A semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform and photovoltaic platform unit thereof

Abstract

A kind of semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform and photovoltaic platform unit thereof, including bottom frame, column, photovoltaic deck and photovoltaic assembly;The bottom frame is rectangular, and the photovoltaic deck is octagonal;The photovoltaic deck is located above the bottom frame, and the four corner points of the bottom frame are connected with the midpoints of the four hypotenuses of the photovoltaic deck respectively by the column;The photovoltaic assembly is laid on the photovoltaic deck.Compared with prior art, under the premise of same bottom frame area, the laying area of the photovoltaic assembly of the utility model is larger, thereby improving the photovoltaic power generation power under unit displacement.Secondly, the outermost circle photovoltaic platform unit is connected by spherical hinge, and only exists connection in degree of freedom between units, without constraint rotation degree of freedom, can largely avoid collision between units.The movement between units inside the outer circle is small, and adjacent columns are connected by cable, which can greatly reduce the connection stiffness between units and reduce local stress.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of marine photovoltaic power generation technology, specifically to a semi-submersible marine photovoltaic platform and its photovoltaic platform unit. Background Technology

[0002] Floating photovoltaic systems at sea evolved from floating photovoltaic systems on water, with the most common structural forms including HDPE floats and floating truss structures. These structures offer advantages such as low cost and ease of large-area and wide-area deployment, but they suffer from low structural reliability and are prone to damage in rough seas. Furthermore, many researchers have combined traditional marine engineering features to design semi-submersible and tensioned floating island systems, among which the semi-submersible photovoltaic platform solution is currently one of the most mature and structurally reliable photovoltaic solutions.

[0003] The structure of existing semi-submersible photovoltaic platforms is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, its disadvantage is that each photovoltaic platform unit 101 adopts a vertical design, meaning the area of ​​the top photovoltaic deck is the same as the horizontal area of ​​the bottom frame, such as... Figure 2 As shown, this limits the area that can be covered by the photovoltaic deck, thus affecting the photovoltaic power generation per unit of drainage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This utility model provides a semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform and its photovoltaic platform unit to solve the problem that in existing semi-submersible photovoltaic platforms, the individual photovoltaic units adopt a vertical design, that is, the area of ​​the top photovoltaic deck is the same as the horizontal area of ​​the bottom frame, which limits the area for laying photovoltaic modules and affects the photovoltaic power generation per unit displacement.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution.

[0006] On one hand, a photovoltaic platform unit is provided, including a bottom frame, columns, a photovoltaic deck, and photovoltaic modules; the bottom frame is rectangular, and the photovoltaic deck is octagonal; the photovoltaic deck is located above the bottom frame, and the four corner points of the bottom frame are connected to the midpoints of the four hypotenuses of the photovoltaic deck through the columns; the photovoltaic modules are laid on the photovoltaic deck.

[0007] With the above solution, under the premise of the same underlying frame area, the photovoltaic module of this utility model has a larger installation area, thereby improving the photovoltaic power generation per unit drainage volume.

[0008] To enhance support strength, in some embodiments, the middle of the four sides of the bottom frame is connected to the bottom of the photovoltaic deck via inclined support columns.

[0009] To prevent floating ice from damaging the photovoltaic platform, in some embodiments, anti-ice cones are provided on the support columns and uprights.

[0010] In some embodiments, pontoons are provided on all four sides of the underlying frame. This reduces the likelihood of the pontoons coming into contact with ice floes by positioning them at the bottom of the platform, below the waterline.

[0011] In some embodiments, two adjacent sides of the bottom frame are connected by a first connecting rod, and the first connecting rod is provided with a float.

[0012] In some embodiments, the photovoltaic deck includes an octagonal outer frame; longitudinal beams and transverse beams are arranged crisscrossingly within the outer frame.

[0013] On the other hand, a semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform is provided, comprising multiple photovoltaic platform units as described above. The columns of two adjacent photovoltaic platform units are connected by connectors, and the sides of the photovoltaic decks are aligned but not in contact. This layout maximizes the overall photovoltaic module installation area of ​​the semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform (compared to other layouts), thereby maximizing the photovoltaic power generation per unit displacement.

[0014] In some embodiments, the bottom frame of the outermost photovoltaic platform unit is connected to the columns of the adjacent photovoltaic platform unit via a first connector; the columns of other adjacent photovoltaic platform units are connected via a second connector.

[0015] The first connector includes two second connecting rods and a ball joint. The outer ends of the two second connecting rods are respectively connected to the two columns, and the inner ends are connected through the ball joint.

[0016] The second connector is a cable.

[0017] The outermost photovoltaic platform units are connected by ball joints, with connections between units only in terms of degrees of freedom and no constraints on rotational degrees of freedom, which largely avoids collisions between units. The units within the outermost ring have minimal mutual movement, and adjacent columns are connected by cables, significantly reducing the connection stiffness between units and minimizing localized stress.

[0018] In some embodiments, a mooring system is also included, the mooring system comprising mooring cables and anchors; the anchors are distributed around the periphery and bottom of the semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform, one end of the mooring cable is connected to the semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform, and the other end is connected to each anchor.

