NL2031836B1 - Dynamic positioning system for a vessel, pile gripper positioning system, monopile installation vessel, and corresponding methods - Google Patents

Dynamic positioning system for a vessel, pile gripper positioning system, monopile installation vessel, and corresponding methods Download PDF

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Publication number
NL2031836B1
NL2031836B1 NL2031836A NL2031836A NL2031836B1 NL 2031836 B1 NL2031836 B1 NL 2031836B1 NL 2031836 A NL2031836 A NL 2031836A NL 2031836 A NL2031836 A NL 2031836A NL 2031836 B1 NL2031836 B1 NL 2031836B1
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NL
Netherlands
Prior art keywords
vessel
monopile
positioning system
pile
signal
Prior art date
Application number
NL2031836A
Other languages
Dutch (nl)
Inventor
Jan George Nuttall Ashley
Braaksma Jelmer
Original Assignee
Itrec Bv
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Application filed by Itrec Bv filed Critical Itrec Bv
Priority to NL2031836A priority Critical patent/NL2031836B1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of NL2031836B1 publication Critical patent/NL2031836B1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H25/00—Steering; Slowing-down otherwise than by use of propulsive elements; Dynamic anchoring, i.e. positioning vessels by means of main or auxiliary propulsive elements
    • B63H25/42—Steering or dynamic anchoring by propulsive elements; Steering or dynamic anchoring by propellers used therefor only; Steering or dynamic anchoring by rudders carrying propellers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B27/00—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers
    • B63B27/19—Other loading or unloading equipment involving an intermittent action, not provided in groups B63B27/04 - B63B27/18
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
    • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
    • B66C13/00—Other constructional features or details
    • B66C13/18—Control systems or devices
    • B66C13/46—Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
    • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
    • B66C13/00—Other constructional features or details
    • B66C13/18—Control systems or devices
    • B66C13/48—Automatic control of crane drives for producing a single or repeated working cycle; Programme control
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
    • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
    • B66C23/00—Cranes comprising essentially a beam, boom, or triangular structure acting as a cantilever and mounted for translatory of swinging movements in vertical or horizontal planes or a combination of such movements, e.g. jib-cranes, derricks, tower cranes
    • B66C23/18—Cranes comprising essentially a beam, boom, or triangular structure acting as a cantilever and mounted for translatory of swinging movements in vertical or horizontal planes or a combination of such movements, e.g. jib-cranes, derricks, tower cranes specially adapted for use in particular purposes
    • B66C23/185—Cranes comprising essentially a beam, boom, or triangular structure acting as a cantilever and mounted for translatory of swinging movements in vertical or horizontal planes or a combination of such movements, e.g. jib-cranes, derricks, tower cranes specially adapted for use in particular purposes for use erecting wind turbines
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
    • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
    • B66C23/00—Cranes comprising essentially a beam, boom, or triangular structure acting as a cantilever and mounted for translatory of swinging movements in vertical or horizontal planes or a combination of such movements, e.g. jib-cranes, derricks, tower cranes
    • B66C23/18—Cranes comprising essentially a beam, boom, or triangular structure acting as a cantilever and mounted for translatory of swinging movements in vertical or horizontal planes or a combination of such movements, e.g. jib-cranes, derricks, tower cranes specially adapted for use in particular purposes
    • B66C23/36—Cranes comprising essentially a beam, boom, or triangular structure acting as a cantilever and mounted for translatory of swinging movements in vertical or horizontal planes or a combination of such movements, e.g. jib-cranes, derricks, tower cranes specially adapted for use in particular purposes mounted on road or rail vehicles; Manually-movable jib-cranes for use in workshops; Floating cranes
    • B66C23/52—Floating cranes

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Placing Or Removing Of Piles Or Sheet Piles, Or Accessories Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to a dynamic positioning system for a vessel, wherein the vessel comprises a lifting crane for lifting a monopile and a pile gripper for engaging with a monopile, said lifting crane and pile gripper being configured to cooperate in lowering the monopile into a sea, wherein the dynamic positioning system comprises: - an actuator system for applying forces to the vessel to position the vessel, - a measurement system for measuring a position of the vessel, - a dynamic positioning control unit for driving the actuator system in dependency of a desired position and an actual position ofthe vessel as measured by the measurement system, wherein the dynamic positioning control unit is configured to receive a signal representative for a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel, and wherein the dynamic positioning control unit is configured to use a portion of said signal as a feedforward signal to drive the actuator system.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Dynamic positioning system for a vessel, pile gripper positioning system, monopile installation vessel, and corresponding methods
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the installation of monopiles as part of the installation process of wind turbines. In a known method for installing an offshore wind turbine, the foundation, in the form of a monopile, is installed first by driving the monopile into the sea bottom after which the wind turbine is installed on the monopile, either by installing the wind turbine at once as a whole or by assembling the wind turbine in parts on the monopile.
There is a trend towards larger wind turbines and a desire to install offshore wind turbines at locations with larger water depths than currently encountered. Both result in larger and heavier foundations. Hence, it is expected that soon monopiles need to be installed that are larger than 100 meters, possibly 120 meters or larger. The weight of such monopiles may be larger than 1000mt, possibly 1300mt or above.
