Offshore Wind Turbine Pipe Suspension Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore wind turbines face challenges in storing pipes due to limited space on platforms, which can lead to mechanical wear, marine growth, and corrosion, necessitating frequent maintenance and dismounting of pipes.
Innovation Solution
A method for storing pipes by dismounting them from their functional state and suspending them from a platform using a suspension device, allowing the pipes to be stored vertically or tilted, thereby optimizing space usage and reducing maintenance complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pipes are stored in the working area of the platform, then pipes can be easily accessed for maintenance, but the limited space on the platform is insufficient and causes clutter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions pipe storage from the horizontal plane (platform working area) to the vertical dimension (below platform level). Pipes are suspended from the platform downward into the water column, utilizing the vertical space dimension to resolve the space constraint on the platform surface while maintaining accessibility for maintenance operations.
2Area of stationary object
If pipes are stored below the platform, then space on the platform is saved, but pipes become more difficult to access for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a suspension device as an intermediary mechanism that enables pipe storage below the platform while maintaining accessibility. The suspension device acts as a mediator between the platform structure and the pipes, allowing pipes to be hung from the platform into the water column where they can be easily accessed by personnel for maintenance operations.
3Ease of repair
If pipes are dismounted and stored, then maintenance can be performed, but the conveying arrangement cannot operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the conveying arrangement into individual pipe sections that can be independently dismounted and stored. This allows maintenance to be performed on specific pipe segments without affecting the entire conveying arrangement, enabling partial operation to continue while maintenance is performed on isolated sections.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for storing at least one pipe of a stationary offshore device is provided, particularly being a wind turbine, by bringing the at least one pipe from a functional state into a storing state, wherein the method comprises the following steps: dismounting the at least one pipe being in the functional state in which it constitutes a component of a conveying arrangement for conveying a fluid through the at least one pipe; and bringing the at least one pipe into the storing state in which it is removably held by at least one suspension device such that the at least one pipe is suspended from a platform of the offshore device.