Scouring flexible protection equipment for ocean wind turbine suction bucket foundation and construction method of scouring flexible protection equipment

Abstract

The invention provides scouring flexible protection equipment for a suction bucket foundation of an ocean wind turbine and a construction method of the scouring flexible protection equipment. And the flexible protection equipment covers the periphery of the suction bucket. And the flexible protection equipment is a thin-wall housing with an open lower end. The flexible protection equipment sequentially comprises a top plate, a transition apron board and a cover wall from top to bottom. The top plate is a circular flat plate. And a plurality of flexible protection equipment water pumping holes are formed in the plate surface of the top plate. And the water pumping equipment is communicated with the inner cavity of the flexible protection equipment through the water pumping hole. And a plurality of suction barrel positioning flanges are arranged on the lower surface of the top plate. The transition apron board is a hollow rotary body. And the generatrix of the revolution surface of the transition apron board is an arc. The cover wall is a cylinder. The upper edge of the transition apron board is connected with the edge of the top plate, and the lower edge is connected with the top of the cover wall. And the top plate is placed on the upper surface of the suction barrel. And the cover wall is embedded into seabed sediment. The flexible protection equipment greatly improves the construction efficiency and reduces the operation and maintenance cost. The device can adapt to dynamic seabed changes, and meanwhile the combined protection requirements of the barrel periphery and the barrel bottom are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of offshore wind power, and particularly relates to a flexible scour protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine and a construction method thereof. Background Art

[0002] As an important direction for the development of renewable energy, the installed capacity of offshore wind power has been continuously expanding in deep waters and complex marine environments in recent years. Due to its advantages such as convenient installation, excellent bearing performance, and strong adaptability, the suction bucket foundation has gradually become one of the mainstream forms of the support structure for offshore wind turbines. However, under the long-term action of dynamic loads such as waves and tides, the seabed sediment around the suction bucket foundation is easily scoured and eroded, forming local scour pits, resulting in a decrease in the lateral bearing capacity of the foundation, structural inclination, and even overall instability, seriously affecting the safe operation of the wind turbine. Compared with traditional pile foundations, the suction bucket foundation has a larger diameter and a shallower burial depth, and its scour pattern presents a composite characteristic of circumferential scour around the bucket and bottom scouring coexisting. Existing scour protection technologies are difficult to effectively cope with this special scour mechanism:

[0003] At present, the scour protection of offshore wind turbine foundations mainly adopts rigid or semi-rigid measures such as rockfill protection, concrete protection pads, and artificial seagrass. However, these methods have obvious limitations when applied to suction bucket foundations: Rockfill protection is easily displaced by water flow impact, and high construction accuracy is required; Concrete protection pads have a large self-weight, complex installation, and are difficult to adapt to the irregular deformation of the seabed; Flexible measures such as artificial seagrass can reduce the local flow velocity, but their anti-scour ability is limited and their long-term durability is insufficient. In addition, traditional scour protection structures are usually designed for pile foundations, and do not fully consider the geometric characteristics (such as large diameter and shallow burial depth) of the suction bucket foundation and its unique scour development law, resulting in poor protection effects.

[0004] On the other hand, the offshore construction environment is harsh. Traditional scour protection technologies rely on large ships and diving operations, with high construction costs, long construction periods, and are restricted by weather conditions.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a flexible scour protection device dedicated to suction bucket foundations. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible scour protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine and a construction method thereof to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] The technical solution adopted to achieve the purpose of the present invention is as follows. A flexible scour protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine. The suction bucket foundation of the offshore wind turbine includes a transition section structure, a jacket structure, and a number of suction buckets. The suction bucket includes a steel bucket body and a support claw connecting member provided at the top of the steel bucket body. An air valve is provided at the top of the steel bucket body. The air valve communicates with the inside of the bucket body. The jacket structure includes a number of guide columns that are inclined outward from top to bottom to form a square conical structure. The upper end of the guide column is connected to the transition section structure, and the lower end is connected to the support claw connecting member. The flexible protection device covers the periphery of the suction bucket.

