Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03D—WIND MOTORS
  • F03D13/00—Assembly, mounting or commissioning of wind motors; Arrangements specially adapted for transporting wind motor components
  • F03D13/20—Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors
  • F03D13/22—Foundations specially adapted for wind motors
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B77/00—Transporting or installing offshore structures on site using buoyancy forces, e.g. using semi-submersible barges, ballasting the structure or transporting of oil-and-gas platforms
  • B63B77/10—Transporting or installing offshore structures on site using buoyancy forces, e.g. using semi-submersible barges, ballasting the structure or transporting of oil-and-gas platforms specially adapted for electric power plants, e.g. wind turbines or tidal turbine generators
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03D—WIND MOTORS
  • F03D13/00—Assembly, mounting or commissioning of wind motors; Arrangements specially adapted for transporting wind motor components
  • F03D13/40—Arrangements or methods specially adapted for transporting wind motor components
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
  • F05B2240/00—Components
  • F05B2240/90—Mounting on supporting structures or systems
  • F05B2240/95—Mounting on supporting structures or systems offshore
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/70—Wind energy
  • Y02E10/72—Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/70—Wind energy
  • Y02E10/727—Offshore wind turbines

Definitions

• the present invention is related to a device for lifting, transporting, positioning and installing at least one marine structure, in particular one or more windmills, by means of a ballastable lifting vessel comprising a lower pontoon foundation with longitudinal pontoons and a transversal pontoon, a number of columns which are connected to the pontoon foundation and which extend up- wards, ie. towards and through the water surface, in that the device comprises at least one liftjng/handling structure arranged on the pontoon foundation and which can be inclined towards the vessel's docking area(s).
• the invention is also related to a method for lifting, transporting, positioning and installing at lest one marine structure, in particular one or more windmills, by means of a ballastable lifting vessel, comprising a lower pontoon structure with longitudinal pontoons and a transversal pontoon, a number of columns which are connected to the pontoon foundation and which extend upwards, ie. towards and through the water surface, in that the device comprises at least one lifting/supporting structure arranged on the pontoon foundation and which can be inclined towards the vessel's docking area(s).
• platforms In connection with offshore activities, such as oil and gas exploitation, it is usual to install platforms on the field. These platforms often consist of large and heavy platform sub-structures which are fixed to the seabed. Such a platform sub-structure is often a so-called 'jacket' which is a steel truss structure. On top of for example the jacket structure it is usual to place a platform deck, which is used in connection with drilling and production. The deck often also includes living quarters.
• Platforms have also been transported and installed offshore by using ballastable vessels. There are today a great number of platforms at sea, installed for exploiting oil and gas. When oil and/or gas reservoirs in a field are fully exploited, the oil platforms' life span is usually over, and in many cases it will be of interest to re- move the platform.
• the traditional way of removing a platform is to use large ocean-going crane vessels.
• the platform must be thoroughly prepared, and must be divided into pieces, since even large lifting vessels have limited lifting capacity. The same goes for the platforrn substructure (the jacket).
• One objective of the present invention is to be able to complete the removal of a platform in a quick and cost-effective manner without having to divide the deck, or alternatively the jacket, into pieces. Removal should also be carried out in a safe manner, where the safety of the operators is ensured in the best possible way.
• the lifting equipment shall be as flexible as possible, so that it can be adapted to platform decks of varying width. Further, it should be possible to use the equipment both to lift and handle jackets of different sizes.
• the device according to the present invention should be able to be used in connection with a vessel, a so-called Multi Pur- pose Unit (MPU), which can also transport for example the platform deck to land, for so to transfer the deck to a barge for sheltered waters, or alternatively, a pier suited to the vessel.
• MPU Multi Pur- pose Unit
• the lifting vessel shall also be able to be used for installing platforms, which roughly is the opposite of removal. Fur- thermore, the lifting vessel should be able to be used for a range of other purposes where large carrying capacity is required.
• a further objective with the vessel is that it shall be able to solve many different tasks.
• the vessel should be very flexible and permit different equipment to be installed to perform different tasks at sea.
• One objective in this respect is that the vessel shall be able to be used to transport and install, and eventually, remove whole windmills at sea.