To save time during the installation process, the use of floating vessels is preferred over jack-up type vessels. Such floating vessels typically include a lifting crane to suspend the monopile from and a pile gripper to engage with the monopile, wherein the lifting crane and the pile gripper cooperate to lower the monopile into the sea using, amongst others, a pile gripper positioning system. Generally, the vessels further include a dynamic positioning system to position the vessel during the lowering of the monopile.
When the dynamic positioning system and the pile gripper positioning system function independently from each other, stability issues may arise in which the dynamic positioning system becomes unstable,
To solve these and other issues, it has been proposed in international patent publication
WO02020/145825 to interconnect control systems of different actuators of the vessel, such as for example the dynamic positioning system and the pile gripper positioning system. One of the disclosed interconnections is to use an instruction for motive action,
i.e. a signal directly or indirectly sent to an actuator by the pile gripper positioning system, to determine a force intended to be applied to the vessel, to subsequently determine a compensation action, and to control the dynamic positioning system to apply the compensation action. This is also known as feedforward control.
However, it has been found by the applicant that this type of feedforward control is insufficient to provide stability in all desired operating situations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION in view of the above it is an object of the invention to improve stability of a monopile installation method using a floating vessel with dynamic positioning system and pile gripper positioning system.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a dynamic positioning system for a vessel, wherein the vessel comprises a lifting crane for lifting a monopile and a pile gripper for engaging with a monopile, said lifting crane and pile gripper being configured to cooperate in lowering the monopile into a sea, wherein the dynamic positioning system comprises: - an actuator system for applying forces to the vessel to position the vessel, - a measurement system for measuring a position of the vessel, - a dynamic positioning control unit for driving the actuator system in dependency of a desired position and an actual position of the vessel as measured by the measurement system, wherein the dynamic positioning control unit is configured to receive a signal representative for a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel, and wherein the dynamic positioning control unit is configured to use a portion of said signal as a feedforward signal to drive the actuator system.
The invention is based on the insight that an obvious improvement over W02020/145825 by using the actual force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel instead of the desired force to be exerted by the pile gripper is insufficient to improve stability in all circumstances, but that by using a portion of the actual force exerted by the pile gripper as feedforward signal does improve stability.
It is noted explicitly here that the position of the vessel may alternatively or additionally refer to a position of a part of the vessel and/or an orientation of the vessel or part thereof.
It is further noted explicitly that the use of a portion of the signal representative for a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel means that at least a non-zero portion of the signals ignored or discarded either by multiplication with a factor smaller than 1 or by subtraction of a non-zero value.
In an embodiment, a ratio between the used portion of the signal as feedforward signal and the received full signal is between 0.4 to 0.9, preferably between 0.5 and 0.7, e.g. 0.6.
The monopile installation method may include a plurality of phases, including but not limited to: - a suspension phase, in which the monopile is suspended from the lifting crane above water level and engaged by the pile gripper, - a lowering phase, in which the monopile is suspended from the lifting crane and engaged by the pile gripper, and a lower end of the monopile is in the water, but above the seabed, - a seabed penetration phase, in which the monopile is suspended from the lifting crane and engaged by the pile gripper, and a lower end of the monopile has penetrated the seabed, - a driving phase, in which the monopile is engaged by the pile gripper and driven into the seabed using a hammer or the like.
In an embodiment, the ratio between the used portion of the signal as feedforward signal and the received full signal or the to be subtracted non-zero value is dependent on the phase of the monopile installation method.
In an embodiment, the use of only a portion of the signal representative for a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel, e.g. a ratio below 1 or the to be subtracted non- zero value, is applied only during the lowering phase and/or the seabed penetration phase.
In an embodiment, the ratio between the used portion of the signal as feedforward signal and the received full signal or the to be subtracted non-zero value is dependent on one or more of the following parameters: - a weight of the monopile, - a length of the monopile, - an inclination of the monopile relative to the vertical, - a length of hoisting wire between lifting crane and monopile, - an orientation of the hoisting wire between lifting crane and monopile, - a length of monopile below the pile gripper, - alength of monopile above the pile gripper, - a length of monopile between the pile gripper and sea bottom, - a ratio between a length of monopile below the pile gripper and a length of monopile above the pile gripper, - aratio between a length of monopile above the pile gripper and a length of monopile between the pile gripper and sea bottom, - a position of a center of gravity of the monopile, and - a tension in the hoisting wire between lifting crane and monopile.
In an embodiment, the ratio between the used portion of the signal as feedforward signal and the received full signal is dependent on a length of the monopile below the pile gripper or a length of the monopile between the pile gripper and sea bottom, and on a length of the monopile above the pile gripper. In an embodiment, this dependency may only apply during the seabed penetration phase.
