Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Tower with Radial Buoyancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore wind turbines face challenges with material consumption and weight due to the need for substantial materials to secure and withstand wave forces, and are limited by the length of the tower and mono-pile, restricting their installation distance from the coastline.
Innovation Solution
A floating offshore wind turbine design featuring a tower with a locally reduced cross-section at sea level, supported by radially extending floating bodies with a density lower than water, and connecting elements that distribute forces and maintain vertical alignment, reducing material requirements and wave impact forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional floating wind turbine uses a full-diameter tower throughout its length, then the tower has sufficient strength to withstand wave forces, but the material consumption and weight are excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The tower employs varying wall thickness along its length, with thicker sections at the waterline where wave forces are maximum and thinner sections above and below. This local quality variation optimizes material distribution to match the actual stress distribution, reducing overall material consumption while maintaining sufficient strength where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The tower cross-sectional parameters (wall thickness, diameter) are changed along its length to adapt to varying wave force conditions. The wall thickness parameter varies continuously or in steps, being maximum at the waterline and reducing towards the top and bottom, thereby optimizing the strength-to-material-ratio.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the tower and mono-pile are made longer to reach deeper seabed or extend further from coastline, then the wind turbine can be installed further offshore, but the material consumption and structural requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The tower design concentrates material where it is most needed (at the waterline) rather than uniformly distributing it throughout the entire length. This allows the structure to achieve sufficient strength for extended offshore installation without proportionally increasing material consumption across the entire tower length.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating body provides buoyant force that counteracts the weight of the tower and counterweights, enabling the tower to be supported without requiring excessive material for self-support. This buoyancy support allows for lighter tower construction while maintaining stability for offshore installation.
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
This design reduces material consumption and weight, allowing for installation further from the coastline without the restrictions of traditional solutions, while maintaining structural integrity and reducing wave forces on the turbine.
Implementation Method 1
at least one floating body connected to the tower and extending radially outward there from, said at least one floating body having a density lower than water so that it is configured to be submerged below sea level
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 2c~2d
AI summary
This invention relates to a floating off-shore wind turbine (1) comprising: a tower (2), a floatation element (11) arranged at a lower end of said tower, at least one floating body (20) connected to the tower and extending radially outward there from, said at least one floating body having a density lower than water so that it is configured to be submerged below sea level, and a plurality of connecting elements (40) extending from the at least one floating body to an upper end of the tower and from the at least one floating body to the lower end of the tower, respectively.