platform is adjusted to reach the deck box, and the lashing and fixation between the floating wind turbine and the installation platform is gradually released; then, after the draft of the installation platform is adjusted to reach the main hoisting buoyancy box, the auxiliary hoisting buoyancy box and the main hoisting support buoyancy box, the draft is continued to be increased until the floating wind turbine is close to a floating state; then, the draft of the installation platform is further rapidly increased until the vertical gap between the floating wind turbine and the installation platform exceeds 1m, that is, after the floating wind turbine is separated from the installation platform, under the towing action of the vessel, the floating wind turbine gradually moves away from the main deck of the installation platform along a predetermined route, and then the draft of the installation platform returns to the side column or the center column.

2. The method for controlling the draft of a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The installation platform is triangular in shape as a whole. The main hoist buoyancy box and the main hoist support buoyancy box are installed on two vertices of the deck box. The auxiliary hoist buoyancy box is close to the other vertex and moves 40-80m inward along the edge of the deck box.

3. The method for controlling draft of a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side of the deck box close to the auxiliary buoyancy box is used for berthing ships.

4. The method for controlling draft of a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The installation platform has a draft range of 32-54m.

5. The method for controlling draft of a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the side columns is 18-24m, the diameter of the central column is 8-12m, and the heights of the side columns and the central column are 32-46m.

6. The method for controlling draft of a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deck box is triangular in shape, with a single-side width of 136-172m and a height of 4-7m. When fully submerged, the ratio of the displacement volume of the deck box to the enclosed volume is less than 50%.

7. The method for controlling draft of a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: Watertight doors are provided at the bottom of the auxiliary pontoon and the main pontoon, and a self-propelled modular transport vehicle is provided on the deck box. Before the floating wind turbine floats out of the water for launching operation, the self-propelled modular transport vehicle is tied and fixed in the auxiliary pontoon and the main pontoon and the watertight doors are closed.

8. The method for controlling draft of a deep-sea floating wind turbine offshore installation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main crane meets the hoisting requirements of wind turbines with a power greater than 15MW. The boom length of the main crane exceeds 160m, and the height of the main crane pontoon is 24-56m.

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