In an embodiment, during the seabed penetration phase, the dynamic positioning system is configured to determine a ratio a between the used portion of the signal as feedforward signal and the received full signal using the following equation:
a=a/{a+b) with a being the length of the monopile above the pile gripper, and b being the length of the monopile below the pile gripper or being the length of the monopile between the pile gripper and the sea bottom. 5
In an embodiment, the dynamic positioning system is configured to receive input allowing to determine parameters a and b. This input may include one or more of the following information: - a measurement signal representative for parameter a, - a measurement signal representative for parameter b, - a total length of the monopile handled, - a measurement signal representative for a (vertical) position of a hoisting hook from which the monopile is suspended, and - a(n) (average) water depth.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a pile gripper positioning system for a pile gripper that is configured to be provided on a vessel to engage with a monopile suspended by a lifting crane of the vessel, wherein the pile gripper positioning system comprises: - an actuator system for applying forces to the pile gripper to position the pile gripper relative to the vessel, - a measurement system for determining a position of the monopile in the pile gripper, - a pile gripper control unit for driving the actuator system in dependency of a desired position and an actual position of the monopile as measured by the measurement system, wherein the measurement system is further configured to determine a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel, and wherein the pile gripper control unit is configured to output a signal that is representative for a portion of the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel as measured by the measurement system.
It is noted explicitly here that the position of the pile gripper may alternatively or additionally refer to a position of a part of the pile gripper and/or an orientation of the pile gripper or part thereof. Further, the position of the monopile in the pile gripper may alternatively or additionally refer to a position of a part of the monopile and/or an orientation of the monopile or a part thereof. it is further noted explicitly that outputting a portion of the signal representative for a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel means that at least a non-zero portion of said signal is ignored or discarded either by multiplication with a factor smaller than 1 or by subtraction of a non-zero value.
In an embodiment, a ratio between the outputted signal and a signal representative for the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel as measured by the measurement system is between 0.4 to 0.9, preferably between 0.5 and 0.7, e.g. 0.6.
In an embodiment, the ratio between the outputted signal and a signal representative for the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel as measured by the measurement system or the to be subtracted non-zero value is dependent on the phase of the monopile installation method as described above for the first aspect of the invention.
In an embodiment, outputting only a portion of a signal representative for the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel as measured by the measurement system, e.g. a ratio below 1 or the to be subtracted non-zero value, is applied only during the lowering phase and/or the seabed penetration phase.
In an embodiment, the ratio between the outputted signal and a signal representative for the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel as measured by the measurement system or the to be subtracted non-zero value is dependent on one or more of the following parameters: - a weight of the monopile, - alength of the monopile, - an inclination of the monopile relative to the vertical,
- a length of hoisting wire between lifting crane and monopile, - an orientation of the hoisting wire between lifting crane and monopile, - a length of monopile below the pile gripper, - alength of monopile above the pile gripper, - a length of monopile between the pile gripper and sea bottom, - aratio between a length of monopile below the pile gripper and the length of monopile above the pile gripper, - aratio between a length of monopile above the pile gripper and a length of monopile between the pile gripper and sea bottom, - a position of a center of gravity of the monopile, and - a tension in the hoisting wire between lifting crane and monopile.
In an embodiment, the ratio between the outputted signal and a signal representative for the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel as measured by the measurement system or the to be subtracted non-zero value is dependent on a length of the monopile below the pile gripper or a length of the monopile between the pile gripper and sea bottom, and on a length of the monopile above the pile gripper. In an embodiment, this dependency may only apply during the seabed penetration phase.
In an embodiment, during the seabed penetration phase, the dynamic positioning system is configured to determine a ratio a between the outputted signal and a signal representative for the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel as measured by the measurement system using the following equation: a=a/{a+b) with a being the length of the monopile above the pile gripper, and b being the length of the monopile below the pile gripper or being the length of the monopile between the pile gripper and the sea bottom.
In an embodiment, the dynamic positioning system is configured to receive input allowing to determine parameters a and b. This input may include one or more of the following information: - a measurement signal representative for parameter a,
- a measurement signal representative for parameter b, - a total length of the monopile handled, - a measurement signal representative for a (vertical) position of a hoisting hook from which the monopile is suspended, and - a(n) (average) water depth.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a vessel to install monopiles, comprising: - ahull, - a lifting crane provided on said hull for suspending a monopile therefrom, - a pile gripper for engaging a monopile, - a dynamic positioning system for positioning the vessel, - a pile gripper positioning system for positioning a monopile with the pile gripper, wherein the pile gripper positioning system is configured to determine a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel, wherein the vessel is configured to use a portion of the determined force as feedforward signal to the dynamic positioning system to position the vessel.
It is noted explicitly here that the position of the vessel may alternatively or additionally refer to a position of a part of the vessel and/or an orientation of the vessel or part thereof. Further, the position of the monopile may alternatively or additionally refer to a position of a part of the monopile and/or an orientation of the monopile or part thereof.
In an embodiment, the pile gripper positioning system is configured to provide a signal to the dynamic positioning system that is representative for the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel, and the dynamic positioning system is a dynamic positioning system according to a first aspect of the invention.
