IL286961A - Floating offshore structure - Google Patents
Floating offshore structureInfo
- Publication number
- IL286961A IL286961A IL286961A IL28696121A IL286961A IL 286961 A IL286961 A IL 286961A IL 286961 A IL286961 A IL 286961A IL 28696121 A IL28696121 A IL 28696121A IL 286961 A IL286961 A IL 286961A
- Authority
- IL
- Israel
- Prior art keywords
- prismatic
- floating
- buoyant
- submodules
- offshore structure
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000007667 floating Methods 0.000 title claims description 183
- 230000002787 reinforcement Effects 0.000 claims description 30
- QNRATNLHPGXHMA-XZHTYLCXSA-N (r)-(6-ethoxyquinolin-4-yl)-[(2s,4s,5r)-5-ethyl-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-2-yl]methanol;hydrochloride Chemical compound Cl.C([C@H]([C@H](C1)CC)C2)CN1[C@@H]2[C@H](O)C1=CC=NC2=CC=C(OCC)C=C21 QNRATNLHPGXHMA-XZHTYLCXSA-N 0.000 claims description 26
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 21
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 14
- 239000004567 concrete Substances 0.000 claims description 11
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 claims description 10
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000004793 Polystyrene Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000004873 anchoring Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000011324 bead Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000013016 damping Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920002223 polystyrene Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920002635 polyurethane Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000004814 polyurethane Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000011368 organic material Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
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- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
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- 229920006328 Styrofoam Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000002950 deficient Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000011150 reinforced concrete Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000011493 spray foam Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000008261 styrofoam Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000003643 water by type Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002430 Fibre-reinforced plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004677 Nylon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009360 aquaculture Methods 0.000 description 1
- 244000144974 aquaculture Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011111 cardboard Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010612 desalination reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004146 energy storage Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004794 expanded polystyrene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011151 fibre-reinforced plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 1
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- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
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- 230000000284 resting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000013535 sea water Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003381 stabilizer Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B35/00—Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
- B63B35/34—Pontoons
- B63B35/38—Rigidly-interconnected pontoons
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B35/00—Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
- B63B35/44—Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices
- B63B2035/4433—Floating structures carrying electric power plants
- B63B2035/4453—Floating structures carrying electric power plants for converting solar energy into electric energy
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B2241/00—Design characteristics
- B63B2241/02—Design characterised by particular shapes
- B63B2241/04—Design characterised by particular shapes by particular cross sections
- B63B2241/08—Design characterised by particular shapes by particular cross sections polygonal
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
- Revetment (AREA)
- Artificial Fish Reefs (AREA)
Description
FLOATING OFFSHORE STRUCTURE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to offshore floating platforms, and more particularly to a floating platform structure assembled from floating platform modules having a threefold symmetrical shape.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As the population of the world increases and large cities expand over crowded shores, offshore platforms have become an acceptable location for strategic and commercial activities. In particular, offshore platforms can be used for a variety of applications, such as offshore islands that may support industrial buildings and dwelling houses, deep-water drilling equipment for scientific purposes, oil and gas recovery installations, and other facilities for industrial activity and urban life.In general, offshore platforms are divided into two groups, such as "fixed" platforms and "floating" platforms. Fixed platforms comprise an equipment deck, that is supported above the water by legs that extend down to and are seated on the sea floor. While relatively stable, such fixed platforms are typically limited to shallow waters, e.g., depths of about 50 meters or less.Floating platforms are typically employed in water depths of 50 meters and greater, and are held in position over the well site by mooring lines or chains anchored to the sea floor. Although floating platforms are more complex to operate because of their greater movement in response to wind and wave conditions, they are capable of operating at substantially greater depths than fixed platforms. Floating platforms are also more mobile, and hence, easier to move to other offshore well sites. 