Mantle Wind Turbine Jacket Foundation Deep Water Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shell wind turbines face challenges in achieving high efficiency and simple design, with existing designs often being complex and inefficient in converting wind energy into electrical energy.
Innovation Solution
A mantle wind turbine with a ring-shaped, rigid mantle and a self-contained guide element, where the guide element's profile is positioned upstream of the mantle, generating a mantle flow that accelerates the main flow through the propeller, which is located at the trailing edge of the guide element, and connected to an electric generator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a wind turbine is installed in deep water, then more suitable wind locations can be utilized, but the distance to the coast increases leading to higher cable costs and greater wave-induced movements
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into a jacket foundation system with multiple legs anchored to the seabed, separating the fixed foundation function from the floating turbine platform. This segmentation allows the turbine to be positioned in deep water while maintaining stable support through the anchored jacket structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from traditional fixed-bottom foundations to a hybrid system combining fixed jacket anchors with a floating platform. This dimensional change in support architecture enables deep water installation by distributing structural functions across different depth zones and mechanical principles.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a wind turbine is installed in deep water, then more suitable wind locations can be utilized, but the wave-induced movements of the support structure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The jacket foundation acts as a counterweight system, with its mass and seabed anchoring providing stabilizing force that counteracts the destabilizing wave-induced movements on the floating platform, maintaining overall structural stability in deep water conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
By separating the foundation (jacket anchored to seabed) from the floating platform, the system isolates the stability function in the submerged jacket structure while allowing the above-water platform to respond independently to waves, reducing transmitted movements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If access roads are extended to reach deep water locations, then more suitable wind locations can be utilized, but the cost and difficulty of construction and maintenance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The floating platform serves as an intermediary access point in deep water, eliminating the need for extended coastal infrastructure. Services and personnel can access the turbine directly through the floating platform, which can be reached by vessels, bypassing the need for complex land-based access roads and maintenance facilities.
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 design achieves high efficiency by accelerating the main flow through the propeller, minimizing resistance, and optimizing wind energy conversion into electrical energy, particularly suitable for mid-northern latitudes.
Implementation Method 1
a wind turbine with a jacket
Implementation Method 2
wind turbine components such as the rotor, nacelle and generator
Implementation Method 3
The jacket may be designed to dissipate wave induced movements in a cost-effective way, for example by means of energy dissipation in the water
Implementation Method 4
energy dissipation in the water and/or in the jacket itself
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The mantle wind turbine has a mantle (10) rotationally symmetrical about the longitudinal axis (12) with the cross-section of an airfoil. The radially inner upper surface (62) defines a flow channel (16). A guide element (20), rotationally symmetrical about the longitudinal axis (12), projects a portion of its length across the mantle (10) opposite the flow direction (S). The propeller (32) drives a generator located in the generator housing (40) to produce electrical energy. Viewed in the flow direction (S), the propeller is located at least approximately at the trailing edge (30) of the guide element. It is driven by the main wind flow, while a bypass flow is generated between the mantle (10) and the guide element (29). This bypass flow, in turn, creates a low pressure downstream of the guide element (20) due to the airfoil shape (14), thus accelerating the main wind flow.The propeller (32) can also be located downstream of the guide element (20) and be arranged to be adjustable in its longitudinal position.