In an embodiment, the pile gripper positioning system is a pile gripper positioning system according to the second aspect of the invention, and the pile gripper positioning system provides a signal to the dynamic positioning system that is representative for a portion of the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel as determined by the pile gripper positioning system.
In an embodiment, the vessel comprises an overall control unit, wherein the pile gripper positioning system is configured to provide a signal to an overall control unit that is representative for the force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel, and wherein the overall control unit is configured to use a portion of the signal received from the pile gripper positioning system to determine a feedforward signal to be provided to the dynamic positioning system by the overall control unit. it is noted explicitly that the use of a portion of the signal representative for a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel means that the overall control unit is configured to ignore or discard at least a non-zero portion of the signal either by multiplication with a factor smaller than 1 or by subtraction of a non-zero value,
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method to install monopiles, wherein use is made of a vessel comprising a dynamic positioning system to position the vessel, a lifting crane to suspend monopiles therefrom, and a pile gripper to engage with the monopile during lowering thereof, and wherein the method comprises the following steps: a. lowering a monopile towards or into a seabed while engaging the monopile with the pile gripper, b. determining a force exerted by the pile gripper to the vessel during lowering, and
Cc. using a portion of said determined force as feedforward signal to the dynamic positioning system to position the vessel.
In an embodiment, the method is carried out when the monopile is suspended by the lifting crane. itis explicitly mentioned here that embodiments and/or features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may readily be applied in other aspects of the invention where appropriate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in a non-limiting way by reference to the accompanying drawings in which like parts are indicated by like reference symbols, and in which:
Fig. 1 schematically depicts a vessel according to an embodiment of the invention,
Fig. 2 schematically depicts a portion of the vessel of Fig. 1 during upending of a monopile,
Fig.3 schematically depicts a control scheme of a vessel according to an embodiment of the invention,
Fig. 4 schematically depicts a control scheme of a vessel according to another embodiment of the invention,
Fig. 5 schematically depicts a control scheme of a vessel according to a further embodiment of the invention, and
Fig. 6 schematically depicts a monopile during a seabed penetration phase of a monopile installation method.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figs. 1 and 2 schematically depict a vessel 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. The vessel 200 comprises a deck 201. The deck 201 provides sufficient space to store, in this case, five monopiles 202 in a horizontal orientation. The monopiles 202 are stored such that their longitudinal axes are parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vessel 200.
In this embodiment, the vessel 200 is a monohull vessel, but alternatively, the vessel could be a semi-submersible.
At a stern of the vessel 200 is provided a lifting crane 203. The lifting crane 203 is arranged in a center of the deck 201 seen in transverse direction of the vessel 200 to be aligned with a center of gravity of the vessel 200. On one side of lifting crane a pile gripper 1 is arranged, and on an opposite side of the lifting crane 203, a pile driving mechanism 205, alternatively referred to as a pile hammer, is arranged at a corresponding storage location.
When the vessel 200 has sailed to an offshore installation site where a monopile 202 needs to be installed into the sea bottom, a monopile 202 is positioned in a pile holder 50 of the pile gripper 1. The pile holder 50 is in this embodiment pivotable between a vertical orientation, in which it can receive a monopile in a horizontal orientation, and a horizontal orientation as shown in Fig. 1, in which it is able to guide the lowering of the monopile into the sea towards or into the sea bottom. In this embodiment, the monopile is positioned in the pile holder 50 of the pile gripper 1 while the pile holder 50 is in the vertical position.
Arms 57, 58 of the pile holder 50 are moveable between an open position to allow a monopile 202 to pass the arms 57, 58, and thus to receive the monopile, and a closed position in which the pile holder 50 (and thus the pile gripper 1) engages with the monopile 202 to limit movement in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the monopile 202.
The pile holder 50 may be provided with a pile support 77 configured to engage with a lower end of the monopile 202. The monopile 202 can be brought into engagement by first bringing the pile support 77 into a desired position and subsequently translating the monopile along its longitudinal axis until the lower end of the monopile engages with the pile support 77. The pile support 77 is used to limit movement of the monopile 202 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the monopile 202, which is advantageous during upending of the monopile 202.
An upper end of the monopile 202 is then lifted using the lifting crane 203 with the lower side of the monopile 202 in the pile holder 50 thereby rotating the monopile 202 from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation. Fig. 2 shows the monopile in an intermediate oblique orientation between the horizontal orientation and the vertical orientation.
After rotating, the pile holder 50 is in the horizontal position, which may alternatively be referred to as lowering position, and the monopile 202 is located outside the contour of the vessel 202, i.e. overboard, seen from above to be lowered into the water as can be seen in Fig. 1.
Before lowering the monopile 202 into the water, the lower end of the monopile 202 needs to be disengaged from the pile support 77. The monopile 202 is in that case lifted first using the lifting crane 203 after which the pile support 77 can be moved out of the way. The monopile 202 can then be lowered into the water.
During the above operations, the vessel 200 is in floating condition, and the pile holder 50 is compensated for wave-induced motion of the vessel 200 to maintain a predetermined
X-Y location independent of the wave-induced motion of the vessel 200 by operating a pile gripper positioning system of the pile gripper 1 in wave-induced motion compensation mode, which will be explained below in more detail by reference to the
Figs. 3-6.
