Method for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine to a water vehicle

Abstract

In order to transport environmentally friendly energy generated by an offshore wind turbine from the offshore wind turbine to land in a simple and safe manner, a method (100) for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine (10) to an onshore vehicle (11) is proposed, in which hydrogen is supplied into a holding tank (31) of the floating wind turbine (10), a onshore vehicle (11) having a transport tank (36) is positioned at the floating wind turbine (10), and hydrogen is transported from the holding tank (31) to the transport tank (36) by a line (35) configured to transport hydrogen.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine to a waterborne vehicle.Furthermore, the present invention relates to a floating wind turbine. [Background technology]

[0002] Offshore wind turbines known from the prior art are constructed as wind farms on the sea foreshore. Extensive foundation structures are provided to anchor such offshore wind turbines to the seabed. The electricity generated by the offshore wind turbines is transported to a land-based transfer station using export cables designed for this purpose.

[0003] Mooring offshore wind turbines to the seabed by foundation structures limits the geographic areas suitable for offshore application. In addition, the installation and maintenance of export cables is complex and cost-intensive.

[0004] US Patent No. 11,391,261 B2 discloses a system and method for converting energy from ocean waves into hydrogen, at least a portion of which hydrogen gas is produced and transferred to a transport vessel.

[0005] EP 3339634 A1 discloses a method for producing fuel in which seawater is first electrolyzed on a floating body that moves autonomously at sea with the help of natural energy sources, and the hydrogen obtained is then physically or chemically bound in order to be used as fuel itself or further processed into fuel by known chemical methods.

[0006] DE 10 2021 000 091 A1 discloses a modular wind power and refinery plant on a floating body with flying kites for harnessing high-altitude winds in a straight trajectory and for continuous power generation and further processing in an integrated manner into transportable energy carriers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 11,391,261B2 [Patent Document 2] European Patent Application Publication No. 3339634A1 [Patent Document 3] German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2021 000 091A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention is based on the problem of easily and safely transporting the environmentally friendly energy generated by an offshore wind turbine from the offshore wind turbine to land. Furthermore, the present invention is based on the problem of providing an offshore wind turbine that can be used for energy generation and that can be used outside of the seabed area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the problem underlying the present invention, a method for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine to a surface vehicle is proposed, in which hydrogen is supplied to a holding tank of the floating wind turbine, a surface vehicle having a transport tank is positioned at the floating wind turbine, and hydrogen is transported from the holding tank to the transport tank by a line configured to transport hydrogen.

[0010] Thus, in the method according to the invention, hydrogen supplied to a holding tank of a floating wind turbine is transported from the floating wind turbine to a waterborne vehicle, for example a ship or a tanker or a tanker vessel. The hydrogen can be present in unbound form or bound in a carrier medium.

[0011] Therefore, unlike the prior art, the electricity generated by the wind turbines is not transported via an undersea export cable to an onshore transfer station. Rather, as described in more detail below, the electricity generated by the wind turbines can be used to produce hydrogen. Thus, the floating wind turbines provided in the method preferably serve to produce environmentally friendly "green" hydrogen.

[0012] According to the invention, the proposed method does not envisage that the hydrogen supplied to the holding tank is transported to shore via an undersea line or pipeline. In particular, there is no undersea line or pipeline. Instead, according to the invention, the hydrogen supplied to the holding tank of the floating wind turbine is transported by a line provided for this purpose to a transport tank of an on-water vehicle, for example a ship or a tanker, positioned near the floating wind turbine. The hydrogen can then be transported to shore by the on-water vehicle, in particular a ship or a tanker.

[0013] The wind turbine used in the method is in particular a floating wind turbine that is not connected to the seabed by a known solid foundation structure, preferably it is only moored to the seabed by hawsers or anchor ropes, as explained below, allowing the floating wind turbine to be moved.

[0014] The floating design of the wind turbine has the advantage that the wind turbine can react to sea states and prevailing wind conditions, particularly wind force and direction, and can align itself independently (tune into the wind).

[0015] As a further advantage, it can be envisaged that the line is connected directly or indirectly to a holding tank and / or a transfer tank and / or that the line is a hose line or a pipeline.

