Turbine installation method
AssigneeOpenHydro Group Limited
InventorsJames Ives, Paul Dunne
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method of installing a hydroelectric turbine onto the seabed or the like while ensuring that a pre-laid electrical cable connected to the turbine prior to lowering to the seabed is not damaged during installation of the turbine, the method involving lowering the turbine towards the seabed while simultaneously displacing the turbine in order to maintain tension in the electrical cable.
Claims14
A method of installing a hydroelectric turbine system at a tidal site comprising the steps of:
- connecting a pre-laid power cable to the system;
- lowering the system towards a deployment site during a running tide while simultaneously displacing the system in line with the direction of tidal flow such that the cable is laid substantially in line with the direction of the prevailing tide and as to maintain tension in the cable.
A method of installing a hydroelectric turbine system at a tidal site comprising the steps of:
- connecting a pre-laid power cable to the system;
- lowering the system towards a deployment site while simultaneously displacing the system in line with the direction of tidal flow such as to maintain tension in the cable;
- and
- positioning an anchor to be upstream of the system during the lowering step;
- directly or indirectly connecting the system to the anchor;
- and using the anchor to achieve the displacement of the system during the lowering thereof.
A method of installing a hydroelectric turbine system at a tidal site comprising the steps of:
- connecting a pre-laid power cable to the system;
- lowering the system towards a deployment site while simultaneously displacing the system in line with the direction of tidal flow such as to maintain tension in the cable;
- lowering the system from a deployment vessel and simultaneously displacing the deployment vessel such as to maintain tension in the cable;
- towing the deployment vessel behind a towing vessel;
- and utilising the towing vessel to achieve the displacement of the deployment vessel;
- and
- winching the deployment vessel towards the towing vessel during lowering of the system in order to achieve the displacement of the deployment vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.