Mono-pile with flange for offshore wind power generating facility and offshore wind power generating facility
The flanged monopile design with an annular flange and an anvil portion addresses the issue of flange damage during the driving process, achieving cost reduction and improved construction efficiency in offshore wind turbine installations.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023199927
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-06
AI Technical Summary
The existing methods for connecting monopiles and towers in offshore wind turbines risk damaging the flange during the driving process due to the impact of the hammer.
A flanged monopile design that includes an annular flange with a main body and an anvil portion, where the anvil portion has a flat surface located above the main body, is used to distribute the impact force away from the bolt holes, thereby reducing the risk of flange damage.
The design effectively suppresses damage to the flanges during the driving process, reduces the construction cost by eliminating the need for a transition piece and grouting, and enhances the efficiency of the driving process.
Smart Images
Figure 2025086107000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a flanged monopile for an offshore wind power generation facility and the offshore wind power generation facility. [Background technology]
[0002] Monopiles (steel pipe piles) are known for use in offshore wind power generation facilities that support the towers of offshore wind turbines. Monopiles form the foundations of offshore wind turbines. Monopiles are formed into elongated cylindrical shapes and are driven into the seabed with a hammer.
[0003] Generally, the monopile and the tower of an offshore wind turbine are connected via a transition piece. The transition piece also serves to adjust the inclination of the tower after the monopile is cast. The tower and the transition piece are connected with bolts, and the monopile and the transition piece are connected with grout.
[0004] In response to this, a method is also known in which the monopile and tower are connected by bolts without a transition piece. In this method, an annular flange with multiple bolt holes for bolting to the tower is provided on the top of the monopile. This reduces the amount of steel used in the transition piece and also makes grouting unnecessary, thereby reducing the construction costs of offshore wind power generation facilities. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 1770276 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] However, in the above-mentioned method, when the monopile is driven with a hammer, there is a risk that the flange may be damaged by the impact of the hammer.
[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation equipment and an offshore wind power generation equipment that can suppress damage to the flanges. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] A flanged monopile for an offshore wind power generation facility according to an embodiment supports the tower of an offshore wind turbine. The flanged monopile includes a cylindrical monopile driven into the seabed and an annular flange provided at the upper end of the monopile. The flange has a main body portion having a plurality of bolt holes for fastening to the tower with bolts, the main body portion extending radially beyond the monopile, and an anvil portion including a flat surface located above the main body portion.
[0009] An offshore wind power generation facility according to an embodiment includes an offshore wind turbine having a tower, and a flanged monopile supporting the tower. The flanged monopile includes a cylindrical monopile driven into the seabed and an annular flange provided at the upper end of the monopile. The flange has a main body portion having a plurality of bolt holes for fastening to the tower with bolts, the main body portion extending radially beyond the monopile, and an anvil portion including a flat surface located above the main body portion. Effect of the Invention
[0010] According to the present invention, damage to the flanges of a flanged monopile can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an offshore wind power generation facility according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing how the flanged monopile shown in FIG. 1 is driven into place by a hammer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a top view of the flanged monopile shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the flanged monopile shown in FIG. 4 and the tower joined together. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a typical offshore wind power generation facility. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing how a typical flanged monopile is driven into place by a hammer. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing how the flanged monopile shown in FIG. 4 is driven into place by a hammer. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a flanged monopile according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the flanged monopile and tower shown in FIG. 9 joined together. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing how the flanged monopile shown in FIG. 9 is driven into place by a hammer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0012] Hereinafter, a flanged monopile for an offshore wind power generation facility and the offshore wind power generation facility according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013] (First embodiment) First, a flanged monopile for an offshore wind power generation facility and the offshore wind power generation facility according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8.
[0014] The offshore wind power generation facility 1 according to this embodiment is a power generation facility that generates power by using wind power on the ocean. As shown in Fig. 1, the offshore wind power generation facility 1 includes an offshore wind turbine 10 and a flanged monopile 20 (a flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation facilities).
