WO2021260415A1

WO2021260415A1 - Support structure for transport and in-situ installation of marine energy capture modules

Info

Publication number: WO2021260415A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/055964
Authority: WO
Inventors: Olivier JUIN
Original assignee: Juin Olivier
Priority date: 2020-06-24
Filing date: 2020-06-24
Publication date: 2021-12-30
Also published as: EP4172489A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a support structure for transport and in-situ installation of marine energy capture modules, in particular at least one water turbine, comprising a network of water turbine frames, each integral with a housing (11, 15), a connection assembly (20) connecting at least two water turbine frames (10) and comprising at least, longitudinally and transversely, one connection (21, 23) for each of the two frames.

Description

STRUCTURE FOR TRANSPORTATION AND IN SITU INSTALLATION OF MARINE ENERGY CAPTURE MODULES

The present invention relates to a supporting structure for the transport and in situ installation of marine energy capture modules, comprising in particular at least one tidal turbine.

This method applies in particular, but not exclusively, to the movement and installation of marine energy capture modules and to the deposition by immersion on the underwater ground, as well as to the removal of these allowing maintenance. and the fairing.

In general, we know that marine energy capture modules, in particular tidal turbines, are transported, installed or removed individually either by porting to a ship or by towing a carrier barge; these operations are slow, perilous and, moreover, costly. These constraints are all the more important when the sailing conditions are difficult.

In addition, the installation of a tidal turbine requires for its stability to be either secured to a fixed structure such as a pylon installed by drilling or a mass built and placed on the seabed, or to constitute a ballasted entity. individually and massive.

Patent FR2949482 proposes a support foundation comprising a base, a tidal turbine support carried by the base and at least three support legs on the seabed and connected together by the base, each support leg comprising a box hollow and a member for adjusting the vertical position.

Patent FR3001742 proposes a tidal turbine frame comprising: a support for at least one tidal turbine, made at least partially in concrete, a ballast assembly configured to cooperate with the support so as to ensure the maintenance on the underwater ground of the frame of tidal turbine.

Patent FR3003310 proposes a supporting structure for a tidal turbine, of the tripod type, comprising a frame whose base is generally triangular in shape delimited by three peripheral elements, having ground connection means at each of its vertices, the supporting structure having an element. reception intended to receive a ventral part of a turbine, the reception element resting on an arm integral with the base, knowing that the reception element is connected to the base by three legs, and that the three peripheral elements and / or the arm and / or the three legs, have tubular shapes in which a ballasting and / or stiffening material is present.

These three proposals meet the constraints of submerging tidal turbine supports at the installation site, but do not respond to sea transport in an autonomous manner by simple towing.

We also know that the maintenance of marine energy capture modules periodically and systematically requires lifting and putting them out of the water for fairing operations specific to any equipment permanently submerged in sea water. This aspect is an essential axis for the these marine energy capture devices operate properly, but the very high cost of these operations repeated independently on each machine compromises operating profitability and the development of the tidal turbine sector.

The aim of the invention is therefore more particularly to eliminate these drawbacks.

It provides a supporting structure for the transport and in situ installation of marine energy capture modules, said marine energy capture modules comprising, for each tidal turbine, a frame associated with a support pivoting about a substantially vertical axis and / or substantially perpendicular to the ground, integral with a waterproof box made advantageously of concrete so as not to exclude a weighted steel construction, as well as a ballast assembly allowing the control of the flotation during transport, installation in situ then the maintaining or removing said tidal turbine frame on the ground.

un ensemble de liaison entre au moins deux châssis d’hydrolienne comportant pour chacun des deux châssis, une liaison extensible rigide ou semi-rigide longitudinale et une liaison extensible rigide ou semi-rigide transversale, situées dans le caisson étanche à proximité de l’ensemble de ballastage, lesdites liaisons extensibles rigides ou semi-rigides pouvant être solidarisées par des jonctions souples,
une configuration desdits châssis en réseau, lesquels châssis sont reliés par des liaisons extensibles rigides ou semi-rigides et associés entre eux ou à des caissons auxiliaires ballastables positionnés en interne au réseau et/ou à sa périphérie.

