Concrete Transition Piece for Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing pile foundation systems for offshore wind turbines face challenges such as manufacturing and transportation issues due to the scarcity of steel, inefficient transportation processes, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a transition piece comprising a tubular concrete support structure that can be used in conjunction with shorter piles, allowing for the extension of the foundation from the pile to above the waterline, thereby reducing the need for long steel piles and improving transportation efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If steel piles are used for offshore wind turbine foundations, then the foundation provides stable support, but manufacturing and transportation become difficult and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation system is divided into two segments: a steel pile driven into the seabed and a separate concrete transition piece mounted on top. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the steel pile for structural strength and the concrete transition piece for ease of manufacture and local production.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite structure combining steel (for the pile) and concrete (for the transition piece). This composite approach leverages the advantages of both materials: steel's high strength-to-weight ratio for deep penetration into the seabed, and concrete's ease of manufacture and lower cost for the above-water portion.
2Strength
If long steel piles are manufactured at central plants, then sufficient structural support is achieved, but transportation distance and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the foundation into a steel pile and a concrete transition piece, the system allows the transition piece to be manufactured locally at the installation site while only the smaller steel pile needs to be transported from the manufacturing plant, significantly reducing transportation time and distance.
Solution Approach 2:
The steel pile acts as an intermediary element that connects the seabed to the locally-manufactured concrete transition piece. This intermediary approach allows the majority of the structure to be produced locally without compromising the overall structural integrity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If steel piles are transported over long distances, then installation sites can be reached, but greenhouse gas emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
Segmenting the foundation system allows the concrete transition piece to be manufactured locally, eliminating the need to transport this large component over long distances. Only the smaller steel pile requires long-distance transportation, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining accessibility to various installation sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from 100% steel to a steel-concrete composite, which fundamentally alters the transportation requirements. Concrete can be produced locally from readily available materials, transforming the transportation problem into a local manufacturing process with minimal environmental impact.
4Ease of manufacture
If steel supply is scarce at installation locations, then local manufacturing is limited, but transportation costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation system is segmented into a steel pile and a concrete transition piece, with the transition piece manufactured locally from concrete (which is easier to produce locally than steel). This reduces the amount of heavy steel that needs to be transported and leverages local manufacturing capabilities for the concrete portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material composition parameter of the transition piece from steel to concrete, fundamentally altering the transportation requirements. Concrete has lower density and can be produced from locally available materials, reducing both transportation weight and dependency on steel supply chains.
Data Source
AI summary
A transition piece for use in a foundation of an offshore wind turbine including a tubular concrete support structure for supporting the wind turbine. The concrete support structure has a first end arranged to receive an end portion of a pile for mounting the transition piece on the pile and a second end distal from the first end for supporting the wind turbine. The transition piece may form part of the foundation for the offshore wind turbine in which the transition piece is mounted on the end of the pile extending from the sea floor. The end of the pile on which the transition piece is mounted is below the surface of the water and the transition piece protrudes above the surface of the water such that the wind turbine may be mounted thereon.