Patent Application
20230415864
The present disclosure relates to a renewable energy system mounting platform, and in particular to a platform arranged to support a renewable energy harnessing device while at least a portion of the platform and/or the renewable energy harnessing device are submerged in a body of water.
The world is transitioning to renewable energy—this transition will require the exploitation of all forms or renewable energy to provide the planet with energy it needs.
One potential renewable energy source is wave power—an abundant and consistent energy resource available in all the world's large oceans and seas. Another is wind power, with wind speeds being higher and more consistent over oceans and seas compared to land.
For these reasons, offshore platforms providing means to mount renewable energy devices which harness wave and/or wind power in deep water are required.
The cost of the platforms directly influences the cost of energy produced by the devices therefore there is a need for platforms that are cost effective to manufacture and assemble.
In particular there is a need for platforms that can been manufactured as a set of pre-fabricated modular components in a wide supply chain, which are subsequently assembled into the complete platform at non-specialist outdoor yard facilities without the need for specialist shipbuilding facilities, and which does not compromise on stability when deployed.
The present invention provides an offshore renewable energy system mounting platform for positioning a renewable energy converter in a body of water, the platform comprising a plurality of discrete pre-fabricated components which are held in engagement with one another under the counteracting forces of: buoyancy provided by one or more of said components; with the effects of gravity acting on the mass of said components and a mooring force applied by a mooring member tethering the platform to a bed of a body of water. The discrete components of the platform are preferably minimal in number and in type in order to simply manufacture, assembly and maintenance. The components are preferably manufactured such that they interact at mating connections which hold the components together under gravity and/or said counteracting forces alone, during a stepwise assembly process optionally prior to a permanent fixing being applied to reinforce said mating connections.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an offshore renewable energy system mounting platform for positioning a renewable energy converter in a body of water, the platform comprising: a frame having a first structural member and a second structural member, the first and second structural members positioned adjacent one another at a mating connection; and at least one mooring member affixed to the frame at a tethering location, the at least one mooring member arranged to tether the frame to a bed of the body of water in an in-use configuration; wherein at least one of the first and second structural members comprises a buoyancy; and wherein in the in-use configuration, a tension in the mooring member is arranged to counteract said buoyancy to urge and/or bias the first and second structural members together at the mating connection.
The mating connection may in some embodiments be such that when one or more of said counteracting forces are removed, the first and second structural members may be disengaged. Said tension may supplement, or may be replaced in some embodiments by, the effect of gravity on said components of the platform and/or the renewable energy converter.
In preferable embodiments, in the in-use configuration, at least a portion of the frame is preferably submerged in the body of water. When submerged, the buoyancy of the first and/or second structural member preferably acts against the tension in the mooring member to provide stability to the platform and urge and/or bias the first and second structural member together at the mating connection.
The frame preferably further comprises a temporary or permanent mechanical fixing arranged to affix the first and second structural members together at the mating connection. The temporary or permanent mechanical fixing may be applied to reinforce the mating connection, providing longer term rigidity and stability to the platform in use. In preferable embodiments, said affixing is arranged to occur prior to and/or during a deployment of the platform to the in-use configuration. Said temporary or permanent mechanical fixing may be used to stabilize the platform, in a temporary or permanent manner during transport or deployment of the platform to the in-use configuration.
The first structural member preferably forms a base portion of the frame and wherein the second structural member forms an upper portion of the frame, wherein the tethering location is preferably located on the second structural member. In most preferable embodiments, the first structural member comprises a said buoyancy. In some preferable embodiments, the second structural member may also, or instead, comprise a said buoyancy. In most preferable embodiments having the tethering location positioned on the second structural member, the first structural member preferably comprises said buoyancy. As such, the counteracting forces of said buoyancy and tension better urge and/or bias the first and second structural elements together at the mating connection when the platform is in the in-use configuration.
In most preferable embodiments, the first structural member comprises a subassembly of one or more first braces. Each of the one or more first braces preferably comprises a mating feature located at each end of the respective first brace, each said mating feature arranged to engage a corresponding mating feature of an adjacent first brace to provide the mating connection.