[0016] If several lines are provided, the line configured to transport hydrogen may also be referred to as the first line.

[0017] In the case of an indirect connection with the holding tank and / or the transport tank, a pump or valve or piping system may be provided on board the waterborne vehicle or on the floating wind turbine to transport the hydrogen transported through the line to the transport tank of the waterborne vehicle. It is essential that the hydrogen supplied to the holding tank of the floating wind turbine is transported by a line to the transport tank of the vessel.

[0018] The line is in particular a hoseline or pipeline, more in particular a flexible hoseline or pipeline, the flexibility of which allows it to compensate for (follow) relative movements between the surface vehicle and the floating wind turbine in rough seas and / or strong winds without the risk of the line becoming detached from the surface vehicle and / or wind turbine.

[0019] It is also preferred that the hydrogen is molecular hydrogen H2.

[0020] It may be particularly preferred that a liquid carrier medium enriched with respect to hydrogen is provided in a holding tank and that the enriched carrier medium containing hydrogen is transported from the holding tank to the transfer tank by a line, the liquid carrier medium preferably being a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC).

[0021] A liquid carrier medium that is enriched with hydrogen is easy to store and transport. Furthermore, such a carrier medium is less likely to ignite. The carrier medium can also be made reusable.

[0022] Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) are organic compounds that can absorb and release hydrogen through a chemical reaction. To absorb hydrogen, the dehydrated form of the LOHC, which is not enriched with hydrogen, reacts with hydrogen in a hydrogenation reaction. The hydrogenation is an exothermic reaction that takes place in the presence of a catalyst, at high pressure (about 30-50 bar) and at temperatures of about 150-200°C. When hydrogen is needed again, the hydrogenated, hydrogen-enriched form of the LOHC is dehydrogenated, and hydrogen is released again from the LOHC. This release reaction is endothermic and occurs at high temperature (250-320°C), again in the presence of a catalyst. Before the hydrogen can be used, it may need to be purified from the LOHC vapor.

[0023] In principle, hydrogen can be stored in gaseous form at high pressures of 200-700 bar or in liquid state at very low temperatures of -253°C and transported from the floating wind turbine to the transport tank of the water vehicle. However, it is preferably envisaged that the hydrogen is absorbed by a liquid carrier medium and then the liquid carrier medium enriched in terms of hydrogen is provided to the holding tank of the floating wind turbine.

[0024] Furthermore, preferably, a second line can be provided, in which, during transport of the enriched carrier medium from the holding tank to the transfer tank, non-enriched carrier medium is simultaneously transported from the waterborne vehicle to the supply tank of the floating wind turbine.

[0025] In other words, the waterborne vehicle has another tank, for example, a storage tank in which dehydrated carrier medium not enriched with hydrogen is stored. Via a second line provided separately from the first line, the enriched carrier medium is transported from the holding tank to the transfer tank, and simultaneously the non-enriched carrier medium can be transported from the storage tank of the waterborne vehicle to the supply tank of the floating wind turbine. The supply tank of the floating wind turbine is preferably a supply tank separate from the holding tank. The dehydrated non-enriched liquid carrier medium thus provided in the supply tank of the floating wind turbine can be reused on the wind turbine to absorb hydrogen and supply it to the holding tank.

[0026] Preferably, the wind turbine comprises a device for producing hydrogen and / or the wind turbine comprises a device for enriching the liquid carrier medium with hydrogen.

[0027] Preferably, the apparatus for producing hydrogen comprises a seawater treatment plant supplying distilled water, the seawater treatment plant comprising an evaporator and a condenser and / or an electrolyzer for water electrolysis, and / or preferably, the apparatus for hydrogen enrichment of the liquid carrier medium comprises a hydration unit.

[0028] Therefore, all the equipment required to produce hydrogen or a liquid carrier medium enriched with respect to hydrogen can be provided on board the floating wind turbine.

[0029] Preferably, the hydrogen provided to the holding tank is produced by an apparatus for producing hydrogen, and / or the hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium provided to the holding tank is produced by an apparatus for hydrogen-enriching a liquid carrier medium.

