Quick Mooring Connector With Fluid-Locked Claws for Floating Platforms
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing offshore floating wind turbine platforms require complex and costly procedures for installation and maintenance, involving multiple vessels and specialized teams, due to the need for frequent disconnection and reconnection of mooring lines, which is time-consuming and weather-dependent.
Innovation Solution
A quick connector system that fluid-dynamically (hydraulically or pneumatically) actuates locking claws to securely couple and decouple an offshore floating structure to a pre-laid mooring system, allowing for rapid and easy connection and disconnection along a longitudinal axis, using a base structure and mooring interface with locking mechanisms that align peripherally arranged locking claws with a grooved surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional mooring line installation and tensioning procedures are used, then the floating platform can be securely anchored to the seabed, but the process requires multiple specialized vessels and teams, making it complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The mooring system is divided into two separate components: a pre-laid mooring system anchored to the seabed and a quick connector attached to the floating platform. This segmentation allows the complex anchoring function to be separated from the platform, enabling independent installation and simplifying subsequent connection operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The mooring lines are pre-laid and anchored to the seabed before the floating platform arrives. This preliminary action completes the complex seabed anchoring work in advance, so that when the platform needs to be connected or disconnected, only the simple quick connector operation is required, not the entire mooring installation process.
2Productivity
If floating wind turbine platforms are transported completely assembled to the installation site, then the platform can be deployed as a complete unit, but installation and tensioning of mooring lines requires multiple vessels and specialized teams
Solution Approach 1:
The quick connector is pre-installed on the floating platform during manufacturing, and the mooring lines are pre-laid on the seabed. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming on-site assembly and mooring installation, allowing the platform to be quickly connected to the pre-positioned mooring system upon arrival.
3Adaptability or versatility
If floating platforms need to be towed to port multiple times during their lifetime for maintenance, then the platform can receive necessary maintenance, but the disconnection and reconnection process is complex and weather-dependent
Solution Approach 1:
The quick connector is designed with dynamic locking and unlocking capabilities, allowing the platform to be rapidly connected to or disconnected from the pre-laid mooring system. This dynamic design enables flexible maintenance operations where the platform can be quickly detached for port visits and reconnected upon return, without requiring complex mooring installation procedures.
4Reliability
If conventional mooring connection procedures are used, then the platform can be securely moored, but the process is weather-dependent and requires good weather conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The quick connector is pre-installed on the platform and the mooring lines are pre-laid on the seabed, so that connection can be made quickly in a single operation. This reduces the time the platform is vulnerable to weather changes during the connection process, minimizing weather dependency compared to multi-day conventional mooring 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
Enables fast, safe, and efficient operation of offshore floating structures by simplifying the connection and disconnection process, reducing the need for multiple vessels and specialized teams, and allowing for maintenance without complex planning, thus enhancing operational reliability and reducing weather dependency.
Implementation Method 1
a locking mechanism fluid-dynamically (hydraulically or pneumatically) actuated configured to couple and decouple the base structure from the mooring interface
Implementation Method 2
a locking mechanism fluid-dynamically (hydraulically or pneumatically) actuated configured to couple and decouple the base structure from the mooring interface
Data Source
AI summary
The quick connector coupling an offshore floating structure to a pre-laid mooring system comprises a base structure (6) coupled to an upper body (2) of the offshore floating structure, a mooring interface (13) attached to a lower body (3) of the pre-laid mooring system, and a locking mechanism comprising a grooved surface (16) formed in the mooring interface (13), locking claws (10) movably mounted on the base structure (6), and a fluid-dynamic device associated to the base structure (6) and operatively connected to move the locking claws (10) between a release position in which the locking claws (10) are withdrawn from the grooved surface (16) of the mooring interface (13) and a lock position in which the locking claws (10) are meshed with the grooved surface (16) of the mooring interface (13).