Floating Wind Turbine Platform Assembly With Suspended Ballast
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for assembling and deploying floating offshore wind turbine platforms are inefficient and costly, particularly due to the high expense of fixed foundations in deep water and the limitations of known floating platforms.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a buoyant floater with a negatively buoyant mass suspended by suspension lines, allowing for assembly and deployment in shallow waters, utilizing a buoyant floater with a central column and pontoons, and a negatively buoyant mass to achieve stability and mobility, with components formed from pre-stressed reinforced concrete or FRP, and installation via temporary transit lines and chain jacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed foundations are used to attach wind turbines to the seabed, then wind turbines can be securely positioned near the coast, but installation is limited to shallow depths up to about 45 meters and becomes economically infeasible in deeper waters
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the platform into separate functional components: a buoyant floater for surface support, a negatively buoyant mass for stability, and suspension lines for connection. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and assembled in shallow waters before deployment, enabling operation in deep waters without expensive fixed foundations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary assembly process in shallow waters where the buoyant floater and negatively buoyant mass are connected via suspension lines. This intermediary step allows the platform to be constructed in accessible shallow waters and then deployed to deep water locations, bypassing the limitation of fixed foundation installation depth.
2Adaptability or versatility
If known floating platforms based on offshore oil and gas technology are used, then wind turbines can be deployed in deep waters, but assembly and deployment methods remain inefficient and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The buoyant floater and negatively buoyant mass are assembled and connected in shallow waters before final deployment to the operational deep water location. This preliminary assembly action allows for easier construction and inspection, improving efficiency while maintaining the capability to operate in deep waters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the buoyancy parameter distribution by using a buoyant floater at the surface and a negatively buoyant mass below, connected by suspension lines. This parameter change enables efficient assembly in shallow waters while maintaining deep water operational capability, improving productivity without sacrificing adaptability.
3Ease of manufacture
If a buoyant floater with suspended negatively buoyant mass is used, then assembly can be performed in shallow waters for deployment in deep waters, but the platform requires complex suspension line systems
Solution Approach 1:
The negatively buoyant mass acts as a counterweight to the buoyant floater, creating a stable equilibrium system. This counterweight principle simplifies the overall structure by using fundamental physics rather than complex mechanical stabilization systems, reducing device complexity while maintaining assembly flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the buoyancy parameter of different components (buoyant floater vs. negatively buoyant mass), the system achieves stability without complex mechanical structures. The suspension lines simply connect components with opposite buoyancy characteristics, reducing overall system complexity while enabling shallow water assembly for deep water deployment.
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 efficient and cost-effective assembly and deployment of floating offshore wind turbines in deep waters, combining the mobility of semi-submersible platforms with the stability of spar-type platforms, reducing installation costs and enhancing operational stability.
Implementation Method 1
a buoyant floater 12 and a negatively buoyant mass 36 suspended from the buoyant floater 12
Implementation Method 2
a negatively buoyant mass 36 suspended from the buoyant floater 12
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of assembling and deploying a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) platform includes floating a buoyant floater and a hollow outer tank in a floating assembly, placing permanent ballast material in the outer tank to define a mass, and sinking the mass to a seabed. The buoyant floater is moved to a position over the mass. Transit lines are attached between a lifting device in the buoyant floater and the mass to define a FOWT platform. The mass is lifted to a point directly under the buoyant floater and the FOWT platform is towed to an installation site. Mooring lines are attached between anchors in the seabed and the buoyant floater, and the mass is lowered to a depth wherein suspension lines attached thereto are taught, the mass with the suspension lines defining a suspended mass. The transit lines are then stored or removed from the mass.