Patent Application
20240010310
The present disclosure relates generally to offshore power generation systems, and more particularly to a floating power generation platform.
Floating power generation is becoming increasingly critical to the future of power generation, as efforts are being made to isolate renewable energy technologies further away from sensitive environmental ecosystems near shore, such as fisheries, birds, marshes, and human development. For example, platforms supporting wind turbines and other generation technology will be used to implement such offshore power generation. Floating power generation platforms are required in water depths greater than 60 meters. Estimates are that 80% of the offshore wind market needs to be floating, and there is a significant need for a cost-effective and high-performance design of these platforms.
Current floating platform designs include semi-submersible systems that utilize ballast columns to adjust buoyancy and provide stability, spar buoys with substantial depth for stability, or tension leg platforms that rely on mooring lines to anchor the platform to the sea floor. These systems have distinct disadvantages in different phases of their deployment, operation, and retirement. Additionally, such floating designs have not achieved optimal power performance at an affordable price. Moreover, extreme offshore conditions are not typically accounted for or mitigated in these floating designs, as conventional floating power production designs retain the constraints of land-based systems and involve unnecessary complexity and cost.
Accordingly, there is a need for a floating power generation platform design that minimizes structural constraints, increases the survivability of the platform in extreme conditions, and optimizes the utility of the platform. A floating power generation platform is therefore described herein that is configured to achieve each of these outcomes. For example, the floating power generation platform described herein is designed to optimize the use of available space within and on the floating power generation platform to optimize the utility and stability of the floating power generation platform during all phases of operation. As a result, performance of the floating power generation platform is increased and overall operating costs are reduced. Additionally, the floating power generation platform facilitates the rapid deployment of renewable energy technology in ocean areas where the depth ranges from a few meters to hundreds of meters.
According to an aspect of this disclosure, a floating power generation platform includes a water plane platform including a plurality of buoyant columns, at least one tower extending above the water plane platform and configured to support at least one power generation system, the at least one tower having a center core capable of hosting a stowed member, and a deployable spar movable between a stowed position, in which the deployable spar is stowed within the center core of the tower, and a deployed position, in which the deployable spar is extended below the water plane platform and each column.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the plurality of buoyant columns are connected to each other with a plurality of struts.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure the water plane platform has a rectangular structure including four buoyant columns connected to a central buoyant column.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the deployable spar has a telescoping configuration for deployment and retraction.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the floating power generation platform further includes a mass attached at the base of the deployable spar.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the deployable spar is configured to host at least one second power generation system.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the deployable spar is configured to host at least one power storage or consumption system.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the floating power generation platform further includes one or more lines securing the deployable spar to one or more of the buoyant columns.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the floating power generation platform further includes a lock configured to lock the deployable spar in the deployed and stowed positions.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, at least one of the plurality of buoyant columns is configured to support at least one second power generation system.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, at least one of the plurality of buoyant columns includes a plurality of segmented compartments.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, at least one of the plurality of segmented compartments includes a ballast tank.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, at least one of the plurality of segmented compartments includes a docking station for surface, subsurface, or aerial vehicles.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the floating power generation platform further includes at least one environmental sensor.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the floating power generation platform further includes at least one power storage battery.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the floating power generation platform further includes a generator assembly including a mechanism configured to be driven by a plurality of blades of a wind turbine supported on the tower, a generator located below the mechanism in the tower, and a driveshaft configured to transfer energy from the mechanism to the generator to convert the energy into power.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the generator is protected in the tower during extreme weather conditions and accommodates increased motion constraints
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the nacelle placed at the top of the tower supports wind turbine blades on both the leading and trailing positions.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the blades have varying length and numbers between the leading and trailing energy capture area.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the mechanism is a gearbox.
According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method of deploying a floating power generation platform includes the steps of assembling the floating power generation platform near a shore, transporting the floating power generation platform to an offshore operating location, moving a deployable spar from a stowed position, in which the deployable spar is stowed within the center core of a tower of the floating power generation platform, to a deployed position, in which the deployable spar is extended below a water plane platform and each column of the floating power generation platform to a predefined operational depth, and locking the deployable spar in the deployed position.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the method further includes the step of operating at least one power generation system supported on the floating power generation platform.
According to an embodiment of at least one paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the method further includes the step of disabling the at least one power generation system for a predetermined amount of time.
The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments described in this disclosure. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of this disclosure may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The annexed drawings show various aspects of the disclosure.