To allow the pile gripper 1 to maintain a predetermined X-Y location, the vessel 200 must maintain its position within the working boundaries of the pile gripper 1. The vessel 200 is therefore provided with a dynamic positioning system to position the vessel 200, including maintaining or adjusting a position or orientation of the vessel 200. The dynamic positioning system includes an actuator system including for instance a multitude of thrusting modules 220 for applying forces to the vessel 200, preferably allowing to at least translate the vessel 200 in a horizontal X-Y plane and to rotate the vessel 200 about a Z-axis.
When the monopile 202 is lowered into the water and suspended from the lifting crane 203, the lifting crane 203 may be operated in wave-induced motion compensation mode so that the monopile 202 is compensated for wave-induced motion of the vessel 200 to maintain a predetermined Z location independent of the wave=induced motion of the vessel 200. This may also be referred to as heave compensation.
To lift the upper end of the monopile 202 to rotate the monopile 202 from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation, the lifting crane 203 may be provided with a pile clamping device 210 comprising a clamping part 211 to clamp the upper end of the monopile 202 and a connecting part 212 allowing to connect the pile clamping device to a load connector 213 of the lifting crane 203. The connecting part 212 is able to rotate freely relative to the clamping part 211 during lifting of the upper end, i.e. during rotating of the monopile 202.
Fig. 3 schematically depicts a control scheme of a vessel 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. The control scheme of Fig. 3 may be used to control the vessel 200 of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 schematically depicts the vessel 200 and a dynamic positioning system 100 to position the vessel 200, and a pile gripper 1 with a pile gripper positioning system 150 to position a monopile with the pile gripper 1. Although the pile gripper 1 is shown as being part of the pile gripper positioning system 150, it is explicitly mentioned here that the pile gripper 1 is not part of the pile gripper positioning system 150. The pile gripper 1 includes the constructive elements, the pile gripper positioning system 150 includes all other components configured to position the constructive elements of the pile gripper 1.
The dynamic positioning system 100 includes an actuator system 220 for applying forces
F: to the vessel 200 to position the vessel 200. The dynamic positioning system 100 further includes a measurement system 105 to measure a position of the vessel 200, and a dynamic positioning control unit 110 for driving the actuator system 220 in dependency of a desired position 111 and an actual position 112 as measured by the measurement system 105.
The pile gripper positioning system 150 comprises an actuator system 170 for applying forces F2 to the pile gripper 1 to position the pile gripper 1 relative to the vessel 200. The pile gripper positioning system 150 further comprises a measurement system 155 for determining a position of the monopile in the pile gripper 1, and a pile gripper control unit 160 for driving the actuator system 170 in dependency of a desired position 161 and an actual position 162 of the monopile as measured by the measurement system 155.
The measurement system 155 is further configured to determine a force F3 exerted by the pile gripper 1 to the vessel 200. The pile gripper positioning system 150 is further configured to output a signal representative for the measured force F3 and provide the signal to the dynamic positioning system 100.
The dynamic positioning system 100 is configured to only use a portion of the signal provided by the pile gripper positioning system 150 as a feedforward signal to the dynamic positioning control unit 110, in this embodiment by applying a factor a to the received signal, which factor a<1. Alternatively, a non-zero value can be subtracted from the received signal.
Fig. 4 schematically depicts a control scheme of a vessel 200 according to another embodiment of the invention. The control scheme of Fig. 4 may be used to control the vessel 200 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 schematically depicts the vessel 200 and a dynamic positioning system 100 to position the vessel 200, and a pile gripper 1 with a pile gripper positioning system 150 to position a monopile with the pile gripper 1. Although the pile gripper 1 is shown as being part of the pile gripper positioning system 150, it is explicitly mentioned here that the pile gripper 1 is not part of the pile gripper positioning system 150. The pile gripper 1 includes the constructive elements, the pile gripper positioning system 150 includes all other components configured to position the constructive elements of the pile gripper 1.
The dynamic positioning system 100 includes an actuator system 220 for applying forces
F1 to the vessel 200 to position the vessel 200. The dynamic positioning system 100 further includes a measurement system 105 to measure a position of the vessel 200, and a dynamic positioning control unit 110 for driving the actuator system 220 in dependency of a desired position 111 and an actual position 112 as measured by the measurement system 105.
The pile gripper positioning system 150 comprises an actuator system 170 for applying forces F: to the pile gripper 1 to position the pile gripper 1 relative to the vessel 200. The pile gripper positioning system 150 further comprises a measurement system 155 for determining a position of the monopile in the pile gripper 1, and a pile gripper control unit 160 for driving the actuator system 170 in dependency of a desired position 161 and an actual position 162 of the monopile as measured by the measurement system 155,
The measurement system 155 is further configured to determine a force F3 exerted by the pile gripper 1 to the vessel 200. The pile gripper positioning system 150 is further configured to output a signal representative for a portion of the measured force F3, in this embodiment by applying a factor a to the measured signal, which factor a<1, and provide this reduced signal to the dynamic positioning system 100. Alternatively, a non- zero value can be subtracted from the measured signal to obtain a reduced signal.