[0008] The flexible protection device is a thin-walled housing with an open bottom. The flexible protection device sequentially includes a top plate, a transition skirt plate, and a housing wall from top to bottom. The top plate is a circular flat plate. A number of pumping holes for the flexible protection device and suction bucket positioning holes are provided on the surface of the top plate. The pumping device communicates with the inner cavity of the flexible protection device through the pumping holes. A suction bucket positioning flange extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the suction bucket positioning hole. The transition skirt plate is a hollow rotating body. The generatrix of the rotating surface of the transition skirt plate is an arc. The housing wall is a cylindrical body. The upper edge of the transition skirt plate is connected to the edge of the top plate, and the lower edge is connected to the top of the housing wall. The top plate is placed on the upper surface of the suction bucket. The housing wall is embedded in the seabed sediment.

[0009] The suction bucket is arranged in the inner cavity of the flexible protection device. The lower end of the suction bucket is embedded in the riverbed sediment, and the upper end is accommodated in the suction bucket positioning flange.

[0010] Furthermore, the flexible protection device is prefabricated from a high-strength fiber material.

[0011] Furthermore, the diameter of the housing wall is 2 to 3 times the diameter of the top plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the height of the suction bucket positioning flange is consistent with the height of the transition skirt plate.

[0013] Furthermore, a wedge-shaped cutting edge is formed at the lower end of the housing wall.

[0014] The present invention also discloses a construction method for a flexible scour protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine, including the following steps:

[0015] 1) Prefabricate the flexible scour protection device according to the suction bucket foundation to be adopted, and install several suction buckets in the suction bucket positioning flange on land or on a transport ship.

[0016] 2) Install the transition section structure and the jacket structure. The transition section structure, the jacket structure, the suction bucket, and the flexible protection device form a combined body.

[0017] 3) Transport the assembled body to the location of the planned installation area in the sea. Place the assembled body on the sea surface.

[0018] 4) Connect several water pumps to the water pumping holes of the flexible protection device and the pneumatic valves of the suction buckets respectively. At the same time, turn on the water pumps to pump out the water in the suction buckets and the flexible protection device being scoured, forming an internal and external pressure difference to push the suction buckets to continuously sink to the designed elevation.

[0019] 5) When the flexible protection device and the suction buckets have sunk to the designated position, close the valves, and utilize the soil negative pressure to maintain stability to complete the installation. At this time, the cover wall is completely inserted into the seabed sediment, and the concave design of the transition skirt can achieve the diversion of the flow field around the suction bucket foundation, and at the same time completely avoid the flow field between the suction bucket foundations to achieve scouring protection.

[0020] Furthermore, during the negative pressure penetration process, adjust the water pump rate in real time to avoid excessive speed causing soil damage or bucket body inclination. At the same time, detect the penetration depth, inclination degree, and internal pressure indicators of the flexible protection device and the suction buckets.

[0021] The technical effects of the present invention are beyond doubt:

[0022] A. Greatly improve the construction efficiency and reduce the operation and maintenance costs;

[0023] B. By optimizing the material and structure design, enhance the anti-scouring performance, and at the same time simplify the installation process to meet the requirements of deep-sea and far-sea wind power construction, providing a reliable guarantee for the long-term stable operation of the suction bucket foundation;

[0024] C. It can adapt to the dynamic seabed changes and at the same time take into account the combined protection requirements around and at the bottom of the bucket. Description of the Drawings

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the flexible protection device for the scour of the suction bucket foundation;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a sectional view of the flexible protection device for the scour of the suction bucket foundation;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a front view of the sectional view of the flexible protection device for the scour of the suction bucket foundation;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the bottom surface of the flexible protection device for the scour of the suction bucket foundation.

