A multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision prevention device for offshore wind farms, which belongs to the field of offshore wind power protection technology and solves the problem of poor energy dissipation effect of the existing collision prevention devices of offshore wind farms; specifically, it includes a pile foundation, a fixing system is arranged around the pile foundation, a first row of collision prevention buoys is connected around the fixing system through collision prevention support rods, a second row of annular buoys is connected around the first row of collision prevention buoys through an energy dissipation and damping system, and a plurality of energy dissipation and inverted bubble units are arranged on the second row of annular buoys. In the present invention, the second row of annular buoys provides a stable buoyancy platform for the energy dissipation and inverted bubble units, so that they float on the sea surface; the second row of annular buoys and the first row of collision prevention buoys are elastically connected by the energy dissipation and damping system. When the waves hit, the energy dissipation and damping system can disperse the lateral component of the waves, and at the same time change the radiation direction and integrity of the waves, thereby reducing the direct force of the waves on the offshore wind turbine tower or pile foundation, and realizing the protection of the pile foundation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of offshore wind power protection, and in particular to a multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision prevention device for offshore wind farms. Background Art

[0002] Offshore wind farm foundations primarily include monopile foundations, elevated pile cap foundations, barrel foundations, scaffolding foundations, and jacket foundations. Monopile foundations are widely used due to their simple structure and ease of installation. However, monopile foundations are subject to prolonged seawater erosion, which washes away the surrounding soil, significantly reducing the pile's horizontal bearing capacity. Furthermore, this erosion of surrounding soil increases the risk of pile corrosion and failure.

[0003] Currently, in offshore wind farm structural engineering, commonly used wave-mitigating anti-collision devices include pile foundation protective sleeves, rubber sleeves, steel structure anti-collision boxes, and buoy-type fenders. Generally, the steel pipes used in wind turbine pile foundations, bracket foundations, and jacket foundations are large in diameter but thin in thickness, requiring high collision protection. Existing anti-collision devices often fail to effectively reduce impact forces, have limited functionality, and are unable to effectively counteract the adverse effects of wave forces.

[0004] Pile foundation protection sleeves use a composite structure formed by polymer composite materials and steel materials to wrap the pile foundation, using the material's elastic deformation or shear yield to absorb impact energy while preventing seawater corrosion. However, there is a bottleneck in the protection of large-diameter thin-walled steel pipes. Traditional pile foundation protection sleeves have difficulty dispersing impact forces through plastic deformation, which can easily lead to local buckling or tearing. Rubber sleeves use highly elastic rubber or inflatable rubber fenders to cushion impacts through compression deformation. However, they have the disadvantage of unbalanced stiffness matching and poor environmental adaptability. In extreme sea conditions, rubber materials are prone to aging and tearing, losing their protective function. Steel structure anti-collision sleeves protect pile foundations from direct impacts through plastic deformation or buckling energy dissipation of the box-type steel structure. However, the structural redundancy of steel structure anti-collision sleeves is low, and the connection interface between the thin-walled steel pipe pile foundation and the sleeve box is prone to cracking of the weld due to stress concentration. In addition, the weight of the sleeve box itself may aggravate fatigue damage to the pile foundation. Buoy-type fenders reduce direct contact between ships and pile foundations through the buoyancy of the buoys and the cushioning effect of the rubber fenders. However, these fenders have poor positioning stability. In complex current conditions, the buoys can easily deviate from their designed positions, resulting in blind spots. Consequently, existing offshore wind farm anti-collision devices suffer from insufficient energy absorption and a short service life. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In response to the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms, which solves the problem of poor energy dissipation effect of the existing collision avoidance devices in offshore wind farms.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] A multifunctional integrated wave-breaking, energy-dissipating and collision-avoiding device for offshore wind farms comprises a pile foundation, a fixing system arranged around the pile foundation, a first row of collision-avoiding buoyancy boxes connected around the fixing system via collision-avoiding support rods, a second row of annular buoyancy boxes connected around the first row of collision-avoiding buoyancy boxes via an energy-dissipating and damping system, and a plurality of energy-dissipating inverted bubble units arranged on the second row of annular buoyancy boxes.