The dynamic positioning system 100 is configured to use the reduced signal provided by the pile gripper positioning system 150 as a feedforward signal to the dynamic positioning control unit 110.
Fig. 5 schematically depicts a control scheme of a vessel 200 according to a further embodiment of the invention. The control scheme of Fig. 5 may be used to control the vessel 200 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 schematically depicts the vessel 200 and a dynamic positioning system 100 to position the vessel 200, and a pile gripper 1 with a pile gripper positioning system 150 to position a monopile with the pile gripper 1. Although the pile gripper 1 is shown as being part of the pile gripper positioning system 150, it is explicitly mentioned here that the pile gripper 1 is not part of the pile gripper positioning system 150. The pile gripper 1 includes the constructive elements, the pile gripper positioning system 150 includes all other components configured to position the constructive elements of the pile gripper 1.
The dynamic positioning system 100 includes an actuator system 220 for applying forces
F1 to the vessel 200 to position the vessel 200. The dynamic positioning system 100 further includes a measurement system 105 to measure a position of the vessel 200, and a dynamic positioning control unit 110 for driving the actuator system 220 in dependency of input signal 111 and an actual position 112 as measured by the measurement system 105.
The pile gripper positioning system 150 comprises an actuator system 170 for applying forces F2 to the pile gripper 1 to position the pile gripper 1 relative to the vessel 200. The pile gripper positioning system 150 further comprises a measurement system 155 for determining a position of the monopile in the pile gripper 1, and a pile gripper control unit 160 for driving the actuator system 170 in dependency of an input signal 161 and an actual position 162 of the monopile as measured by the measurement system 155.
The input signals 111 and 161 are provided to the dynamic positioning control unit 110 and the pile gripper control unit 160, respectively, by an overall control unit 180. The overall control unit 180 is configured to receive one or more inputs and in dependency of these one or more inputs output the signals 111 and 161 allowing to use information from different systems in driving of the dynamic positioning system 100 and the pile gripper positioning system 150. Two examples of the one or more inputs to the overall control unit 180 are given, namely, a user input 181 and a measurement signal from the measurement system 155.
The measurement system 155 is further configured to determine a force F3 exerted by the pile gripper 1 to the vessel 200. The signal provided to the overall control unit is thus representative of the force F3. The overall control unit only uses a portion of this signal, determines a corresponding drive signal in unit 190, possibly combines the drive signal with other signals to determine input signal 111 to be provided to the dynamic positioning control unit 110. In this way, a portion of the force F3 can be used as a feedforward signal to drive the dynamic position system 100. Alternatively, the drive signal used as feedforward signal is provided as a separate input from the overall control unit 180 to the dynamic positioning control unit 110 next to the input signal 111. This may make it easier to use the separate inputs differently.
To only use a portion of the determined force F3, a factor a is applied to the by the overall control unit received signal, which factor a<1. Alternatively, a non-zero value can be subtracted from the received signal.
By reference to the Figs. 1-5, a portion of a monopile installation method has already been described. In more detail, a monopile installation method may include a plurality of phases, including but not limited to: - a suspension phase, in which the monopile is suspended from a lifting crane above water level and engaged by the pile gripper as for instance shown in Fig, 2 after completely rotating to the vertical orientation of the monopile, - a lowering phase, in which the monopile is suspended from the lifting crane and engaged by the pile gripper, and a lower end of the monopile is in the water, but above the seabed, alternatively referred to as sea bottom throughout this specification, - a seabed penetration phase, in which the monopile is suspended from the lifting crane and engaged by the pile gripper, and a lower end of the monopile has penetrated the seabed, and - a driving phase, in which the monopile is engaged by the pile gripper and driven into the seabed using a hammer or the like.
Fig. 6 schematically depicts a monopile 202 during a seabed penetration phase of a monopile installation method. The monopile 202 is suspended from a lifting crane using a pile clamping device 210 comprising a clamping part 211 to clamp an upper end of the monopile 202 and a connecting part 212 allowing to connect the pile clamping device 210 to a load connector of the lifting crane. The connecting part 212 is able to rotate freely relative to the clamping part 211 about a rotation axis 251 thereby providing a suspension point. Alternatively, the clamping device 210 may only include a clamping part 211 that is configured to be connected directly to the load connector of the lifting crane thereby providing a suspension point 251 that allows some rotation of the clamping part
211 relative to the load connector. The connecting part 212 may then be the hoisting cable and load connector referred to using reference symbol 250 to clearly distinguish the two alternative suspension types.
During the seabed penetration phase, a lower end of the monopile 202 has penetrated a seabed SB, and the monopile 202 is engaged by a pile gripper for applying a force Fc to the monopile using a pile gripper positioning system as for instance described above.
Different parameters can be defined: a for a length of monopile above the pile gripper, a’ for a distance between pile gripper and suspension point, b for a length of monopile below the pile gripper, and b’ for a length of monopile between pile gripper and seabed.
