Floating or semi-submersible installation with wind turbine

Abstract

A floating or semi-submersible facility (1) comprising a deck (2), a hull (3) and a wind turbine (5) with a mast wherein the deck covers the hull so as to form an enclosed space divided by partitions (4) into compartments, the base (6) of the mast is located below the deck and is fixed to at least two of the bulkheads (4) by means of a foundation system (7) comprising free spaces (9), (10).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a floating or semi-submersible installation comprising a hull and a wind turbine anchored in the hull.

[0002] There are many offshore operations and production units, in particular for the extraction of oil and gas. These units are usually shaped like the hull of a ship and are permanently moored at the production site. The energy needs are then met by equipment that usually consists of a mechanical or electrical energy generator (such as a piston engine or a gas turbine, possibly combined with an alternator).

[0003] A disadvantage of these conventional solutions is that they require either the import of fuel (such as gasoline, diesel or natural gas), or the consumption of part of their own hydrocarbon production.

[0004] Furthermore, these conventional power generation schemes require space in the hull or on the hull deck, thereby increasing the volume or space requirements, either at the expense of hull storage volume or space for on-deck processing methods for a given hull size, or requiring a larger hull, respectively.

[0005] Thus, the problem arises of providing a floating or semi-submersible facility comprising energy producing components occupying a limited space in said facility.

[0006] A solution of the invention is a floating or semi-submersible facility 1 comprising a deck 2, a hull 3 and a wind turbine 5 with a mast, wherein the deck covers the hull so as to form an enclosed space divided into compartments by bulkheads 4, the base 6 of the mast being located below the deck and being fixed to at least two of the bulkheads 4 by means of a foundation system 7 comprising free spaces 9, 10.

[0007] For the purposes of this invention, the term "hull" refers to the outer shell of a ship below the decks.

[0008] Similarly, "free space" is defined as the space not occupied by the structure of the foundation system or the base of the wind turbine mast.

[0009] Advantageously, the free space in the foundation system accounts for 50% to 75% of the volume of the foundation system. Note that these percentages do not take into account the volume between the hull and the foundation system, since this volume is not part of the foundation system.

[0010] Preferably, the wind turbine 5 will be steerable so that the blades of the wind turbine can be aligned with the wind direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the installation may preferably be movable in order to ensure partial alignment of the wind turbine to existing wind conditions.

[0012] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1A is a side view of the installation according to the invention.

[0013] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 B shows in more detail a cross-section of the foundation system 7 fixed in two partitions 4 .

[0014] Depending on the circumstances, the installation according to the invention may have one or more of the following features:

[0015] - the bulkhead is a ballast tank or storage compartment bulkhead;

[0016] - the facility comprises a free space 14 between the base system 7 and the hull 3;

[0017] - The base system includes a parallelepiped frame;

[0018] The frame defines 2n+1 rectangular volumes in series across the width of the hull, namely a central volume 8 and 2n side volumes 9 , 10 , wherein the central volume comprises the base of the wind turbine and the side volumes are free space, and wherein n≥1. Preferably, n will be between 1 and 4.

[0019] - the central volume comprises vertical panels 11 fixed between the base of the mast and the walls of the central volume; preferably, the vertical panels will have a height similar to the height of the central volume; preferably, the central volume will comprise 4 to 16 vertical panels evenly distributed around the base of the wind turbine mast; preferably, the vertical panels will be made of steel; the purpose of these vertical panels will be to transfer forces from the wind turbine mast to the foundation system 7;

[0020] - The frame is made of steel;

[0021] - Free spaces 9, 10 and 14 are storage spaces;

[0022] - the base of the wind turbine mast is fixed in the installation in such a way as to limit translational movements along all 3 axes, preferably at a point close to the heel centre of the installation's hull, preferably less than 30 meters from the heel centre of the installation's hull;

[0023] - the arrangement comprises a member 12 for transmitting force, which is fixed between the part of the wind turbine mast which is located above the deck and the deck itself. The member 12 for transmitting force will preferably be a gusset;

[0024] - The system comprises a member 13 for transmitting forces, which is fixed between the base of the foundation system and the partition. The member 13 will preferably be chosen from horizontal gussets or vertical gussets;

[0025] - the facility is a facility for geological storage of carbon dioxide and comprises: a storage compartment for storing liquid carbon dioxide, the storage compartment being located in the space formed by the hull and the deck; and injection means adapted to inject carbon dioxide from the storage compartment into a seabed geological reservoir;

[0026] - Wind turbines can generate energy and supply it to the injection device;

[0027] - the facility comprises a storage device for the energy generated by the wind turbine, preferably a battery for storing the energy generated by the wind turbine. The storage device combined with the wind turbine enables continuous use of energy, since the wind turbine supplies energy that varies over time;

[0028] - The facility is a vessel, floating unit or barge.

