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US 9,394,035 B2Granted
Floating wind turbine platform and method of assembling
AssigneeUniversity of Maine System Board of Trustees
InventorsHabib J. Dagher, Anthony M. Viselli, Andrew J. Goupee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semisubmersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine over a vertical center column includes a vertical center column and three or more vertical outer columns spaced radially from the center column, each of the outer columns being connected to the center column with one or more of bottom beams, top beams, and struts, with the major structural components being made of concrete and having sufficient buoyancy to support a wind turbine tower.
Claims42
A semisubmersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine, the wind turbine platform comprising:
- a vertical center column;
- and
- three or more vertical outer columns spaced radially from the center column, each of the outer columns being connected to the center column with:
- a bottom beam extending substantially horizontally between a lower portion of the outer column and a lower portion of the center column;
- a top beam extending substantially horizontally between an upper portion of the outer column and an upper portion of the center column;
- and
- a strut extending between a lower portion of the outer column and an upper portion of the center column;
- wherein, the center column and outer columns are made of concrete and are buoyant with sufficient buoyancy to support a wind turbine tower;
- wherein the outer columns are not connected to each other by substantial structural perimeter linkages;
- wherein the bottom beams, top beams and struts include post-tensioning reinforcements, causing precompression in the concrete between the outer columns and the center column;
- wherein the center and outer columns include post-tensioning reinforcements, causing vertical precompression in the concrete;
- wherein the bottom beams are connected to the central column with a bottom keystone at the central column, with the bottom keystone having circumferentially spaced connection faces for connection of the bottom beams to the keystone;
- wherein the post-tensioning reinforcements for the bottom beams are anchored in the bottom keystone;
- wherein the top beams are connected to the central column with a top keystone at the central column, with the top keystone having circumferentially spaced connection faces for connection of the top beams to the keystone;
- and
- wherein the post-tensioning reinforcements for the top beams are anchored in the top keystone.
13 more elements
A semisubmersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine thereon, the wind turbine platform comprising:
- a vertical center column;
- and
- three or more vertical outer columns spaced radially from the center column, each of the outer columns being connected to the center column with:
- a bottom beam extending substantially horizontally between a lower portion of each outer column and a lower portion of the center column;
- wherein the bottom beams are connected to the central column with a bottom keystone at the central column, with the bottom keystone having circumferentially spaced connection faces for connection of the bottom beams to the bottom keystone;
- wherein the bottom beams include post-tensioning reinforcements, causing precompression in the concrete in the radial direction between the outer columns and the center column, and the post-tensioning reinforcements are anchored in the bottom keystone;
- wherein the center column and outer columns are made of concrete and are buoyant with sufficient buoyancy to help support a wind turbine tower;
- and
- wherein the outer columns are not connected to each other by structurally substantial perimeter linkages.
6 more elements
A semisubmersible wind turbine platform capable of floating on a body of water and supporting a wind turbine thereon, the wind turbine platform comprising:
- a vertical center column;
- and
- three or more vertical outer columns spaced radially from the center column, each of the outer columns being connected to the center column with a bottom beam extending substantially horizontally between a lower portion of each outer column and a lower portion of the center column;
- wherein the bottom beams are hollowed box beams in which one or more interior hollow spaces is:
- (a) filled with air, (b) partially filled with water, or (c) substantially filled with water;
- wherein one or more of the interior hollow spaces of the hollowed box beams includes an openable orifice open to the surrounding sea water, thereby enabling at least partial equalization of interior and exterior water pressures;
- wherein the center column and outer columns are made of concrete and are buoyant with sufficient buoyancy to help support a wind turbine tower;
- and
- wherein the outer columns are not connected to each other by structurally substantial perimeter linkages.
6 more elements
A wind generation apparatus comprising:
- a floating wind turbine platform having a concrete central column, with a top portion of the central column having upwardly oriented anchor bolts embedded in the concrete;
- and
- a wind turbine tower mounted onto the platform, the wind turbine tower being made of a fiber-reinforced composite material and having a bottom base plate, with the base plate being bolted to the concrete central column using the anchor bolts;
- wherein the tower is an assemblage of tower sections, with the joint between adjacent sections being made by upwardly oriented anchor bolts embedded in the composite material.
1 more element
A method of assembling a floating wind turbine platform comprising:
- assembling at least three platform wings onto two or more floatation devices on a body of water, the platform wings each having a bottom beam and a base portion of an outer column, with each floatation device supporting one or more platform wings;
- bringing the barges together arranged about a bottom keystone;
- attaching each of the platform wings to the bottom keystone to form the lower portion of a foundation for a wind turbine platform, with the base portions of the outer columns spaced radially from the bottom keystone, and with the base portions of the outer columns equally circumferentially spaced about the bottom keystone;
- removing the floatation devices from under the platform wings such that the foundation floats in the body of water to form a floating wind turbine platform, thereby allowing further construction of the platform in the water.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.