0280167745-01 Floating platforms can, for example, be used for offshore deployment of solar panels having photovoltaic (PV) cells that collect light from the sun and convert the incident solar irradiance to electricity. Thus, floating platforms can be used for hosting PV farms which are built at sea, close to the city, where consumption takes place.Floating platforms having a threefold symmetrical shape are known in the art. Due to the symmetry, such platforms can also be used for building floating offshore structures including many chained individual floating platform modules, thereby providing a large surface area on which solar panels and/or any other infrastructure for industry or leisure can be installed.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,262 describes a semi-submersible offshore platform comprising a hull having at least one oil storage tank and a fixed centralized support member. The hull has a peripheral edge. The platform further comprises a deck coupled to the support member and a plurality of stabilizer buoys. Each of the buoys is coupled to the hull and is positioned adjacent the peripheral edge of the hull, whereby the buoys pitch, roll, heave, sway, and surge relative to the hull. Also provided is a system for stabilizing a semi-submersible offshore platform having a submersible hull.U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,031 describes a platform, breakwater, or endless track including an array of molded cells interconnected by a system of elongate flexible members, such as wire ropes or lines. The molded cells are cast in molds located at overlapping portions of the cables. The molds may be flexible nylon bags having openings for receiving the cables through them and a fill port to receive material. The molds may be retained on cast cells or removed and reused. A buoyant material, such as expanding self-hardening foam is pumped from foam mixing and pumping equipment into the molds to cast the cells for floating on water, although negatively buoyant cells could be cast for some applications. The cells may be cast on site or elsewhere and then transported to the work site.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Despite prior art in the area of offshore floating platforms, there is still a need in the art for further improvement in order to provide a novel floating offshore structure that can be modular, inexpensive, easily constructed, and deployed at sea. 0280167745-01 It would be useful to provide a novel floating offshore structure, which can be utilized to support photovoltaic panels (PV) in an offshore environment.It would also be beneficial to have a floating offshore structure that would be relatively environmentally benign.The present invention partially eliminates disadvantages of the above referenced techniques and provides a novel floating offshore structure. The floating structure includes one or more floating platform modules having a threefold symmetry.According to an embodiment of the present invention, each floating platform module includes a set of buoyant prismatic submodules. In turn, each buoyant prismatic submodule includes a core and a reinforcement shell surrounding the core of the buoyant prismatic submodule along its periphery defined by a top base face, a bottom base face, and side faces of said buoyant prismatic submodules. The core of the buoyant prismatic submodule includes a material having a density less than the water density.The buoyant prismatic submodules are attached to each other, so as to form a threefold symmetrical shape of said at least one floating platform module. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the threefold symmetrical shape of each floating platform module is a hexagonal prismatic shape.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buoyant prismatic submodules forming the floating platform module(s) have a rhombic prismatic shape.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buoyant prismatic submodules forming the floating platform module(s) have a triangular prismatic shape.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes at least one triangular prismatic submodule.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes six triangular prismatic submodules.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes three rhombic prismatic submodules.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes a combination of rhombic and triangular prismatic submodules.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buoyant prismatic submodules include an expanded polymer foam. A polymer used in expanded polymer foam can be selected from at least one of polystyrene and polyurethane.0280167745-01 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buoyant prismatic submodules can include recycled plastic bottles, hollow beads plastic bags and/or natural materials, such as wood.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the reinforcement shell of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes a concrete material. When desired, the concrete material can be reinforced with a rebar cell and/or alternative grid structure.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the floating offshore structure includes two or more floating platform modules in a stack of modules arranged one on top of another.