[0015] The offshore wind turbine 10 is a device that generates electricity using wind power on the ocean. The offshore wind turbine 10 is located above seawater W. As shown in Fig. 1, the offshore wind turbine 10 has a tower 11, a nacelle 12, a rotor 13, and a generator (not shown).
[0016] The tower 11 is a support structure that supports the nacelle 12 from below. The tower 11 is formed in a long and narrow cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The tower 11 is supported by flanged monopiles 20, which will be described later.
[0017] The nacelle 12 functions as a housing. The nacelle 12 houses a rotating shaft, a speed change mechanism, and a generator (none of which are shown). The nacelle 12 is supported by a tower 11. The nacelle 12 also supports a rotor 13 so that the rotor 13 can rotate.
[0018] The rotor 13 includes a hub 14 and a plurality of blades 15. The hub 14 is located in front of the nacelle 12. The hub 14 is rotatably supported by the nacelle 12. The hub 14 is connected to a generator via a rotating shaft and a speed change mechanism. The plurality of blades 15 are supported by the hub 14. The plurality of blades 15 may be attached radially around the hub 14. The orientations of the pressure surface and the suction surface of the blade 15 are adjusted so that the blade 15 rotates when it receives wind force.
[0019] The blades 15 rotate by wind power to generate rotational energy. More specifically, the blades 15 rotate integrally with the hub 14 and the rotating shaft, and convert fluid energy obtained from the wind power into rotational energy. The rotating shaft transmits the rotational energy generated by the blades 15 to the generator. More specifically, the rotational energy is transmitted by the rotating shaft to the generator via a speed change mechanism. The speed change mechanism increases the rotational speed and transmits the rotation to the generator. The generator generates power using the transmitted rotational energy. In this way, the offshore wind turbine 10 generates power by wind power. Note that the rotation may be transmitted to the generator without passing through a speed change mechanism, as in a direct drive system.
[0020] The flanged monopile 20 is a support structure that supports the tower 11 of the offshore wind turbine 10. The flanged monopile 20 is generally formed in a long and thin cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 1, the flanged monopile 20 is mainly located in seawater W. A part of the flanged monopile 20 extends above the seawater W. The entire flanged monopile 20 may be located in the seawater W.
[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the flanged monopile 20 is driven into the seabed G. As shown in Fig. 2, the flanged monopile 20 is driven into the seabed G by a hammer 2. More specifically, an anvil 3 is attached to the lower end of the hammer 2, and a force F generated by accelerating the hammer 2 vertically downward is applied to the flanged monopile 20 via the anvil 3, whereby the flanged monopile 20 is driven into the seabed G.
[0022] The flanged monopile 20 comprises a monopile 21 and a flange 30.
[0023] The monopile 21 occupies the majority of the flanged monopile 20. The monopile 21 is formed in a long and thin cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The monopile 21 is mainly located in seawater W. The monopile 21 is driven into the seabed ground G. Therefore, a lower end 22 of the monopile 21 is located in the seabed ground G. A part of the monopile 21 extends above the seawater W. Therefore, an upper end 23 of the monopile 21 is located above the seawater W. The upper end 23 of the monopile 21 may be located in the seawater W.
[0024] The flange 30 is provided on the upper end 23 of the monopile 21. The flange 30 is welded to the upper end 23 of the monopile 21. The flange 30 is located above the seawater W. The flange 30 may be located in the seawater W. The flange 30 is formed in an annular shape. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the flange 30 has a main body portion 31 and an anvil portion 35.