[0008] In this scheme, the second annular buoyancy box can provide a stable buoyancy platform for the energy dissipation inverted bubble unit array, allowing it to float on the sea surface; the second annular buoyancy box and the first anti-collision buoyancy box are elastically connected through the energy dissipation and damping system. When the waves hit, the energy dissipation and damping system can disperse the lateral component of the waves, and at the same time change the radiation direction and integrity of the waves, reduce the direct force of the waves on the offshore wind turbine tower or pile foundation, reduce the eddy current effect, and effectively reduce the vortex-induced vibration response on the pile foundation surface, thereby achieving a protective effect on the pile foundation.

[0009] Furthermore, the fixing system includes an annular support fixed to the periphery of the pile foundation; the annular support is connected to a hollow annular steel structure buoyancy box through a plurality of groups of annular array of inclined support rod assemblies; the anti-collision support rod is fixed around the hollow annular steel structure buoyancy box;

[0010] The oblique support rod assembly includes two oblique support rods, which are arranged in the same vertical plane and are symmetrical in the horizontal direction.

[0011] In this solution, the design of the annular support can increase the contact area with the pile foundation, avoiding a large local effect on the pile foundation; the two oblique support rods are set at an angle and jointly connected to the hollow annular steel structure pontoon, thereby improving the overall stability and reliability of the fixing system.

[0012] Furthermore, the first anti-collision buoyancy tank includes a plurality of buoyancy tank bodies, which are distributed in a ring shape around the fixing system; each buoyancy tank body is correspondingly connected to each anti-collision support rod.

[0013] Furthermore, the energy dissipation and damping system includes a plurality of buffer components distributed in an annular shape, and the number of the buffer components is equal to the number of the buoyancy tank body;

[0014] The buffer assembly includes a first spring and a second spring; two flanges are connected to both ends of the first spring, one flange is connected to the buoyancy box body, and the other flange is connected to the second annular buoyancy box; the second spring is sleeved on the outer periphery of the first spring, and two annular gaskets are connected to both ends of the second spring, both annular gaskets are provided with bolt holes, and the two annular gaskets are connected to the two flanges respectively by bolts.

[0015] In this solution, the first spring and the second spring are nested together. The first spring located inside can buffer extreme loads, and the second spring located outside forms a rigid limit for the first spring to prevent it from deforming too much and bending.

[0016] Furthermore, the material of the first spring is high-chromium stainless steel; the material of the second spring is glass fiber reinforced composite material.

[0017] Furthermore, the spiral directions of the first spring and the second spring are opposite.

[0018] In this solution, the bolts of the first spring and the second spring are in opposite directions, establishing a bidirectional torsional stress field and improving torsional rigidity.

[0019] Furthermore, the energy dissipation inverted bubble unit includes a variable diameter upper water column, which is connected to the second annular buoyancy box; the variable diameter upper water column gradually shrinks in diameter from bottom to top; a water inlet is provided at the bottom of the variable diameter upper water column; the top of the variable diameter upper water column is connected to an energy dissipation bubble, drainage holes are provided around the energy dissipation bubble, and an exhaust hole is provided at the top of the energy dissipation bubble.

[0020] In this solution, when waves strike, seawater enters the variable-diameter upper water column through the water inlet. The seawater rises along the variable-diameter upper water column, increasing its gravitational potential energy and reducing its impact kinetic energy. The rising seawater compresses the air within the energy-dissipating bubbles, forcing it out through the vents, gradually reducing the seawater's velocity until it is discharged through evenly spaced outlets. This design uses the flow difference between the water inlet and the outlets to create vortex dissipation, gradually weakening the vertical impact of the waves. The vents also balance the pressure differential inside and outside the buoy in real time, preventing overall structural instability in extreme sea conditions.

[0021] Furthermore, the wall of the second annular buoyancy tank includes two layers of resin composite material, and polyurethane foam is filled between the two layers of resin composite material; the outer surface of the outer resin composite material layer is coated with an anti-corrosion coating and a biological attachment inhibition coating in succession.

[0022] In this solution, the wall of the second annular pontoon adopts a sandwich structure of two layers of resin composite material with polyurethane foam filled in the middle, so that the second annular pontoon has both lightweight and high tensile strength, thereby extending its service life.

