Novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of offshore wind turbines, in particular to a novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system which comprises a high-pressure gas adjusting device, an auxiliary mounting platform, a tension leg and a wind turbine assembly, the auxiliary mounting platform is connected with the tension leg in a clamped mode and used for temporarily fixing the tension leg in advance, and the wind turbine assembly is connected with the tension leg and used for fixing the tension leg in advance. The draught fan assembly comprises a platform stand column, cross beams, inclined struts and a draught fan tower drum, the cross beams are arranged on the peripheral face of the outer side of the platform stand column at intervals, the inclined struts are used for connecting the cross beams with the platform stand column, and the draught fan tower drum is installed at the top of the platform stand column. The bottom of the platform stand column is of an opening structure and directly communicates with seawater to form a water cavity, a high-pressure gas adjusting device is arranged in the platform stand column and used for injecting gas into the platform stand column to form a high-pressure air plug with the seawater to generate the damping effect, and the fatigue life of the tension leg structure can be effectively prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of offshore wind turbines, and in particular to a novel tension-leg offshore wind turbine system. Background Art

[0002] An offshore wind turbine is a large-scale power generation device installed in a marine environment. It captures offshore wind energy and converts it into electrical energy. It is a core component of an offshore wind power system. During its installation, the floating platform is the core infrastructure supporting the offshore wind turbine. Specifically, multiple tension legs are provided at the bottom of the floating platform, which is widely used due to its excellent motion stability and compact mooring range.

[0003] However, when floating platforms in existing technologies use tension legs to control heave, roll, and pitch, the natural period is usually compressed to less than 3 seconds, resulting in prominent high-frequency resonance and significantly exacerbating fatigue damage to the platform structure and tension legs. In addition, traditional offshore installation requires wind turbine hoisting and tension leg connection at sea, which has low operation efficiency and high risks, restricting the construction progress of large-scale wind farms. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a new tension leg offshore wind turbine system with air shock absorption effect and offshore installation auxiliary platform, so as to achieve the purpose of improving the fatigue life of the platform tension legs and structure.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention provides a novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system, comprising: a high-pressure gas regulating device, an auxiliary installation platform, a tension leg, and a wind turbine assembly;

[0007] The auxiliary installation platform is engaged with the tension leg during offshore installation and is used to temporarily fix the tension leg in advance. The wind turbine assembly is connected to the tension leg.

[0008] The wind turbine assembly includes a platform column, a crossbeam, a diagonal brace, and a wind turbine tower. A plurality of crossbeams are arranged at intervals on the outer circumference of the platform column, wherein each crossbeam is correspondingly provided with a diagonal brace, and the diagonal brace is used to connect the crossbeam and the platform column. The wind turbine tower is installed on the top of the platform column. The bottom of the platform column is an open structure and is directly connected to the seawater to form a water cavity. The high-pressure gas regulating device is arranged inside the platform column and is used to inject gas into the platform column to form a high-pressure air plug with the seawater.

[0009] The high-pressure gas adjusting device comprises a gas transmission assembly and a regulating unit, the gas transmission assembly and the regulating unit are arranged inside the platform column, the regulating unit is signal connected with the gas transmission assembly and is used for driving the gas transmission assembly to regulate the pressure inside the high-pressure air plug.

[0010] In some embodiments, the sea level inside the platform column is lower than the sea level outside the platform column.

[0011] In some embodiments, the auxiliary installation platform has C-shaped positioning grooves, the C-shaped positioning grooves have a plurality of C-shaped positioning grooves, and the tension leg is correspondingly provided with a plurality of clamping ends matched with the C-shaped positioning grooves, wherein each C-shaped positioning groove is correspondingly provided with one clamping end.

[0012] In some embodiments, the number of the C-shaped positioning grooves is three.

[0013] In some embodiments, the C-shaped positioning grooves are also used for accommodating the cross beam, and when the cross beam is located inside the C-shaped positioning grooves, the cross beam is connected with the tension leg.

[0014] In some embodiments, a detachable offshore transportation temporary buoy is mounted on the cross beam.

[0015] In some embodiments, the pressure adjusting range of the high-pressure gas adjusting device is 1-10 times of atmospheric pressure.

[0016] In some embodiments, the temporary buoy is internally provided with a ballast water tank, and the ballast water tank adjusts the draft depth of the fan assembly by adjusting the water amount inside the ballast water tank.

