Installation for harvesting ocean currents (IHOC) and methods and means for its delivery, installation and servicing

Means and method for transporting Installation for Harvesting Ocean Current from Assembly Yard to destination site and installing it there, comprising;

• means for transporting IHOC from Assembly Yard to destination site includes, three carriages, three piers, Catamaran Delivery Barge and Stabilizing Platform;
• method of transporting IHOC from Assembly Yard to destination site includes the following steps:
• moving assembled Turbine Housing, installed on three carriages, from Assembly Yard to three piers,
• towing Catamaran Delivery Barge having additional ballast toward Turbine Housing installed on three piers in a manner that its three points of contact with Turbine Housing three points would pass under them and as soon they will fully match each other stops,
• pumping ballast from Catamaran Delivery Barge leads to it rise and by this it lifts Turbine Housing from carriages,
• flowing out from piers in open sea,
• forming a Convoy from Catamaran Delivery Barge with Turbine Housing on it, Anchoring Base, which floats on its suction buckets air cushions, and Stabilizing Platform,
• during formation of Convoy three tethers from Anchoring Base would be connected to Turbine Housing connection points and hoisting line together with power cable from Stabilizing Platform are connected to Anchoring base;
• after formation of Convoy is completed it is towed by at least two group of tugs to destination site;
• at the destination site the Anchoring Base is lowered to seabed by letting compressed air out of suction buckets and by controlling its decent through a hoisting line and a winch on Stabilizing Platform,
• about 10 meters before reaching the seabed, winch on Stabilizing Platform stops paying out hoisting line, which leads Stabilizing Platform to sink and by this increasing force controlling Anchoring Base horizontal position;
• after Anchoring Base reaches the seabed the tension in hoisting line is released and Anchoring Base under its own weight partially penetrates into seabed soil and suction pumps on suction buckets are activated and this further increasing penetration of suction buckets into soil,
• after suction buckets are fully inserted in soil the suction pumps flow up and hoisting line is retreated by winch to Stabilizing Platform;
• at this moment Catamaran Delivery Barge takes ballast, sinks into a semisubmersible mode and moves out of connection with floating Turbine Housing,
• inverting floating Turbine Housing from horizontal position to vertical starts by taking ballast in its lower part,
• when Turbine Housing reaches vertical position all tethers would be equally tension by current and by this installation of IHOC is completed.

Floating installation for converting kinetic energy of ocean tides in deepwaters into electricity consisting of semisubmersible platform anchored to seabed and having Turbine Housing containing two rows of vertical Darrieus type turbines and their machinery room with electric power generators located above water level and supported by vertical columns, comprising:

• a pair of mooring system attached to said Turbine Housing from opposite sides each consisting of three tethers of equal length and attached by their upper ends to the three points of contacts located in the middle and on the opposite sides of said submerged structure containing two rows of vertical Darrieus turbines in a manner that these three points forms a triangle, which geometrical center coincides with the center of buoyancy of said submerged structure containing two rows and by their lower ends to the anchoring base;
• each of two points, to which tethers are attached, form the axis of said Turbine Housing possible rotation under outer forces action;
• said anchoring base has corresponding triangle form with suction buckets on the tips of triangle and a frame interconnecting them in one structure;
• said frame has three cones for temporally storage of said tethers;
• a system for controlling buoyancy force of said Turbine Housing containing two rows of vertical Darrieus turbines utilizing part some of the hollow space of pipes, which forms the said Turbine Housing, as constant buoyancy volume, some as a permanent storage for compressed air and some as a space at which the volume of water and compressed air above it can be controlled, thus allowing to keep turbines positioned near ocean surface regardless of changing force of the current and to lower them significantly below water level during severe storms;
• means for providing maintenance personnel access to IHOC during stormy seas;
• means for periodic cleaning the turbine blades surface from foulings.