The ratios o described above in relation to the Figs. 3-5 may be determined during the seabed penetration phase using the following equation: a=a/{a+b)
In an embodiment, a may be replaced by a’ and/or b may be replaced by b’. When a (or 2’) is between b (or b’) and 1.5 times b {or b’) during the seabed penetration phase, a will be in between 0.5 and 0.6.

Claims (10)

CONCLUSIESCONCLUSIONS 1. Een dynamisch positioneersysteem voor een vaartuig, waarbij het vaartuig een hijskraan omvat voor het hijsen van een monopile en een paalgrijper om te koppelen met een monopile, waarbij de hijskraan en de paalgrijper zijn ingericht om samen te werken in het neerlaten van de monopile in de zee, waarbij het dynamische positioneersysteem omvat: - een actuatorsysteem voor het aanbrengen van krachten op het vaartuig om het vaartuig te positioneren, - een meetsysteem voor het meten van een positie van het vaartuig, - een dynamisch positioneerregeleenheid voor het aandrijven van het actuatorsysteem in afhankelijkheid van een gewenste positie en een werkelijke positie van het vaartuig zoals gemeten door het meetsysteem, waarbij het dynamische positioneersysteem is ingericht voor het ontvangen van een signaal representatief voor een kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig, en waarbij het dynamische positioneersysteem is ingericht om enkel een deel van het signaal te gebruiken als een feedforward signaal om het actuatorsysteem aan te drijven.1. A dynamic positioning system for a vessel, wherein the vessel comprises a crane for hoisting a monopile and a pile grab for coupling to a monopile, wherein the crane and the pile grab are adapted to cooperate in lowering the monopile into the sea, wherein the dynamic positioning system comprises: - an actuator system for applying forces to the vessel to position the vessel, - a measuring system for measuring a position of the vessel, - a dynamic positioning control unit for driving the actuator system in dependence on a desired position and an actual position of the vessel as measured by the measuring system, wherein the dynamic positioning system is adapted to receive a signal representative of a force exerted by the pile grab on the vessel, and wherein the dynamic positioning system is adapted to only use part of the signal as a feedforward signal to drive the actuator system. 2. Een dynamisch positioneersysteem volgens conclusie 1, waarbij een verhouding tussen het gebruikte deel van het signaal als feedforward signaal en het ontvangen volledige signaal tussen de 0.4 en 0.9 zit.2. A dynamic positioning system according to claim 1, wherein a ratio between the part of the signal used as a feedforward signal and the received full signal is between 0.4 and 0.9. 3. Een paalgrijper positioneersysteem voor een paalgrijper die is ingericht om te worden verschaft op een vaartuig om te koppelen met een monopile hangend aan een hijskraan van het vaartuig, waarbij het paalgrijper positioneersysteem omvat: - een actuatorsysteem voor het aanbrengen van krachten op de paalgrijper voor het positioneren van de paalgrijper ten opzichte van het vaartuig, - een meetsysteem voor het bepalen van een positie van de monopile in de paalgrijper, - een paalgrijperregeleenheid voor het aandrijven van het actuatorsysteem in afhankelijkheid van een gewenste positie en een werkelijke positie van de monopile zoals gemeten door het meetsysteem,3. A pile grab positioning system for a pile grab that is adapted to be provided on a vessel for coupling to a monopile hanging from a crane of the vessel, wherein the pile grab positioning system comprises: - an actuator system for applying forces to the pile grab for positioning the pile grab relative to the vessel, - a measuring system for determining a position of the monopile in the pile grab, - a pile grab control unit for driving the actuator system in dependence on a desired position and an actual position of the monopile such as measured by the measuring system, waarbij het meetsysteem verder is ingericht voor het bepalen van een kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig, en waarbij de paalgrijperregeleenheid is ingericht om een signaal uit te voeren dat representatief is voor een deel van de kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig zoals gemeten door het meetsysteem.wherein the measuring system is further arranged to determine a force exerted by the pile gripper on the vessel, and wherein the pile gripper control unit is arranged to output a signal that is representative of a portion of the force exerted by the pile gripper on the vessel as measured by the measuring system. 4. Een paalgrijper positioneersysteem volgens conclusie 3, waarbij een verhouding tussen het uitgevoerde signaal en een signaal representatief voor de volledige kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig tussen de 0.4 en 0.9 zit.A pile grab positioning system according to claim 3, wherein a ratio between the output signal and a signal representative of the full force exerted by the pile grab on the vessel is between 0.4 and 0.9. 