Subsea Energy Island Construction With Gravity-Stabilized Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies have not effectively exploited the potential for hydroelectric power generation from deep underground water reservoirs due to flow limitations and technical uncertainties, particularly in marine environments, which disqualify traditional Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) systems.
Innovation Solution
A subsea energy island infrastructure is constructed with a structurally rigid shell enclosing a lagoon, featuring a gravity-stabilized wall and hydraulic communication tunnels, allowing for pumped hydro energy storage and generation through underground shafts or salt deposits, with optional filtering and pumping systems to manage water flow and pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional Pumped Hydro Storage systems are used in marine environments, then energy storage capacity is limited, but construction complexity and technical uncertainty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the energy storage facility into separate functional components: a shell structure enclosing a lagoon, gravity-stabilized walls for containment, tunnel systems for hydraulic communication, and underground shafts for water management. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies construction in marine environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional surface-level or shallow underground PHS to deep subsea infrastructure, utilizing the vertical dimension from sea surface through water column to deep underground reservoirs. This dimensional expansion enables vastly increased energy storage capacity while distributing construction challenges across different depth zones.
2Power
If deep underground water reservoirs are exploited for hydroelectric power, then gravitational potential energy increases, but flow limitations and technical uncertainties arise
Solution Approach 1:
Tunnel systems serve as intermediaries connecting the surrounding body of water to the interior lagoon, enabling controlled hydraulic communication. These tunnels regulate water flow between reservoirs, ensuring reliable flow rates for power generation while managing the gravitational potential energy release from deep underground reservoirs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs hydraulic principles throughout: gravity-driven water flow through tunnels, hydroelectric power generation from water movement, and hydraulic communication between the lagoon and surrounding body of water. These hydraulic mechanisms reliably convert gravitational potential energy into electrical energy while maintaining controlled flow rates.
3Strength
If a rigid shell structure is used to enclose the lagoon, then structural integrity improves, but material requirements and construction difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Gravity-stabilized walls are constructed around the shell structure to provide counterbalancing force against hydrostatic pressure and other lateral loads. This anti-weight approach allows the use of thinner, more manageable shell materials while maintaining overall structural integrity through the balancing effect of the gravity walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The shell structure is divided into manageable segments that can be constructed and assembled in sections. This segmentation reduces the size and complexity of individual construction elements, making them easier to manufacture and install while the complete assembled structure provides the necessary structural integrity for enclosing the lagoon.
4Productivity
If tunnels are created for hydraulic communication, then water flow between reservoirs is enabled, but construction complexity and potential leakage points increase
Solution Approach 1:
Tunnels are excavated through the surrounding rock or seabed material to create hydraulic communication pathways. By extracting and removing the intervening material, direct water flow channels are established between the lagoon and the surrounding body of water, enabling efficient hydraulic communication while minimizing the need for complex lining or sealing structures.
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 cost-effective and environmentally friendly hydroelectric energy storage and generation, overcoming flow limitations and technical uncertainties, leveraging the gravitational potential of deep underground water reservoirs.
Implementation Method 1
stacking material with a negative buoyancy around the shell forming a gravity stabilized wall
Implementation Method 2
the gravitational potential energy drop of water brought down from the surface to a cavity
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
An energy island system arranged related to a body of water with a seafloor, a surface and a depth over an underground is disclosed. The system comprises a structurally rigid shell (1) extending from the seafloor to above the water surface, inclosing a lagoon of the body of water, material with a negative buoyancy stacked around the shell (1) forming a gravity stabilized wall (2), and a tunnel (5) established in the wall (2), providing for hydraulic communication between the surrounding body of water and the interior of the shell (1). Further, a method for construction of an energy island is disclosed.