[0023] Furthermore, the material of the resin composite material layer is a glass fiber reinforced resin matrix composite material synthesized from glass fiber and a resin matrix; wherein the resin matrix is ​​an epoxy resin matrix or a phenolic resin matrix.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0025] The multifunctional wave-removing, energy-dissipating and collision-avoiding integrated device for offshore wind farms of the present invention is provided with a multi-channel energy dissipation system, which breaks through the single-function limitation of the traditional collision-avoiding structure design; when the waves hit, the outermost second annular buoyancy box and the energy-dissipating inverted bubble unit first resist the impact of the waves, and the impact force of the waves is transmitted to the first collision-avoiding buoyancy box through the energy-dissipating damping system. At the same time, the second annular buoyancy box undergoes radial displacement under the deformation of the energy-dissipating damping system, which reduces the impact force, disperses the lateral component of the wave, and reduces the direct force of the wave on the offshore wind turbine tower or pile foundation, thereby achieving further energy dissipation and realizing protection of the pile foundation.

[0026] The multifunctional integrated wave-breaking, energy-dissipating and collision-avoiding device for offshore wind farms of the present invention has an ingenious overall design concept, a simple and clear energy-dissipating, wave-breaking and collision-avoiding principle, a small amount of overall material is used, and each component can be replaced independently, thereby reducing operation and maintenance costs; at the same time, it can resist the strong corrosion and complexity of the marine environment, is targeted at the offshore wind farm structure, and can ensure the safe and stable operation of the offshore wind farm structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 This is a top view of a multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for an offshore wind farm according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the fixing system of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the energy dissipation and damping system in the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first spring and flange in the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the second spring and the annular gasket in the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the energy dissipation and inverted bubble unit in the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of the second annular buoyancy chamber wall in the present invention.

[0035] Reference numerals:

[0036] 1. Pile foundation; 2. Fixing system; 21. Annular support; 22. Diagonal support rod assembly; 23. Hollow annular steel structure pontoon; 3. Anti-collision support rod; 4. First anti-collision pontoon; 41. pontoon body; 42. Polyurethane foam; 43. Biological adhesion inhibition coating; 44. Resin composite material layer; 5. Energy dissipation damping system; 51. First spring; 52. Second spring; 53. Flange; 54. Annular gasket; 6. Second annular pontoon; 7. Energy dissipation inverted bubble unit; 71. Water inlet; 72. Variable diameter upper water column; 73. Exhaust hole; 74. Drain hole; 75. Energy dissipation bubble; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Specific embodiments of the present invention are described below to facilitate understanding of the present invention by those skilled in the art. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the scope of the specific embodiments. For those skilled in the art, as long as various changes are within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined and determined by the appended claims, these changes are obvious, and all inventions and creations utilizing the concepts of the present invention are protected.

[0038] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms. The multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms can reduce the impact of waves from the outside to the inside, providing good protection for the pile foundation 1; the device specifically includes:

[0039] Pile foundation 1, fixing system 2, anti-collision support rod 3, first anti-collision buoyancy box 4, energy dissipation damping system 5, second annular buoyancy box 6 and energy dissipation inverted bubble unit 7;

[0040] Among them, a fixing system 2 is arranged around the pile foundation 1, and a first anti-collision buoyancy box 4 is connected around the fixing system 2 through an anti-collision support rod 3. The first anti-collision buoyancy box 4 is connected to a second annular buoyancy box 6 through an energy dissipation and damping system 5. A plurality of energy dissipation inverted bubble units 7 are arranged on the second annular buoyancy box 6; the second annular buoyancy box 6 can provide a stable buoyancy platform for the array of energy dissipation inverted bubble units 7, so that it floats on the sea surface.

[0041] like Figure 3 As shown, the fixing system 2 includes an annular support 21, an oblique support rod assembly 22 and a hollow annular steel structure buoyancy box 23; the annular support 21 is fixed to the periphery of the pile foundation 1. The design of the annular support 21 can increase the contact area with the pile foundation 1 to avoid a large local effect on the pile foundation 1; the annular support 21 is connected to the hollow annular steel structure buoyancy box 23 through several groups of annular arrays of oblique support rod assemblies 22; the anti-collision support rod 3 is fixed around the hollow annular steel structure buoyancy box 23.

[0042] The inclined support rod assembly 22 includes two inclined support rods, which are arranged in the same vertical plane and are symmetrical up and down along the horizontal direction; the two inclined support rods are arranged at an angle and are jointly connected to the hollow annular steel structure buoyancy box 23, thereby improving the overall stability and reliability of the fixing system 2.