[0019] This utility model has at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0020] 1. Under the premise of the same bottom frame area, the photovoltaic module of this utility model has a larger laying area, thereby improving the photovoltaic power generation per unit drainage volume.

[0021] 2. Multiple photovoltaic platform units are combined into a semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform through a unique layout, which maximizes the overall photovoltaic module installation area of ​​the semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform (compared to other layout methods), thereby maximizing the photovoltaic power generation per unit displacement.

[0022] 3. The outermost photovoltaic platform units are connected by ball joints, with connections between units only in terms of degrees of freedom and no constraints on rotational degrees of freedom, which largely avoids collisions between units. The units within the outer ring have minimal mutual movement, and adjacent columns are connected by cables, which significantly reduces the connection stiffness between units and minimizes local stress. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an existing semi-submersible photovoltaic platform;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a photovoltaic platform unit in an existing semi-submersible photovoltaic platform;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a top view of a photovoltaic platform unit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a side view of a photovoltaic platform unit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a photovoltaic deck without photovoltaic modules in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semi-submersible photovoltaic platform in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a top view of the bottom frame in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between adjacent photovoltaic platform units in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first connecting member in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second connector in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To better understand the above technical solutions, the following will provide a detailed explanation of the technical solutions in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0034] Example 1

[0035] See Figures 3-6 A photovoltaic platform unit includes a bottom frame 201, columns 202, a photovoltaic deck 203, and photovoltaic modules 204. The bottom frame 201 is rectangular, and the photovoltaic deck 203 is octagonal. The photovoltaic deck 203 is located above the bottom frame 201, and the four corners of the bottom frame 201 are connected to the midpoints of the four hypotenuses of the photovoltaic deck 203 through the columns 202.

[0036] Taking the 690W N-type i-TOPCon bifacial photovoltaic module as an example, in this embodiment, each photovoltaic platform unit can be equipped with 184 modules, with each module laid flat on the photovoltaic deck plane, achieving a maximum installed capacity of 127kW. In comparison, the conventional scheme with the same horizontal area of ​​the floating body requires 126 modules, with an installed capacity of 86.94kW.

[0037] like Figure 5 As shown, the photovoltaic deck 203 includes an octagonal outer frame 2031, within which longitudinal beams 2032 and transverse beams 2033 are arranged in a crisscross pattern. The longitudinal beams 2032 and transverse beams 2033 are made of magnesium-aluminum alloy, which is lightweight and has good corrosion resistance. Photovoltaic modules 204 are laid on the photovoltaic deck 203.

[0038] As a preferred option, such as Figure 4 As shown, the four sides of the bottom frame 201 are connected to the bottom of the photovoltaic deck 203 via inclined support columns 3. More preferably, the support columns 3 above the water surface are made of H-beams, while the support columns 3 below the water surface or intersecting with the water surface are made of stainless steel hollow tubes. More preferably, both the support columns 3 and the columns 202 are equipped with ice-resistant cones 4. The bottom of the ice-resistant cone is located near the design waterline. When floating ice is squeezed by the ice-resistant cone, the floating ice will bend downwards and undergo rapid bending failure, forming ice fragments that accumulate at the bottom of the floating ice. In addition, the location of the ice-resistant cone near the design waterline can increase the waterline moment of inertia and improve the stability of the platform. The drainage volume of all the ice-resistant cones can serve as the platform's reserve buoyancy, preventing the platform from sinking in the event of failure of individual pontoons.

[0039] As a preferred option, such as Figure 6 As shown, each of the four sides of the bottom frame 201 is provided with a float 5. More preferably, two adjacent sides of the bottom frame 201 are connected by a first connecting rod 6, and the first connecting rod 6 is provided with a float 5. The float material is polyethylene float filled with EPS foam material, which has relatively low density, elastic modulus and strength, and has little impact on the overall and local strength of the platform, only providing buoyancy.

[0040] In this embodiment, 12 buoys are arranged on the bottom frame, including 4 short buoys and 8 long buoys. Both types of buoys have the same diameter, but the long buoys are twice the length of the short buoys, thus providing twice the buoyancy of the short buoys. If it is necessary to increase the platform's reserve buoyancy, the diameter or height of the ice-resistant cone can be increased to increase the volume of the ice-resistant cone.

[0041] Example 2

[0042] See Figures 7-10 A semi-submersible photovoltaic platform includes multiple photovoltaic platform units 2 as described above. The columns 202 of two adjacent photovoltaic platform units 2 are connected by connectors, and the sides of the photovoltaic decks 203 of two adjacent photovoltaic platform units 2 are aligned but not in contact. It should be noted that... Figure 8 The perspective is viewed from the side along the diagonal direction of photovoltaic platform unit 2.

[0043] The columns 202 of the outermost photovoltaic platform units are connected to the columns 202 of adjacent photovoltaic platform units via a first connector. That is, the outermost photovoltaic platform units are connected to each other, and the outermost photovoltaic platform units are connected to the next outermost photovoltaic platform units via the first connector. The columns 202 of other adjacent photovoltaic platform units (in the middle of the photovoltaic platform) are connected via a second connector.