[0030] It may be envisioned that the electricity generated by the floating wind turbines is used to operate the seawater treatment plant, particularly the evaporator and / or condenser, and / or to operate the electrolyzer. However, it is preferred to use waste heat and cooling water from other processes to operate the seawater treatment plant, particularly the evaporator and / or condenser. In particular, it is envisioned that the heat generated in the exothermic hydrogenation reaction of the dehydrated LOHCs with hydrogen and / or the waste heat generated during the operation of the electrolyzer is preferably used to operate the evaporator. The heat from the hydrogenation reaction and / or the waste heat from the electrolyzer can be supplied to the seawater treatment plant by a heat transfer medium, particularly cooling water. It is also preferred to use cooling water from other processes or seawater to operate the condenser. Therefore, liquid cooling, particularly water cooling, is preferably used to cool the electrolyzer and / or hydration unit. It is even more preferred not to use air cooling. The seawater can be distilled by the evaporator and condenser, and thus can be free of salts and minerals. The distilled water can then be decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrolyzer, which is preferably powered by electricity generated by the wind turbine. The hydrogen thus obtained can be supplied in gaseous or liquid form to the holding tank, as described above. However, it is preferred that the liquid carrier medium is enriched with hydrogen obtained by the hydrogenation device. The hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium is then supplied to the holding tank of the floating wind turbine.

[0031] As a further advantage, the preferably first line and / or second line is arranged unloaded between the wind turbine and the waterborne vehicle, and the waterborne vehicle is preferably attached to the wind turbine by hawsers and / or bugleines.

[0032] The unloaded positioning of the first and / or second lines is understood herein to mean that the first and / or second lines do not absorb any holding forces necessary to secure and position the water-borne vehicle to the wind turbine. Loads on the first and / or second lines preferably arise only from their own weight or from the weight of the hydrogen and / or liquid carrier medium transported therein. In particular, these lines are not used to secure or position the water-borne vehicle to the wind turbine. Rather, it may be envisioned that the water-borne vehicle is attached to the wind turbine by hawsers and / or lashing lines. In that case, the water-borne vehicle's hawsers and / or lashing lines serve to secure and position the water-borne vehicle relative to the wind turbine. The hawsers and / or lashing lines preferably absorb all forces required to hold and position the water-borne vehicle.

[0033] The first line, which is preferably flexible, and / or the second line may be secured to hang between the waterborne vehicle and the floating wind turbine, thereby compensating for relative movement between the waterborne vehicle and the floating wind turbine.

[0034] It may also be envisaged that the first line and / or second line are suspended from a hawser and / or a drawstring of the waterborne vehicle.

[0035] The wind turbines are preferably self-aligning wind turbines, which are moored to the seabed by at least one, more preferably three, mooring and / or anchor ropes. Furthermore, particularly at greater depths, e.g., above 1,000 m, it is possible to connect several floating wind turbines to one another by means of mooring ropes. The floating wind turbines connected in this way form a net, so to speak, which is preferably moored at its edges to the seabed.

[0036] In other words, the floating wind turbine is moored to the seabed so that it can independently align itself in response to wind and / or swell, ensuring that the wind turbine is always optimally positioned or aligned with the prevailing wind direction.

[0037] For this purpose, it may be envisaged that the wind turbine is equipped with a single point mooring device, in particular a single point mooring buoy.

[0038] The single point mooring or buoy may also be referred to as a tower buoy. Advantageously, the single point mooring or buoy is configured to allow the wind turbine to rotate around it, comparable to a windsock.

[0039] The mooring and / or anchor ropes may preferably be attached to a single point mooring or a single point mooring buoy, in other words the floating wind turbine may rotate around the single point mooring or the single point mooring buoy without twisting the mooring and / or anchor ropes.

[0040] Preferably, it is envisaged that the water vehicle, in particular a ship or tanker, will be attached to the wind side or lee side of the floating wind turbine.