[0025] The main body 31 is formed in an annular shape. As shown in Fig. 4, the main body 31 is located on the upper end 23 of the monopile 21. The main body 31 is welded to the upper end 23 of the monopile 21. The main body 31 is formed with a plurality of bolt holes 32 for fastening to the tower 11 with bolts. As shown in Fig. 3, the plurality of bolt holes 32 may be aligned in the circumferential direction. The plurality of bolt holes 32 may be aligned at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 31 has a first surface 33 and a second surface 34. The first surface 33 is located on the upper side. The first surface 33 faces the tower 11. The first surface 33 may be formed flat. The first surface 33 may be parallel to a horizontal plane. The second surface 34 is located on the lower side. The second surface 34 is located on the opposite side to the first surface 33. The second surface 34 may be formed flat. The second surface 34 may be parallel to a horizontal plane. The second surface 34 may be parallel to the first surface 33. As shown in FIG. 4, the bolt hole 32 may penetrate from the first surface 33 to the second surface 34.
[0027] The main body 31 extends radially further than the monopile 21. As shown in Fig. 4, the main body 31 may extend radially inward 25 than the monopile 21. Here, the radially inward 25 means the side toward the circular center of the cylindrical monopile 21. Although not shown, the main body 31 may extend radially outward 26 than the monopile 21. Here, the radially outward 26 means the side away from the circular center of the cylindrical monopile 21, and is the opposite side to the radially inward 25 with respect to the monopile 21.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the anvil 35 is located above the main body 31. The anvil 35 may be formed integrally with the main body 31. The anvil 35 may be located directly above the monopile 21. That is, the anvil 35 may at least partially overlap the monopile 21 in a plan view. Here, the plan view means that the object is observed along the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 3. The anvil 35 may be located on the outer periphery of the flange 30 in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 3, the anvil 35 may be provided along the outer periphery of the flange 30 in a plan view.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the anvil portion 35 has a flat surface 36. The flat surface 36 is formed in a flat shape. The flat surface 36 may be parallel to a horizontal plane. The flat surface 36 is located above the main body portion 31. The flat surface 36 is located above the first surface 33 of the main body portion 31. The flat surface 36 may be located directly above the monopile 21. That is, the flat surface 36 may at least partially overlap the monopile 21 in a plan view.
[0030] The flat surface 36 may be parallel to the first surface 33 of the main body portion 31. As shown in Fig. 4, the flat surface 36 may be connected to the first surface 33 of the main body portion 31 by a step 37. The step 37 may be perpendicular to the first surface 33 and the flat surface 36. In other words, the step 37 may extend in the vertical direction.
[0031] 4, the radial thickness t1 of the anvil portion 35 of the flange 30 may be larger than the radial thickness t2 of the monopile 21. Although not shown, the radial thickness t1 of the anvil portion 35 of the flange 30 may be equal to the radial thickness t2 of the monopile 21 or may be smaller than the radial thickness t2 of the monopile 21.
[0032] The flanged monopile 20 having such a flange 30 is bolted to the tower 11. As shown in Fig. 5, the tower 11 has a flange 16. The flange 16 is provided at the lower end of the tower 11. The flange 16 is welded to the lower end of the tower 11. The flange 16 has a shape complementary to the flange 30 of the flanged monopile 20.
[0033] As shown in Fig. 5, the flange 16 has a plurality of bolt holes 17 formed therein for bolting to the flange 30. The bolt holes 17 of the flange 16 are provided at positions corresponding to the bolt holes 32 of the flange 30. That is, the bolt holes 17 of the flange 16 are provided at positions overlapping with the bolt holes 32 of the flange 30 in a plan view. As shown in Fig. 5, the bolts 18 are screwed into the bolt holes 17 of the flange 16 and the bolt holes 32 of the flange 30, whereby the flanged monopile 20 and the tower 11 are bolted to each other.
[0034] Next, the function and effect of the flanged monopile 20 having such a configuration will be described.
[0035] First, the flanged monopile 20 is manufactured by separately manufacturing the monopile 21 and the flange 30, and then welding the flange 30 to the upper end 23 of the monopile 21. Next, the manufactured flanged monopile 20 is transported to a specified sea area. The transported flanged monopile 20 is then driven into the seabed G by a hammer 2 in the sea area, as shown in Fig. 2. After that, the offshore wind turbine 10 is mounted on the flanged monopile 20, and the flanged monopile 20 and the tower 11 of the offshore wind turbine 10 are bolted together, as shown in Fig. 1. In this manner, the offshore wind power generation facility 1 is constructed.