With reference to
The floating power generation platform 10 includes at least one tower 20 that extends above the water plane platform 16 and is configured to support at least one of the power generation systems, for example the wind turbine 12 and solar energy collector 17, as depicted. The floating power generation platform 10 and at least one tower 20 may be specifically designed to support a variety of power generation systems and wind turbine technologies, depending on which is most desirable for the location and application. For example, as depicted in
As depicted in more detail in the side views of the floating power generation platform 10 in
The deployable spar 22 may be configured to support or house an additional at least one power generation system, storage, or consumption features, the collective mass of which may be used for additional overall platform stabilization. For example, the deployable spar 22 may support or house power generators, such as small modular reactors, water desalination systems, and/or hydrogen generators, and may additionally or alternatively house energy storage, such as one or more batteries, and/or energy consuming systems such as computing servers. Various computing systems housed in the deployable spar 22 may, for example, facilitate the interconnection of the floating power generation platform 10 with other floating power generation platforms in an offshore floating wind farm. The mass of the additional systems provided in or on the deployable spar 22, for example at a bottom thereof or along a length thereof, serves to counterbalance the weight and forces of the wind turbine 12. The shape of the deployable spar 22 may be optimized for housing utility functions and for counteracting the forces at the top of the wind turbine 12. The exact shape and cross-section of the deployable spar 22 may be designed specifically for the operational location and the desired functions of the floating power generation platform 10.
A plurality of flexible lines, such as chains or anchor lines, may secure the deployable spar 22 to each of the plurality of columns 14. A length of each of the flexible lines may be such that each of the flexible lines are under tension when the deployable spar 22 is fully extended. Therefore, as the floating power generation platform 10 undergoes motion, the flexible lines will be in tension on the compensating side of the sparse water plane platform 16 and minimize the relative motion between the deployable spar 22 and the plurality of columns 14. A lock may be provided for rigidly locking the deployable spar 22 in a fully extended position.
Each of the plurality of buoyant columns 14 may be cylindrical or rectangular in shape, as depicted in
In addition to providing buoyancy and stability to the floating power generation platform 10, the plurality of buoyant columns 14 may also be configured to support or house additional useful functions and systems that enhance the utility of the floating power generation platform 10. For example, at least one of the plurality of buoyant columns 14 may be configured to support at least one wave energy collector 15 and/or at least one solar energy collector 17. It will be understood, however, that the at least one wave energy collector 15 and/or the at least one solar energy collector 17 may be supported on another part of the floating power generation platform 10, such as the deployable spar 22, the tower 20, the struts 18, and/or the wind turbine 12. The at least one wave energy collector 15 and/or the at least one solar energy collector 17 adds to the overall utility of the floating power generation platform 10 and improves the baseload performance thereof, while additionally providing additional stability to the structure during operations upon action of counter forces that tilt the floating power generation platform 10. The wave energy collector 15 may drive a mechanism housed internal to at least one of the buoyant columns 14 and is configured to collect energy in the rise and fall of the ocean waves, as well as in the vertical motion of the floating power generation platform 10, as a whole. The solar energy collector 17 also adds to the baseload performance of the floating power generation platform 10 and may serve to keep the batteries charged to the maximum extent possible. Various other systems, such as energy storage and data processing systems, may be housed in or supported by the plurality of buoyant columns 14.
With reference to
The floating power generation platform 10 may additionally include a variety of environmental sensors, and at least one power storage battery that enables sensor operations for a period of time in the event that power generation is limited. The at least one power storage battery will also power on board sensor data processing computers.
Turning to
As depicted in
The number of blades 13 in both the upwind set of blades 17 and the downwind set of blades 19 may be optimized based on weight, cost and performance parameters of the wind turbine 12. For example, as shown in
To achieve a larger swept area, the plurality of blades 13 in either the upwind set of blades 17 or the downwind set of blades 19 may be extended past an outer radius of the swept area of the respective downwind set of blades 19 or the upwind set of blades 17. For example, as shown in
Turning to
For retrieval of the floating power generation platform 10, the power generation systems may be disabled and the deployable spar may be unlocked and moved back to the stowed position. The floating power generation platform 10 may then be transported back to shore for repair or retirement.
The floating power generation platform 10 described herein achieves symmetry of operation as forces in any direction result in nearly the same response from the energy collectors and the platform motions. The structure is designed to eliminate the need for complex active damping mechanisms that limit operational life and are a single point of failure. That is, the ease of deployment and flexibility in operations reduces complexity and cost, eliminates the need for active stability control systems, and eliminates costly specialized deployment platforms.
Although the above disclosure has been shown and described with respect to a certain preferred embodiment or embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described elements (components, assemblies, devices, compositions, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such elements are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any element which performs the specified function of the described element (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiment or embodiments. In addition, while a particular feature may have been described above with respect to only one or more of several illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other embodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63473927 | Jul 2022 | US |
