Floating Intervention Platform for Deepwater Wind Turbine Docking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies are not economically feasible or practically possible for conducting installation and maintenance operations in offshore wind farms located in waters deeper than 60 meters, where conventional bottom technology is not viable, and floaters with larger turbines pose challenging operating and maintenance conditions.
Innovation Solution
An offshore floating intervention platform with a heave plate configured to engage the lower surface of an offshore wind turbine platform, utilizing a ballast receiving volume and ballast controller to adjust buoyancy, along with anchoring equipment and a lifting tower for precise installation and maintenance operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional bottom technology is used for offshore wind turbines, then installation and maintenance operations are feasible, but it is not economically feasible or practically possible in waters deeper than 60 meters
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from conventional bottom-fixed technology to floating platform technology, changing the fundamental operational parameter of platform support. This enables adaptation to deep water locations (greater than 60 meters) while maintaining installation and maintenance capabilities through the floating base system with heave compensation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating base acts as an intermediary between the wind turbine and the sea bottom, eliminating the need for direct bottom fixation. This intermediary floating platform enables wind turbine deployment in deep water where conventional bottom technology cannot reach, while still providing stable support for installation and maintenance operations.
2Productivity
If floaters with larger turbines (nominal power >= 12 MW) are deployed in deep water, then offshore wind resources potential can be utilized, but operating and maintenance conditions become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The heave plate and ballast system provide counteracting forces to compensate for wave-induced motions. The ballast water acts as a counterweight that can be adjusted to maintain platform stability and reduce heave motions, making operation and maintenance easier despite the challenging deep water environment and large turbine sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating base incorporates dynamic ballast adjustment capabilities that allow real-time adaptation to changing sea conditions and turbine operational states. This dynamic system adjusts buoyancy and stability characteristics to maintain ease of operation during installation and maintenance of large turbines in deep water.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a floating base with multiple floating columns is used, then the platform can operate in deep water, but the complexity of the structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The floating base is segmented into multiple independent floating columns connected by trusses, allowing each column to function as a separate buoyant unit. This segmentation provides adaptability to deep water operations while managing structural complexity through modular design, where each column-truss assembly can be independently analyzed and constructed.
4Reliability
If heave plate with ballast control is implemented, then relative motion between intervention platform and wind turbine platform is minimized, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast control system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor the relative position and motion between the intervention platform and the wind turbine platform. This feedback information is used to automatically adjust ballast water quantities, minimizing relative motion and maintaining stable docking conditions during installation and maintenance interventions.
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
Enables safe and efficient installation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines in deeper waters by minimizing relative motion and providing precise positioning, facilitating self-propelled, low-emission operations in harsh conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the floating base having at least a ballast receiving volume, the offshore floating intervention platform having a ballast controller configured to control a quantity of ballast received in the ballast receiving volume to lift the upper surface of the offshore heave plate
Data Source
AI summary
The intervention platform comprises: a floating base, immersed in a body of water; at least a wind turbine equipment lifting tower, configured to lift at least an equipment of the wind turbine; The intervention platform has at least a heave plate configured to protrude laterally from the floating base, the heave plate defining an upper surface configured to engage a lower surface of the offshore wind turbine platform. The floating base has at least a ballast receiving volume, the intervention platform having a ballast controller configured to control a quantity of ballast received in the ballast receiving volume to lift the upper surface of the offshore heave plate in contact with the lower surface of the offshore wind turbine platform.