Offshore Substation Rainwater Flushing for Corrosion Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore wind power plant substations experience corrosion in shadowed areas due to inadequate rinsing, leading to increased maintenance costs and reduced reliability, as manual flushing is time-consuming and not regularly feasible in all inaccessible areas.
Innovation Solution
An automated cleaning system for offshore substations that collects and treats rainwater for targeted flushing of shadowed areas, using a network of pipes and nozzles with a control system to ensure regular and efficient rinsing, independent of maintenance team availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual flushing is performed by maintenance personnel, then corrosion protection in shadowed areas is achieved, but maintenance time and costs increase and reliability decreases due to accessibility limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically collecting rainwater and flushing shadowed areas without requiring maintenance personnel intervention. The autonomous operation ensures regular corrosion protection while eliminating manual labor requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical flushing operations with an automated system that uses rainwater collection and distribution infrastructure. This substitution eliminates the need for maintenance personnel to physically access and flush shadowed areas.
2Reliability
If manual flushing is performed regularly, then corrosion is prevented, but accessibility to all shadowed areas is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary automated flushing mechanism that reaches shadowed areas inaccessible to maintenance personnel. The rainwater distribution system acts as a mediator to deliver protective flushing to all critical areas without human intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by autonomously identifying and flushing shadowed areas through its distributed outlet openings, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all corrosion-prone regions without relying on human accessibility.
3Reliability
If automated rainwater collection and distribution system is implemented, then flushing reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-functionality by using rainwater collection infrastructure that serves both water resource utilization and corrosion protection functions. The same collected rainwater is used for both potential other purposes and for flushing shadowed areas through the distribution system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs hydraulic principles by utilizing rainwater as a fluid medium for corrosion protection. The gravity-driven or pumped distribution of collected rainwater through piping networks to outlet openings constitutes a hydraulic system for automated flushing.
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 reduces maintenance costs and ensures regular corrosion prevention in all critical shadowed areas, allowing for reliable and efficient rinsing of hard-to-reach locations, using rainwater treatment and distribution to prevent corrosion without manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
the collecting device (16) is designed to collect rainwater (22)
Implementation Method 2
the piping system (18) is connected to the collecting device (16) and is designed to distribute the rainwater (22)
Implementation Method 3
the outlet openings (20) are designed to flush the shading areas (8) with rainwater (22)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Offshore station, having a metal structure, wherein the metal structure (4) has watering regions (6) which are exposed to natural watering (22), wherein the metal structure (4) has sheltered regions (8) which are exposed to natural watering (22) only to a limited extent, if at all, having at least one cleaning device (14), wherein the cleaning device (14) has at least one collecting device (16), at least one line system (18) and outlet openings (20), wherein the collecting device (16) is designed for collecting rainwater (22), wherein the line system (18) is connected to the collecting device (16) and is designed for distributing the rainwater (22), and wherein the outlet openings (20) are designed for flushing the sheltered regions (8) with rainwater (22).