[0017] In some embodiments, the platform column and the cross beam are integrated.

[0018] Further, the beneficial effects of the present application are:

[0019] The present application increases the platform column provided with a bottom opening structure and the high-pressure gas adjusting device arranged in the platform column, wherein the high-pressure gas adjusting device, the platform column and the seawater cooperatively form an adjustable high-pressure air plug, the high-pressure air plug can change the height difference of the sea level inside and outside the column by the volume of the gas injected by the high-pressure gas adjusting device, thereby changing the pressure value inside the high-pressure air plug, further generating a self-adaptive gas-liquid damping effect, effectively inhibiting high-frequency resonance and effectively improving the fatigue life of the tension leg structure.

[0020] In addition, the addition of an auxiliary installation platform, which is used to temporarily fix the tension legs, allows the present invention to first concentrate resources on the installation of the tension legs, and later complete the placement of wind turbine platforms and the connection with the tension legs in batches. The wind turbines can also be installed at the dock, which greatly reduces the workload of offshore installation, improves offshore operation efficiency, and reduces offshore installation costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A front view of the overall structure of the new tension leg offshore wind turbine system provided by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 A top view of the overall structure of the novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the coordination of the auxiliary installation platform, tension legs, and wind turbine components in the novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 A side view of the auxiliary installation platform, tension legs, and wind turbine components in the novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system provided by the present invention after being assembled;

[0025] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the connection process between the auxiliary installation platform and the tension leg in the novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system provided by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a wind turbine assembly in a novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system provided by the present invention being installed with a temporary buoy;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the docking and detachment process between the wind turbine assembly and the tension leg in the auxiliary installation platform in the new tension leg offshore wind turbine system provided by the present invention.

[0028] In the figure: 1- platform column, 2- wind turbine tower, 3- external sea level, 4- internal sea level, 5- high-pressure air plug, 6- crossbeam, 7- diagonal brace, 8- tension leg, 9- auxiliary installation platform, 10- C-type positioning groove, 11- temporary buoy. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, provides a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the described embodiments are only a portion of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents an "or" (or). For example, "A / B" can represent either A or B. "And / or" in the text is merely a description of an association between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, "plurality" refers to two or more. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed to imply or suggest relative importance or to implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, features designated "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0030] like Figure 1-Figure 7 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system, comprising: a high-pressure gas regulating device, an auxiliary installation platform 9, a tension leg 8, and a wind turbine assembly;

[0031] The auxiliary installation platform 9 is engaged with the tension leg 8 during offshore installation and is used to temporarily fix the tension leg 8 in advance, and the wind turbine assembly is connected to the tension leg 8;

[0032] The wind turbine assembly includes a platform column 1, a crossbeam 6, a diagonal brace 7, and a wind turbine tower 2. A plurality of crossbeams 6 are arranged at intervals on the outer circumference of the platform column 1, wherein each crossbeam 6 is correspondingly provided with a diagonal brace 7, and the diagonal brace 7 is used to connect the crossbeam 6 and the platform column 1. The wind turbine tower 2 is installed on the top of the platform column 1. The bottom of the platform column 1 is an open structure and is directly connected to the seawater to form a water cavity. The high-pressure gas regulating device is arranged inside the platform column 1, which is used to inject gas into the platform column 1 to form a high-pressure air plug 5 with the seawater to produce a shock-absorbing effect. In the above structure, three crossbeams 6 are welded at 120° intervals on the outer circumference of the platform column 1. However, it is worth noting that the number of crossbeams 6 can be changed according to actual needs, but the angle between each two adjacent crossbeams 6 is the same. Each crossbeam 6 is rigidly connected to the column through the diagonal brace 7, which improves the overall stability of the device.