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the floating offshore structure further includes a top reinforcement plate mounted on a plane top surface of the floating platform module formed by the top base faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules.According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the floating offshore structure also includes a bottom reinforcement plate mounted on a plane bottom surface of the floating platform module formed by the bottom base faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the floating offshore structure includes a plurality of reinforcement bars mounted on a plane top surface of the floating platform module formed by the top base faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules, and on a plane bottom surface of the floating platform module formed by the bottom base faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the floating offshore structure includes a set of mooring lines configured for anchoring the floating offshore structure to a seabed.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the floating offshore structure includes a plurality of floating platform modules.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the floating offshore structure includes an attachment arrangement for any two adjacent floating platform modules.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the attachment arrangement includes a plurality of connecting lines between sides of each two adjacent platform modules. The connecting lines have a predetermined length that allows sway 0280167745-01 motion of the modules. The attachment arrangement also includes damping units tied to the sides of each platform module where it faces another platform, so as to avoid damage of the modules due to their mechanical impact.The floating offshore structure of the present invention has many of the advantages of the prior art platforms, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.The floating offshore structure of the present invention has a modular construction that allows building a large platform space with multiple smaller platforms that can be added in steps. It should be noted that the structure can meet rough weather conditions, and less structural stress can occur than on a single platform of similar dimensions. Sub-modular construction of each platform makes it simpler, more manageable, and allows easy transportation on land and assembling at sea.There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows hereinafter may be better understood. Additional details and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description, and in part will be appreciated from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figs. 1A and 1Bshow schematic cross-sectional top and side views of a floating offshore structure, according to two embodiments of the present invention; Fig. 2A shows an example of connections of the buoyant prismatic submodules to each other; Fig. 2B shows another example of connections of the buoyant prismatic submodules to each other; Fig. 3 shows an isometric exploded view of a floating offshore structure, according to a further embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 shows an isometric exploded view of a floating offshore structure, according to yet an embodiment of the present invention; 0280167745-01 Fig. 5 shows an isometric view of a floating offshore structure, according to a still further embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 shows a schematic isometric view of a mooring configuration of the floating platform module of Figs. 1A and 1B , according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 7 shows a schematic isometric view of an offshore floating solar farm built on the floating offshore structure 10 , according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 8 shows a top view of a floating support structure including seven floating platform modules of Figs. 1A and 1B, according to a further embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 9 shows a schematic view of an attachment arrangement of two floating platform modules of Figs. 1A and 1B, according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 10 shows a top view of a floating support structure including 49 floating platform modules of Figs. 1A and 1B, according to a further embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 11 illustrates a top view of a floating support structure representing an example of a configuration creating a relatively large sheltered area.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS The principles and operation of the floating offshore structure according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description. It should be understood that these drawings are given for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to be limiting. It should be noted that the figures illustrating various examples of the system of the present invention are not to scale, and are not in proportion, for purposes of clarity. The same reference numerals and alphabetic characters are utilized for identifying those components which are common in the floating offshore structure and its components shown in the drawings throughout the present description of the invention. Examples of constructions are provided for selected elements. Those versed in the art should appreciate that many of the examples provided have suitable alternatives which may be utilized.Referring to Fig. 1A , a schematic cross-sectional top view (upper drawing) and a side view (lower drawing) of a floating offshore structure 10are illustrated, according 0280167745-01 to one embodiment of the present invention. The side view in Fig. 1Ais taken along the line A–A' in the upper drawing.The floating offshore structure 10includes a floating platform module 11having a threefold symmetry. The floating platform