Buoyant Stabilizing Device for Offshore Foundation Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixed support structures for offshore wind turbines face instability during assembly, tow-out, and installation due to the need for large buoyancy elements and increased hydrodynamic loads, which result in higher costs and longer installation times, especially when transitioning from shallow to deep water depths.
Innovation Solution
A buoyant stabilizing device with a lower support section and columns that can be ballasted with water, providing stability and buoyancy, allowing the foundation to be transported and installed without separate buoyancy elements and reducing the need for large cranes, enabling stability during transfer from shallow to deep draft conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If large buoyancy elements are used to maintain stability during tow-out and installation, then stability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation structure is divided into a lower portion (skirts) and an upper portion, with the lower portion providing buoyancy and stability during tow-out and installation. This segmentation allows the buoyancy function to be separated from the support function, improving stability without requiring the entire structure to be oversized.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from relying on large horizontal buoyancy elements to using vertical skirt structures that extend downward. This dimensional change from horizontal to vertical orientation provides stability through a different geometric principle, reducing the need for large above-water buoyancy elements.
2Ease of manufacture
If the foundation is designed as hollow and light for ease of fabrication and transport, then ease of manufacture is improved, but stability in water during intermediate stages deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lower portion of the foundation is pre-configured with buoyancy characteristics and skirt structures before transport. This preliminary action ensures that the foundation has inherent stability during tow-out and installation stages, eliminating the need for additional temporary buoyancy elements and maintaining stability without compromising ease of manufacture.
3Device complexity
If gravity-based foundation fixation is used instead of pile foundations, then device complexity is reduced, but applicability to deep water and high load conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation structure incorporates adjustable ballast systems that allow dynamic adjustment of weight and center of gravity. This dynamic capability enables the same simplified gravity-based structure to adapt to various water depths and load conditions, expanding applicability without increasing inherent structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses variable ballast parameters (weight, distribution, and positioning) to optimize foundation performance for different installation conditions. By changing these parameters rather than redesigning the entire structure, the foundation can handle deep water and high load conditions while maintaining the simplicity of a gravity-based design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces costs, increases manufacturing and installation rates, and allows for wider selection of fabrication sites, reducing risks from adverse weather and specialized vessels, while enabling superstructure assembly near shore before installation.
Implementation Method 1
a lower support section for buoyantly supporting the element
Implementation Method 2
The columns and/or lower support section comprise one or more hollow compartments for holding ballast water
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
A buoyant stabilizing device (82; 90) for a hollow unstable foundation (1) to be maneuvered in a body of water (W) comprises at least a lower support section (84; 94a,b) for buoyantly supporting the element (1), and a plurality of columns (83a-d; 93) extending in a generally upward direction when the stabilizing devise is floating in the water. The columns comprise one or more hollow compartments for holding ballast water. Preferably, the device comprises modules, wherein each module (90a,b) comprises a shape which is complementary with a corresponding region on the element (1) and with abutment means (91) on the element, whereby the device buoyantly supports the element (1).