Floating wind turbine platform
AssigneeUniversity of Maine System Board of Trustees
InventorsHabib J. Dagher, Anthony M. Viselli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform is configured for floating in a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, and includes a center column, at least three tubular bottom beams extending radially outward of a first axial end of the center column, the center column configured to have a tower attached to a second axial end thereof, outer columns, wherein a first axial end of each outer column attached to a distal end of one of the bottom beams, and top beams, one of which extends between a second axial end of each outer column and the second axial end of the center column.
Claims24
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- a center column;
- at least three tubular bottom beams extending radially outward of a first axial end of the center column, the center column configured to have a tower attached to a second axial end thereof;
- outer columns, wherein a first axial end of each outer column attached to a distal end of one of the bottom beams;
- and
- top beams, one of which extends between a second axial end of each outer column and the second axial end of the center column.
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- a center column having a first axial end and a second axial end, the center column configured to have a tower attached to the second axial end thereof;
- at least three outer columns having first and second axial ends;
- a plurality of trusses, wherein each truss extends radially outward of the center column to one of the outer columns;
- top support beams extending between each outer column;
- and
- bottom support beams extending between each outer column.
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- a center column having a first axial end and a second axial end, the center column configured to have a tower attached to the second axial end thereof;
- at least three outer columns having first and second axial ends;
- at least three bottom T-beams extending radially outward of the center column to the outer columns, wherein the bottom beams are formed from prestressed reinforced concrete;
- at least three radially extending top beams connected to the center column and to each of the outer columns;
- three top support beams, one of which extends between each of two adjacent outer columns;
- and
- at least three bottom support beams, one of which extends between each of two adjacent outer columns.
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- a center column having a first axial end and a second axial end, the center column configured to have a tower attached to the second axial end thereof;
- at least three outer columns having first and second axial ends;
- at least three trusses extending radially outward of the center column to the outer columns, wherein the trusses are hybrid concrete-steel trusses, and wherein each truss includes a bottom truss chord formed as a pre-stressed reinforced concrete T-beam;
- a plurality of top support beams, one of which extends between each of two adjacent outer columns;
- and
- a plurality of bottom support beams, one of which extends between each of two adjacent outer columns.
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- two elongated buoyant bottom beams connected at an angle of about 90 degrees and defining a vertex;
- a first column extending perpendicularly from the bottom beams at the vertex thereof, a first axial end of the first column attached to the bottom beams, the first column configured to have a tower attached to a second axial end thereof;
- two outer columns, one of which is attached to a distal end of each bottom beam;
- three top support beams, one of which extends between each of two adjacent columns;
- and
- a bottom support beam extending between the two outer columns.
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- two elongated buoyant bottom beams connected at an angle of about 60 degrees and defining a vertex;
- a first column extending perpendicularly from the bottom beams at the vertex thereof, a first axial end of the first column attached to the bottom beams, the first column configured to have a tower attached to a second axial end thereof;
- two outer columns, one of which is attached to a distal end of each bottom beam;
- three top support beams, one of which extends between each of two adjacent columns;
- and
- a bottom support beam extending between the two outer columns.
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- two elongated bottom beams connected at an angle of about 60 degrees and defining a vertex, wherein the bottom beams are formed as prestressed reinforced concrete T-beams;
- a first column extending perpendicularly from the bottom beams at the vertex thereof, a first axial end of the first column attached to the bottom beams, the first column configured to have a tower attached to a second axial end thereof;
- two outer columns attached to a distal end of each bottom beam;
- three top support beams, one of which extends between each of two adjacent columns;
- and
- a bottom support beam extending between the two outer columns.
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- a first column having a first axial end and a second axial end, wherein the first column is configured to have a tower attached to the second axial end thereof;
- two outer columns, each outer column having a first axial end and a second axial end;
- two trusses extending radially outward of the first column to the outer columns at a 60 degree angle and defining a vertex, wherein the trusses are hybrid concrete-steel trusses, and wherein each truss includes a bottom truss chord formed as a prestressed reinforced concrete T-beam;
- wherein the first column is attached to the two trusses at the vertex thereof;
- and
- wherein a distal end of each truss is attached to one of the two outer columns;
- a top support beam extending between the two outer columns;
- and
- a bottom support beam extending between the two outer columns.
A semi-submersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the semi-submersible wind turbine platform comprising:
- a first column having a first axial end and a second axial end, wherein the first column is configured to have a tower attached to the second axial end thereof;
- two outer columns, each outer column having a first axial end and a second axial end;
- and
- three trusses;
- wherein two of the trusses extend radially outward of the first column to each of the outer columns at a 60 degree angle and define a vertex;
- wherein the first column is attached to the two trusses at the vertex thereof;
- wherein the distal ends of the two trusses are attached to the outer columns;
- wherein a third one of the trusses extends between the two outer columns and is attached to the two outer columns;
- wherein the trusses are hybrid concrete-steel trusses;
- and
- wherein each truss includes a bottom truss chord formed as a prestressed reinforced concrete T-beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.