Mooring apparatus
OwnerJeremy J Papadopoulos, Vincent Loccisanoinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mooring line on a second turbine has a hitch point with a mechanical connection to moor the turbine, and an energy conduit connection for transferring energy. The hitch point on the second turbine is adapted to align to a hitch point on a first turbine and to transfer both mechanical and energy conduit connections from the second turbine to the first turbine, releasing the second turbine. In this manner, the second turbine may be towed away for maintenance or repair, and the first turbine may remain to generate energy.
Claims11
An apparatus for transferring mechanical and energy conduit connections in a mooring from a first vessel to a second vessel comprising:
- a first upper body fixedly engaged with a first vessel and slidably engaged with a lower body, which is in turn engaged with a mooring;
- and
- a protrusion on a first side of said first upper body and said second upper body, and a mating recess on a second side of said first upper body and said second upper body;
- and
- a fixed energy conduit coupling engaged with a movable energy conduit coupling;
- and
- a first energy conduit extending from said first vessel to said fixed energy conduit coupling;
- and
- a second energy conduit extending from said movable energy conduit coupling to said mooring;
- wherein
- a second upper body fixedly engaged with a second vessel slidably engages with said lower body to transfer said mechanical connection from said first upper body to said second upper body;
- said protrusion from said first upper body mates with said recess in said second upper body when the first upper body and second upper body are engaged side by side;
- and said fixed energy conduit coupling disengages from said movable energy conduit coupling to engage with a second vessel movable energy conduit coupling to transfer an energy conduit connection from said first vessel to said second vessel to release said first vessel from said energy conduit connection and said mooring.
An apparatus for transferring mechanical and energy conduit connections from a moored floating wind turbine to a second floating wind turbine comprising:
- a first floating wind turbine releasably engaged with a mooring, and a second floating wind turbine proximal to said first floating wind turbine, each floating wind turbine having electrical-generation equipment supported by a structure;
- and
- said structure including a mooring point;
- and
- a first energy conduit coupled with said energy-generation equipment and engaged with said structure;
- and
- said first energy conduit further engaged with a rotating joint;
- and
- said rotating joint having a fixed end fixedly engaged with said structure and a rotating end engaged with an upper mooring member, and a rotatable energy conduit coupling through said rotating joint further releasably engaged with a second energy conduit;
- and
- said upper mooring member slidably engaged with a lower mooring member;
- and
- said second energy conduit releasably engaged with said first energy conduit and engaged with said lower mooring member and said mooring;
- wherein said first wind turbine upper mooring member, engaged with said second wind turbine upper mooring member, are slidably engaged with said lower mooring member, and said second energy conduit is released from said first energy conduit on said first wind turbine upper mooring member and releasably engaged with said second floating wind turbine upper mooring member and said second floating wind turbine first energy conduit, to transfer said mechanical and energy conduit connections from said first floating wind turbine to said second floating wind turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.