module 11includes a set of buoyant prismatic submodules 12 .According to an embodiment of the present invention, each buoyant prismatic submodule 12includes a core 121 , and a reinforcement shell 122surrounding the core 121of the buoyant prismatic submodule 12along its periphery defined by a top base face 123 , a bottom base face 124 , and side faces 125of the buoyant prismatic submodule 12 . The core 121of the buoyant prismatic submodule 12is made from a buoyant material having a density less than the water density. The buoyant prismatic submodules 12are attached to each other to form a threefold symmetrical shape of the floating platform module 11 .According to an embodiment of the present invention, the core 121can, for example, be made from an expanded polymer foam. Examples of polymers used in expanded polymer foam include, but are not limited to, polystyrene and polyurethane. In particular, an expanded polystyrene foam, such as StyrofoamTM, can be suitable for fabrication of the core 121,however, other materials having density less than the water density are also contemplated.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buoyant prismatic submodules can include recycled plastic bottles, hollow beads plastic bags and/or natural materials, such as wood.Examples of materials suitable for the reinforcement shell 122include, but are not limited to concrete, a concrete reinforced with a grid cell structure, fibers, metal net, etc.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the grid cell structure includes a rebar cage (not shown) having a plurality of rebar rods forming a framework of the rebar cage. The rebar rods can, for example, be made from steel and have a bar cross-sectional diameter in the range of about 0.5 cm to 2 cm. The bars in the grid can, for example, be bound to each other by welding, thereby to form a grid weldment structure. Alternatively, the rebar rods can be bound by tying them with steel wires. A size of a grid cell of the weldment structure can, for example, be in the range of about 0280167745-01 5cm to 30 cm. It should be noted that fiber-reinforced plastic rebar can also be used due to the high-corrosion environment of sea water.In the present description, the term "about" means within a statistically meaningful range of a value. The allowable variation encompassed by the term "about" depends on the particular structure under consideration, and can be readily appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. This approximation for the purpose of the present invention can, for example, be interpreted so as to include an error of 20% at least, as long as there is no considerable change in the performance of the floating offshore structure 10due to the deviation.According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1A , the buoyant prismatic submodules forming the floating platform module 11have a rhombic prismatic shape. As shown in Fig. 1A , the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules 12includes three rhombic prismatic submodules. In this embodiment, each rhombic prismatic submodule has two internal side faces 125a , two external side faces 125b , the top base face 123and the bottom base face 124 .It should be noted that when desired, the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules 12forming the floating platform module 11can includes more than three rhombic prismatic submodules 12 . Thus, in order to have a threefold symmetry, the floating platform module 11can be built from 6, 12, 18 or more rhombic prismatic submodules 12 . Fig. 1B shows schematic cross-sectional side and top views of a floating offshore structure 10in which the buoyant prismatic submodules 12have a triangular prismatic shape. The side view in Fig. 1Bis taken along the line B–B' in the upper drawing.As shown in Fig. 1B , the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules 12includes six triangular prismatic submodules. Each triangular prismatic submodule has two internal side faces 125a , one external side face 125b , the top base face 123and the bottom base face 124 .It should be noted that a combination of rhombic prismatic submodules with triangular prismatic submodules in the floating platform module 11is also contemplated.As shown in Figs. 1A and 1B , the buoyant prismatic submodules 12of the floating platform module 11are attached to each other by their internal side faces 125a . 0280167745-01 After attachment of the buoyant prismatic submodules 12together, the floating platform module 11takes a threefold symmetrical shape having a plane top surface 14and a plane bottom surface 15of the floating platform module 11 . The plane top and back surfaces 14and 15are formed by top base faces 123and bottom base faces 124of the buoyant prismatic submodules 12 , correspondingly. According to these embodiments, the threefold symmetrical shape is a hexagonal prismatic shape. Fig. 2Ashows an example of connection of the rhombic prismatic submodules 12to each other in the floating platform module 11 . According to this example, one internal side face 22aof each buoyant rhombic prismatic submodule 12includes a predetermined number of semi-cylindrical protrusions 23aextended from the top to bottom of the rhombic prismatic submodules 12 , while another internal side face 22bof each rhombic prismatic submodule includes the same number of semi-cylindrical grooves 23bthat match the semi-cylindrical protrusions 23awhen any two rhombic prismatic submodules 12are attached together. The provision of the grooves and protrusions on the internal side faces of the prismatic submodule makes attachments between the buoyant prismatic submodules 12stronger and the entire structure more rigid, when compared with the attachment of flat