This supporting structure for transport and installation includes:

a connection assembly between at least two tidal turbine chassis comprising for each of the two chassis, a rigid or semi-rigid longitudinal extensible link and a transverse rigid or semi-rigid extensible link, located in the sealed box near the assembly ballasting, said rigid or semi-rigid extensible links being able to be secured by flexible joints,
a configuration of said frames in a network, which frames are connected by rigid or semi-rigid extensible links and associated with each other or with ballastable auxiliary boxes positioned internally to the network and / or at its periphery.

Thus, the structure of the tidal turbine chassis will first allow movement by towing to the installation site, then secondly, submersion on the seabed, and finally removal for maintenance and fairing; moreover, by virtue of its flexibility, the link assembly will allow during the movement phase the towing of several tidal turbine chassis in the presence of swell, then during the immersion phase, positioning on uneven underwater ground.

More precisely, the tidal turbine frame comprising a support pivoting about a substantially vertical axis, for at least one tidal turbine, will consist of a sealed box of parallelepipedal, trapezoidal or frustoconical shape, advantageously made of concrete, dimensioned to so that, on the one hand, it keeps said support floating for at least one tidal turbine, the center of gravity being as low as possible in order to contribute to its stability in navigation and that, on the other hand, it contributes in the submerged phase withstand on the underwater floor taking into account the underwater environmental conditions.

More precisely, said tidal turbine frame comprising a support for at least one tidal turbine, will consist of a box of parallelepipedal, trapezoidal or frustoconical shape, advantageously produced in a welded structure, dimensioned so that it maintains said support for at least one tidal turbine.

According to a feature of the invention, said sealed boxes supporting said tidal turbine chassis as well as said internal and peripheral sealed boxes may be of cylindrical, elliptical, trapezoidal or tapered section, making it possible to reduce the coefficient of penetration into water; this has a significant influence on the behavior of the structure, which will have a strong tendency to rip on the bottom. In this, the possible use of the frustoconical shape will be favored, especially if the orientation of the tidal turbines is different from that of the whole structure.

According to a particular feature of the invention, said ballast assembly, located in said caissons supporting said tidal turbine chassis as well as said auxiliary caissons, will be composed of a set of ballasts, each of said ballasts will comprise one or two sets of valves, preferably actuated with compressed air but not exclusively, and controlled so as to control the flotation and trim of said supporting structure and installation in situ, said valves will be sized to ensure the flushing of compressed gas from ships surface, which will allow filling or emptying of seawater as well as venting operations; they may be, where appropriate, of the assisted valve type.

According to a feature of the invention, said support for a tidal turbine, located in the vicinity of the upper part of the sealed box, may include a pivot whose central axis will be substantially vertical and / or substantially perpendicular to the ground, allowing the orientation of the tidal turbine in order to optimize its efficiency; said upper part will be preserved to allow the implantation of any other type of fixing.

According to another feature of the invention, the supporting structure and in situ installation will be adaptable to the operation of various EMR (Marine Renewable Energies) modules such as wave energy sensors.

According to another feature of the invention, the elements of the supporting structure and in situ installation can be optimized to promote the shelter and development of marine fauna.

Thus, the supporting structure and in situ installation of marine energy capture modules according to the invention can constitute a coherent structure having great stability of shape, thanks to a particularly large floating surface or hull volume associated with a low center of gravity; the stability of this assembly will also have the advantage of allowing installation on a slightly sloping ground, whereas this poses a problem for a tidal turbine on a tripod base.

The method of assembling the modules together will simultaneously ensure the maintenance of the supporting structure in an elastic manner, and that of each component frame of said supporting structure.

