Offshore wind turbine jacket foundation using tendon assisted fixation

Abstract

The utility model discloses an offshore wind power guide pipe support foundation is assisted and fixed with tendon, through the introduction of oblique tendon and connecting assembly on the basis of fixed guide pipe support and carries out the auxiliary stabilization to solve the limitation of existing guide pipe support foundation, and the economicization, scale development of far-reaching sea wind energy resources are promoted. Specifically including guide pipe support, around the guide pipe support, several groups of oblique tendons are evenly arranged, the top of oblique tendon is assembled with the leg column of guide pipe support through connecting assembly, and the bottom is fixed on the seabed through anchor point, the connecting assembly includes elastic sleeve connection's outer tube and inner tube, the outer tube is fixedly sleeved on the leg column, the inner tube is movably sleeved on the leg column, the top of oblique tendon is fixedly connected with the inner tube, and the leg column is provided with a limiting block, and the limiting block is placed below the inner tube to limit the movable stroke of the inner tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of offshore wind power foundation technology, specifically relating to an offshore wind power jacket foundation using tendon-assisted fixation. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing global demand for clean energy, offshore wind power is rapidly expanding into deeper waters. Deep-sea areas with depths exceeding 60 meters possess higher-quality and more stable wind resources, making them the primary development direction for future offshore wind farms. However, this leap from nearshore to deep-sea and even ultra-deep-sea environments presents significant challenges to the foundation structure of wind turbine generators. Under current technological conditions, both traditional fixed foundations and existing floating foundations face technical and cost challenges as water depths increase.

[0003] A jacket foundation is a truss structure welded from steel pipes and fixed to the seabed by piling. It is one of the most widely used fixed foundations. Its structural shape resembles an inverted iron tower, with the upper part connected to the wind turbine tower and the lower part fixed to the seabed. It boasts high structural rigidity and stability. However, as water depth increases, to resist the enormous overturning moments of wind and waves and ensure structural rigidity, traditional jacket foundation designs must continuously increase in size and weight. The height and width of the foundation need to increase significantly, leading to a rapid increase in steel consumption and total weight, directly driving up manufacturing costs and reducing its economic viability. Simultaneously, the structure becomes taller and more flexible, with a lower natural frequency, making it more prone to resonance with the wind turbine's operating frequency and wave frequencies, posing a serious threat to structural fatigue life and overall safety.

[0004] Besides fixed foundations, floating wind turbines are also an important solution for deep-sea wind power development. However, the overall technology of floating wind turbines is not as mature as that of fixed turbines, and the cost remains high. Effective cost reduction still requires a lot of technological accumulation and time. Especially in water depths of 100 meters, the overall cost of floating wind turbines (especially anchoring and installation costs) may still be higher than that of fixed turbines, and they have not yet formed an absolute economic advantage.

[0005] In summary, both traditional jacket foundations and floating wind turbines face technical and cost challenges in water depths of 100 meters. Therefore, this application proposes an innovative approach that introduces diagonal tendons for auxiliary stabilization on top of a fixed jacket foundation. These tendons not only share the overturning moment, improving structural stability, but also prevent excessive expansion of the jacket structure itself, reducing material costs. This approach enhances the economic feasibility of offshore wind power foundations in water depths of 100 meters while ensuring structural safety. Utility Model Content

[0006] To overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides an offshore wind turbine jacket foundation using tendons for auxiliary fixation. By introducing oblique tendons and connecting components to the fixed jacket foundation for auxiliary stability, it overcomes the limitations of existing jacket foundations and promotes the economical and large-scale development of deep-sea wind energy resources.

[0007] The specific technical solution of this utility model is as follows: The aforementioned offshore wind turbine jacket foundation using tendon-assisted fixation includes a jacket, with several sets of diagonal tendons evenly arranged around the jacket. The tops of the diagonal tendons are assembled with the legs of the jacket via connecting components, and the bottoms are fixed to the seabed via anchor points. The connecting components include an elastically sleeved outer cylinder and an inner cylinder. The outer cylinder is fixedly sleeved on the legs, and the inner cylinder is movably sleeved on the legs. The tops of the diagonal tendons are fixedly connected to the inner cylinder, and a limiting block is provided on the legs, positioned below the inner cylinder to limit the movement stroke of the inner cylinder.