internal side faces 121 . Fig. 2B shows another example of connection of the rhombic prismatic submodules 12to each other in the floating platform module 11 . According to this example, one internal side face 24aof each buoyant rhombic prismatic submodule 12 includes a predetermined number of cylindrical (or semi-spherical) protrusions (e.g., bulges) 25a , while another internal side face 24bof each rhombic prismatic submodule includes the same number of cylindrical (or semi-spherical) recesses 25b . In the attachment, the semi-spherical recesses 25bmatch the semi-cylindrical protrusions 25a when any two rhombic prismatic submodules 12are attached together.It should be noted that the sub-modularity of the floating platform module 11 has several advantages over a monolith structure of a floating platform module that is built from a single piece of a buoyant material. Indeed, instead of having to construct a heavy single piece structure, the present invention teaches to construct several separate submodules that can be assembled together. For example, for a module having 8m width and 2m height, and having the whole structure weigh approximately 40 tons, each can weigh approximately 13-14 tons for three rhombic prismatic structures and approximately 6-7 tons for six triangular prismatic structures. Thus, it can be 0280167745-01 significantly easy to build larger structures by attaching more rhombic and/or triangular prisms together. It should be understood that such a sub-modular structure can easily be assembled in the water. Thus, by using the sub-modularity, a hexagonal prismatic module of 12m side (and/or greater) can also be easily fabricated. Moreover, if any of these rhombic or triangular prismatic submodules 12in the floating platform module 11 are damaged or become defective, the defective units can be readily repaired or replaced. Fig. 3 shows an isometric exploded view of a floating offshore structure 30 , according to a further embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the floating offshore structure 30includes two hexagonal floating platform modules 11arranged one on top of another. For clarity of understanding, only two rhombic prismatic submodules 12are shown in the bottom hexagonal floating platform module 11 . One rhombic prismatic submodule 12ais shown partially with only half of the core 121covered by the reinforcement shell 122 .In this case, the entire height of the platform is double the height of the two floating platform modules 11 , thereby providing further rigidity to the floating offshore structure. To provide attachment between the upper and lower hexagonal floating platform modules 11 , one of the modules 11can, for example, be bolted, welded or otherwise attached on top of another hexagonal floating platform module 11 . It should be noted that when desired, the connection between the upper and lower hexagonal floating platform modules 11can include semi-cylindrical, cylindrical and/or semi-spherical protrusions arranged at a bottom of the upper module 11 and corresponding grooves and/or recesses matching the protrusions arranged at a top of the lower module 11 , similar to the provision described in Figs. 2A and 2Bfor side connections, mutatis mutandis.Moreover, top and back surfaces formed by top base faces and bottom base faces of the hexagonal floating platform modules 11that are placed on top of each other can be rougher, when compared to the side faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules 12forming the hexagonal floating platform modules 11 . This feature can also facilitate the connection between the upper and lower hexagonal floating platform modules 11 .It should be understood that, when desired, the floating offshore structure may include more than two floating platform modules in a stack of modules arranged one on top of another.0280167745-01 Fig. 4 shows an isometric exploded view of a floating offshore structure 40 , according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the floating offshore structure 40includes a top reinforcement plate 41 mounted on the plane top surface 14of the floating platform module 11and another reinforcement plate 42mounted on the plane bottom surface 15of the floating platform module 11 . The plane top and back surfaces 14and 15are formed by top base faces ( 123in Fig. 1A ) and bottom base faces ( 124in Fig. 1A ) of the buoyant prismatic submodules 12 , correspondingly. It should be noted that although only one floating platform module 11is shown Fig. 4 , generally, a structure having any desired number of the floating platform modules 12arranged in stack is also contemplated.Examples of materials suitable for the reinforcement plates 41and 42include, but are not limited to, steel and reinforced concrete. It should be understood that provision of the reinforcement plates 41and 42can provide further rigidity to the floating offshore structure. Fig. 5 shows an isometric view of a floating offshore structure 50 , according to still another embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the floating offshore structure 50includes a plurality of reinforcement bars 51mounted on the plane top surface 14of the floating platform module 11and a plurality of reinforcement bars (not shown in Fig. 5 ) mounted on the plane bottom surface 15of the floating platform module 11 . Examples of materials suitable for the reinforcement bars 51and 52include, but are not limited to, steel and reinforced concrete. It should be understood that provision of the reinforcement bars 51can provide further rigidity to the floating offshore structure. Moreover, when desired, the reinforcement bars 51can include attachment points 52to hold various payloads, for example, solar panels that can