[0041] Furthermore, it may be envisaged that the water-borne vehicle follows, in particular passively follows, the orientation of the floating wind turbine during wind rotation, preferably while the enriched carrier medium, in particular comprising hydrogen, is transported from the holding tank to the transfer tank by said first line configured for transporting hydrogen, and / or while the non-enriched carrier medium is transported from the water-borne vehicle to the supply tank of the floating wind turbine. In particular, this may mean that no drive of the water-borne vehicle is used to maintain its relative position with respect to the floating wind turbine.

[0042] As explained above, the waterborne vehicle may be attached to the floating wind turbine by a hawser and / or a drawstring of the waterborne vehicle, and even more preferably, the first line and / or second line are suspended from the hawser and / or a drawstring of the waterborne vehicle.

[0043] In this case, it can be particularly advantageously envisaged that the waterborne vehicle itself can align with the wind. In particular, the waterborne vehicle will assume a stable position and follow the orientation of the floating wind turbine even when the wind shifts. The hydrogen or hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium can then be transported from the holding tank to the transfer tank, even in rough seas, by a first line configured to transport the hydrogen or hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, non-enriched carrier medium can be transported from the waterborne vehicle to the supply tank of the floating wind turbine by said second line, in particular simultaneously with the transport of the enriched carrier medium from the holding tank to the transfer tank.

[0044] As a further advantage, it may be envisaged that the wind turbine comprises a support mast and a rotor arranged on the support mast, the support mast having a symmetrical or asymmetrical airfoil profile.

[0045] Configurations of the support mast with symmetric or asymmetric airfoil profiles are advantageous for self-alignment of the floating wind turbine.

[0046] The support mast or the rotor nacelle disposed thereon may also have a generator connected to the rotor.

[0047] Preferably, it is envisaged that the rotor nacelle is rigidly connected to the support mast and in particular cannot rotate around the support mast.

[0048] It is particularly advantageous if the floating wind turbine is a self-aligning wind turbine and if the waterborne vehicle is attached to the floating wind turbine by hawsers or lashings.

[0049] This makes it particularly easy to keep the water vehicle stable in approximately the same position as the wind turbine.

[0050] In an exemplary moored maneuver, the surface vehicle can drive its bow against the wind direction to the floating wind turbine, and the rudder blade position and propeller thrust can preferably compensate for the drift motion of the surface vehicle. When a hawser or lashing line is taken over and attached to the floating wind turbine, the surface vehicle drifts in the direction of the wind until the holding force of the hawser or lashing line stops the drift motion. This achieves a condition corresponding to stability of the moored surface vehicle, and no further active maneuvering is required. The surface vehicle then automatically aligns with the wind and / or swell along with the floating wind turbine.

[0051] Furthermore, it may be envisaged that the wind turbine comprises a support unit, in particular a float unit, which comprises a ballast unit and / or a buoyancy unit, the support unit being preferably configured as semi-submersible.

[0052] In this case it is particularly advantageous to configure the support unit as semi-submersible: as a result of the support unit being placed deep in the water, swells have only a small effect on the alignment and stability of the wind turbine.

[0053] Preferably, the support mast including the rotor is arranged on one of the buoyancy units.

[0054] As a further advantage, it may be envisaged that the support unit comprises at least three, preferably four, buoyancy units, which are arranged at least approximately at the corners of a triangular or quadrangular, in particular diamond, plan view, and preferably one of the ballast units extends between two of the buoyancy units.

[0055] It is particularly preferred that one of the ballast units extends between two of the buoyancy units.

[0056] After transport or transfer of the hydrogen or hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium from the wind turbine's holding tank to the waterborne vehicle's transfer tank, the waterborne vehicle can move to the next floating wind turbine and load the hydrogen or enriched liquid carrier medium and / or use the same method to deliver dewatered, non-enriched liquid carrier medium to the floating wind turbine. When the capacity of the waterborne vehicle's transfer tank is depleted, the waterborne vehicle can then move to a port or another waterborne vehicle to offload and / or exchange the hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium for non-enriched liquid carrier medium. The cycle then begins again.

[0057] A further solution to the problem underlying the present invention resides in a floating wind turbine for the method described above, comprising a device for producing hydrogen and / or a device for enriching the liquid carrier medium with hydrogen.

