Remote Dynamic Cable Pull-In for Floating Wind Turbines
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of dynamic cables to floating wind turbines is complex and challenging due to external forces like wind, currents, and waves, requiring advanced methods to accommodate movements and reduce the need for personnel and equipment transfer, while ensuring safety and reducing costs.
Innovation Solution
A remote cable pull-in system that uses a vessel with a dynamic positioning system and winch control to compensate for relative movements between the vessel and the floating wind turbine, allowing for automated and safer installation of dynamic cables without the need for a pull-in winch on the turbine, utilizing sensors and communication systems for precise control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pull-in winch is pre-installed on the floating wind turbine, then the dynamic cable can be pulled in, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pull-in winch function is extracted from the floating wind turbine and relocated to the installation vessel. This eliminates the need for a permanent winch system on the turbine, reducing device complexity while maintaining cable pull-in capability through the vessel's winch system.
Solution Approach 2:
The installation vessel's winch system is designed to perform multiple functions including cable laying, cable pull-in, and position compensation. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for dedicated pull-in winches on each turbine, reducing overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If personnel and equipment are transferred to the floating wind turbine for winch control, then the pull-in operation can be controlled, but safety risks and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The winch control operation is extracted from the floating wind turbine environment and consolidated on the installation vessel. This eliminates the need for personnel to transfer between vessel and turbine, significantly improving safety while maintaining full winch control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The winch control station is merged with the vessel's bridge or control room, allowing all pull-in operations to be controlled from a single location. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate access to the turbine and reduces personnel exposure to hazardous transfer operations.
3Ease of operation
If a motion compensated gangway and 3D crane are used, then access to the floating wind turbine is provided, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The access function is extracted from the traditional gangway-and-crane system. Instead of providing physical access to the turbine, the control operations are taken to the vessel, eliminating the need for motion compensated gangways and 3D cranes entirely.
4Ease of operation
If the installation process is performed manually with personnel on both vessel and turbine, then the pull-in operation can be controlled, but the loss of time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates automated control capabilities where the vessel's winch system can autonomously perform cable pull-in operations based on pre-programmed parameters and real-time position data. This self-service capability eliminates the need for continuous manual intervention, significantly reducing installation time while maintaining operational precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses real-time feedback from position sensors, depth sensors, and winch monitoring to automatically adjust pull-in operations. This closed-loop control enables faster, more precise cable installation without requiring manual adjustments, reducing both time and operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems for remote cable pull-in of a dynamic cable to a floating wind turbine from a vessel, the system including a floating wind turbine having a pull-in wire attachable to a dynamic cable to be connected to the floating wind turbine; a vessel for performing a dynamic cable pull-in operation for connecting the dynamic cable to the floating wind turbine, wherein the pull-in wire is attachable to the dynamic cable, the vessel is adapted for pulling the pull-in wire and the attached dynamic cable to the floating wind turbine, and wherein the system is adapted for compensating a relative movement between the vessel and the floating wind turbine during the pull-in operation.