EP-4737712-A1 - FLOATING SUPPORTING FOUNDATION, WIND TURBINE GENERATOR, AND CONTROL METHOD

EP4737712A1EP 4737712 A1EP4737712 A1EP 4737712A1EP-4737712-A1

Abstract

The present application relates to a floating support foundation, a wind turbine, and a control method. The floating support foundation includes: a floating main body including n floating columns spaced apart around a first axis and connecting bodies connecting every adjacent two of the floating columns, n≥3, the n floating columns including one first floating column and n-1 second floating columns, and the first floating column being used for supporting the tower; stabilization devices, each of the second floating columns being connected to a respective one of the stabilization devices, the stabilization device including a drive assembly, a first impeller, and a base connected to the second floating column, the base having an inner cavity, and a first opening and a second opening communicating with the inner cavity, the first opening, the inner cavity, and the second opening forming a flow channel for the seawater, the first impeller being disposed in the inner cavity, the drive assembly driving the first impeller to rotate and causing the seawater to flow within the flow channel, so as to adjust the second floating column connected to the stabilization device to float upward or sink downward. The present application has a simple structure and relatively low cost.

Inventors

ZHAI, Endi
GAO, YANG
MA, Shengjun

Assignees

GOLDWIND SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Zhejiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20231201

Claims (18)