be mounted on the floating offshore structure.A method of fabrication of the buoyant prismatic submodule 12includes providing a mould having inner dimensions equal to the outer dimension of the prismatic submodule 12 . The mould can, for example, be made of wood or another suitable material.As described hereinabove, the buoyant prismatic submodules 12of the floating offshore structure 10described herein above are built from a buoyant inner core 121 surrounded by a reinforcement outer shell 122 . In order to fabricate the reinforcement outer shell 122 , first, a layer of the desired thickness of concrete is poured on the bottom 0280167745-01 of the mould. According to an embodiment, the concrete can be reinforced either by introducing composite fibres in the mix, or by placing composite or steel rods or a rebar net within the concrete bulk of this newly created reinforcement layer. The rods, fibres, or rebar net can extend beyond the bottom layer on the sides, in the reinforcement layer, to form the concrete sides of the reinforcement shell of the buoyant prismatic submodules 12 .According to an embodiment of the present invention, once the bottom of the mould is poured, in order to make up the buoyant inner core 121 , a pre-cut solid Styrofoam piece can be introduced to fill the desired volume in the mould.According to another embodiment of the present invention, the core is formed from several stages. First, several solid pieces made of a plastic, cardboard, plywood, Styrofoam, or other material forming the desired dimensions of the core, are placed in the mould to form the shell of the desired outer dimensions of the core. Then, an expanded polymer foam (e.g., StyrofoamTM or other material having a density lower than the water density) is sprayed into the mould to form the desired rigid inner core.The aim of the core is to provide buoyancy. It should be noted that the core should not be a hollow volume, because this would pose a danger if there were water ingress over the years through, for example, a crack in the wall of the module.According to an embodiment of the present invention, when spray foam is used, recycled bottles or other hollow objects could be introduced in the volume of the core. This would not only be a good way of finding an alternate use for some recycled material, but would also reduce the volume of spray foam needed, and thus the manufacturing cost.According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the core can be made of recycled plastic, which would have continuous outer walls, but is made of many compartments (e.g., a honeycomb), thus minimizing the danger of significant water ingress in the eventuality of a crack in the outer walls.Likewise, the core can be formed of plastic or other material, first, to form a rigid shell for the core having moderately thick walls. The hollow inside volume of the shell can then be filled with empty plastic bottles or other containers, thereby eliminating the risk of significant amounts of water filling the core space, since a significant portion of the space is occupied by containers. 0280167745-01 Referring to Fig. 6 , a schematic isometric view of a mooring configuration of the floating offshore structure 10of Figs. 1A and 1Bis illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The floating offshore structure 10can be maintained in a stable position via a mooring system including mooring cleats 113and a set of mooring lines 112configured for anchoring the floating platform module 11of floating support structure 10to the seabed 115 .According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mooring cleats 113 include metal parts configured to hold the mooring lines 112attached to the mooring cleats 113such as to allow turning and slippage of the mooring lines 112 . The mooring cleats 113can, for example, be embedded in the concrete of the reinforcement shell ( 122in Fig. 1A ) of the floating platform module 11and welded to the internal reinforcing rebar of the reinforcement shell 122 .According to an embodiment of the present invention, multi-point mooring systems are used that moor the floating support structure 10to the seabed using multiple mooring lines. The floating support structure 10is positioned in a fixed heading location, which is determined by the sea and weather conditions. The symmetrical arrangement of anchor points 114helps to keep the floating support structure 10on its fixed heading location.In the mooring configuration shown in Fig. 6 , a 3-point mooring at three bottom vertexes equipped with the mooring cleats 113is used for the floating support structure 10with the floating platform module 11having a hexagonal prismatic shape. It should be understood that, when required, the mooring lines 112can be provided for the hexagonal module 11at each bottom vertex.Each mooring line 112can, for example, be made of a chain and/or rope. A length of the mooring lines can, for example, be between three and six times the water depth. A free hanging catenary mooring configuration is shown in Fig. 6 . This mooring configuration can, for example, be used in shallow waters. However, when required, a lazy-wave configuration (not shown), with a series of small buoyancy collars around the overbend, can be used. Likewise, a Lazy-S configuration (not shown), with a tethered buoy between the lower J-catenaries and the upper U-catenaries can also be implemented. The lazy-wave and Lazy-S mooring configurations are known per se, and therefore they are not expounded on hereinbelow in detail. 