[0029] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 A 3D view of a foundation system 7 is shown with its various volumes 8 , 9 , 10 , the base 6 of the wind turbine mast and the various force transmitting members 11 , 12 , 13 .

[0030] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 A 3D view of the mass formed by the wind turbine mast, the foundation system 7, the bulkhead 4, the deck 2 and the hull 3 is shown. It can be clearly seen that the facility comprises a free space 14 between the foundation system 7 and the hull 3.

[0031] The solution proposed by the present invention makes it possible to install a wind turbine on a floating or semi-submersible unit, avoiding the use of foundation structures formed on the bottom of the hull itself, as is often the case on offshore oil and gas units for the installation of heavy equipment ("heavy equipment" means equipment weighing more than 4 tons). In fact, the installation of such heavy equipment on offshore vessels usually requires the use of a large amount of steel in the foundation structures (for example, between 8% and 10% of the weight of the heavy equipment carried), the only purpose of which is to transmit the forces to the hull of the ship. These foundation structures are made of steel or reinforced concrete, depending on the material used for the hull. The solution proposed by the present invention has the advantage of using existing bulkhead structures, ballast bulkheads or compartment separation bulkheads, while limiting the height of the space embedded between the deck and the hull. In fact, the free space in the foundation system and in the space between the foundation system and the hull can be used for the storage or positioning of auxiliary functions required for the installation. This is an additional significant advantage compared to the solutions of the prior art. In contrast to the foundation system proposed in the present invention, the volume inside the foundation structure in the prior art cannot be used to house other functions, such as storage volumes or control or power rooms, in particular due to the forces passing through the foundation structure and the associated risks.

Claims

1. A floating or semi-submersible installation (1) comprising a deck (2), a hull (3) and a wind turbine (5) having a mast, wherein the deck covers the hull so as to form a closed space divided into compartments by bulkheads (4), the base (6) of the mast being located below the deck and being provided with a wind turbine (5) by means of a free space (9), The base system (7) of (10) is fixed to at least two of the partitions (4).

2. The facility according to claim 1, characterized in that The bulkhead is a ballast tank or storage tank bulkhead.

3. The installation according to claim 1, characterized in that The installation comprises a free space (14) between the base system and the hull.

4. The installation according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The base system (7) comprises a parallelepiped frame.

5. The facility according to claim 4, characterized in that The frame defines 2n+1 rectangular volumes connected in series over the width of the hull, namely a central volume (8) and 2n side volumes (9), (10), wherein the central volume comprises the base of the wind turbine and the side volumes are free space, and wherein n≥1.

6. The facility according to claim 5, characterized in that The central volume (8) comprises a vertical panel (11) fixed between the base of the mast and the walls of the central volume.

7. Installation according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that The frame is made of steel.

8. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The free space is a storage space.

9. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The base of the wind turbine mast is fixed in the installation in such a way as to limit translational movements along all 3 axes, preferably at a point close to the heel centre of the installation's hull, preferentially less than 30 meters from the heel centre of the installation's hull.

10. The installation according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The arrangement comprises a member (12) for transmitting forces, which is fixed between a portion of the wind turbine mast situated above the deck and the deck itself.

11. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The installation comprises a member (13) for transmitting force, which is fixed between the base of the foundation system and the partition.

12. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The facility is a facility for geological storage of carbon dioxide and comprises: a compartment for storing liquid carbon dioxide, the compartment being located in the space formed by the hull and the deck; and an injection device, the injection device being suitable for injecting carbon dioxide from the storage compartment into a seabed geological reservoir.

13. The facility according to claim 12, characterized in that The wind turbine is capable of generating energy and supplying it to the injection device.

14. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that The plant comprises means for storing the energy generated by the wind turbine, preferably a battery for storing the energy generated by the wind turbine.

15. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The facility is a vessel, a floating unit or a barge.

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