Self-adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour prevention structure, device and method

Abstract

This invention discloses an adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour prevention structure, device, and method. It employs a concentric annular layout of an inner annular disturbance zone and an outer biomimetic propagation zone, with a composite geotextile layer laid at the bottom. The disturbance zone features layered arc-shaped disturbance plates with elastic reset structures, which can passively and adaptively adjust their angle with the water flow to dissipate energy and prevent scour. The biomimetic propagation zone uses a porous biomimetic coral structure mixed with shell powder and mineral inducers, combining physical habitat and chemically induced propagation functions. This invention integrates pile foundation scour prevention and ecological propagation, improving marine area utilization efficiency and pile foundation operational safety, and is convenient to construct and highly durable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of scour prevention technology for offshore wind turbine foundations, and in particular to an adaptive ecological offshore wind turbine foundation scour prevention structure, device, and method. Background Technology

[0002] With the large-scale development of the offshore wind power industry, wind turbine foundations are constantly exposed to complex marine environments such as tides, waves, and typhoons. Scouring and erosion of the foundations has become a core hidden danger threatening structural safety. Traditional scour prevention measures (such as rock dumping, sandbags, and interlocking concrete reefs) are passive protections, with limitations including easy loss, poor durability, high maintenance costs, and low compatibility with the marine ecosystem. Traditional artificial reefs are mostly deployed independently, spatially separated from wind power facilities, resulting in low utilization of marine resources and difficulty in achieving synergistic effects between "energy production" and "ecological aquaculture."

[0003] The current technological system mainly suffers from the following prominent structural defects: 1. The anti-scour structure and artificial reef are designed and constructed independently, resulting in the occupation of marine resources in two areas, leading to the superposition of construction and operation and maintenance costs, and lacking an intensive utilization mechanism.

[0004] 2. Traditional anti-scour structures lack the ability to adapt to local water flow, which can exacerbate local scour under extreme sea conditions and cause displacement instability of artificial reef facilities, making it difficult to guarantee safety.

[0005] 3. Existing artificial reefs only provide a static attachment substrate and lack the functions of active flow field induction and habitat creation, resulting in slow biological aggregation and low ecological enhancement benefits.

[0006] Therefore, existing technologies cannot simultaneously meet the integrated needs of long-term scour prevention of pile foundations, adaptive flow field control, active ecological propagation, and intensive utilization of wind and fishery space, which seriously restricts the high-quality development of the integrated offshore wind power and marine ranching industry. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is that the existing passive anti-scour structure of offshore wind power pile foundation has poor durability, low resource utilization rate in the sea area where it is independently deployed with artificial reefs, lacks adaptive flow field regulation and active ecological induction capabilities, and is difficult to achieve integrated synergy between structural protection and ecological enhancement.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: an adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation anti-scour structure, including an annular disturbance zone arranged on the outside of the pile foundation, a composite geotextile layer laid at the bottom of the disturbance zone, the disturbance zone including a number of arc-shaped disturbance units, the disturbance unit including a partially horizontally rotatable disturbance plate and a rotation and reset structure of the disturbance plate, the vertical cross section of the disturbance plate having an arc-shaped structure bending towards the center of the pile foundation.

[0009] Preferably, the spoiler unit includes pre-embedded columns on both sides and a spoiler plate arranged between the two pre-embedded columns; The spoiler includes a first spoiler, a second spoiler, and a third spoiler arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The first spoiler is fixed, while the second and third spoilers are arranged to rotate horizontally.

[0010] Preferably, the second spoiler and the third spoiler have different curvatures; The movable ends of the first, second, and third spoilers are spaced at equal distances, and the fixed ends are spaced at equal distances, with the movable end distance being greater than the fixed end distance.

[0011] Preferably, the turbulence zone includes two concentric rings of turbulence units, which are arranged in a concentric ring.

[0012] Preferably, a rotating cylinder is installed on the embedded column, and a rotating shaft is fixedly provided on the top of both the second and third spoilers, with the rotating shaft rotatably connected inside the rotating cylinder; The reset structure is a spring, and the movable ends of the second and third spoilers located in the inner ring are connected to the embedded column in the outer ring through the spring.

[0013] An adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation anti-scour device, using the aforementioned anti-scour structure, includes a biomimetic propagation zone arranged outside the disturbance zone, a cable laying area set on one side of the biomimetic propagation zone, a composite geotextile layer laid at the bottom of the biomimetic propagation zone, the biomimetic propagation zone adopts a multi-cavity biomimetic coral structure with a porosity of 50%-70%, the internal cavities are interconnected, and the surface is roughened. The biomimetic amplification zone is prefabricated from marine cement-based composite materials containing shell powder and mineral inducers.

