Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Mooring for Elevated Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining the stability of a floating offshore wind turbine system and anchoring it to the seabed is challenging due to the elevated center of gravity and the need for secure mooring.
Innovation Solution
A floating wind turbine system with a support structure comprising columns and support arms, anchored by a buoyancy module and mooring legs, and a process involving the installation of an anchor structure connected to a mooring structure, ensuring stability and secure anchoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the wind turbine is located at a large elevation above the support platform, then the power generation capacity is improved, but the stability of the support platform deteriorates due to elevated center of gravity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a floating support platform that utilizes buoyancy as a counteracting force to gravity. The floating structure displaces water to generate an upward buoyant force that counterbalances the gravitational pull on the elevated wind turbine, thereby maintaining stability despite the high center of gravity. This resolves the contradiction by introducing an opposing physical force that compensates for the destabilizing effect of elevation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a fixed bottom-supported structure to a floating structure that operates in the water column dimension. By utilizing the vertical dimension of water displacement and buoyancy, the system achieves stability not through ground anchoring but through hydrostatic principles, effectively solving the stability issue while maintaining elevated turbine position for power generation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a mooring system is implemented to anchor the floating offshore wind turbine, then the stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The floating support platform serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the wind turbine, acts as a mooring anchor through its own buoyancy and mass, and functions as a stabilization platform. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate, complex mooring systems while maintaining stability, thereby resolving the contradiction between stability improvement and device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional installation methods are used for fixed offshore wind turbines, then the installation process is simplified, but the adaptability to floating structures deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the wind turbine installation into modular components that can be independently assembled and then integrated with the floating platform. The turbine, platform, and mooring elements are designed as separate modules that can be manufactured using conventional methods and then connected, thereby maintaining installation simplicity while achieving adaptability to floating structures.
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 system maintains stability and secure anchoring of the offshore wind turbine, addressing the challenges of elevated gravity and mooring, facilitating efficient installation and operation.
Implementation Method 1
An anchor structure that includes a buoyancy module can be positioned on the surface of the body of water
Data Source
AI summary
Offshore wind turbine systems and processes for installing same. The system can include a wind turbine generator that can include a plurality of blades connected thereto. The system can also include a first support arm and a second support arm each having a first end and a second end. The system can also include a support structure that can be configured to float on a surface of a body of water that can include first, second, and third columns. The first end of the first support arm and the first end of the second support arm can each support the wind turbine generator at an elevation above the support structure. The second end of the first support arm can be connected to and supported by the first column. The second end of the second support arm can be connected to and supported by the second column.