The balance in navigation mode and the grounding of the supporting structure will be ensured at the sides as well as at the front and rear by connecting frames of suitable dimensions; the staggered arrangement of the different frames will minimize losses by turbulence between the propellers of the tidal turbines as well as the risks of resonance during navigation.

Note the necessarily very high center of gravity of each module would only make it stable in the inverted position; the stability of the frame will therefore be ensured in part by its shape stability and mainly by the presence of adjacent frames due to the mechanical connections between the different frames; this saving in weight will make ballasting control reasonably possible, in particular with regard to the capacity for the supply of compressed gas by service vessels of modest dimensions.

As such, said mechanical connections may consist of longitudinal and longitudinal beams or tubes not necessarily having the same diameter because the forces to be compensated, in particular on the ground, due to the thrust exerted by the propellers, will not be identical; for example, the cross tubes could be smaller in diameter so as to reduce the drag of the entire supporting structure.

As an indication, for a tidal turbine whose diameter is close to 15 meters, the dimensions of the box allowing it to be supported will be close to 20 meters in width, 20 to 25 meters in length, ie a surface area of 400 to 500 m²; the height of said box will be around 4 meters in order to obtain a sufficient volume to ensure the flotation of the whole, taking into account the external structures and internal fittings.

An embodiment of the method according to the invention will be described below, by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
represents a sagittal section of a tidal turbine frame associated with a first type of box,
represents a sagittal section of a tidal turbine frame associated with a second type of box,
represents a sagittal section of a box associated with said first and second connecting assemblies,
represents a schematic view of a grouping in an orthogonal network of a multitude of tidal turbine frames associated mainly with the first link assembly,
represents a schematic view of a grouping in a polygonal network of a multitude of tidal turbine frames associated mainly with the second link assembly,
represents a grouping together in a multimodal network of a multitude of tidal turbine chassis,
represents a schematic view of the sealed box supporting a tidal turbine frame, and
represents a schematic view of the sealed box supporting a tidal turbine frame.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the supporting and installation structure for marine energy capture modules consists on the one hand of a tidal turbine frame 10 and on the other hand of a connecting assembly. 20 between at least two tidal turbine frames.

The tidal turbine frame comprises a sealed box 11, advantageously made of concrete, consisting of a lower slab 11a, an upper slab 11b, and four vertical walls 11c.

In the upper part of the waterproof box 11, in the vicinity of the upper slab 11b, a support 12 pivoting about a substantially vertical axis, for a tidal turbine consists of an element 12a integral with the slab 11b and a pivoting element 12b, this pivoting element 12b constitutes the support of the tidal turbine 13.

The tidal turbine 13 consists of a cylindrical casing 13a integral with the pivoting element 12b, a set of blades 13b associated with an electric power generator 13c.

In the lower part of the sealed box 11, a

ballast assembly

14a, 14b, shown schematically by two

longitudinal ballasts

14a, 14b, each of said ballasts will include one or two redundant sets of valves, not shown, preferably actuated with compressed air and controlled. so as to control the flotation and trim of the entire structure. Said valves will be sized to ensure the flushing of compressed gas from surface vessels, which will allow the filling or emptying of sea water as well as the venting operations; these valves may, where appropriate, be of the assisted valve type.

This first assembly method is suitable for installation sites with sufficient flatness.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the supporting and installation structure for marine energy capture modules consists on the one hand of a tidal turbine frame 10 and on the other hand of a connecting assembly. 20 between at least two tidal turbine frames.

The tidal turbine frame comprises a box 15, advantageously made of a mechanically-welded structure; in the vicinity of the upper part of the box 15, a support pivoting about a substantially vertical axis, for a tidal turbine consists of an element 12a integral with the sealed box 15 and a pivoting element 12b; this pivoting element 12b constitutes the support for the turbine 13.