[0008] Furthermore, a longitudinal spring is provided between the top of the inner cylinder and the inner top wall of the outer cylinder.

[0009] Furthermore, a groove is provided on the upper part of the inner cylinder, and several friction blocks are elastically embedded in the groove. One side of the friction block is movably engaged with the side wall inside the outer cylinder, and the other side is placed in the groove by a transverse spring.

[0010] Furthermore, the groove of the inner cylinder is placed inside the outer cylinder.

[0011] Furthermore, the leg column is provided with one or more connecting components, corresponding to one or more sets of oblique tendons.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: (1) Enhanced structural stability: By introducing a diagonal tendon system, the new jacket foundation can effectively share the wind and wave loads and overturning moment, significantly improving the overall structural stability; this enables the jacket to better resist the effects of harsh sea conditions in deep water environments.

[0013] (2) Reduce material costs: Since the oblique tendon system can share part of the load, the main structure of the jacket does not need to be excessively enlarged in size and weight, thereby reducing the amount of steel used and the total weight, reducing manufacturing costs and improving economic feasibility.

[0014] (3) Increase natural frequency: By adding oblique tendons, the natural frequency of the new jacket foundation is increased, which reduces the risk of resonance with the operating frequency of the wind turbine and the wave frequency, extends the fatigue life of the structure, and enhances the overall safety.

[0015] (4) Strong adaptability: The structure of this application is flexible and can be adjusted and optimized according to different water depths and sea conditions. It has strong adaptability and is suitable for the development needs of various deep-sea wind farms.

[0016] (5) The connecting components provide damping and shock absorption functions, reduce the stress amplitude at the connection between the guide frame and the tendon, and extend the structural life. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a top view of the structure of this utility model; Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the connecting component of this utility model.

[0018] In the diagram: 1-Guide frame, 11-Leg column, 2-Oblique tendon, 3-Connecting assembly, 31-Outer cylinder, 32-Inner cylinder, 4-Limiting block, 5-Longitudinal spring, 6-Friction block, 7-Transverse spring. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0020] like Figures 1-4 As shown, this utility model provides a offshore wind turbine jacket foundation with tendon-assisted fixation suitable for ultra-deep water environments (water depth of 100 meters), aiming to solve the structural stability and cost-effectiveness problems faced by traditional jacket foundations in deep water environments. The specific structure includes a jacket 1, with several sets of diagonal tendons 2 evenly arranged around the jacket 1. The tops of the diagonal tendons 2 are assembled to the legs 11 of the jacket 1 via connecting components 3, and the bottoms are fixed to the seabed via anchor points. The connecting components 3 include an elastically sleeved outer cylinder 31 and an inner cylinder 32. The outer cylinder 31 is fixedly sleeved on the legs 11, and the inner cylinder 32 is movably sleeved on the legs 11. The tops of the diagonal tendons 2 are fixedly connected to the inner cylinder 32, and a limiting block 4 is provided on the legs 11, positioned below the inner cylinder 32 to limit the travel of the inner cylinder 32.

[0021] Specifically, a longitudinal spring 5 is provided between the top of the inner cylinder 32 and the inner top wall of the outer cylinder 31. A groove is provided on the upper part of the inner cylinder 32, and a friction block 6 is elastically embedded in the groove. One side of the friction block 6 is movably engaged with the inner side wall of the outer cylinder 31, and the other side is placed in the groove through a transverse spring 7. To ensure that the friction block 6 can rub against the cylinder wall of the outer cylinder 31, the groove of the inner cylinder 32 is placed inside the outer cylinder 31.