[0029] In the figure: transition section framework 1, jacket structure 2, water pumping hole of the flexible protection device 3, suction bucket 4, flexible protection device 5, top plate 501, transition skirt 502, cover wall 503, suction bucket positioning flange 504, wedge-shaped cutting edge 505. Detailed Embodiments

[0030] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with embodiments. However, it should not be understood that the scope of the above-mentioned subject matter of the present invention is limited to the following embodiments. Without departing from the above-mentioned technical idea of the present invention, various substitutions and changes made according to the common general knowledge and customary means in the art should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0031] Embodiment 1:

[0032] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 , this embodiment provides a flexible scour protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine. The suction bucket foundation of the offshore wind turbine includes a transition section structure 1, a jacket structure 2, and a plurality of suction buckets 4. The suction bucket 4 includes a steel bucket body and a support claw connector provided at the top of the steel bucket body. An air valve is provided at the top of the steel bucket body. The air valve communicates with the inside of the bucket body. The jacket structure 2 includes a plurality of guide columns arranged in a frustum-shaped structure that inclines outward from top to bottom. The upper end of the guide column is connected to the transition section structure 1, and the lower end is connected to the support claw connector. The flexible protection device 5 covers the periphery of the suction bucket 4.

[0033] The flexible protection device 5 is a thin-walled housing with an open bottom. The flexible protection device 5 successively includes a top plate 501, a transition skirt 502, and a housing wall 503 from top to bottom. The top plate 501 is a circular flat plate. A plurality of flexible protection device pumping holes 3 and suction bucket positioning holes are provided on the plate surface of the top plate 501. The pumping device communicates with the inner cavity of the flexible protection device 5 through the pumping holes 3. The outer peripheral edge of the suction bucket positioning hole extends downward to form a suction bucket positioning flange 504. The transition skirt 502 is a hollow of revolution. The generatrix of the revolution surface of the transition skirt 502 is an arc. The housing wall 503 is a cylindrical body. The upper edge of the transition skirt 502 is connected to the edge of the top plate 501, and the lower edge is connected to the top of the housing wall 503. The top plate 501 is placed on the upper surface of the suction bucket 4. The housing wall 503 is embedded in the seabed sediment.

[0034] [[ID=,14]]The suction bucket 4 is arranged in the inner cavity of the flexible protection device 5. The lower end of the suction bucket 4 is embedded in the riverbed sediment, and the upper end is accommodated in the suction bucket positioning flange 504.

[0035] Embodiment 2:

[0036] The main content of this embodiment is the same as that of Embodiment 1. Among them, the flexible protection device 5 is prefabricated from high-strength fiber materials.

[0037] Embodiment 3:

[0038] The main content of this embodiment is the same as that of Embodiment 1 or 2. Among them, the diameter of the housing wall 503 is 2 to 3 times the diameter of the top plate 501.

[0039] Embodiment 4:

[0040] The main content of this embodiment is the same as any one of Embodiments 1 to 3. Among them, the height of the suction bucket positioning flange 504 is the same as the height of the transition skirt 502.

[0041] Embodiment 5:

[0042] The main content of this embodiment is the same as any one of Embodiments 1 to 4. Among them, a wedge-shaped cutting edge 505 is formed at the lower end of the cover wall 503.

[0043] Embodiment 6:

[0044] This embodiment provides a construction method for the scour flexible protection device in any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, including the following steps:

[0045] 1) Prefabricate the scour flexible protection device according to the suction bucket foundation to be adopted. Install several suction buckets 4 in the suction bucket positioning flange 504 on land or on a transport ship, and fix and connect them with an adhesive.

[0046] 2) Install the transition section framework 1 and the jacket structure 2. The transition section framework 1, the jacket structure 2, the suction bucket 4 and the flexible protection device 5 form a combined body.

[0047] 3) Transport the combined body to the location of the sea area to be installed. Place the combined body on the sea surface.

[0048] 4) Connect several water pumps to the water pumping holes 3 of the flexible protection device and the pneumatic valves of the suction buckets 4 respectively. At the same time, turn on the water pumps to pump out the water in the suction buckets and the scour flexible protection device, forming an internal and external pressure difference, and pushing the suction buckets to continuously sink to the design elevation. During the negative pressure penetration process, adjust the water pump rate in real time to avoid soil damage or bucket tilt caused by being too fast. At the same time, detect the penetration depth, inclination and internal pressure indicators of the flexible protection device 5 and the suction bucket 4.

