# US 2021/0276673 A1 · Floating-type foundation for supporting a wind power generation system and including a stabilized power cable, system of floating-type foundations, and a method of stabilizing the power cable > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0276673 A1 - Document ID: US20210276673A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/330,194 - Filed: 2021-05-25 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2019-02-21 - Assignees: VL Offshore, LLC - Applicants: VL Offshore, LLC - Inventors: Sung Youn BOO; Steffen A. SHELLEY - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276673A1 ## CPC - B63B 1/107: {Semi-submersibles; Small waterline area multiple hull vessels and the like, e.g. SWATH} - B63B 35/44: Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices {(construction methods for floating offshore platforms B63B75/00)} - B63B 21/26: securing to bed - B63B 22/00: Buoys ({floating decoys, e.g. for waterfowl A01M31/06;} means for indicating the location of underwater objects B63C7/26; life-buoys, e.g. rings B63C9/08; {mountings of acoustic transducer in underwater equipment, e.g. sonobuoys G10K11/006; electric cables supported on or from floats H02G9/12}) - B63B 39/06: to decrease vessel movements by using foils acting on ambient water (constructional aspects of bilge keels B63B3/44 {; foils mounted on the housing of outboard motors B63H20/34}) - B63B 75/00: Building or assembling floating offshore structures, e.g. semi-submersible platforms, SPAR platforms or wind turbine platforms - F03D 9/255: {connected to electrical distribution networks; Arrangements therefor} - F03D 13/25: specially adapted for offshore installation - B63B 2001/126: {comprising more than three hulls} - B63B 2035/446: {for converting wind energy into electric energy} - B63B 2039/067: {effecting motion dampening by means of fixed or movable resistance bodies, e.g. by bilge keels} - F05B 2240/93: on a structure floating on a liquid surface - F05B 2240/97: on a submerged structure - Y02E 10/72: Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction - Y02E 10/727: Offshore wind turbines - B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06) - F03D: WIND MOTORS - F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract Provided is a floating foundation for supporting a wind power generation system including a stabilized power cable. In one embodiment, the floating foundation includes a column extending upwardly and couplable at a top end thereof to a base of the wind turbine, at least one power cable for exporting power generated from the wind turbine to another floating foundation or to an offshore/onshore station, and a plurality of buoyancy modules disposed along the at least one power cable. Power cables between a plurality of floating foundations and/or power station may be supported by buoyant modules such that the power cable is located in an optimal submergence range of the water body in which the floating foundations are deployed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A floating foundation for supporting a wind turbine, the floating foundation comprising: a column extending upwardly and couplable at a top end thereof to a base of the wind turbine; at least one power cable for exporting power generated from the wind turbine to another floating foundation or to an offshore/onshore station; and a plurality of buoyancy modules disposed along the at least one power cable. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The floating foundation of claim 1, wherein the at least one power cable is an inter-array power cable for transferring the generated power to or from the another floating foundation and/or an export power cable for exporting the generated power to the offshore or onshore station. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The floating foundation of claim 2, wherein when the inter-array power cable is in a connected configuration, a hang-off angle of the inter-array power cable is between 30 and 50 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of the column of the floating foundation to which the inter-array power cable is coupled. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The floating foundation of claim 2, wherein when export power cable is in a connected configuration, a hang-off angle of the export power cable is between 3 and 20 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of the column of the floating foundation to which the export power cable is coupled. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The floating foundation of claim 1, wherein a number and position of the plurality of buoyancy modules on the at least one power cable are adjusted to obtain an optimal hang-off angle of the at least one power cable. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The floating foundation of claim 1, wherein the at least one power cable is located in an optimal submergence range of a water body in which the floating foundation is deployed, and wherein a number and position of the plurality of buoyancy modules on the at least one power cable are adjusted to place the at least one power cable in the optimal submergence range. ### Claim 7 A floating foundation for supporting a wind turbine, the floating foundation comprising: a column extending upwardly and couplable at a top end thereof to a base of the wind turbine; and a station keeping system, wherein the station keeping system comprises: at least one semi-taut or taut mooring line detachably attached to the floating foundation at one end and detachably attached to a seabed anchor at an other end thereof; and fittings that connect the semi-taut or taut mooring line to the floating foundation and to the seabed anchor, wherein the at least one semi-taut or taut mooring line is configured to connect, disconnect, and reconnect to the fittings of the mooring line and of the seabed anchor, and wherein when the semi-taut or taut mooring line is connected to the floating foundation and the seabed anchor, a departure angle of the at least one semi-taut or taut mooring line is between 35 and 55 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of the column. ### Claim 8 A system of floating foundations for supporting a plurality of wind turbines that generate power, the system comprising: a plurality of floating foundations; and at least one power cable that is an inter-array power cable for transferring generated power between the plurality of floating foundations and/or an export power cable for exporting the generated power to an offshore/onshore station, wherein each of the plurality of floating foundations comprises a column extending upwardly and couplable at a top end thereof to a base of a wind turbine; ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein when the inter-array power cable is in a connected configuration, a hang-off angle of the inter-array power cable is between 30 and 50 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of a column of a floating foundation to which the inter-array power cable is coupled. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein when export power cable is in a connected configuration, a hang-off angle of the export power cable is between 3 and 20 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of a column of a floating foundation to which the export power cable is coupled. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein a plurality of buoyancy modules are disposed along the at least one power cable. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein a number and position of the plurality of buoyancy modules on the at least one power cable are adjusted to obtain an optimal hang-off angle of the at least one power cable. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one power cable is located in an optimal submergence range of a water body in which the floating foundation is deployed, and wherein a number and positions of the plurality of buoyancy modules on the at least one power cable are adjusted to place the at least one power cable in the optimal submergence range. ### Claim 14 A method of stabilizing a power cable connected to a floating foundation supporting a wind turbine, the method comprising: determining an optimal number and position of a plurality of buoyancy modules to be disposed on at least one power cable; installing the plurality of buoyancy modules in the at least one power cable according to the determined optimal number and position; deploying the floating foundation and the at least one power cable into a water body, wherein the at least one power cable is an inter-array power cable for transferring power generated by the wind turbine to or from another floating foundation and/or an export power cable for exporting the generated power to an offshore/onshore station, wherein the optimal number and position of the plurality of buoyancy modules are determined based on at least a distance between the floating foundation and the another floating foundation or the offshore/onshore station, and wherein the at least one power cable with the plurality of buoyancy modules is positioned in an optimal submergence range of the water body due to the number and position of the plurality of buoyancy modules. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein when the inter-array power cable is in a connected configuration, a hang-off angle of the inter-array power cable is between 30 and 50 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of a column of the floating foundation to which the wind turbine is coupled. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein when export power cable is in a connected configuration, a hang-off angle of the export power cable is between 3 and 20 degrees with respect to a vertical axis of a column of the floating foundation to which the wind turbine is coupled. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the optimal number and position of the plurality of buoyancy modules comprises: determining the optimal submergence range of the water body based on an average wave period or a spectral wave peak period of the water body; determining the optimal number and positions of the plurality of buoyancy modules based on at least the optimal submergence range and the distance between the floating foundation and the another floating foundation or the offshore/onshore station.