The box 15 also comprises longitudinal and transverse tubes or side members 23, which are integral with the box 15, by flexible connections 22 located at the periphery of the box 15; the side members 23a are secured to the side members 23b, advantageously via sleeves 23c, thus allowing dimensional adaptation to the network arrangement of the hydro turbine frames; moreover, the side members 23b comprise at their free end a male ball joint 23d, which will be associated with a female ball joint described below.

It should be noted that said tubes or side members 23 may be located in the same plane; moreover, the ball-and-socket device, described above, can be advantageously replaced by a device of the cardan type or with a single articulation if only one degree of freedom is required.

This second assembly method will be preferred for installation on sites with irregularities such as riprap for example.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, an auxiliary box 30 associated with said first and second connecting assemblies 20, consists of an upper wall 31 in the form of an inverted V, and of a lower wall 32 in the form of a V, which is integral, in the vicinity of its lower part, with a sole 33, constituting the ballast of the box; the two walls 31, 32, form a ballastable cavity in the upper part 34a and in the lower part 34b.

The auxiliary box 30 is also crossed, in the vicinity of the central zone, by transverse longitudinal members secured to the box 30 by flexible connections 22.

Furthermore, the auxiliary box 30 comprises, in the vicinity of the lower zone, at least one female ball 35 integral with a spar 23b equipped with a male ball 23d.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, semi-rigid links 21, made up of longitudinal and transverse beams or tubes linked by flexible junctions 50, maintain the various chassis 11 of tidal turbine 13 and the auxiliary boxes 30 arranged at the periphery of 'a coherent manner according to an orthogonal pattern while allowing an implantation on a ground in slight slope.

Peripheral spars 25 define the outer limit of the network structure.

Two towing devices 40 are integral respectively downstream and upstream of the network structure.

In the example shown in Figure 5, rigid links 23, maintain the various chassis 15 of the turbine 13 in a coherent manner while allowing installation on a slightly sloping ground.

The auxiliary chambers 30, located internally and at the periphery of the network structure, provide buoyancy and ground support for the entire network.

Figure 6 shows a combination of Figures 4 and 5, the various tidal turbine frames 11 and 15 13 in a coherent manner in a mixed orthogonal / polygonal pattern. In the example shown in Figure 6, different tidal turbine frames are associated by connecting assemblies to form a grouping in a multimodal network; this arrangement, deduced from the two previously described, shows an example of the operation of a multitude of tidal turbines.

In the example shown in Figures 7a, 7b, the sealed box 11, shown previously in the parallelepiped shape of square section, may be trapezoidal in shape according to Figure 7a, side view, and may be circular in shape according to Figure 7b, top view, thus making it possible to reduce the coefficient of penetration in water.

soit au moins un châssis d’hydrolienne 10 comportant un support pivotant 12 selon un axe sensiblement vertical et/ou sensiblement perpendiculaire au sol, pour au moins une hydrolienne 13, solidaire d’un caisson 11 réalisé avantageusement en béton, un ensemble de ballastage 14a, 14b, permettant le contrôle de la flottaison durant le transport, l’installation in situ puis le maintien ou le retrait sur le sol dudit châssis d’hydrolienne 10,

avec un ensemble de liaison 20 entre au moins deux châssis d’hydrolienne 10 comportant au moins, longitudinalement et transversalement une liaison 21 semi rigide pour chacun des deux châssis 10
et une configuration desdits châssis 10 en réseau, reliés entre eux par lesdites liaisons semi-rigides 21 et associés à des caissons auxiliaires 30

soit au moins un châssis d’hydrolienne 10 comportant un support pivotant 12 selon un axe sensiblement vertical et/ou sensiblement perpendiculaire au sol, pour au moins une hydrolienne 13, solidaire d’un caisson 15 réalisé avantageusement en mécano soudé, relié par des liaisons 20 composées par des longerons extensibles rigides 23, munis d’une articulation terminale à au moins trois caissons auxiliaires 30.

