Offshore Wind Turbine Tower Installation via Substructure Container
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of offshore wind turbines is challenging due to the combination of great height and heavy equipment, requiring large and expensive vessels, which are often in low supply and difficult to use in certain waters, especially in deep waters and big lakes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a substructure with a container to house the tower of an offshore wind turbine, allowing the tower to be raised longitudinally from the container, reducing the need for large vessels and simplifying the installation process, and a substructure that can be transported and anchored efficiently, enabling installation of the nacelle and blades at a lower height before raising the tower.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional installation methods are used with large vessels to raise and install the tower and nacelle offshore, then the installation capability is sufficient for deep waters, but the cost and complexity increase significantly and vessel availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The installation process is segmented into distinct phases: first transporting and anchoring the substructure separately, then raising the tower to a manageable height, and finally installing the nacelle and blades. This segmentation allows each component to be handled independently with smaller, more available vessels rather than requiring one massive vessel to perform all operations simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The substructure is transported and anchored to the seabed before the tower is raised to full height. This preliminary action stabilizes the foundation first, allowing subsequent tower raising and nacelle installation to proceed with smaller vessels that would be impossible to use if all components needed to be installed simultaneously on a fully erected tower.
2Manufacturing precision
If the tower is raised to full height before installing the nacelle and blades, then the final installation position is correct, but the relative movement between tower and installation vessel makes installation extremely difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The tower height is made dynamic rather than fixed during installation. The tower is raised to an intermediate height that provides sufficient clearance for nacelle installation while remaining low enough to minimize relative movement between the tower and installation vessel. This dynamic adjustment of tower height optimizes both positioning accuracy and installation ease.
3Adaptability or versatility
If huge dedicated offshore wind turbine-installing vessels are used, then installation can be performed in deep waters, but these vessels are very expensive and in low supply
Solution Approach 1:
The installation system is divided into separate functional components: a substructure for transport and anchoring, a tower raising mechanism, and a nacelle installation system. This segmentation allows different smaller vessels to perform different functions sequentially rather than requiring one enormous multi-functional vessel, increasing availability and reducing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The substructure acts as an intermediary platform that is first transported and anchored to the seabed, then serves as the base for tower installation and subsequent nacelle mounting. This intermediary structure enables the use of smaller, more available vessels for each installation phase rather than requiring a single huge vessel capable of all operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of installing an offshore wind turbine includes the step of raising a full-length tower for the offshore wind turbine by moving it longitudinally from a container in a substructure, the substructure being a support structure for the wind turbine, wherein the substructure is arranged with a container configured for housing a tower for the wind turbine substantially in its entirety.