Composite Floating Platform Structure for Offshore Wind Turbines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore wind turbine platforms are expensive, heavy, prone to corrosion, and lack flexibility in pointing towards the wind direction, leading to increased capital and operational costs and reduced efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A floating platform made of composite materials with a central wind turbine tower and a toroidal body, allowing seamless assembly, reduced weight, and easy orientation, combined with a system for generating electric power and hydrogen using wind-powered hydrolysis and integrated hydrogen storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a wind turbine is installed on land, then the foundation structure is stable and simple, but the available wind resources are limited and the visual impact is significant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a floating platform as an intermediary structure between the sea environment and the wind turbine. This platform provides a stable base for mounting the turbine while floating on water, enabling access to offshore wind resources without requiring complex fixed-bottom foundations. The platform acts as a mediator that adapts the turbine system to the aquatic environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating platform utilizes hydraulic principles to float and stabilize the wind turbine structure on water. By designing the platform with sufficient buoyancy and hydrostatic stability, the system can support the turbine weight and resist environmental forces without complex mechanical foundations, thus accessing offshore wind resources with simplified structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a wind turbine is installed offshore, then more wind resources are available, but the foundation structure becomes more complex and installation cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the offshore wind turbine system into modular segments: the wind turbine generator set, the floating platform, and the mooring system. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured, assembled, and tested separately on land, then transported and deployed offshore as complete modules, reducing on-site construction complexity and enabling access to offshore wind resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional land-based or fixed-bottom offshore installations to a floating platform solution that operates in the water dimension. This dimensional change allows the turbine to be positioned in deeper waters and locations previously inaccessible, expanding wind resource availability while using simpler floating structures compared to complex fixed foundations.
3Ease of operation
If a wind turbine is installed on land, then installation and maintenance are straightforward, but the visual impact on the landscape is significant
Solution Approach 1:
The floating platform serves as an intermediary that relocates the wind turbine from the land domain to the marine domain. This relocation removes the visual impact from the landscape while the platform itself provides a stable, accessible structure for installation and maintenance operations, balancing aesthetic considerations with operational ease.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a floating platform is used, then access to offshore wind resources is enabled and visual impact is reduced, but the platform stability in water becomes a concern
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of trying to make the platform rigid and resistant to movement, the patent accepts the dynamic nature of floating structures and designs the stability system to work with water movement. The mooring system and platform design allow controlled movement while maintaining operational stability, inverting the traditional approach of resisting all motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts key stability parameters including platform dimensions, buoyancy distribution, and mooring line characteristics to optimize performance. By changing these parameters, the platform achieves sufficient stability for turbine operation while maintaining the flexibility needed to float and adapt to ocean conditions, enabling offshore resource access.
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
The platform provides a lightweight, low-maintenance, and cost-effective solution with enhanced stability and flexibility, enabling efficient power generation and hydrogen production, reducing environmental impact and operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a floating platform for a wind turbine
Data Source
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AI summary
A floating platform for a wind turbine comprising a vertically arranged support; a toroidal body arranged horizontally and coaxially around said support; a plurality of connection elements which extends radially to connect the support to the toroidal body, wherein at least one of the support, the toroidal body and the connection elements is made of a natural fibre reinforced composite material and all elements can be adhesively bonded to each other; a system using said platform and combining wind-powered hydrolysis and green hydrogen production and storage is also described.