A floating support foundation capable of being disposed in seawater and used to support a tower, wherein the floating support foundation comprises: a floating main body comprising n floating columns spaced apart around a first axis and connecting bodies connecting every adjacent two of the floating columns, n≥3, the n floating columns comprising one first floating column and n-1 second floating columns, and the first floating column being used for connecting and supporting the tower; stabilization devices, each of the second floating columns being connected to a respective one of the stabilization devices, the stabilization device comprising a drive assembly, a first impeller, and a base connected to the second floating column, the base having an inner cavity, and a first opening and a second opening communicating with the inner cavity, the first opening, the inner cavity, and the second opening forming a flow channel for the seawater, the first impeller being disposed in the inner cavity, the drive assembly driving the first impeller to rotate and causing the seawater to flow within the flow channel, so as to adjust the second floating column connected to the stabilization device to float upward or sink downward.
The floating support foundation according to claim 1, wherein the base as a whole is cylindrical, the base has an end wall disposed opposite to a bottom wall of the second floating column in a first direction and a side wall disposed surrounding the end wall, the end wall and the side wall enclose and form the inner cavity, the bottom wall closes the inner cavity, the first opening is disposed on the end wall, and the second opening is disposed on the bottom wall.
The floating support foundation according to claim 2, wherein connecting lines between centers of the floating columns as a whole form a regular polygon, and the base of each of the stabilization devices is coaxially disposed with the second floating column connected to the stabilization device.
The floating support foundation according to claim 2, wherein along the first direction, a radial dimension of the side wall first decreases and then increases.
The floating support foundation according to claim 1, wherein the drive assembly comprises a drive motor, a gearbox, and a drive shaft, an input end of the gearbox is connected to the drive motor and an output end of the gearbox is connected to the drive shaft, and the first impeller is connected to the drive shaft.
The floating support foundation according to claim 5, wherein the second floating column has a hollow cavity, the drive motor and the gearbox are located within the hollow cavity, the drive shaft is inserted through the bottom wall of the second floating column and connected to the output end of the gearbox, and the drive shaft is in dynamic sealing cooperation with the bottom wall.
The floating support foundation according to claim 1, wherein the drive assembly comprises a direct drive motor and a drive shaft, the direct drive motor is connected to at least one of the bottom wall of the second floating column and the base and comprises a rotor and a stator that rotate in cooperation, the drive shaft is coaxially disposed with the direct drive motor and connected to the rotor, and the first impeller is connected to the drive shaft.
The floating support foundation according to claim 1, wherein the first impeller comprises a first hub, a plurality of first blades, and a pitch system, the first hub is connected to the drive assembly, the plurality of first blades are spaced apart around a circumference of the first hub and connected to the first hub through the pitch system, so as to adjust a pitch angle of the first blades.
The floating support foundation according to claim 1, wherein the stabilization device further comprises a flow straightening member disposed in the inner cavity and connected to the base, the flow straightening member is disposed between the first opening and the first impeller, so as to straighten a flow direction of the seawater entering from the first opening.
The floating support foundation according to claim 9, wherein the flow straightening member comprises a second hub and a plurality of second blades, the plurality of second blades are spaced apart around a circumference of the second hub and connected to the second hub, an end of the second blade away from the second hub is connected to the base, and a flow straightening hole is formed between adjacent two of the second blades.
A wind turbine, comprising: the floating support foundation according to any of claims 1 to 10; a wind turbine main body disposed on the first floating column, the wind turbine main body comprising a tower connected to the first floating column, a nacelle disposed on the tower, and a wind rotor disposed on the nacelle.
The wind turbine according to claim 11, further comprising a controller configured to: acquire current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously exceeds a first threshold for a preset period of time, acquire tilt angle information of the floating support foundation; under a condition that the tilt angle information exceeds a preset range, determine rotation direction information of the first impeller of the stabilization device based on an incoming wind direction; control the drive assembly to drive the first impeller to rotate according to the rotation direction information, so as to adjust the tilt angle information of the floating support foundation to the preset range.
A control method for the wind turbine according to claim 11, comprising: acquiring current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously exceeds a first threshold for a preset period of time, acquiring tilt angle information of the floating support foundation; under a condition that the tilt angle information exceeds a preset range, determining rotation direction information of the first impeller of the stabilization device based on an incoming wind direction; controlling the drive assembly to drive the first impeller to rotate according to the rotation direction information, so as to adjust the tilt angle information of the floating support foundation to the preset range.
The control method according to claim 13, wherein the rotation direction information comprises forward rotation and reverse rotation; under a condition that the first impeller of the stabilization device rotates forward, the stabilization device provides a float upward driving force to the second floating column connected to the stabilization device; under a condition that the first impeller of the stabilization device rotates in reverse, the stabilization device provides a sink downward driving force to the second floating column connected to the stabilization device.
The control method according to claim 14, wherein the number of the second floating columns is two, the step of under a condition that the tilt angle information exceeds the preset range, determining the rotation direction information of the first impeller of the stabilization device based on the incoming wind direction comprises: under a condition that the tilt angle information exceeds the preset range, controlling the two stabilization devices to synchronously rotate forward, synchronously rotate in reverse, or one to rotate forward and the other to rotate in reverse, based on an angle between the incoming wind direction and a reference wind direction.