• the windmills shall be mounted together, at a suitable quay or dock and transported 'complete' to the installation site at sea. This will reduce the cost and risk significantly compared to existing methods.
• the objectives described above are achieved according to the invention by a device for lifting, transporting, positioning and installing of at least one marine structure, in particular one or more windmills, with the help of a ballastable lifting vessel as mentioned in the introduction of the description.
• the lifting/supporting structure being in the form of a tilting device with an arm which can be connected to the marine structure and which can move and lock this in any desired position.
• the objectives are achieved by a method for lifting, transporting, positioning and installing of at least one marine structure, in particular one or more windmills, by means of a ballastable lifting vessel in accordance with the introduction of the description, and which is characterised by the following method's steps: a) the vessel is positioned around a windmill which is situated on the seabed, b) the vessel is ballasted down to the seabed, c) the vessel's lifting/supporting structure is attached to the windmill, and this is then lifted to the desired position, d) the vessel is deballasted whereby the windmill and transversal pontoon is raised to a desired position above water, e) the vessel is moved to the site where the windmill is to be placed, f) the vessel is ballasted down to the seabed, g) the windmill is lowered down to the seabed and the lifting/supporting structures are released, and h) the vessel is deballasted and removed.
• Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a lifting vessel which can be used in connection with the device according to the present invention
• Fig. 2 shows the device according to the present invention with a lifting/supporting structure
• Fig. 3 shows the lifting/supporting structure positioned around and attached to a marine structure which is in the form of a windmill
• Fig. 4 shows the device according to the invention in the form of a support frame
• Fig. 5 shows the support frame arranged with the marine structure
• Fig. 6 shows the device according to the invention as a first embodiment of a complete lifting/supporting structure positioned around and attached to the marine structure
• Fig. 7 shows a second embodiment of the complete lifting/supporting structure arranged around and attached to the marine structure
• Fig. 8 shows the device according to the present invention in the form of two support frames
• Fig. 9 shows the support frames from Fig. 8 arranged around and attached to the marine structure
• Fig. 10 shows the first embodiment of the device of the lifting/supporting structure arranged on the vessel as shown in Fig. 1 ,
• Fig. 11 shows the transporting of a windmill in connection with the vessel and the lifting/supporting structure in Fig. 10,
• Fig. 12 shows the transporting of a windmill in accordance with the lifting/supporting structure arrangement in Fig. 7,
• Fig. 13 shows a second embodiment of a lifting vessel which can be used together with the first embodiment arrangement of the lifting/supporting structure according to the present invention
• Fig. 14 shows the vessel in Fig. 13 arranged with the second embodiment arrangement of the lifting/supporting structure according to the present invention
• Fig. 15 shows the vessel in Figs. 13 and 14 comprising the ar- rangement according to the present invention during transport of two marine structures in the form of two windmills to be placed at sea.
• Fig. 1 shows a ballastable U-shaped vessel 1 which is protected by Norwegian Patent Application No. 1999 2759 which belongs to the applicant of the present application. It should be noted that the device according to the present invention can be used with other vessels and other equipment.
• the lifting vessel 1 (MPU) consists of a floating concrete hull with a U-shaped pontoon foundation 2 comprising two longitudinal pontoons 2a, 2b and a transversal pontoon 2c, and with columns 5 through the water surface for hydrostatic stability and optimal behaviour at sea.
• the columns 5 are not connected structurally to the top, which is made possible by a rigid and robust hull structure.
• a brim 3 along the lower edge of the pontoon further improves the vessel's behaviour at sea.
• the vessel 1 is specially developed for operations at sea.
• the U-shaped pontoon 2a, 2b, 2c further enables the vessel to position itself around a marine structure 20, for example, a windmill.
• the lifting is performed according to Archimedes' principle by ballasting/deballasting the vessel 1.
• the lifting is mainly performed vertically, but the vessel 1 can also be tilted somewhat to accommodate special lifting operations.
• Positioning of the vessel 1 is primarily considered performed by the vessel's own engine power.
• the vessel 1 is designed to be able to perform operations in oceans all over the world.
• the lifting vessel is based on the known U-shaped hull of the MPU mentioned above, but with new lifting equipment, which is specially adapted to windmills and similar structures.
• the vessel 1 can move/install/remove one windmill 20 at a time.
• the described vessel 1 is considerably smaller than a corresponding vessel which is used for lifting platform decks and substructures.
