Anti-scour system
AssigneeScour Prevention Systems Ltd.
InventorRobert Henry Durrant
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Seabed scour about a seabed-mounted foundation or renewable energy device or anchor therefore, especially a wind-turbine monopile may be prevented or reduced by installing on or in the seabed area about the foundation or device an arrangement of interconnected sedimentation elements, which by virtue of the elemental structure or interconnective arrangement themselves do not cause or worsen seabed scour by substantially displacing seabed material on which the elements are placed. Elements having a specific gravity, either in situ or inherent, of substantially similar to the seabed material or mobilized seabed material in which they are placed are capable of achieving this. An ideal arrangement of elements (or mat) is one formed of used or discarded vehicle tires.
Claims10
A method for the inhibition or reduction of seabed scour about a seabed-located device comprising a seabed-mounted foundation, offshore wind turbine pile or renewable energy device or anchor thereof, the method comprising disposing a single layer arrangement of interconnected sedimentation elements directly on the seabed in an area surrounding and/or adjacent to said seabed-located device, the sedimentation elements being formed of a material having a specific gravity in the range from 1.05 to 2, in that the sedimentation elements provide a sedimentation trapping capability in situ and are configured to contain and/or retain trapped seabed sediment material to thereby enable captured or trapped sediment material to readily return to the seabed and in that the structural properties of the sedimentation elements and/or the interconnective arrangement of elements is such that the elements do not themselves cause further scour nor further displace supporting seabed material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.