[0049] 5) When the flexible protection device 5 and the suction bucket 4 sink in place, close the valves, and use the soil negative pressure to maintain stability to complete the installation. At this time, the cover wall 503 is completely inserted into the seabed sediment, and the concave design of the transition skirt 502 can realize the flow field diversion around the suction bucket foundation, and at the same time completely avoid the flow field between the suction bucket foundations, realizing scour protection.

Claims

1. A flexible scour protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine. The suction bucket foundation of the offshore wind turbine includes a transition section structure (1), a jacket structure (2), and a number of suction buckets (4); the suction bucket (4) includes a steel bucket body and a support claw connector provided at the top of the steel bucket body; a pneumatic valve is provided at the top of the steel bucket body; the pneumatic valve communicates with the inside of the bucket body; the jacket structure (2) includes a number of guide pipe columns arranged obliquely outward from top to bottom to form a square conical structure; the upper end of the guide pipe column is connected to the transition section structure (1), and the lower end is connected to the support claw connector; characterized in that: The flexible protection device (5) covers the periphery of the suction bucket (4); The flexible protection device (5) is a thin-walled housing with an open bottom end; the flexible protection device (5) sequentially includes a top plate (501), a transition skirt plate (502) and a housing wall (503) from top to bottom; the top plate (501) is a circular flat plate; several pumping holes (3) for the flexible protection device and suction bucket positioning holes are arranged on the plate surface of the top plate (501); the pumping device is communicated with the inner cavity of the flexible protection device (5) through the pumping holes (3); a suction bucket positioning flange (504) extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the suction bucket positioning hole; the transition skirt plate (502) is a hollow rotating body; the generatrix of the rotating surface of the transition skirt plate (502) is an arc; the housing wall (503) is a cylindrical body; the upper edge of the transition skirt plate (502) is connected to the edge of the top plate (501), and the lower edge is connected to the top of the housing wall (503); the top plate (501) is placed on the upper surface of the suction bucket (4); the housing wall (503) is embedded in the seabed sediment; The suction bucket (4) is arranged in the inner cavity of the flexible protection device (5); the lower end of the suction bucket (4) is embedded in the riverbed sediment, and the upper end is accommodated in the suction bucket positioning flange (504).

2. The scour flexible protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible protection device (5) is prefabricated with high-strength fiber materials.

3. The scour flexible protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the housing wall (503) is 2 to 3 times the diameter of the top plate (501).

4. The scour flexible protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the suction bucket positioning flange (504) is consistent with the height of the transition skirt plate (502).

5. The scour flexible protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A wedge-shaped cutting edge (505) is formed at the lower end of the housing wall (503).

6. The erosion flexible protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suction bucket (4) and the positioning flange (504) are fixedly connected by an adhesive.

7. The construction method of the scour flexible protection device for the suction bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: 1) Prefabricate the scour flexible protection device according to the suction bucket foundation to be adopted, and install several suction buckets (4) in the suction bucket positioning flange (504) on land or on a transport ship; 2) Install the transition section structure (1) and the jacket structure (2); the transition section structure (1), the jacket structure (2), the suction bucket (4) and the flexible protection device (5) form a combination; 3) Transport the combination to the location of the sea area to be installed; place the combination on the sea surface; 4) Connect several water pumps to the pneumatic valves of the pumping holes (3) of the flexible protection device and the suction bucket (4) respectively, and at the same time turn on the water pumps to pump out the water in the suction bucket and the scour flexible protection device, forming an internal and external pressure difference to push the suction bucket to continuously sink to the design elevation; 5) When the flexible protection device (5) and the suction bucket (4) sink in place, close the valve, and use the soil negative pressure to maintain stability to complete the installation; at this time, the housing wall (503) is completely inserted into the seabed sediment, and the concave design of the transition skirt plate (502) can realize the diversion of the flow field around the suction bucket foundation, and at the same time completely avoid the flow field between the suction bucket foundations, realizing scour protection.

8. The construction method according to claim 7, characterized in that: During the negative pressure penetration process, adjust the water pump rate in real time to avoid soil damage or bucket body tilt caused by being too fast, and at the same time detect the penetration depth, inclination and internal pressure indexes of the flexible protection device (5) and the suction bucket (4).

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