Thus, according to the invention, the supporting structure for the transport and in situ installation of marine energy capture modules, in particular of at least one tidal turbine, comprises:

either at least one tidal turbine frame 10 comprising a pivoting support 12 along an axis that is substantially vertical and / or substantially perpendicular to the ground, for at least one tidal turbine 13, secured to a box 11 preferably made of concrete, a ballast assembly 14a , 14b, allowing the control of the flotation during transport, the installation in situ then the maintenance or the withdrawal on the ground of the said tidal turbine frame 10,

with a connecting assembly 20 between at least two tidal turbine frames 10 comprising at least, longitudinally and transversely, a semi-rigid link 21 for each of the two frames 10
and a configuration of said chassis 10 in a network, interconnected by said semi-rigid links 21 and associated with auxiliary boxes 30

or at least one tidal turbine frame 10 comprising a pivoting support 12 along an axis that is substantially vertical and / or substantially perpendicular to the ground, for at least one tidal turbine 13, integral with a casing 15 advantageously made of mechanically welded, connected by links 20 composed of rigid extendable side members 23, provided with an end articulation with at least three auxiliary boxes 30.

Claims

- Carrying structure for transport and in situ installation of marine energy capture modules, said marine energy capture modules each comprising a frame (10) for a tidal turbine (13), the frame being associated with a support ( 12) and to a box (11, 15), the structure being characterized in that it comprises transverse and longitudinal connecting assemblies (20) between at least two tidal turbine frames (10) (13), each of said assemblies being composed of rigid (21) or semi-rigid (23) tubes or side members connected to the box (11, 15).
- Structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the box (11) comprises a ballast assembly (14a, 14b) allowing the control of the flotation during transport, installation in situ and then the maintenance or withdrawal on the ground of said frame (10) with or without tidal turbine (13).
- Structure according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the box (11) is of parallelepipedal, trapezoidal or frustoconical shape, advantageously made of concrete, dimensioned so that, on the one hand, it maintains the float. support (12) for at least one tidal turbine (13) and that, on the other hand, it contributes in the submerged phase to the behavior on the underwater ground.
- Structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the box (15) is of parallelepipedal, trapezoidal or frustoconical shape, advantageously produced in mechanically-welded construction, dimensioned so that it maintains the support (12) for at least one tidal turbine (13) and if necessary, fitted with a support on the sea floor.
- Structure according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the auxiliary ballastable boxes (30) are associated with said frames (10) in a network by semi-rigid (21) or rigid extensible connections (23a, 23b, 23c ).
- Structure according to claim 2, characterized in that said sealed box (11) comprising said ballast assembly (14a, 14b) comprises one or two sets of valves, preferably actuated with compressed air and controlled so as to control the flotation and the base of said supporting structure and in situ installation, said valves being dimensioned in order to ensure the flushing of compressed gas coming from surface ships, allowing the control of the filling or emptying of sea water as well as venting operations.
- Structure according to claim 5, characterized in that said auxiliary ballastable boxes (30) comprise a ballast assembly (34a, 34b), each ballast comprising one or two sets of valves, preferably actuated with compressed air, and controlled from so as to control the flotation and the trim of said supporting structure and installation in situ, said valves being dimensioned in order to ensure the flushing of compressed gas coming from surface vessels, allowing the control of filling or emptying in sea water as well as venting operations.
- Structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said boxes (11, 15) comprise, in the vicinity of the upper part, a pivoting element (12b) whose central axis is substantially vertical and / or substantially perpendicular to the ground, allowing the orientation of the tidal turbine (13) so as to optimize its efficiency, said upper part allowing the installation of any other type of fixing.
- Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting structure and in situ installation consists of links (20) arranged orthogonally.
- Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting structure and in situ installation consists of links (20) arranged triangularly.
- Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the boxes (11) and the auxiliary ballastable boxes are one of concrete or ballasted steel.
- Structure according to any one of claims 6 and 8, characterized in that the valves are of the assisted valve type.