In preferable such embodiments, each said first brace comprises a first mating feature type located at one end thereof, and a second different mating feature type located at a second end thereof, the first mating feature type arranged to engage an end of an adjacent first brace having the second mating feature type. The first mating feature type is therefore complementary to the second mating feature type, and may permit overlapping mating wherein a mating feature of each first brace overlaps one or both of the mating features of the adjacent braces. Said complementary engagement is arranged to hold the adjacent first braces together, for example under gravity alone, such that said first braces are held stationary in at least a single plane relative to one another, and such that they may be urged and/or biased more tightly together under a load, such as under the load provided by gravity, a weight of a renewable energy converter supported thereon and/or the tension of the mooring lines counteracting the buoyancy, or any combination thereof. The engagement may be such that the braces are arranged to be disengaged by a lifting force acting perpendicular to the single plane and in an opposite direction to said load. In such embodiments having complementary mating feature types on a single said first brace, multiple identical said first braces may preferably form the first structural member such that manufacture, assembly and maintenance are simplified.
The second structural member preferably comprises one or more second braces, each of the one or more second braces having a first end comprising a mating feature arranged to engage the first structural member at the mating connection. Said engagement is preferably complementary. In some embodiments, the combined engagement of the first and second mating feature types of the first structural member may provide a combined mating feature which is complementary to said mating feature of the second brace, such that the engagement therebetween holds the adjacent braces together, for example under gravity alone. Said engagement is preferably such that the adjacent braces are held stationary relative to one another in at least a single plane, and such that they may be urged and/or biased more tightly together under a load, such as under the load provided by gravity, a weight of a renewable energy converter supported thereon and/or the tension of the mooring lines counteracting the buoyancy, or any combination thereof. The engagement may be such that the braces are arranged to be disengaged by a lifting force acting perpendicular to the single plane and in an opposite direction to said load.
The frame in the in-use configuration preferably comprises a tetrahedral shape; wherein the first structural member forms a triangular base portion defined by three said first braces; and wherein the second structural member forms an upper portion defined by three said second braces, each extending from the mating connection of said triangular base. The tetrahedral shape provides an optimum stability for the platform. The triangular base of first braces is preferably comprised of buoyant said first braces such that a stable center of buoyancy of the platform is positioned beneath the upper vertex of the tetrahedral frame, preferably conferring maximal stability to the platform in use.
The frame preferably further comprises a transition member arranged to connect each of the second braces at an end thereof distal to the triangular base portion. The transition member is preferably arranged to support a said renewable energy converter thereon. The transition member is preferably comprised as part of the second structural element, and in embodiments comprising said transition member, the tethering location is preferably location on the transition member, thereby preferably conferring the downward tensional forces from the mooring member to the transition member, counteracting said buoyancy, such that the first and second structural members are held together.
In most preferable embodiments, at least one of the first braces comprises a said buoyancy. In some embodiments, at least one of the second braces may also, or instead, comprise a said buoyancy. In some preferable embodiments, all of the first braces and optionally all of the second braces comprise a said buoyancy.
In preferable embodiments, all of the first braces are identical. In some embodiments, all of the second braces are identical. The provision of identical braces preferably simplifies manufacture, assembly and maintenance, requires less tooling and provides fewer manufacturing and assembly errors.
The platform is preferably arranged to be assembled in discrete steps and throughout each of said discrete steps the platform is arranged to be self-supporting and free standing, preferably under gravity alone.
The components of the platform preferably each comprise a mating feature arranged to accept or engage with a complementary mating feature of an adjacent said component.
The acceptance or engagement between the complementary mating features preferably holds the adjacent components together such that they are held stationary in a plane relative to one another, and such that they may be urged and/or biased more tightly together under a load, such as under the load provided by the tension of the mooring lines counteracting the buoyancy. The acceptance or engagement may be such that the components may be disengaged by a lifting force acting perpendicular to the plane and in an opposite direction to said load. The components may subsequently be permanently affixed to one another by a permanent fixing in the in-use configuration.
