Dynamic Cable Sheave Support for Floating Wind Tension Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Floating offshore wind turbines face mechanical damage and biofouling issues due to continuous exposure to tensile, bending, and twisting forces, as well as marine organisms, which degrade the structural integrity and operational efficiency of dynamic cables.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system with sheaves and actuators to maintain dynamic cables at a predetermined tension and using a tubular member to isolate the cable from water contact, reducing mechanical stress and biofouling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If dynamic cables are used for floating offshore wind turbines to transmit energy, then energy transmission capability is improved, but the cables are subjected to continuous tensile, bending, and twisting forces causing mechanical damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic cable support system with movable sheaves that can adjust their position along the cable length. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to accommodate cable movement and deformation caused by waves and currents, distributing mechanical stresses more evenly and preventing concentration of forces at fixed points, thereby reducing mechanical damage while maintaining energy transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the tension parameter of the dynamic cable by using actuators to adjust the position of sheaves and modify cable routing. By dynamically adjusting cable tension and routing geometry, the system optimizes stress distribution and reduces mechanical damage from tensile, bending, and twisting forces while preserving power transmission capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If dynamic cables are exposed to the marine environment, then operational flexibility is improved, but biofouling by marine organisms degrades structural integrity and operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces tubular members as intermediary protective structures that enclose sections of the dynamic cable. These tubular members act as a physical barrier between the cable and the marine environment, preventing direct contact with biofouling organisms while still allowing the cable to perform its energy transmission function. The tubular members can be positioned at critical locations where biofouling impact is most severe.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs tubular members that provide flexible protective enclosures for the dynamic cable. These tubular structures offer a balance between protection and flexibility, shielding the cable from biofouling while accommodating the dynamic movement and deformation of the cable in the marine environment.
3Reliability
If sheaves and actuators are added to maintain cable tension, then cable structural integrity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cable support function into discrete segments with individual sheaves positioned at specific locations along the cable. Each sheave assembly acts as an independent unit that can be controlled by its own actuator, allowing localized tension adjustment without requiring a completely complex centralized control system. This segmentation approach manages overall system complexity while maintaining cable integrity.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If tubular members are used to isolate cable from water, then protection from biofouling is improved, but hydrodynamic volume and friction increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies tubular protective members selectively at specific locations along the dynamic cable where biofouling impact is most severe, rather than enclosing the entire cable length. This localized protection approach provides biofouling defense at critical points while minimizing the overall increase in hydrodynamic volume and friction caused by tubular enclosures.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus that a wind turbine configured for floating on a surface of water, wherein the wind turbine is operable to generate electrical energy. The wind turbine can include a floating base configured to support the wind turbine on the surface of water, and a cable configured to transmit the electrical energy. The wind turbine can also include a first sheave configured to support a part of the cable, and a second sheave configured to support a part of the cable. The cable is reeved between the first sheave and second sheave, and the first sheave is operable to impart a predetermined force to the cable to thereby maintain the cable at a predetermined tension.