[0058] A wind turbine according to the present invention may be configured in accordance with the floating wind turbine used in the method described above.

[0059] In particular, it may be envisaged that the wind turbine is a self-aligning wind turbine, and / or that the wind turbine can be or is moored to the seabed by at least one, more preferably three, mooring and / or anchor ropes, and / or that the wind turbine comprises a single-point mooring device, in particular a single-point mooring buoy, and / or that the wind turbine comprises a support mast and a rotor arranged on the support mast, the support mast having a symmetric or asymmetric airfoil profile. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0060] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0061] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a floating wind turbine with a water vehicle positioned nearby. [Figure 2]FIG. 10 is another perspective view of a floating wind turbine with a water vehicle positioned nearby. [Figure 3] Support unit for floating wind turbines. [Figure 4] Schematic of a method for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine to a waterborne vehicle. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of a process for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine to a water vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0062] 1-5, a method 100 for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine 10 to a waterborne vehicle 11 is described.

[0063] Figure 1 shows a floating wind turbine 10 and an over-water vehicle 11 positioned next to the floating wind turbine 10. In Figure 1, the floating wind turbine 10 and the over-water vehicle 11 are shown as floating as indicated by a water line 12 above the floating wind turbine 10 and the over-water vehicle 11, and therefore some portions of the floating wind turbine 10 and the over-water vehicle 11 are below the water surface 13.

[0064] FIG. 2 shows the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 from a different perspective without the water surface 13.

[0065] FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the support unit 14 of the floating wind turbine 10. The support unit 14 of the floating wind turbine 10 is configured as a semi-submersible 15 and includes a ballast unit 16 and a buoyancy unit 17. One of the ballast units 16 is located between every other buoyancy unit 17. The four buoyancy units 17 are located at the corners of the rectangular diamond-shaped plan view of the support unit 14. As can be seen particularly from FIG. 1, for the support unit 14 configured as a semi-submersible 15, the ballast units 16 are mostly located below the water surface 13 when deployed in water, while the buoyancy units 17 are at least partially located above the water surface 13. The support mast 18 of the floating wind turbine 10, on which the rotor 19 is located, is located on the first buoyancy unit 17a. The support mast 18 has an airfoil profile 20. A single-point mooring 21 is located on the second buoyancy unit 17b. The single point mooring 21 is provided with three hawsers or anchor ropes 22, by which the support unit 14 or floating wind turbine 10 can be moored to the seabed. The entire support unit 14 or wind turbine 10 can rotate freely about an axis of rotation 23 that passes through the single point mooring 21. This free rotation allows the floating wind turbine 10 to self-align with the prevailing wind 24 or water current. The self-alignment is significantly assisted by the airfoil profile 20 of the support mast 18.

[0066] Arranged within the buoyancy unit 17 are a seawater treatment plant 39 having an evaporator 26 and a condenser 27 for producing distilled water 40, as well as an apparatus 25 for producing hydrogen including an electrolyzer 28 for water electrolysis, and an apparatus 29 for hydrogen enrichment of a liquid carrier medium including a hydrogenation apparatus 30.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 4 , seawater 41 is first supplied to a seawater treatment plant 39, which distills the seawater 41 using an evaporator 26 and a condenser 27. The distilled water 40 is then split into hydrogen 42 and oxygen 43 by an electrolyzer 28, and electricity 44 generated by the wind turbine 10 is used to operate the electrolyzer 28. In the hydrogenation unit 30, the thus-obtained hydrogen 42 is combined with a liquid carrier medium, such as LOHC, in a chemical reaction. The thus-obtained hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium 45 is supplied to a holding tank 31 in the buoyancy unit 17. Furthermore, a supply tank 32 is provided in the buoyancy unit 17, in which a dehydrated, unenriched liquid carrier medium 46 is held for enriching the hydrogen 42 obtained in the hydrogenation unit 30. The electric current 44 generated by the wind turbine 10 can also be used to operate the seawater treatment plant 39. Alternatively or additionally, as shown in FIG. 4, heat 47 from the hydrogenation reaction in hydrogenator 30 and waste heat 48 from electrolyzer 28 can be used to operate a seawater treatment plant 39.

