Dense Fluid Ballasts for Compact Offshore Wind Foundations

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Solution Overview

Problem

Offshore wind turbines are costly due to the fixed foundation on the seabed, limiting their efficiency and contributing to higher generation costs compared to onshore turbines.

Innovation Solution

Utilizing a dense fluid composition comprising low-, intermediate-, and high-density solid particles to create a stable, flowable ballast that can be used in offshore wind turbines, allowing for reduced column volume and energy-efficient active or passive ballasting systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a fixed foundation is used to anchor offshore wind turbines to the seabed, then the turbines remain stable and anchored, but the cost and complexity of installation and foundation structures significantly increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestability of offshore wind turbineVSAvoidfoundation structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the ballast function from the traditional fixed foundation structure and relocates it to a floating platform. By removing the need for seabed anchoring systems and replacing them with a floating design that uses water as the anchoring medium, the complexity of foundation structures is eliminated while maintaining stability through buoyancy principles.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs hydraulic principles by using water as the ballast medium instead of traditional solid foundations. The floating platform utilizes water pressure and buoyancy forces to provide stable anchoring, replacing complex mechanical foundation systems with a hydraulic-based stabilization approach that simplifies the overall structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

2Reliability

If traditional ballast materials are used in offshore wind turbines, then the turbines achieve necessary stability, but the volume and cost of ballast materials significantly increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestability of offshore wind turbineVSAvoidvolume of ballast material

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the density parameter of the ballast material by using water (density ≈ 1.0 g/cm³) instead of traditional dense solids like iron or lead (densities > 7.0 g/cm³). This parameter change allows the system to achieve necessary stability with significantly reduced ballast volume, as the floating platform utilizes the full buoyant capacity of water rather than requiring dense materials for ballast.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Volume of moving object

If dense ballast materials are used to reduce volume, then the ballast volume decreases, but the cost and difficulty of handling and installing the dense materials increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevolume of ballastVSAvoidease of ballast installation

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses water as the ballast material, which is essentially free and readily available. Instead of requiring expensive dense materials like lead or iron, the system uses water that can be easily pumped into the floating platform's ballast tanks, eliminating the need for costly material handling and installation processes while achieving the necessary ballast volume.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

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

Reduces the volume and cost of offshore wind turbine foundations by using dense fluids, enabling efficient and cost-effective power generation with reduced energy consumption for leveling and installation processes.

Implementation Method 1

The dense fluid (DF) composition includes a low-density fluid, intermediate-density solid particles and high-density solid particles. The DF includes a flowable stable DF having target density DT where the DF is defined as DF=(P1)d1+(P2)d2+(P3)d3, where d1=the low-density fluid having a density D1, d2=the intermediate-density solid particles having a density D2, d3=the high-density solid particles having a density D3

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDensity gradient: Density Gradient

Implementation Method 2

using dense fluids in ballasts for offshore wind power turbines, other floating structures and gravity-based structures

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBuoyancy: Archimedes' Principle (Buoyancy)

Data Source

PatentUS20250304222A1Dense fluids for ballasts

Publication Date: 2025.10.02 MAGELLAN & BARENTS SL

AI summary

Disclosed are dense fluids for use in offshore applications, such as wind turbine platforms, oil and gas platforms, gravity anchors, catenary weights as well as other gravity-based structures. The dense fluid can be mixed with low-density fluid and high-density solid particles to form an intermediate dense fluid. The intermediate dense fluid is mixed with intermediate-density solid particles having the same density as the intermediate dense fluid to form a dense fluid with the desired target density. The dense fluid can be produced cost-effectively by selecting intermediate-density particles which are plentiful and can be obtained cheaply.