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CN-122003363-A - Active and independent ballasting method for semi-submersible type floating body of offshore wind power generator and floating body

CN122003363ACN 122003363 ACN122003363 ACN 122003363ACN-122003363-A

Abstract

The invention relates to an active and independent ballasting method for a semi-submersible floating body (2) of an offshore wind turbine, comprising at least four columns, of which one central column (4) and three outer columns (6) are connected to the central column by means of lower arms constituting pontoons (8). The method comprises, for each pontoon, an independent and controllable deployment of ballast fluid between at least two watertight compartments (14, 16) within an assembly formed by the pontoon and an external column connected to the pontoon, to effect adjustment of the pontoon inclination. The invention also relates to a semi-submersible floating body for an offshore wind turbine, which has an active and independent ballasting function.

Inventors

  • Gene Christopher Burge
  • Sebastian Vimux
  • Benoit Delepler

Assignees

  • 塞佩姆股份公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20240924
Priority Date
20230928

Claims (15)

  1. 1. A method for the active and independent ballasting of a semi-submersible floating body (2; 2 '') of an offshore wind power plant, characterized in that the floating body comprises at least four columns, including a central column (4) and three outer columns (6), which are connected to the central column by means of lower arms constituting a pontoon (8), the method comprising, for each pontoon, an independent and controllable deployment of ballast fluid between at least two watertight compartment compartments (14, 16) inside the assembly formed by the pontoon and the outer columns connected to the pontoon, for achieving an adjustment of the inclination of the floating body.
  2. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that for each pontoon (8) the controlled deployment of the ballast fluid is performed between one compartment (14) inside the end of the pontoon in the longitudinal direction on the side of the outer column (6) and another compartment (16) inside the other end of the pontoon in the longitudinal direction on the side of the central column (4).
  3. 3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that for each pontoon (8) the controlled deployment of the ballast fluid is performed between one compartment (18) inside the lower part of the outer column (6) connected to the pontoon and another compartment (16) inside the longitudinal end of the pontoon on the side of the central column (4).
  4. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the method further comprises, for each pontoon (8), the independent and controllable deployment of the ballast fluid is performed between a watertight compartment (16) located inside the pontoon at the longitudinal end of the side of the central column (4) and a watertight compartment (24) formed at the level of a damping plate (22), which damping plate (22) is arranged around at least a part of the outer column (6) associated therewith.
  5. 5. Semi-submersible buoy (2; 2 '') for the active and independent ballasting of an offshore wind power plant, characterized in that it comprises at least four columns, one central column (4) and three outer columns (6) connected to the central column by means of lower arms constituting the buoy (8), each assembly consisting of the buoy and the outer columns connected to the buoy comprising at least two watertight compartments (14, 16) forming a ballast zone, the buoy further comprising means (18, 20) for distributing ballast fluid in a controllable and independent manner between the two compartments of each assembly, thereby effecting the adjustment of the inclination of the buoy.
  6. 6. A floating body according to claim 5, characterized in that each assembly comprises one compartment (14) inside the end of the pontoon (8) in the longitudinal direction on the side of the outer column (6) and another compartment (16) inside the opposite end of the pontoon in the longitudinal direction from the side of the central column (4), said two compartments being connected together by at least one pipe (18) connected to a network of pumps (20).
  7. 7. A floating body according to claim 5, characterized in that each assembly comprises one compartment (28) inside the lower part of the outer column (6) connected to the pontoon, and another compartment (16) inside the longitudinal end of the pontoon (8) on the side of the central column (4), which compartments are connected together by means of a network-connected pipe (18) formed by at least one pump (20).
  8. 8. A floating body according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that each buoy (8) further comprises one watertight compartment (16) inside the end of the buoy in the length direction on the side of the central column (4), and another watertight compartment (24) formed at the level of a damping plate (22) arranged around at least a part of the outer column (6) connected thereto, which compartments are connected together by at least one pipe (26) connected to a network of pumps (20).
  9. 9. A floating body according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that the pontoons (8) each comprise a set of planar panels (8 1 -8 4 ) and each pontoon has a polyhedral cross-section.
  10. 10. A floating body according to claim 9, characterized in that each outer column (6) is cylindrical.
  11. 11. A floating body according to claim 9, characterized in that the outer columns (6) each comprise a set of planar panels and each have a polyhedral cross section.
  12. 12. A floating body according to any one of claims 9-11, characterized in that the planar panels (8 1 -8 4 ) of each buoy (8) are assembled together at an edge (10), which edge (10) extends lengthwise between two uprights and is connected at each lengthwise end to the uprights via a transition piece (12) to form a circle.
  13. 13. A floating body according to any one of claims 5-11, characterized in that the central upright (4) is frustoconical.
  14. 14. A floating body according to any one of claims 5-11, characterized in that the central upright (4) has a polyhedral shape.
  15. 15. Offshore wind turbine, characterized by comprising a floating body according to any of the claims 5-14.