[0033] In addition, in the above embodiment, the high-pressure gas regulating device includes a gas transmission component and a control unit. The gas transmission component and the control unit are both arranged inside the platform column 1. The control unit is connected to the gas transmission component by signal and is used to drive the gas transmission component to control the pressure inside the high-pressure air plug. However, the high-pressure gas regulating device is not shown in the figure. Those skilled in the art are capable of using common gas transmission components and control units in the prior art. For example, the gas transmission component can use a compressor, an air pump, etc., and the control unit can use a unit module composed of a pressure regulator, a flow control component, and an electromagnetic valve. The present invention does not make specific limitations on this, nor does it elaborate on it. However, these modifications and variations belong to the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalent technologies, and the present invention also intends to include these changes and variations. In the above structure, when the draft of the overall device of the present invention is small, the control unit controls the gas transmission component to discharge the gas inside the high-pressure air plug, thereby reducing the pressure inside the high-pressure air plug. The specific operation is that the control unit controls the gas transmission component to extract the gas inside the high-pressure air plug 5. The air in the air plug 5 is blown to the outside, so that the volume of the cavity formed by the high-pressure air plug 5 becomes smaller, that is, the height of the cavity of the high-pressure air plug 5 in the vertical direction is reduced, thereby causing the entire device of the present invention to sink to achieve a suitable draft. When the draft of the entire device of the present invention is large, the control unit controls the gas transmission component to inject gas into the high-pressure air plug, thereby increasing the pressure inside the high-pressure air plug. Specifically, the control unit controls the gas transmission component to input external gas into the high-pressure air plug 5, so that the volume of the cavity formed by the high-pressure air plug 5 becomes larger, that is, the height of the cavity of the high-pressure air plug 5 in the vertical direction is increased, thereby causing the entire device of the present invention to float to achieve a suitable draft. With the above design, on the one hand, the air cavity in the middle of the high-pressure air plug can buffer the vibration caused by external influences when the device is in use, thereby achieving a shock absorption effect. On the other hand, the control unit can realize dynamic adjustment of the atmospheric pressure, so that the entire device of the present invention reaches a suitable draft. The specific adjustment process is also a common technical means in this field, and the present invention will not be described in detail.

[0034] In one possible implementation method, the sea level 4 inside the platform column 1 is lower than the sea level 3 outside the platform column 1. The sea level 4 inside the platform column 1 is lower than the sea level 3 outside the platform column 1 to form a water level difference, which enhances the gas-liquid damping effect of the high-pressure air plug 5, thereby improving the buffering efficiency of the gas piston against wave impact and further suppressing the platform resonance phenomenon.

[0035] In this embodiment, the pressure adjustment range of the high-pressure gas regulating device is 1-10 times the atmospheric pressure. The bottom of the platform column 1 is not sealed and is connected to the seawater. After the platform column 1 and the pre-installed tension leg 8 are connected, high-pressure gas is injected from above the platform column 1 to reach a pressure of 10 atmospheres, thereby forming a high-pressure gas piston. If the draft is small, the pressure is correspondingly reduced to ensure that there is a sealed water plug at the bottom. When the wind turbine is running, the pressure and volume of the high-pressure air plug 5 in the column can be adjusted according to the sea conditions and the wind turbine power changes to achieve the best shock absorption effect.

[0036] In one possible platform installation method, the auxiliary installation platform 9 has a C-shaped positioning groove 10, and there are multiple C-shaped positioning grooves 10, and the tension leg 8 is correspondingly provided with multiple clamping ends that are clamped and matched with the C-shaped positioning groove 10. Among them, each C-shaped positioning groove 10 is correspondingly provided with a clamping end. The matching design of the C-shaped positioning groove 10 and the clamping end of the tension leg 8 enables the tension leg 8 to be quickly positioned and locked on the auxiliary installation platform 9, realizing batch pre-installation of the tension leg 8 array and significantly reducing the offshore operation time.