[0036] Here, in a typical offshore wind power generation facility 100, as shown in Fig. 6, the monopile 121 and the tower 111 of the offshore wind turbine 110 are joined via a transition piece 140. The transition piece 140 is formed in a cylindrical shape that is open on one side, and is provided on the upper end 123 of the monopile 121 so as to cover this upper end 123. The tower 111 and the transition piece 140 are joined with bolts, and the monopile 121 and the transition piece 140 are joined using grout.
[0037] In contrast, according to the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, by using a flanged monopile 20, the flanged monopile 20 and the tower 11 can be bolted together without the transition piece 140. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of steel used in the transition piece 140 and also makes grouting unnecessary, thereby reducing the construction cost of the offshore wind power generation facility 1.
[0038] Furthermore, in a typical flanged monopile 120, when the flanged monopile 120 is driven into the seabed G by the hammer 2, the flange 130 may be damaged by the impact of the hammer 2. More specifically, in a typical flanged monopile 120, as shown in FIG. 7, the flange 130 provided at the upper end 123 of the tower 111 does not have the anvil 35 as in the present embodiment. As a result, the anvil 3 of the hammer 2 comes into contact with the main body 131 of the flange 130. Therefore, when the flanged monopile 120 is driven into the seabed G by the hammer 2, the force F generated by the hammer 2 is directly applied to the main body 131 in which the bolt holes 132 of the flange 130 are formed. As a result, the main body 131 of the flange 130 may be damaged.
[0039] In contrast, according to this embodiment, the flange 30 of the flanged monopile 20 has an anvil 35 including a flat surface 36 located above the main body 31. As a result, as shown in Fig. 8, the anvil 3 of the hammer 2 comes into contact with the flat surface 36 of the anvil 35, and the anvil 3 of the hammer 2 can be prevented from coming into contact with the main body 31 of the flange 30. Therefore, when the flanged monopile 20 is driven into the seabed G by the hammer 2, it is possible to prevent the force F generated by the hammer 2 from being directly applied to the main body 31 of the flange 30. As a result, damage to the flange 30 can be suppressed.
[0040] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the main body 31 of the flange 30 extends radially inward 25 further than the monopile 21. This allows the outer size of the flanged monopile 20 to be smaller than when the flange 30 extends radially inward 25. This allows the load required for transporting the flanged monopile 20 to be reduced, thereby reducing the transportation cost of the flanged monopile 20. As a result, the construction cost of the offshore wind power generation facility 1 can be reduced.
[0041] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the flat surface 36 of the anvil portion 35 is located directly above the monopile 21. As a result, when the flanged monopile 20 is driven into the seabed ground G by the hammer 2, the vertical downward force F generated by the hammer 2 can be efficiently transmitted to the monopile 21. This improves the efficiency of driving by the hammer 2, and shortens the construction time of the offshore wind power generation facility 1. As a result, the construction cost of the offshore wind power generation facility 1 can be reduced.
[0042] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the radial thickness t1 of the anvil portion 35 of the flange 30 is greater than the radial thickness t2 of the monopile 21. As a result, when the flanged monopile 20 is driven into the seabed ground G by the hammer 2, the force F generated by the hammer 2 can be uniformly transmitted to the monopile 21 in the radial direction. This improves the efficiency of driving by the hammer 2, and shortens the construction time of the offshore wind power generation facility 1. As a result, the construction cost of the offshore wind power generation facility 1 can be reduced.
[0043] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the flat surface 36 of the anvil 35 is connected to the first surface 33 of the body 31 by a step 37. This reliably prevents the anvil 3 of the hammer 2 from coming into contact with the body 31 of the flange 30. This effectively prevents damage to the flange 30.