[0014] Preferably, the composite geotextile layer is a high-strength, anti-aging geotextile with seepage prevention, reverse filtration, and subgrade reinforcement functions; the laying range of the composite geotextile layer extends beyond the bottom edge of the disturbance zone, and the edge is firmly connected to the lower end of the disturbance unit.

[0015] Preferably, the cable laying area is arranged axially along the outer side of the bionic proliferation area, and has a cable protection groove and fixing buckle inside.

[0016] A construction method for an adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection device, using the aforementioned scour protection device, includes the following steps: S1. Seabed and pile foundation pretreatment, positioning and layout and leveling of the seabed in the construction area, installation of wind power foundation piles and verification of pile foundation position and verticality; S2. Lay a composite geotextile layer. Cut high-strength anti-aging geotextile to the design dimensions, lay it flat on the seabed surface around the pile foundation and level it. The laying range extends beyond the bottom edge of the disturbance zone. S3. Install the inner layer of the disturbance zone structure, hoist the prefabricated disturbance unit to the designated position around the pile foundation, fix the upper part of the disturbance unit to the pre-embedded connector on the pile foundation, and fasten the lower part to the edge of the composite geotextile layer to form a ring-shaped disturbance zone. S4. Install the outer biomimetic proliferation zone. The prefabricated biomimetic proliferation modules are fixed to the outside of the turbulence zone through the mounting interface, and spliced ​​together to form a complete ring-shaped biomimetic proliferation zone.

[0017] Preferably, in step S3, the turbulence unit adopts a double fixing method, with the upper part mechanically connected to the pile foundation connector by clamps or bolts, and the lower part fixed to the edge of the composite geotextile layer by reinforcing strips.

[0018] This invention provides an adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour prevention structure, device, and method, which has the following beneficial effects.

[0019] 1. This invention features a concentric cylindrical structure, with an inner layer of scour-resistant and anti-erosion structure and an outer layer of bio-inducing composite layer arranged sequentially from the inside out. Together, they form a synergistic system integrating structural protection, flow field regulation, and ecological induction, achieving integrated design and modular construction of the scour-resistant structure and the ecological artificial reef. This design avoids the dual occupation of marine resources caused by the independent deployment of two types of facilities, reduces redundant construction steps, achieves dual-use of a single pile and symbiotic wind and fisheries, effectively saves marine area, significantly reduces engineering construction and life-cycle operation and maintenance costs, and greatly improves the intensive utilization level of offshore wind power areas.

[0020] 2. The inner layer of this invention employs a turbulence structure with a passive adaptive control mechanism. Through an elastic reset mechanism and layered arc-shaped turbulence plates, the baffle angle can automatically adjust according to the water flow force, achieving dynamic adjustment with a mud surface velocity of 0.8 m / s to 1.2 m / s as a threshold reference range: under high flow velocity conditions, the turbulence plate angle automatically increases, enhancing the water flow energy dissipation effect, reducing the shear force at the bottom of the pile foundation, effectively suppressing the development of horseshoe vortices and the deepening of scour pits at the pile root, and promoting natural sediment deposition; under low flow velocity conditions, the angle automatically decreases, optimizing the local flow field environment and benefiting marine life habitats. Combined with the inner and outer double-ring turbulence unit arrangement and the variable curvature layered turbulence plate design, compared to traditional passive rock dumping and sandbag protection measures, it can significantly reduce the scour depth of the pile foundation, significantly improve the stability of the foundation structure and its ability to withstand extreme sea conditions such as typhoons, ensuring the long-term safe operation of wind power pile foundations.

[0021] 3. The outer layer of this invention adopts a multi-cavity biomimetic coral structure with a porosity of 50%-70%. The internal cavities are interconnected and the surface is microscopically roughened, combining physical structure and chemical induction functions. On the one hand, the complex porous structure provides marine organisms with ample physical shelter and attachment substrate; on the other hand, the composite material can slowly release calcium ions, trace elements, and nutrients, and through chemical signals, it can directionally induce the attachment of large algae, the settlement of shellfish, and the shelter of juvenile fish, actively promoting biological attachment and aggregation, significantly increasing fish aggregation density, accelerating the formation of stable and high-quality marine ranch communities, and achieving high-efficiency ecological propagation. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 This is a top view of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the turbulence zone in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the turbulence unit in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] In the diagram: 1. Composite geotextile layer; 2. Bionic proliferation zone; 3. Turbulence zone; 4. Cable laying zone; 5. Pile foundation; 31. Embedded column; 32. Spoiler; 33. Spring; 34. Rotating cylinder; 321. First spoiler; 322. Second spoiler; 323. Third spoiler. Detailed Implementation