In accordance with further embodiments, an offshore renewable energy system mounting platform may be provided for positioning a renewable energy converter in a body of water, the platform comprising: a tetrahedral frame having: a triangular base portion comprising three elongate first braces forming a mating connection at each vertex of said triangular base portion, at least one of the first braces comprising a buoyancy; an upper portion comprising three elongate second braces, each of the three elongate second braces extending from and engaged at a first end thereof with, a corresponding said mating connection; a transition member positioned engaged with a second end of each of the second braces and forming an upper tip of the tetrahedral frame, the transition member arranged to support the renewable energy converter thereon; the platform further comprising: a mooring member affixed to a tethering location positioned on the upper portion and/or the transition member, and arranged to tether the frame to a bed of the body of water in an in-use configuration; and wherein in the in-use configuration, a tension provided by the mooring member is arranged to counteract said buoyancy to urge and/or bias the base portion and the upper portion together at the mating connection.
It will be appreciated that any features described herein as being suitable for incorporation into one or more aspects or embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to be generalizable across any and all aspects and embodiments of the disclosure.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the detailed description herein, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It is emphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure.
With reference to
In the particular example embodiment shown in
Referring to
In the platform embodiment shown, proximate said mating connection end of the second braces 18 is positioned a channel 36 arranged to guide the mooring member (not shown) from the tethering location (not shown) along the corresponding second brace 18 and over the sides of the platform 10 to be tethered to the bed of the body of water. The transition member 28 in the embodiment shown comprises a socket feature 38 arranged to accept a corresponding fixing of a renewable energy converter (not shown), such that the renewable energy converter is supported thereon. Embodiments will be appreciated wherein the transition member 28 comprises any suitable fixing arranged to support the renewable energy converter thereon.
The platform 10, taking the form of a frame subassembly, shown in
The example embodiment of platform 10 described therefore comprises only three distinct components as shown in
Referring to
Once deployed to the in-use configuration shown in
The triangular base formed by the buoyant first braces 16 in the example embodiment shown provides a center of buoyancy for the platform which is positioned on the plane of the triangular base and aligned with the tip of the tetrahedral frame defined by the transition member 28. The tension T provided by the mooring members 22 acts equally at each of the three vertices of the frame, such that in combination with the center of buoyancy, optimum stability of the platform within the body of water is provided and movement of the platform in the body of water is minimized once deployed to the in-use configuration exemplified by
Further embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure may be envisaged that have not been described above, for example, there may be any combination of renewable energy convertors on the platform as described herein. The example embodiment is shown supporting a wind turbine, but any suitable renewable energy converter may be supported, for example a wave energy converter, or any combination of said suitable renewable energy converters. One, multiple or all vertices of the platform may support a said renewable energy convertor. In the example platform embodiment described, the first braces comprise a buoyancy. In other embodiments any number of the first braces and the second braces may comprise said buoyancy. In the example described, the platform comprises a first structural member having first braces which are all identical and a second structural member having second braces which are all identical. Embodiments will be appreciated wherein the platform comprises any suitable first and second structural members having a mating connection therebetween, said connection supported by the counteracting forces of buoyancy and the effects of gravity and/or tension induced by a mooring member. The frame in the example described takes a tetrahedral form, conferring a rigidity and stability inherent to such a form. Embodiments will be appreciated wherein the frame may take any suitable form within the scope of the appended claims. While the embodiment described includes as a final assembly step, the application of permanent fixings, embodiments will be appreciated wherein the mating connections between the first and second structural members supported by the counteracting forces of buoyancy and gravity and/or tension is sufficient to hold the structure together in a stable manner for the described application. The disclosure is not limited to the specific examples or structures illustrated.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has”, and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”), and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method or system that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains” one or more steps or elements possesses those one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of a method or an element of a system that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, a system or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.
The disclosure has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. It will be understood that the architectural and operational embodiments described herein are exemplary of a plurality of possible arrangements to provide the same general features, characteristics, and general system operation. Modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the disclosure be construed as including all such modifications and alterations.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2103365.9 | Mar 2021 | GB | national |
| 2113192.5 | Sep 2021 | GB | national |
This continuation application claims priority benefit from International Application No. PCT/EP2022/056391 filed on Mar. 11, 2022, which claimed priority from Great Britain Application No. 2103365.9 filed Mar. 11, 2021 and Great Britain Application No. 2113192.5 filed Sep. 15, 2021, which are all incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP22/56391 | Mar 2022 | US |
| Child | 18463688 | US |