[0037] In one possible implementation, there are three C-shaped positioning grooves 10, and the layout of the three C-shaped positioning grooves 10 completely matches the number of beams 6 in the wind turbine assembly, ensuring accurate positioning of the wind turbine assembly when docking and avoiding offshore adjustment procedures.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the C-shaped positioning groove 10 is also used to accommodate the crossbeam 6, and when the crossbeam 6 is located inside the C-shaped positioning groove 10, the crossbeam 6 is connected to the tension leg 8. A detachable temporary buoy 11 for marine transportation is installed on the crossbeam 6. The temporary buoy 11 is provided with a ballast water tank. The ballast water tank adjusts the draft depth of the wind turbine assembly by adjusting the water volume inside. When installing at sea, the auxiliary installation platform 9 can be used to install the tension legs 8 in batches first, and the tension legs 8 can be temporarily fixed to the bottom of the three C-shaped positioning grooves 10 of the auxiliary installation platform 9. Figure 5 、 Figure 6 、 Figure 7 As shown, when the wind turbine is installed, in order to reduce the workload at sea, the present invention installs 6 temporary buoys 11 for marine transportation on the crossbeam 6, wherein the specific number can be changed according to actual needs. In specific operations, the wind turbine on the wind turbine tower 2 can be installed in advance on the dock, and then the wind turbine and the wind turbine assembly are wet-towed to the target sea area. In the final stage, a tugboat is used to push behind the wind turbine assembly so that the three positioning columns are all entered into the C-shaped positioning groove 10 of the auxiliary installation platform 9. The water plane of the wind turbine assembly is adjusted by the ballast water of the temporary buoy 11, so that the wind turbine assembly is floated as a whole, as shown in FIG. Figure 7As shown, after the crossbeam 6 floats up, it contacts the upper part of the C-shaped positioning groove 10. The temporary buoy 11 is used to adjust the buoyancy generated by the ballast water to lift the auxiliary installation platform 9, so that the two structures are firmly connected without relative displacement. Then, the tension leg 8 is connected to the wind turbine assembly and the fixed constraint of the auxiliary installation platform 9 on the tension leg 8 is released. Then, the ballast water of the temporary buoy 11 is adjusted to restore the draft of the wind turbine assembly to its original state, so that the crossbeam 6 and the C-shaped positioning groove 10 are out of contact. Finally, the auxiliary installation platform 9 is towed away, the temporary buoy 11 is removed, and the length of the tension leg 8 is adjusted to complete the installation of the floating wind turbine assembly. The C-shaped positioning groove 10 is designed to accommodate the crossbeam 6 at the same time, so that the platform column 1 can limit the crossbeam 6 after being embedded in the slot. Then, by adjusting the draft of the buoy 11, the auxiliary platform and the wind turbine assembly can be rigidly connected, ensuring the stability of the overall structure during the tension leg 8 connection operation and reducing the dependence on the ship during the docking process.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the platform columns 1 and the cross beams 6 are integrated into one structure. The integrated structure of the platform columns 1 and the cross beams 6 enhances the overall rigidity, reduces the risk of deformation under wave loads, and extends the service life of the platform.

[0040] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the present invention is intended to include such changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A new tension leg offshore wind turbine system, characterized in that: include: High-pressure gas regulating device, auxiliary installation platform, tension leg, fan assembly; The auxiliary installation platform is engaged with the tension leg during offshore installation and is used to temporarily fix the tension leg in advance. The wind turbine assembly is connected to the tension leg. The wind turbine assembly includes a platform column, a crossbeam, a diagonal brace, and a wind turbine tower. A plurality of crossbeams are arranged at intervals on the outer circumference of the platform column, wherein each crossbeam is correspondingly provided with a diagonal brace, and the diagonal brace is used to connect the crossbeam and the platform column. The wind turbine tower is installed on the top of the platform column. The bottom of the platform column is an open structure and is directly connected to the seawater to form a water cavity. The high-pressure gas regulating device is arranged inside the platform column and is used to inject gas into the platform column to form a high-pressure air plug with the seawater.

2. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-pressure gas regulating device includes a gas transmission component and a control unit. The gas transmission component and the control unit are both arranged inside the platform column. The control unit is connected to the gas transmission component by signal and is used to drive the gas transmission component to control the pressure inside the high-pressure air plug.

3. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sea level inside the platform column is lower than the sea level outside the platform column.

4. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary installation platform has a C-shaped positioning groove, there are multiple C-shaped positioning grooves, and the tension leg is correspondingly provided with multiple clamping ends that are clamped and matched with the C-shaped positioning grooves, wherein each C-shaped positioning groove is correspondingly provided with a clamping end.

5. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of the C-shaped positioning grooves is three.

6. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The C-shaped positioning groove is also used to accommodate the crossbeam, and when the crossbeam is located inside the C-shaped positioning groove, the crossbeam is connected to the tension leg.

7. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A detachable temporary buoy for marine transportation is installed on the crossbeam.

8. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure adjustment range of the high-pressure gas regulating device is 1-10 times the atmospheric pressure.

9. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 7, characterized in that: A ballast water tank is provided inside the temporary buoy, and the draft of the fan assembly is adjusted by adjusting the amount of water inside the ballast water tank.

10. The novel tension leg offshore wind turbine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The platform columns and cross beams are an integrated structure.

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