The control method according to claim 13, wherein the first impeller comprises a first hub, a plurality of first blades, and a pitch system, the plurality of first blades are spaced apart around a circumference of the first hub and connected to the first hub through the pitch system, the method further comprises: determining at least one of rotational speed information of the first impeller and angle information between the first blade and the first hub based on a height difference between a draft of the second floating column connected to the stabilization device and a set waterline; controlling the drive assembly to drive the first impeller to rotate based on the at least one of the rotational speed information and the angle information, so as to adjust the tilt angle information of the floating support foundation to the preset range.
The control method according to claim 16, wherein a rotation angle a of the first blade relative to the first hub satisfies 0° < a ≤ 90°, the step of determining at least one of the rotational speed information of the first impeller and the angle information between the first blade and the first hub based on the height difference between the draft of the second floating column connected to the stabilization device and the set waterline comprises: under a condition that a value range of the height difference H is 0 < H ≤ h1, rotating the first blade relative to the first hub to a = 90°, or rotating the first blade relative to the first hub to 50° < a ≤ 60°, with a rotational speed of the first impeller being 800rpm-1500rpm; under a condition that the value range of the height difference H is h1 < H ≤ h2, rotating the first blade relative to the first hub to 30° < a ≤ 50°, with the rotational speed of the first impeller being 1500rpm-2500rpm; under a condition that the value range of the height difference H is h2 < H ≤ h3, rotating the first blade relative to the first hub to 0° < a ≤ 20°, with the rotational speed of the first impeller being 2500rpm-3500rpm.
The control method according to claim 13, wherein after the step of controlling the drive assembly to drive the first impeller to rotate according to the rotation direction information, so as to adjust the tilt angle information of the floating support foundation to the preset range, the control method further comprises: acquiring the current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously remains below the first threshold for a preset period of time, controlling the first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the floating column to perform a reverse action, so as to cause that the tilt angle information of the floating support foundation returns to the preset range; or, acquiring the current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously remains below the first threshold for a preset period of time, reducing a rotational speed of the first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the second floating column; feathering the first impeller of the stabilization device and stopping the rotation of the first impeller, so as to adjust the floating support foundation back to an initial state.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310818984.3 filed on June 30, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to the technical field of wind power, and in particular, to a floating support foundation, a wind turbine, and a control method. BACKGROUND The wind power industry continues to contribute to the achievement of dual carbon goals. Currently, wind turbines are developing towards larger single-unit capacity, lighter overall weight, intelligence, and oceanization. Statistics show that the cumulative installed capacity of offshore wind power is increasing year by year. With the large-scale development of nearshore resources, the development and utilization of deep-sea resources are attracting much attention. In this business scenario, floating wind turbines are gradually developing and will become a major force in subsequent offshore wind power. The floating support foundation is used to support components such as a tower and a nacelle of a floating wind turbine. Under a condition that the wind turbine faces loads such as wind, waves, ocean currents, and ice, from the perspective of overall dynamics, due to the "floating" characteristic of the floating wind turbine, the floating support foundation has full six degrees of freedom. Under the interwoven and coupled effects of the randomness of external loads and the complexity of the wind turbine's own motion, the nonlinear characteristics of the entire floating wind turbine become more complex. The motion stability of the floating wind turbine is one of the most important indicators for ensuring the continuous, stable, safe, and efficient power output and power generation of the wind turbine. Therefore, how to ensure the stability of the floating wind turbine is one of the problems urgently needing solution in the wind power field. In related art, the floating support foundation mainly adjust the overall tilt angle of the floating support foundation by controlling the mutual flow of fluid between different floating columns, thereby ensuring the stability of the floating wind turbine where the floating support foundation is located. However, this design approach makes the overall structure of the floating support foundation complex and costly. SUMMARY Embodiments of the present application provide a floating support foundation, a wind turbine, and a control method. The floating support foundation has a simple structure and relatively low cost. In one aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a floating support foundation capable of being disposed in seawater and used to support a tower, wherein the floating support foundation includes: a floating main body including n floating columns spaced apart around a first axis and connecting bodies connecting every adjacent two of the floating columns, n≥3, the n floating columns including one first floating column and n-1 second floating columns, and the first floating column being used for connecting and supporting the tower; stabilization devices, each of the second floating columns being connected to a respective one of the stabilization devices, the stabilization device including a drive assembly, a first impeller, and a base connected to the second floating column, the base having an inner cavity, and a first opening and a second opening communicating with the inner cavity, the first opening, the inner cavity, and the second opening forming a flow channel for the seawater, the first impeller being disposed in the inner cavity, the drive assembly driving the first impeller to rotate and causing the seawater to flow within the flow channel, so as to adjust the second floating column connected to the stabilization device to float upward or sink downward. In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wind turbine including: the aforementioned floating support foundation; and a wind turbine main body disposed on the first floating column, the wind turbine main body including a tower connected to the first floating column, a nacelle disposed on the tower, and a wind rotor disposed on the nacelle. According to another aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the wind turbine further includes a controller configured to: acquire current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously exceeds a first threshold for a preset period of time, acquire tilt angle information of the floating support foundation; under a condition that the tilt angle information exceeds a preset range, determine rotation direction information of the first impeller of the stabilization device based on an incoming wind direction; control the drive assembly to drive the first impeller to rotate according to the rotation direction information, so as to adjust the tilt angle information of the flo