[0044] (Second embodiment) Next, a flanged monopile for an offshore wind power generation facility and the offshore wind power generation facility according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.
[0045] The second embodiment shown in Figures 9 to 11 differs mainly in that the first surface of the main body is inclined relative to the flat surface of the anvil, and the flat surface is continuously connected to the first surface. The other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8. In Figures 9 to 11, the same parts as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8 are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations are omitted.
[0046] In the flanged monopile 20 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the first surface 33 of the main body 31 is inclined with respect to the flat surface 36 of the anvil 35. As shown in FIG. 9, the first surface 33 may be inclined so as to proceed upward from the radial inner side 25 toward the radial outer side 26. The flat surface 36 is continuously connected to the first surface 33 of the main body 31. That is, no step is formed between the flat surface 36 and the first surface 33, and the flat surface 36 is connected to the first surface 33 without a step. In this embodiment, the second surface 34 of the main body 31 may be parallel to the horizontal plane, and may not be parallel to the first surface 33.
[0047] The flanged monopile 20 according to this embodiment is also bolted to the tower 11. As shown in Fig. 10, the flange 16 provided at the lower end of the tower 11 has a shape complementary to the flange 30 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 10, the bolts 18 are screwed into the bolt holes 17 of the flange 16 and the bolt holes 32 of the flange 30, whereby the flanged monopile 20 and the tower 11 are bolted together.
[0048] In this embodiment as well, the flange 30 of the flanged monopile 20 has an anvil 35 including a flat surface 36 located above the main body 31. As a result, as shown in Fig. 11, the anvil 3 of the hammer 2 comes into contact with the flat surface 36 of the anvil 35, and the anvil 3 of the hammer 2 can be prevented from coming into contact with the main body 31 of the flange 30. Therefore, when the flanged monopile 20 is driven into the seabed G by the hammer 2, it is possible to prevent the force F generated by the hammer 2 from being directly applied to the main body 31 of the flange 30. As a result, damage to the flange 30 can be suppressed.
[0049] According to the embodiment described above, damage to the flanges of the flanged monopile can be suppressed.
[0050] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]
[0051] 1: Offshore wind power generation facility, 10: Offshore wind turbine, 11: Tower, 20: Flanged monopile, 21: Monopile, 23: Top end, 25: Radial inner side, 30: Flange, 31: Main body, 32: Bolt hole, 33: First surface, 35: Iron bed, 36: Flat surface, 37: Step, G: Seabed ground
Claims
1. A flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation equipment supporting the tower of an offshore wind turbine, A cylindrical monopile is driven into the seabed, and a circular flange provided at the upper end of the monopile, The flange is a main body portion having a plurality of bolt holes for bolting to the tower, the main body portion extending radially beyond the monopile, and an anvil portion including a flat surface located above the main body portion, in a flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation equipment.
2. The flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation facilities according to claim 1 , wherein the main body portion extends radially inward beyond the monopile.
3. The flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the flat surface is located directly above the monopile.
4. 2. The flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation equipment according to claim 1, wherein a radial thickness of the flange at the anvil portion is greater than a radial thickness of the monopile.
5. The main body portion includes a first surface located above the main body portion, The flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation facilities according to claim 1 , wherein the flat surface is connected to the first surface by a step.
6. The main body portion includes a first surface located above the main body portion, the first surface is inclined with respect to the flat surface, The flanged monopile for offshore wind power generation facilities according to claim 1 , wherein the flat surface is continuously connected to the first surface.
7. An offshore wind turbine having a tower; a flanged monopile supporting the tower; The flanged monopile comprises a cylindrical monopile driven into the seabed and an annular flange provided on an upper end of the monopile, The flange is an offshore wind power generation facility having a main body portion having a plurality of bolt holes formed therein for bolting to the tower, the main body portion extending radially beyond the monopile, and an anvil portion including a flat surface located above the main body portion.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
System and method for driving a monopile for supporting an offshore wind turbine
EP1770276A2