Description

Active and independent ballasting method for semi-submersible type floating body of offshore wind power generator and floating body Technical Field The invention relates to the technical field of semi-submersible type floating bodies for offshore wind turbines. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of ballasting such a floating body, and a semi-submersible floating body for an offshore wind turbine having active and independent ballasting functions. Background Offshore wind turbines are intended to utilize wind energy to produce electrical energy through turbines and generators. Offshore wind turbines are mainly of two types, one being fixed wind turbines which are implanted on the sea bed (typically in shallow water areas with a depth of less than 50 meters) and the other being floating wind turbines, which have the advantage of being built onshore and implanted in areas with a depth of typically more than 50 meters on the sea bed. The floating wind power generator associated with the present invention includes a turbine including a motor with a plurality of blades rotating on a horizontal axis, and a generator coupled to the motor, the motor and generator being fixed to the upper end of a vertical mast (or tower). The lower end of the mast is mounted on a floating support structure (hereinafter referred to as a float). The floating bodies of the offshore wind driven generator mainly comprise a semi-submersible type floating body, a submerged type floating body (or Tension Leg Platform) with a Tension cable, a SPAR type floating body (single point anchoring oil reservoir), a barge type semi-submersible type floating body and a floating body with a pendulum weight. The invention relates more particularly to semi-submersible floats, which are generally composed of a steel or concrete base, typically in the form of a tripod having three (or four) cylindrical columns connected together by a metallic structure. The ballast system allows a portion of the base to be immersed in water, thereby ensuring structural stability. The structure is characterized by large size and shallow draft. For example, reference may be made to publication FR 3,064,973 which describes a semi-submersible hybrid floating structure comprising a central column and three outer columns connected to the central column by pontoon-shaped arms. Reference may also be made to publications FR 2,079,204 and WO 2018/197644, which describe semi-submersible floating structures equipped with passive compression loading systems. These types of floats have the advantage of simple design. However, these floats lack an active ballast system. The main objective of active ballasting is to dispense a certain amount of liquid between the different watertight compartments of the floating body to correct the inclination of the floating body during the operational phase. This can limit the inclination of the mast supporting the turbine, thereby enabling an increase in power generation and a reduction in load due to the inclination of the mast. Disclosure of Invention Thus, there is a need for a semi-submersible buoy equipped with an active ballast system. According to the invention, this object is achieved by an active and independent ballasting method for a semi-submersible buoy of an offshore wind turbine. The floating body comprises at least four upright posts, wherein the upright posts comprise a central upright post and three outer upright posts, and the outer upright posts are connected with the central upright post through lower support arms forming the floating body. The method comprises, for each pontoon, independently and controllably deploying ballast fluid between at least two watertight compartments within an assembly of pontoons and external columns connected by the pontoon to effect adjustment of the pontoon inclination. The active ballasting method according to the present invention can reduce the total weight of the floating body by reducing fatigue loads. In addition, the method can reduce the overall size of the floating body, thereby facilitating access to part of ports and adapting to dry transportation modes. According to the method of the invention, the power generation of the turbine can be increased by reducing the inclination of the mast supporting the turbine. For each pontoon, the controllable deployment of the ballast fluid may be performed between one compartment located inside the end of the pontoon in the longitudinal direction on the outer column side and another compartment located inside the other end of the pontoon in the longitudinal direction on the central column side. Alternatively, for each pontoon, the controlled deployment of the ballast fluid may be between one compartment located inside the lower portion of the outer column to which the pontoon is connected and another compartment located inside the longitudinal end of the pontoon on the side of the central column. In one embodiment, the method f