5. Een vaartuig voor het instaleren van monopiles, omvattende: - eenromp, - een hijskraan verschaft op de romp voor het daaraan hangen van een monopile, - een paalgrijper om te koppelen met een monopile, - een dynamisch positioneersysteem voor het positioneren van het vaartuig, - een paalgrijper positioneersysteem voor het positioneren van een monopile met de paalgrijper, waarbij het paalgrijper positioneersysteem is ingericht om een kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig te bepalen, waarbij het vaartuig is ingericht om een deel van de bepaalde kracht te gebruiken als feedforward signaal aan het dynamisch positioneersysteem om het vaartuig te positioneren.5. A vessel for installing monopiles, comprising: - a hull, - a crane provided on the hull for hanging a monopile therefrom, - a pile grab for coupling to a monopile, - a dynamic positioning system for positioning the vessel - a pile grab positioning system for positioning a monopile with the pile grab, wherein the pile grab positioning system is designed to determine a force exerted by the pile grab on the vessel, wherein the vessel is designed to use part of the determined force as feedforward signal to the dynamic positioning system to position the vessel. 6. Een vaartuig volgens conclusie 5, waarbij het paalgrijper positioneersysteem is ingericht om een signaal te verschaffen aan het dynamische positioneersysteem dat representatief is voor de kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig, en het dynamische positioneersysteem een dynamisch positioneersysteem volgens een van de conclusies 1 t/m 2 is.A vessel according to claim 5, wherein the pole gripper positioning system is arranged to provide a signal to the dynamic positioning system that is representative of the force exerted by the pole gripper on the vessel, and the dynamic positioning system is a dynamic positioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 2. 7. Een vaartuig volgens conclusie 5, waarbij het paalgrijper positioneersysteem een paalgrijper positioneersysteem volgens een van de conclusies 3 t/m 4 is, en het paalgrijper positioneersysteem een signaal verschaft aan het dynamische positioneersysteem dat representatief is voor een deel van de kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig.A vessel according to claim 5, wherein the pile grip positioning system is a pile grip positioning system according to any one of claims 3 to 4, and the pile grip positioning system provides a signal to the dynamic positioning system that is representative of part of the force exerted by the pole grab on the vessel. 8. Een vaartuig volgens conclusie 5, waarbij het vaartuig een algemene regeleenheid omvat, waarbij het paalgrijper positioneersysteem is ingericht om een signaal te verschaffen aan de algemene regeleenheid dat representatief is voor de kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig, en waarbij de algemene regeleenheid is ingericht voor het gebruiken van een deel van het signaal ontvangen van het paalgrijper positioneersysteem om een feedforward signaal te bepalen om te worden verschaft aan het dynamische positioneersysteem door de algemene regeleenheid.8. A vessel according to claim 5, wherein the vessel comprises a general control unit, wherein the pole gripper positioning system is arranged to provide a signal to the general control unit representative of the force exerted by the pole gripper on the vessel, and wherein the general control unit is adapted to use a portion of the signal received from the pole grab positioning system to determine a feedforward signal to be provided to the dynamic positioning system by the general control unit. 9. Een werkwijze voor het instaleren van monopiles, waarbij gebruik wordt gemaakt van een vaartuig omvattende een dynamisch positioneersysteem voor het vasthouden of instellen van een positie of oriëntatie van het vaartuig, een hijskraan voor het daaraan hangen van monopiles, en een paalgrijper om te koppelen met de monopile tijdens het neerlaten daarvan, en waarbij de werkwijze de volgende stappen omvat:9. A method for installing monopiles, using a vessel comprising a dynamic positioning system for maintaining or adjusting a position or orientation of the vessel, a crane for suspending monopiles therefrom, and a pile grab for coupling with the monopile during its lowering, and wherein the method comprises the following steps: a. het neerlaten van een monopile richting of in een zeebodem terwijl de paalgrijper gekoppeld is met de monopile,a. lowering a monopile towards or into a seabed while the pile grab is coupled to the monopile, b. het bepalen van een kracht uitgeoefend door de paalgrijper op het vaartuig tijdens het neerlaten, en c. het gebruiken van een deel van de bepaalde kracht als feedforward signaal naar het dynamische positioneersysteem om het vaartuig te positioneren.b. determining a force exerted by the pole grab on the vessel during lowering, and c. using part of the determined force as a feedforward signal to the dynamic positioning system to position the vessel. 10. Een werkwijze volgens conclusie 9, waarbij de werkwijze wordt uitgevoerd wanneer de monopile hangt aan de hijskraan.A method according to claim 9, wherein the method is carried out when the monopile is hanging from the crane.
NL2031836A 2022-05-11 2022-05-11 Dynamic positioning system for a vessel, pile gripper positioning system, monopile installation vessel, and corresponding methods NL2031836B1 (en)

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Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2011083021A2 (en) * 2010-01-07 2011-07-14 Vestas Wind Systems A/S Method of erecting a floating off-shore wind turbine and a floating off-shore wind turbine
WO2020145825A1 (en) 2019-01-10 2020-07-16 Baggermaatschappij Boskalis B.V. Supervisory control arrangement for a vessel

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2011083021A2 (en) * 2010-01-07 2011-07-14 Vestas Wind Systems A/S Method of erecting a floating off-shore wind turbine and a floating off-shore wind turbine
WO2020145825A1 (en) 2019-01-10 2020-07-16 Baggermaatschappij Boskalis B.V. Supervisory control arrangement for a vessel

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