• the vessel 1 is also preferably made of steel instead of concrete which is used in connection with lifting platform decks and substructures. This is because weight is important when one should be able to enter very shallow water with cargo. It should otherwise be mentioned that choice of material and size are not important factors in connection with this patent application.
• the vessel 1 should be able to lift and transport a marine structure 20 to be installed/removed, in the most effective way possible. It is therefore necessary that the vessel 1 surrounds the structure/windmill 20, so that its weight is as central as possible in the vessel 1.
• Fig. 2 shows the device according to the invention in the form of a lifting/supporting structure 10 which comprises a tilting feature 11 consisting of a foundation 12 and a tilting arm 13 which balances on top of the foundation 12.
• the tilting arm 13 is connected at the one end to a lifting stay 14 which again is connected to the marine structure (the windmill) 20 to be handled.
• the tilting arm 13 is connected at the other end to hydraulic cylinders 15 for raising and lowering the tilting arm 13.
• a locking device 16 is arranged for locking the tilting arm 13 during transport.
• Fig. 3 shows the lifting/supporting structure 10 arranged around and attached to the windmill 20.
• Fig. 4 shows the lifting/supporting structure 10 as a steel truss construction 18.
• Fig. 5 shows the support structure 18 arranged to the windmill 20.
• Fig. 6 shows a first embodiment of the lifting/supporting structure 10 arranged around and attached to the windmill 20.
• Fig. 7 shows a second embodiment of the lifting/supporting structure 10 arranged around and attached to the windmill 20.
• Fig. 8 shows two support frames 18 in opposite positions.
• Fig. 9 shows the support frames 18 attached to the windmill 20.
• Fig. 10 shows the first embodiment arrangement of the lifting/ supporting structure 10 arranged on the vessel 1.
• Fig. 11 shows a windmill 20 being transported in the first embodi- ment of the lifting/supporting structure 10.
• Fig. 12 shows a windmill 20 being transported, where the second embodiment arrangement of the lifting/supporting structure 10 is arranged on the lifting vessel 1.
• Fig. 13 shows a second embodiment of a lifting vessel 1 which, by the way, is protected by the Applicant's patent Application No. 1999 2759, and which allows two windmills to be transported simultaneously.
• the first embodiment arrangement of the lifting/supporting structure 10 is placed around the lifting vessel's two dock areas respectively.
• Fig. 14 shows the vessel 1 from Fig. 13, only now arranged with the second embodiment arrangement of the lifting/supporting structure 10.
• Fig. 15 shows two windmills being transported by means of the H- shaped vessel from Figs. 13 and 14.
• the principle of the device according to the invention is that the lifting device grabs and lifts the marine structure's foundation and the support arrangement 18 supports the marine device 20 higher up. Lifting takes place by the tilting arm 13, which is controlled by hydraulics 15, and which can be locked in a lifted position.
• the purpose of the lifting is to raise the marine struc- ture 20 (the windmill foundation) out of the water and thereby reduce resistance in the water during transport.
• the vessels transversal pontoon 2c is raised so the vessel 1 floats like a catamaran during transportation.
• Speed is an important factor during transport.
• the vessel 1 is preferably self-propelled, with engine power dimensioned for the speeds required.
• the supporting frame 18 which supports the marine structure 20 higher up has two purposes; to support the marine structure 20 during transport, and to help during positioning around the windmill 20.
• the lifting/supporting structure 10 can be arranged in several different ways, as described above and depending on the marine structure 20 to be dealt with. With reference to Figs.
• a method for lifting, transporting, positioning and installing a windmill 20 by help of the U-shaped ballastable lifting vessel 1 with a device according to the invention which comprises a first embodiment arrangement of the lifting/supporting structure 10 mounted, will be explained in the form of the following main steps: a) the vessel 1 is placed around a windmill 20 which is positioned on the seabed, b) the vessel 1 is ballasted down to the seabed, c) the vessel's lifting/supporting structure is attached to the windmill 20, and this is lifted into the desired position, d) the vessel 1 is deballasted, whereby the windmill 20 and the transveral pontoon 2c are raised to a desired position over water, e) the vessel 1 is moved to the site where the windmill 20 is to be placed, f) the vessel 1 is ballasted down to the seabed, g) the windmill 20 is lowered down to the seabed and the lifting/ supporting structure 10 is released, h) the vessel 1 is deballasted and removed.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Sustainable Energy (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Wind Motors (AREA)
• Load-Engaging Elements For Cranes (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19913054

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (7)

Citations (5)

• 2001
  • 2001-11-21 NO NO20015693A patent/NO316696B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2002
  • 2002-11-21 WO PCT/NO2002/000433 patent/WO2003055741A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-11-21 AU AU2002364760A patent/AU2002364760A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (5)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events