[0043] The first anti-collision buoyancy tank 4 includes several buoyancy tank bodies 41, which are distributed in a ring shape around the fixing system 2; the number of buoyancy tank bodies 41 is the same as the number of anti-collision support rods 3, and each buoyancy tank body 41 is correspondingly connected to each anti-collision support rod 3.

[0044] like Figure 4-Figure 6 As shown, the energy dissipation and damping system 5 includes a plurality of buffer components distributed in an annular shape, and the number of buffer components is equal to that of the pontoon body 41; the buffer components include a first spring 51, a second spring 52, a flange 53 and an annular gasket 54; the two ends of the first spring 51 are respectively connected to two flanges 53, and the flanges 53 are provided with bolt holes. One flange 53 is bolted to the pontoon body 41, and the other flange 53 is bolted to the second annular pontoon 6; the second spring 52 is sleeved on the periphery of the first spring 51, and the two ends of the second spring 52 are respectively connected to two annular gaskets 54, and the two annular gaskets 54 are provided with bolt holes. The two annular gaskets 54 are respectively connected to the two flanges 53 by bolts. In this design, the first spring 51 and the second spring 52 are sleeved together. The first spring 51 located inside can buffer extreme loads, and the second spring 52 located outside forms a rigid limit for the first spring 51 to prevent it from deforming too much and bending.

[0045] The first spring 51 is made of high-chromium stainless steel; the second spring 52 is made of glass fiber reinforced composite material.

[0046] The spiral directions of the first spring 51 and the second spring 52 are opposite to each other, thereby establishing a bidirectional torsional stress field and improving torsional rigidity.

[0047] like Figure 7As shown, the energy dissipation inverted bubble unit 7 includes a variable diameter upper water column 72 and an energy dissipation bubble 75. The outer wall of the variable diameter upper water column 72 is externally mounted or welded to the second annular buoyancy box 6. The diameter of the variable diameter upper water column 72 gradually decreases from bottom to top. The bottom of the variable diameter upper water column 72 is provided with a water inlet 71. The top of the variable diameter upper water column 72 is connected to the energy dissipation bubble 75. The energy dissipation bubble 75 is surrounded by drainage holes 74 and the top of the energy dissipation bubble 75 is provided with an exhaust hole 73. When the waves hit, seawater enters the variable diameter upper water column 72 through the water inlet 71. The seawater rises along the variable diameter upper water column 72, and the gravitational potential energy increases while the impact kinetic energy decreases. The rising seawater compresses the air in the energy dissipation bubble 75, causing it to be discharged through the exhaust hole 73. The seawater flow rate gradually decreases, and the water is finally discharged from the evenly arranged drainage holes. This design forms vortex dissipation through the flow difference between the water inlet 71 and the drainage hole 74, gradually weakening the vertical impact force of the waves; the exhaust hole 73 balances the pressure difference inside and outside the buoy in real time, avoiding overall structural instability under extreme sea conditions.

[0048] In this embodiment, during actual construction, the number and circumferential distribution density of the energy dissipation inverted bubble units 7 can be determined based on the wave height and period parameters of the target sea area to maximize the wave energy absorption efficiency.

[0049] like Figure 8 As shown, the wall of the second annular pontoon 6 comprises two layers of resin composite material 44 and a layer of polyurethane foam 42. The polyurethane foam 42 is filled between the two layers of resin composite material 44. This sandwich structure design allows the second annular pontoon 6 to achieve both lightweight and high tensile strength, extending its service life. The outer surface of the outer resin composite material layer 44 is coated sequentially with an anti-corrosion coating and a biofouling-inhibiting coating 43. The anti-corrosion coating can be an epoxy resin-based coating, and the biofouling-inhibiting coating 43 can be a conventional antifouling coating.

[0050] Specifically, the resin composite material layer 44 is made of a glass fiber reinforced resin composite material (GFRP) composed of glass fiber and a resin matrix; wherein the resin matrix is ​​an epoxy resin matrix or a phenolic resin matrix.

[0051] As a preference of this embodiment, the buoyancy tank body 41 can be made of the same material as the second annular buoyancy tank 6 .