[0027] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this invention discloses an adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour prevention structure, which is arranged in a concentric ring around the pile foundation 1, with annular disturbance zones 3 arranged sequentially from the inside out. A composite geotextile layer 5 is laid at the bottom of the disturbance zone 3. The composite geotextile layer 5 is made of high-strength, anti-aging geotextile and possesses triple properties of seepage prevention, filtration, and subgrade reinforcement. It is laid on the seabed surface around the pile foundation 1, extending beyond the bottom edge of the disturbance zone 3, with sufficient allowance for connection. The completed composite geotextile layer 5 is smooth and wrinkle-free, with its edges firmly connected to the lower end of the disturbance unit. On the one hand, it can prevent seabed sediment from being carried out by water flow through filtration, avoiding sediment loss around the pile foundation and causing foundation scouring; on the other hand, it can provide a flat and stable bearing subgrade for the superstructure, forming a closed protection zone with edge sealing connections, blocking the bottom seepage and scouring path, and weakening the scouring force at the bottom of the seabed from the root.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the turbulence zone 3 is the core structure for controlling the inner flow field. The turbulence zone 3 is composed of several arc-shaped turbulence units. Each turbulence unit includes a rotation and reset structure consisting of two embedded columns 31 on both sides, a turbulence plate 32 arranged between the two embedded columns 31, a rotating cylinder 34, and a spring 33.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown, the vertical cross-section of the spoiler 32 is an inwardly curved arc, and from bottom to top, it is divided into a first spoiler 321, a second spoiler 322, and a third spoiler 323. The first spoiler 321 is fixedly installed at the lower part of the embedded column 31, while the second spoiler 322 and the third spoiler 323 can be horizontally rotated and have different curvatures. The fixed ends of the three spoilers are equally spaced, and the movable ends are equally spaced, with the movable end spacing being greater than the fixed end spacing, forming an outwardly expanding fan-shaped arrangement.

[0030] This layered variable curvature structure can achieve staged energy dissipation to suit the flow velocity characteristics at different water depths: The lower, fixed first spoiler 321 directly blocks the high-speed water flow near the bottom, guiding the water flow upwards at an angle and weakening the dynamic force of the water flow directly scouring the seabed. The middle and upper rotatable spoilers adapt to the flow field of the middle and upper layers through differentiated curvatures, further dispersing the water flow energy. The outward-expanding spacing design can increase the water flow diffusion area, accelerate the velocity decay, and at the same time form multi-level micro turbulence to consume the kinetic energy of the water flow, effectively reducing the shear force at the bottom of the pile foundation, inhibiting the formation and development of horseshoe vortices at the pile root, and mitigating the scouring effect from the flow field level.

[0031] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, a rotating cylinder 34 is fixedly installed on the pre-embedded column 31. Rotating shafts are fixedly installed on the tops of the second and third baffles 322 and 323, respectively, and are rotatably mounted inside the rotating cylinder 34. The movable end of the inner baffle is connected to the outer pre-embedded column 31 via a spring 33, forming an elastic reset mechanism. This structure is a purely mechanical passive adaptive control mechanism, requiring no additional electrical control equipment. It can automatically adjust the baffle angle according to the force of the water flow: with a near-bottom flow velocity of 1.2 m / s as the adjustment threshold, when in a high-velocity condition, the water flow thrust is greater than the preload of the spring 33, pushing the baffle to deflect outward around the rotating axis, increasing the angle of attack and the energy dissipation area, enhancing the energy dissipation effect of the water flow, further reducing the bottom velocity, promoting sediment deposition, and inhibiting the deepening of scour pits; when the flow velocity falls below the threshold, the elastic force of the spring 33 causes the baffle to automatically reset, reducing the angle of attack, optimizing the smoothness of the local flow field, and providing a stable water flow environment for outer-layer organisms to inhabit. This mechanism is adapted to the complex and ever-changing hydrodynamic environment of the ocean, with high reliability and low maintenance costs, and takes into account both protection against extreme working conditions and adaptation to normal ecology.