[0022] Based on the above structure, the outer cylinder 31 is fixedly installed on the leg column 11, serving as the base of the entire device, bearing the reaction force from the guide frame 1, and providing rigid support. The inner cylinder 32 can slide inside the outer cylinder 31, with one end connected to the oblique tendon 2 and the other end in contact with the outer cylinder 31 through the friction block 6. When the oblique tendon 2 is under force, the inner cylinder 32 undergoes a slight displacement relative to the outer cylinder 31, triggering the damping mechanism. The transverse spring 7 provides pre-compression force to ensure that the friction block 6 is always in contact; the longitudinal spring provides elastic restoring force under small-amplitude vibrations, helping the structure to reset. The friction block 6 is installed on the contact surface between the inner cylinder 32 and the outer cylinder 31. When the inner cylinder 32 slides relative to the outer cylinder 31, the friction block 6 generates frictional energy, consuming vibration energy and achieving passive damping. The limiting block 4 is installed below the inner cylinder 32, limiting the maximum stroke of the inner cylinder 32, preventing the inner cylinder 32 from detaching or the structure from becoming unstable due to extreme loads (such as storms), thus playing a safety role. The oblique tendon 2 extends from the bottom of the inner cylinder 32 and is fixedly connected to the inner cylinder 32, bearing the main tensile force.

[0023] It is understood that this application introduces multiple sets of oblique tendons 2 on the jacket 1. These oblique tendons 2 extend outward from the upper part of the jacket and are fixed to the seabed by anchoring devices. The oblique tendons 2 and the jacket 1 form a spatial frame, jointly bearing wind and wave loads and overturning moments. The oblique tendons 2 are evenly distributed around the jacket 1, that is: for a four-pile jacket, the interval between each set of oblique tendons 2 is 90°, and for a three-pile jacket, the interval between each set of oblique tendons 2 is 120°. The ends of the oblique tendons 2 are fixed to the seabed by anchor points. The anchoring devices ensure that the tendons can firmly transmit forces to the seabed, providing additional stability. High-strength connecting components are set at the connection between the jacket 1 and the oblique tendons to ensure uniform force transmission and structural integrity. Depending on different conditions, each leg 11 of the jacket 1 can be equipped with one or more connecting components 3, corresponding to one or more sets of oblique tendons 2, to ensure structural stability.

[0024] This application's connecting component 3 integrates the connection function between the oblique tendon 2 and the jacket 1 with a damping and vibration reduction system, improving the stability, durability, and fatigue resistance of the jacket foundation in complex marine environments. This structure is a cylindrical friction-spring composite damping connection node used to connect the oblique tendon to the jacket bracing structure, achieving: (1) Reliable force transmission: effectively transmit the tension of the oblique tendon 2 to the catheter frame 1; (2) Dynamic load buffering: The vibration energy caused by wind and wave excitation is absorbed through the damping system; (3) Displacement control and protection: to prevent structural damage caused by overload or abnormal deformation; (4) The connection and damping functions are combined into one, reducing additional equipment, simplifying the structure, and saving space and cost.

[0025] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model.

Claims

1. A offshore wind turbine jacket foundation using tendon-assisted fixation, comprising a jacket (1), characterized in that, Several sets of oblique tendons (2) are evenly arranged around the guide frame (1). The top of the oblique tendon (2) is assembled with the leg column (11) of the guide frame (1) through a connecting assembly (3), and the bottom is fixed to the seabed through an anchor point. The connecting assembly (3) includes an elastically sleeved outer cylinder (31) and an inner cylinder (32). The outer cylinder (31) is fixedly sleeved on the leg column (11), and the inner cylinder (32) is movably sleeved on the leg column (11). The top of the oblique tendon (2) is fixedly connected to the inner cylinder (32), and a limiting block (4) is provided on the leg column (11). The limiting block (4) is placed below the inner cylinder (32) to limit the movement of the inner cylinder (32).

2. A offshore wind turbine jacket foundation using tendon-assisted fixation according to claim 1, characterized in that, A longitudinal spring (5) is provided between the top of the inner cylinder (32) and the inner top wall of the outer cylinder (31).

3. A offshore wind turbine jacket foundation using tendon-assisted fixation according to claim 2, characterized in that, The inner cylinder (32) is provided with a groove at the top, and a number of friction blocks (6) are elastically embedded in the groove. One side of the friction block (6) is movably engaged with the side wall inside the outer cylinder (31), and the other side is placed in the groove by a transverse spring (7).

4. A offshore wind turbine jacket foundation using tendon-assisted fixation according to claim 3, characterized in that, The groove of the inner cylinder (32) is placed inside the outer cylinder (31).

5. A offshore wind turbine jacket foundation using tendon-assisted fixation according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The leg column (11) is provided with one or more connecting components (3) to connect one or more sets of oblique tendons (2).

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