[0052] The working principle of this embodiment is:

[0053] The multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision prevention device for offshore wind farms of this embodiment resists the impact of waves by the outermost second annular buoyancy box 6 and the energy dissipation and inverted bubble unit 7; seawater enters the variable diameter upper water column 72 through the water inlet 71, and the seawater rises along the variable diameter upper water column 72, the gravitational potential energy increases and the impact kinetic energy decreases, gradually weakening the impact force of the waves. The second annular buoyancy box 6 and the first anti-collision buoyancy box 4 are connected by the energy dissipation and damping system 5. When the waves hit, the second annular buoyancy box 6 undergoes radial displacement due to the deformation of the energy dissipation and damping system 5, reducing the impact force, dispersing the lateral component of the waves, and reducing the direct force of the waves on the offshore wind turbine tower or pile foundation 1, thereby achieving the effect of energy dissipation and protecting the pile foundation 1.

[0054] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments herein are intended to help readers understand the principles of the present invention, and it should be understood that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to such specific descriptions and embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various other specific variations and combinations based on the technical teachings disclosed in the present invention without departing from the essence of the present invention, and such variations and combinations are still within the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

1. A multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms, characterized by: The invention comprises a pile foundation (1), a fixing system (2) is arranged around the pile foundation (1), a first anti-collision buoyancy box (4) is connected around the fixing system (2) via an anti-collision support rod (3), a second annular buoyancy box (6) is connected around the first anti-collision buoyancy box (4) via an energy dissipation damping system (5), and a plurality of energy dissipation inverted bubble units (7) are arranged on the second annular buoyancy box (6); The first anti-collision buoyancy box (4) comprises a plurality of buoyancy box bodies (41), and the plurality of buoyancy box bodies (41) are distributed in a ring shape around the fixing system (2); each buoyancy box body (41) is correspondingly connected to each anti-collision support rod (3); The energy dissipation and damping system (5) includes a plurality of buffer components distributed in an annular shape, and the number of the buffer components is equal to the number of the buoyancy box body (41); The buffer assembly includes a first spring (51) and a second spring (52); two flanges (53) are connected to both ends of the first spring (51), one flange (53) is connected to the buoyancy box body (41), and the other flange (53) is connected to the second annular buoyancy box (6); the second spring (52) is sleeved on the periphery of the first spring (51), and two annular gaskets (54) are connected to both ends of the second spring (52), and bolt holes are provided on the two annular gaskets (54), and the two annular gaskets (54) are connected to the two flanges (53) by bolts. The energy dissipation inverted bubble unit (7) comprises a variable diameter upper water column (72), the variable diameter upper water column (72) being connected to the second annular buoyancy box (6); the variable diameter upper water column (72) gradually decreases in diameter from bottom to top; a water inlet (71) is provided at the bottom of the variable diameter upper water column (72); an energy dissipation bubble (75) is connected to the top of the variable diameter upper water column (72), drainage holes (74) are provided around the energy dissipation bubble (75), and an exhaust hole (73) is provided at the top of the energy dissipation bubble (75).

2. The multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The fixing system (2) includes an annular support (21), and the annular support (21) is fixed to the periphery of the pile foundation (1); the annular support (21) is connected to a hollow annular steel structure buoyancy box (23) through a plurality of groups of annular array inclined support rod assemblies (22); the anti-collision support rod (3) is fixed around the hollow annular steel structure buoyancy box (23); The oblique support rod assembly (22) comprises two obliquely arranged oblique support rods, the two oblique support rods being arranged in the same vertical plane and being symmetrical in the vertical direction.

3. The multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The material of the first spring (51) is high-chromium stainless steel; the material of the second spring (52) is glass fiber reinforced composite material.

4. The multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The spiral directions of the first spring (51) and the second spring (52) are opposite.

5. The multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The wall of the second annular buoyancy tank (6) comprises two layers of resin composite material (44), and polyurethane foam (42) is filled between the two layers of the resin composite material (44); the outer surface of the resin composite material layer (44) is coated with an anti-corrosion coating and a biological adhesion inhibition coating (43) in sequence.

6. The multifunctional integrated wave removal, energy dissipation and collision avoidance device for offshore wind farms according to claim 5 is characterized in that: The material of the resin composite material layer (44) is a glass fiber reinforced resin matrix composite material synthesized from glass fiber and a resin matrix; wherein the resin matrix is ​​an epoxy resin matrix or a phenolic resin matrix.

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