[0032] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this invention discloses an adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection device, including an scour protection structure and a biomimetic propagation zone 2 located outside the disturbance zone 3. A composite geotextile layer 5 is laid at the bottom of the biomimetic propagation zone 2, and a cable laying area 4 is integrated along the axial direction on one side of the biomimetic propagation zone 2. The entire device forms a synergistic system integrating structural protection, flow field regulation, and ecological induction, simultaneously achieving multiple functions of pile foundation scour protection, ecological propagation, and submarine cable protection. The biomimetic propagation zone 2 is the outer ecological induction structure, constructed from prefabricated modules of a multi-cavity biomimetic coral structure. The overall porosity is controlled at 50%-70%, with interconnected internal cavities and a micro-roughened surface. The module material is a marine cement-based composite material mixed with shell powder and mineral inducing agents.

[0033] This structure combines physical shelter with chemical induction. Its interconnected multi-cavity structure creates habitats of varying scales, adapting to the habitat and hiding needs of marine organisms of different sizes, such as algae, shellfish, and juvenile fish. The rough surface significantly increases the attachment area, providing a stable substrate for marine life. Furthermore, the composite material slowly releases calcium ions, trace elements, and nutrients, using chemical signals to directionally induce the attachment of large algae and the settlement of shellfish, actively accelerating the formation of ecological communities. Compared to traditional static artificial reefs, it significantly increases the rate of biological aggregation and population density, achieving highly efficient ecological propagation. The modules connect to the inner perturbation unit via mounting interfaces, facilitating installation and replacement. The module density can be adjusted according to the ecological characteristics of the marine area.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cable laying area 4 is radially arranged along the outer side of the biomimetic propagation area 2, and is equipped with a cable protection groove and fixing buckles inside. This structure integrates the functions of submarine cable laying and protection, eliminating the need to occupy sea area space for submarine cable protection facilities, and further improving the level of intensive use of sea area; the protection groove can block the damage to the submarine cable caused by the impact of floating objects and the biting of marine organisms, and the fixing buckles can restrain the position of the submarine cable, avoiding displacement and wear of the submarine cable caused by water flow impact, thereby improving the reliability and service life of the submarine cable operation.

[0035] This invention also discloses a construction method for the above-mentioned adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection structure, specifically including the following steps: Step 1: First, locate and lay out the lines according to the design coordinates, level the seabed in the construction area, remove protruding reefs and soft silt layers to ensure the flatness of the foundation bed; then hoist and install the wind turbine pile foundation 1, and after completion, check the plane position and verticality of the pile foundation 1 to ensure that the deviation meets the design requirements, so as to provide a precision foundation for the concentric installation of the subsequent ring structure.

[0036] Step 2: Based on the bottom dimensions of the disturbance zone 3 and the reserved connection allowance, cut the high-strength anti-aging geotextile; lay the cut composite geotextile layer 5 flat on the seabed surface around the pile foundation 1, and manually assist in diving operations to level the fabric, eliminate wrinkles and suspended areas, and ensure that the geotextile is fully attached to the seabed; the laying range extends beyond the bottom edge of the disturbance zone 3, leaving sufficient width for connection with the lower end of the disturbance unit.

[0037] Step 3: The prefabricated flow disturbance units are sequentially hoisted to their designed positions around the pile foundation 1, arranged in a concentric ring pattern. Installation employs a double-fixing method: the upper part uses clamps or bolts to securely mechanically connect the upper end of the embedded column 31 of the flow disturbance unit to the embedded connector on the pile foundation 1, resisting horizontal water flow thrust and preventing overall structural slippage; the lower part uses reinforcing strips to tightly bind the lower end of the flow disturbance unit to the reserved edge of the composite geotextile layer 5, ensuring a seal between the bottom of the structure and the geotextile, blocking the seepage and scouring path at the bottom. After all flow disturbance units are assembled, a continuous and complete annular flow disturbance zone 3 is formed.

[0038] Step 4: Fix the prefabricated biomimetic proliferation modules to the outside of the disturbance zone 3 through the reserved mounting interface, and splice them according to the design spacing to form a continuous and complete annular biomimetic proliferation zone 2; at the same time, install the cable laying area 4 on the designated side of the biomimetic proliferation zone 2, lay the submarine cable in the protective groove and lock it in place with the fixing buckle to complete the installation of the overall structure.

[0039] This invention employs modular splicing installation, resulting in high operational efficiency and a short construction cycle. Subsequent maintenance allows for replacement of individual damaged modules without the need for complete dismantling, significantly reducing overall lifecycle maintenance costs. The overall structure, through the synergistic effects of inner-layer turbulence control, outer-layer ecological induction, bottom foundation protection, and integrated cable deployment, solves the problems of poor durability and insufficient protection under extreme conditions inherent in traditional passive scour protection structures. It also avoids the waste of marine resources associated with independently deploying scour protection facilities and artificial reefs. Furthermore, the combination of flow field optimization and biological induction greatly enhances ecological propagation efficiency, achieving a unified goal of pile foundation safety protection, intensive marine utilization, and ecological restoration and increased production. This aligns with the development needs of integrated development of deep-sea offshore wind power and marine ranching.