[0044] like Figure 9 As shown, the first connector includes two second connecting rods 91 and a ball joint 92. The outer ends of the two second connecting rods 91 are connected to the columns 202 of two adjacent photovoltaic platform units respectively via connecting lugs, and the inner ends are connected via the ball joint 92. Figure 10 As shown, the second connector is a cable 10, with its two ends connected to the columns 202 of the two adjacent photovoltaic platform units via connecting lugs. To further prevent collisions between the photovoltaic platform unit 2 in the middle of the photovoltaic platform, a grooved rubber anti-collision structure can be added to the top of the column 202.

[0045] like Figure 7 As shown, the aforementioned semi-submersible photovoltaic platform is connected to the seabed via a mooring system. The mooring system is used to secure the semi-submersible photovoltaic platform and prevent it from undergoing large horizontal displacements or even capsizing under the influence of waves, currents, and sea ice.

[0046] The mooring system includes mooring cables 7 and anchors 8. Anchors 8 are distributed around the perimeter and bottom of the semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform. One end of the mooring cable 7 is connected to the semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform, and the other end is connected to each anchor 8. There are two types of mooring cables: one is an umbrella-shaped mooring at the outer edge of the overall array (i.e., connected to the anchors 8 around the platform's perimeter), where the mooring cable is at a certain angle to the seabed and primarily restricts the horizontal movement of the overall system; the second is a vertical mooring in the middle of the array (i.e., connected to the anchors 8 at the bottom of the platform), where the mooring cable is perpendicular to the seabed plane and significantly restricts the horizontal movement of the central platform of the array.

[0047] In this embodiment, the mooring system can use tensioned mooring or catenary mooring, and the stiffness, quantity and arrangement of the mooring cables can be selected according to the actual engineering situation.

[0048] In this embodiment, the anchor 8 may be used in the form of, but is not limited to, gravity anchor, holding anchor, suction anchor, pile anchor, etc.

[0049] In this embodiment, the anchoring foundation can be a pile foundation, gravity foundation, suction foundation, etc., which can be selected according to the pull-out resistance and construction conditions required by the actual project.

[0050] In this embodiment, the total displacement and draft of the platform are strictly controlled, the pontoons must be completely submerged in water, and the waterline must be below the middle of the anti-icing cone.

[0051] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to simplify this disclosure and aid in understanding one or more of the various aspects of the invention, in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the claims, the inventive aspect lies in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into that detailed description, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of the invention.

[0052] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that although some embodiments described herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not others, combinations of features from different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of this invention and form different embodiments.

[0053] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of ordinal numbers such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., to describe ordinary objects merely indicates different instances of similar objects and is not intended to imply that the objects being described must have a given order in time, space, ordering, or any other manner.

[0054] Although the present invention has been described with reference to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand from the foregoing description that other embodiments are conceivable within the scope of the present invention described herein. Furthermore, it should be noted that the language used in this specification has been chosen primarily for readability and edibility purposes, and not for interpreting or limiting the subject matter of the invention. Therefore, many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. Regarding the scope of the invention, the disclosure made is illustrative and not restrictive, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that this utility model does not explain in detail the common knowledge recognized by those skilled in the art. The above description is only a specific embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit this utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic platform unit, characterized in that: It includes a bottom frame, columns, a photovoltaic deck, and photovoltaic modules; the bottom frame is rectangular, and the photovoltaic deck is octagonal; the photovoltaic deck is located above the bottom frame, and the four corner points of the bottom frame are connected to the midpoints of the four hypotenuses of the photovoltaic deck through the columns; the photovoltaic modules are laid on the photovoltaic deck.

2. The photovoltaic platform unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom frame is connected to the bottom of the photovoltaic deck at the middle of its four sides by inclined support columns.

3. The photovoltaic platform unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: Both the support column and the upright column are equipped with anti-ice cones.

4. The photovoltaic platform unit according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The bottom frame is equipped with pontoons on all four sides.

5. The photovoltaic platform unit according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The two adjacent sides of the bottom frame are connected by a first connecting rod, and the first connecting rod is equipped with a float.

6. The photovoltaic platform unit according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The photovoltaic deck includes an outer frame, which is octagonal; longitudinal beams and transverse beams are arranged crisscrossingly inside the outer frame.

7. A semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform, characterized in that: It includes multiple photovoltaic platform units as described in any one of claims 1-3, with the columns of two adjacent photovoltaic platform units connected by connectors; the sides of the photovoltaic deck are aligned but do not touch.

8. The semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform according to claim 7, characterized in that: The columns of the outermost photovoltaic platform unit are connected to the columns of the adjacent photovoltaic platform units via a first connector; the columns of other adjacent photovoltaic platform units are connected via a second connector. The first connector includes two second connecting rods and a ball joint. The outer ends of the two second connecting rods are respectively connected to the two columns, and the inner ends are connected through the ball joint. The second connector is a cable.

9. The semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes a mooring system, which includes mooring cables and anchors; the anchors are distributed around the periphery and bottom of the semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform, one end of the mooring cable is connected to the semi-submersible offshore photovoltaic platform, and the other end is connected to each anchor.

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