0280167745-01 The floating support structure 10is anchored to the seabed 115 . The floating support structure 10can, for example, be rigidly fixed to the seabed 115at the anchor points 114through structural elements including a set of driven piles (not shown) that can be inserted in the seabed 15 . Likewise, the floating support structure 10can be fixed to the seabed 115through ballasts resting on the seabed, or by anchors, depending on the type of the seabed and on the depth of the installation site.Referring to Fig. 7 , a schematic isometric view of an offshore floating solar farm built on the floating offshore structure 10is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 7 , a plurality of solar panels 71are mounted on a plane top surface 14of the floating platform module 11of the floating support structure 10 . The solar panels 71are installed at a predetermined configuration and installation angle with respect to the surface of the floating support structure 10 , so as to maximize electric power output of the panels, and minimize possible damage to the panels. For example, an offshore floating solar farm can be deployed on a 4m side platform with solar panels 71 installed at an angle of 10 degrees.As shown herein above in Fig. 5 , the solar panels may be mounted on the reinforcement bars 51on top of the platform and connected to the attachment points 52 which are shaped so as to facilitate the placement of the panels.It should be understood that floating support structure 10can be used for a host of other purposes – anything that could benefit from having a platform at sea, especially with the availability of power. Examples of applications of the floating support structure 10include, but are not limited to, desalination, energy storage, leisure, boating, scientific studies, environmental monitoring, etc.Referring to Fig. 8 , a top view of a floating support structure 80is illustrated, according to a further embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the floating support structure 80includes seven floating platform modules ( 11shown in Fig. 1A ) which are attached together to form a single, large floating support structure. Specifically, external side faces 81of a central hexagonal prismatic module 11aare attached to side faces 83of neighboring hexagonal prismatic modules 11bsurrounding the central hexagonal prismatic module 11a . The attachment is implemented by a plurality of connecting lines 82between sides of each two adjacent platform modules. 0280167745-01 For example, when a single hexagonal prismatic module 11provides an area of about 42m2 to 166m2, a platform built by seven such modules can provide an area of about 290m2 to 1160 m2.Referring to Fig. 9 , a schematic view of an attachment arrangement 91of any two floating platform modules 11is illustrated, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The attachment arrangement 91includes a plurality of connecting lines 92between sides of each two adjacent platform modules 11 .According to an embodiment of the present invention, the attachment arrangement 91includes chains and/or ropes, having a predetermined length that allows sway motion of the modules. The attachment arrangement 91also includes damping units 93 , such us tires or similar bumping objects, tied to the sides of each platform module where it faces another platform, to avoid damage of the modules due to their mechanical impact. A ratio of the dimension of floating platform modules 11and the distance between the modules 11can, for example, be in the range of 0.5 meters to meters.It should be understood that the process of building large platforms can be repeated for any number of the floating platform modules 11 . Fig. 10illustrates a top view of a floating support structure 100including 49 floating platform modules 11 , which are attached together to form a single, large floating support structure. As shown in Fig. 9 , the floating support structure 100is built from a central floating substructure that is similar to the structure ( 80 in Fig. 8) . The central floating substructure is surrounded by a similar neighboring floating substructure, thereby forming the floating support structure 90including 49 floating platform modules 11 .It should be understood that providing a floating offshore structure, including many chained individual platform modules, accomplishes the goal of getting a large surface area on which solar panels and/or any other infrastructure may be used, for industry or leisure. Mooring would still be on only some of the platforms, since the other platforms are held in place by their attachment to other platforms.Moreover, given that the floating platform modules 11of the floating support structure 10absorb wave energy and therefore partially dampen incoming waves, large partially sheltered spaces could be created in the middle of an installation of several floating platform modules 11or away from the incoming wave direction. These spaces could be used for large platforms for specific uses, aquaculture, leisure, or other uses. 0280167745-01
Claims (20)
1.- 17 -
2.CLAIMS: 1. A floating offshore structure, comprising:at least one floating platform module having a threefold symmetry; said at least one floating platform module including a set of buoyant prismatic submodules, each buoyant prismatic submodule including:a core including a material having a density less than the water density, anda reinforcement shell surrounding the core of the buoyant prismatic submodule along its periphery defined by a top base face, a bottom base face, and side faces of said buoyant prismatic submodules;said buoyant prismatic submodules being attached to each other so as to form a threefold symmetrical shape of said at least one floating platform module. 2. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, wherein the buoyant prismatic submodules forming said at least one floating platform module have a rhombic prismatic shape.
3. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, wherein the buoyant prismatic submodules forming said at least one floating platform module have a triangular prismatic shape.
4. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, wherein said threefold symmetrical shape of said at least one floating platform module is a hexagonal prismatic shape.
5. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, wherein the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes at least one triangular prismatic submodule.
6. The floating offshore structure of claim 5, wherein the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes six triangular prismatic submodules.
7. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, wherein the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes at least one rhombic prismatic submodule.
8. The floating offshore structure of claim 7, wherein the set of the buoyant prismatic submodules includes three rhombic prismatic submodules.
9. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, wherein said buoyant prismatic submodules include an expanded polymer foam.
10. The floating offshore structure of claim 9, wherein a polymer used in expanded polymer foam is selected from at least one of polystyrene and polyurethane.0280167745-01 - 18 -
11. The floating offshore structure of claim 9, wherein the buoyant prismatic submodules further include at least one of recycled plastic bottles, hollow beads plastic bags, natural organic materials.
12. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, wherein said reinforcement shell includes a concrete material.
13. The floating offshore structure of claim 12, wherein said concrete material is reinforced with a rebar cell structure.
14. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, comprising at least two floating platform modules in a stack of modules arranged one on top of another.
15. The floating offshore structure of claim 14, wherein top and back surfaces formed by top base faces and bottom base faces of the hexagonal floating platform modules that are placed on top of each other are rougher than side faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules forming the hexagonal floating platform modules.
16. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, comprising:a top reinforcement plate mounted on a plane top surface of the floating platform module formed by the top base faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules; anda bottom reinforcement plate mounted on a plane bottom surface of the floating platform module formed by the bottom base faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules.
17.The floating offshore structure of claim 1, comprising a plurality of reinforcement bars mounted on a plane top surface of the floating platform module formed by the top base faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules, and on a plane bottom surface of the floating platform module formed by the bottom base faces of the buoyant prismatic submodules.
18. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, comprising a set of mooring lines configured for anchoring the floating offshore structure to a seabed.
19. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, comprising a plurality of said floating platform modules.
20. The floating offshore structure of claim 1, comprising an attachment arrangement for any two adjacent floating platform modules, the attachment arrangement including:a plurality of connecting lines having a predetermined length that allows sway motion of the modules; and 0280167745-01 - 19 - damping units tied to the sides of each platform module where it faces another platform, so as to avoid damage of the modules due to their mechanical impact. 0280167745-01
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL286961A IL286961A (en) | 2021-10-04 | 2021-10-04 | Floating offshore structure |
| PCT/IL2022/051044 WO2023058017A1 (en) | 2021-10-04 | 2022-10-02 | Floating offshore structure |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL286961A IL286961A (en) | 2021-10-04 | 2021-10-04 | Floating offshore structure |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| IL286961A true IL286961A (en) | 2023-05-01 |
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ID=85803986
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL286961A IL286961A (en) | 2021-10-04 | 2021-10-04 | Floating offshore structure |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| IL (1) | IL286961A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2023058017A1 (en) |
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| BRPI0601273B1 (en) * | 2006-04-17 | 2019-02-12 | Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras | MONO-COLUMN FPSO |
| DE102007029921B3 (en) * | 2007-06-28 | 2008-11-20 | Peter Nowak | Apparatus for generating energy and fresh water in the sea |
| JP6607930B2 (en) * | 2014-10-01 | 2019-11-20 | ブーンリキットチェヴァ、ピチット | Floating structure assembled from floating units and floating units |
| CN105253262B (en) * | 2015-10-23 | 2017-11-14 | 连志敏 | Offshore vertical axis composite support formula generation platform |
| KR102205978B1 (en) * | 2020-08-19 | 2021-01-20 | 주종대 | Concrete pontoon with buoyancy control and its manufacturing method |
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- 2022-10-02 WO PCT/IL2022/051044 patent/WO2023058017A1/en active Application Filing
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
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| WO2023058017A1 (en) | 2023-04-13 |
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