[0068] To transport the hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium 45, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, a surface vehicle 11, particularly a tanker vessel 33, is positioned at the floating wind turbine 10, preferably on the windward or leeward side of the floating wind turbine 10. The surface vehicle 11 is connected to the floating wind turbine 10 by hawsers or lashing lines 34. The surface vehicle 11 is then allowed to drift in the direction of the wind until the holding force of the lashing lines 34 stops this movement. The surface vehicle 11 then aligns with the wind 24 together with the floating wind turbine 10. In particular, this means that the surface vehicle 11 assumes a stable position and follows the orientation of the floating wind turbine 10 even as the wind shifts. A first line 35 for transporting the hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium 45 from the holding tank 31 of the floating wind turbine 10 to the transfer tank 36 provided on the surface vehicle 11 is connected to the surface vehicle 11 and the floating wind turbine 10. The first line 35 is a flexible hose line 37 extending in a substantially unloaded suspended manner between the floating wind turbine 10 and the surface vehicle 11. All forces required to hold the surface vehicle 11 are absorbed by the heave rope 34. Relative movement between the surface vehicle 11 and the floating wind turbine 10 is made possible by the flexibility and slack of the first line 35. After the floating wind turbine 10 is connected to the floating wind turbine 10, the hydrogen-enriched liquid transport medium 45 supplied to the holding tank 31 of the floating wind turbine 10 is transported from the holding tank 31 to the transfer tank 36 of the surface vehicle 11. A second line 38, also kept unloaded, is provided for simultaneously transporting dewatered, non-enriched liquid carrier medium 46 from a storage tank 49 of the waterborne vehicle 11 to the supply tank 32 of the floating wind turbine 10 while the hydrogen-enriched carrier medium 45 is being transported from the holding tank 31 to the transfer tank 36. The dewatered, non-enriched liquid carrier medium 46 thus fed to the supply tank 32 is intended to be newly enriched with hydrogen 42 by the hydrogenation device 30.After the hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium 45 supplied in the holding tank 31 is transported into the transport tank 36 of the waterborne vehicle 11, if there is still capacity in the transport tank 36, the waterborne vehicle 11 can move to a further floating wind turbine 10 not shown and carry out the above process again, i.e., exchange the enriched liquid carrier medium 45 for a non-enriched liquid carrier medium 46.

[0069] 5 shows a flow chart of a method 100 for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine 10 to a surface vehicle 11. In a first method step S1, hydrogen 42 or a hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium 45 is supplied to a holding tank 31 of the floating wind turbine 10. In a second method step S2, a surface vehicle 11 having a transfer tank 36 is positioned at the floating wind turbine 10. In a third method step S3, the hydrogen 42 or the hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium 45 is transported from the holding tank 31 to the transfer tank 36 by a line 35 configured to transport hydrogen. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 100 ways 10 Floating Wind Turbines 11 Water transportation 12 water line 13 Water surface 14 Support unit 15 Semi-submersible 16 Ballast Unit 17 Buoyancy Unit 17a First Buoyancy Unit 17b Second buoyancy unit 18 Support Mast 19 Rotor 20 Airfoil Profile 21 Single point mooring 22 Anchor rope 23 Rotation axis 24 Wind 25 Hydrogen generating device 26 Evaporator 27 Condenser 28 Electrolyzer 29 Apparatus for hydrogen enrichment of liquid carrier medium 30 Hydrogenation Unit 31 Holding Tank 32 Supply Tank 33 Tanker ship 34. The brood 35 lines 36 Transport Tank 37 Hose Line 38 lines 39 Seawater Treatment Plant 40 distilled water 41 Seawater 42 Hydrogen 43 Oxygen 44 Current 45 Enriched Liquid Carrier Media 46 Unenriched Liquid Carrier Medium 47 fever 48 Waste Heat 49 Storage Tank S1 Method step S2 Method step S3 Method step