Claims

1. An adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection structure, characterized in that: It includes an annular turbulence zone (3) arranged outside the pile foundation (1), and a composite geotextile layer (5) is laid at the bottom of the turbulence zone (3). The turbulence zone (3) includes several arc-shaped turbulence units. The turbulence units include a turbulence plate (32) partially rotated horizontally and a rotation reset structure of the turbulence plate (32). The vertical section of the turbulence plate (32) is an arc-shaped structure that bends toward the center of the pile foundation (1).

2. The adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The turbulence unit includes embedded columns (31) on both sides and a turbulence plate (32) arranged between the two embedded columns (31). The spoiler (32) includes a first spoiler (321), a second spoiler (322) and a third spoiler (323) arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The first spoiler (321) is fixedly arranged, while the second spoiler (322) and the third spoiler (323) are arranged to rotate horizontally.

3. The adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour prevention structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The second spoiler (322) and the third spoiler (323) have different curvatures; The movable ends of the first spoiler (321), the second spoiler (322), and the third spoiler (323) are equally spaced, the fixed ends are equally spaced, and the movable end spacing is greater than the fixed end spacing.

4. The adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The turbulence zone (3) includes two concentric rings of turbulence units, which are arranged in a concentric ring.

5. The adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection structure as described in claim 4, characterized in that: A rotating cylinder (34) is installed on the pre-embedded column (31). The tops of the second spoiler (322) and the third spoiler (323) are both fixedly provided with rotating shafts, which are rotatably connected inside the rotating cylinder (34). The reset structure is a spring (33), and the movable ends of the second spoiler (322) and the third spoiler (323) located in the inner ring are connected to the embedded column (31) in the outer ring through the spring (33).

6. An adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection device, characterized in that, The anti-scouring structure described in any one of claims 1-5 includes a biomimetic propagation zone (2) located outside the turbulence zone (3), a cable laying zone (4) located on one side of the biomimetic propagation zone (2), a composite geotextile layer (5) laid at the bottom of the biomimetic propagation zone (2), the biomimetic propagation zone (2) adopts a multi-cavity biomimetic coral structure with a porosity of 50%-70%, the internal cavities are interconnected, and the surface is roughened. The biomimetic amplification zone (2) is prefabricated from marine cement-based composite materials containing shell powder and mineral inducers.

7. The adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection device as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The composite geotextile layer (5) is a high-strength anti-aging geotextile with seepage prevention, reverse filtration and subgrade reinforcement functions; the laying range of the composite geotextile layer (5) extends beyond the bottom edge of the disturbance zone (3), and the edge is tightly connected to the lower end of the disturbance unit.

8. The adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection device as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The cable laying area (4) is arranged axially along the outer side of the bionic proliferation area (2), and is provided with cable protection groove and fixing buckle inside.

9. A construction method for an adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection device, characterized in that, The application of the anti-erosion device as described in claim 6 includes the following steps: S1. Seabed and pile foundation pretreatment, positioning and laying out and leveling the seabed of the construction area, installing wind power foundation piles and verifying the position and verticality of the pile foundation (1); S2. Lay a composite geotextile layer (5), cut high-strength anti-aging geotextile according to the design size, lay it flat on the seabed surface around the pile foundation and level it, and the laying range extends beyond the bottom edge of the disturbance zone (3). S3. Install the inner layer turbulence zone (3) structure, hoist the prefabricated turbulence unit to the designated position around the pile foundation, fix the upper part of the turbulence unit to the pre-embedded connector on the pile foundation (1), and fix the lower part to the edge of the composite geotextile layer (5) to form an annular turbulence zone (3). S4. Install the outer biomimetic proliferation zone (2). The prefabricated biomimetic proliferation modules are fixed to the outside of the turbulence zone (3) through the mounting interface and spliced ​​together to form a complete ring-shaped biomimetic proliferation zone (2).

10. The construction method of the adaptive ecological offshore wind power foundation scour protection device as described in claim 9, characterized in that: In step S3, the turbulence unit adopts a double fixing method, with the upper part mechanically connected to the pile foundation connector by clamps or bolts, and the lower part fixed to the edge of the composite geotextile layer (5) by reinforcing strips.

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