Elastomeric Mooring Line for Shallow Water Tension Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mooring a floating wind turbine platform in shallow water with severe environmental conditions requires long mooring lines to manage tension, leading to high costs and potential integrity issues over twenty years of service life.
Innovation Solution
A mooring line design featuring a segment made of elastomeric material with a maximal extension greater than 100% of its rest length, providing elasticity to reduce line length and tension, comprising a first segment attached to the platform, a second segment attached to the sea ground, and an intermediate elastomeric segment with a minimal breaking strength greater than 15 MPa, allowing for a semi-taut or taut mooring system in shallow water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If long mooring lines are used to manage tension in shallow water, then the system maintains acceptable line tension levels, but the mooring cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the mooring line by using elastomeric material with high elasticity (maximal extension greater than 100% of rest length). This material property change allows the line to manage tension forces effectively while maintaining a shorter length, directly resolving the contradiction between force management and length reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite structure combining elastomeric material with high breaking strength (greater than 15 MPa) and high elasticity. This composite material approach enables the mooring line to simultaneously achieve tension management capability and length reduction, addressing both aspects of the technical contradiction.
2Reliability
If mechanical components using stainless steel are used to provide elasticity, then the system maintains structural integrity, but questions arise about long-term integrity in sea water and cost effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive stainless steel mechanical components with elastomeric material that inherently provides elasticity. This substitution uses a more cost-effective material that achieves the same functional goal of providing elasticity while maintaining reliability, directly addressing the cost effectiveness issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes from metallic materials to elastomeric materials, fundamentally altering the material parameter. This change eliminates the corrosion and integrity concerns associated with stainless steel in sea water while maintaining the required elasticity and structural integrity over the twenty-year service life.
3Force
If traditional mooring systems are used in shallow water, then the system provides adequate tension management, but the line length becomes more than ten times the water depth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the elasticity parameter by using elastomeric material with maximal extension greater than 100% of rest length. This parameter change allows the mooring line to achieve effective tension management with a dramatically reduced length (less than six times water depth, and advantageously 1.5 times water depth in taut configuration).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite elastomeric material combining high elasticity and high breaking strength properties. This material composition enables the system to achieve both adequate tension management and significant length reduction, directly resolving the contradiction between force management and length reduction.
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 solution significantly reduces mooring costs by shortening the line length to less than six times the water depth, achieving a 40% cost reduction and ensuring the mooring line's integrity and durability in harsh conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The intermediate segment is able to provide a maximal extension greater than 100% of the rest length of the intermediate segment... The elasticity is provided by the elastomeric material that elongates when subjected to tensile stress.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a mooring line for a floating platform, preferably a floating wind turbine platform, the mooring line comprising:a first segment able to be attached to the platform;a second segment able to be attached to a sea ground;at least an intermediate segment formed of an elastomeric material and arranged between the first segment and the second segment.The intermediate segment is able to provide a maximal extension greater than 100% of the rest length of the intermediate segment, advantageously a maximal extension greater than 300%.The intermediate segment presents a minimal breaking strength greater than 18 MPa, advantageously greater than 25 MPa.