Claims

1. A method (100) for transporting hydrogen from a floating wind turbine (10) to a waterborne vehicle (11), comprising: providing a liquid carrier medium (45) enriched with hydrogen (42) to a holding tank (31) of the floating wind turbine (10); positioning a waterborne vehicle (11) having a transfer tank (36) at the floating wind turbine (10); transporting the enriched carrier medium (45) comprising hydrogen (42) from the holding tank (31) to the transfer tank (36) by a first line (35) configured to transport hydrogen; and transporting the liquid carrier medium (45) from the holding tank (31) to the transfer tank (36) by a first line (35) configured to transport hydrogen; wherein a second line (38) is provided, and during transport of the enriched carrier medium (45) from the holding tank (31) to the transfer tank (36), non-enriched carrier medium (46) is simultaneously transported from the waterborne transportation means (11) to a supply tank (32) of the floating wind turbine (10), the wind turbine (10) being a self-aligning wind turbine (10), the wind turbine (10) being moored or anchored to the seabed using at least one mooring rope and / or anchor rope (22), and the wind turbine (10) comprising a single-point mooring device (21).

2. 2. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein the first line (35) is directly or indirectly connected to the holding tank (31) and / or the transfer tank (36), and / or the first line (35) is a hose line (37) or a pipeline.

3. 3. The method (100) of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the wind turbine (10) comprises an apparatus (25) for producing hydrogen and / or the wind turbine (10) comprises an apparatus (29) for enriching a liquid carrier medium with hydrogen.

4. 4. The method (100) of claim 3, wherein the device (25) for generating hydrogen comprises an evaporator (26) and a condenser (27) for supplying distilled water and / or an electrolyzer (28) for water electrolysis, and / or the device (29) for enriching the liquid carrier medium with hydrogen comprises a hydrogenation device (30).

5. 5. The method (100) of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the hydrogen-enriched liquid carrier medium (45) provided to the holding tank (31) is produced by an apparatus (29) for hydrogen-enriching the liquid carrier medium.

6. 6. The method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first line (35) and / or the second line (38) are arranged unloaded between the wind turbine (10) and the water-borne moving means (11), and the water-borne moving means (11) is preferably attached to the wind turbine (10) by hawsers and / or lashing lines (34).

7. 7. The method (100) of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the wind turbine (10) is moored or anchored to the seabed by three mooring and / or anchor ropes (22) and / or the single point mooring device (21) comprises a single point mooring buoy.

8. 8. The method (100) of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wind turbine (10) comprises a support mast (18) and a rotor (19) arranged on the support mast (18), the support mast (18) having a symmetric or asymmetric airfoil profile (20).

9. 9. The method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the wind turbine (10) comprises a support unit (14), in particular a float unit, the support unit (14) comprising a ballast unit (16) and / or a buoyancy unit (17, 17a, 17b), the support unit (14) being preferably configured as a semi-submersible (15).

10. 10. The method (100) of claim 9, wherein the device (25) for generating hydrogen and / or the device (29) for enriching the liquid carrier medium with hydrogen are arranged in at least one of the ballast unit (16) and / or the buoyancy unit (17, 17a, 17b).

11. 11. The method (100) according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the support unit (14) comprises at least three, preferably four, buoyancy units (17, 17a, 17b), the buoyancy units (17, 17a, 17b) being arranged at least approximately at the corners of a triangle or a rectangle, in particular a rhombus, in plan view, and preferably one of the ballast units (16) extending between two of the buoyancy units (17, 17a, 17b).

12. 12. A floating wind turbine (10) for a method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising an apparatus (25) for producing hydrogen and / or an apparatus (29) for enriching a liquid carrier medium with hydrogen.

13. 13. The floating wind turbine (10) of claim 12, wherein the wind turbine (10) is a self-aligning wind turbine (10), the wind turbine (10) can be or is moored to the seabed by at least one, more preferably three, mooring and / or anchor ropes (22), the wind turbine (10) comprises a single-point mooring device (21), in particular a single-point mooring buoy, and / or the wind turbine (10) comprises a support mast (18) and a rotor (19) arranged on the support mast (18), the support mast (18) having a symmetric or asymmetric airfoil profile (20).

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