Floating hybrid composite wind turbine platform and tower system with suspended mass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10598155-B2
Application number	US-201615346320-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2016
Priority date	Nov 4, 2010
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

A wind turbine platform configured to float in a body of water and support a wind turbine thereon includes a buoyant hull platform. A wind turbine tower is centrally mounted on the hull platform and a wind turbine is mounted to the wind turbine tower. An anchor is connected to the hull platform and to the seabed, and a weight-adjustable mass is suspended from the hull platform.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wind turbine platform configured to float in a body of water and support a wind turbine thereon, the wind turbine platform comprising:
a buoyant hull platform, wherein the hull platform includes a central portion and three buoyant legs extending radially outwardly from the central portion;
a wind turbine tower centrally mounted on the central portion of the hull platform;
a wind turbine mounted to the wind turbine tower;
a plurality of anchors connected to the hull platform and to the seabed wherein each of the three legs is connected to one of the plurality of anchors by a catenary mooring line;
a weight-adjustable mass; and
a cable extending between a distal end of each of the three buoyant legs and the weight-adjustable mass, thus suspending the weight-adjustable mass from the hull platform.

2. The wind turbine platform according to claim 1 , wherein the cables are formed from one of steel rope, steel cable, steel chain segments, synthetic rope, and composite tendons.

3. The wind turbine platform according to claim 1 , wherein the mass has a weight between 10 kg and 1500 kg.

4. The wind turbine platform according to claim 1 , wherein the mass is formed from one or more of rocks, pieces of concrete, and pieces of steel.

5. The wind turbine platform according to claim 1 , wherein the mass is suspended within a container.

6. The wind turbine platform according to claim 5 , wherein the container is one of a net and a bucket.

7. A semi-submersible wind turbine platform configured to float semi-submerged on a body of water and support a wind turbine thereon, the wind turbine platform comprising:
a central buoyant pontoon;
a wind turbine tower mounted on the central buoyant pontoon;
a wind turbine mounted to the wind turbine tower;
three outer buoyant pontoons, the outer pontoons being connected to the central pontoon by structural members, with the central buoyant and outer buoyant pontoons having sufficient buoyancy to support a wind turbine tower;
a plurality of anchors connected to the wind turbine platform and to the seabed wherein each of the three outer pontoons is connected to one of the plurality of anchors by a catenary mooring line;
a weight-adjustable mass; and
a cable extending between each of the three outer buoyant pontoons and the weight-adjustable mass, thus suspending the weight-adjustable mass from the wind turbine platform
wherein a longitudinal axis of the central buoyant pontoon and longitudinal axes of the outer buoyant pontoons are substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to a surface of the body of water in which the semi-submersible wind turbine platform floats; and
wherein the wind turbine is configured to operate while the semi-submersible wind turbine platform floats, semi-submerged, in the body of water.

Assignees

• Univ Maine System

Inventors

• Dagher Habib J
• Viselli Anthony M
• Goupee Andrew J

Classifications

• F03D13/25 Primary

  specially adapted for offshore installation · CPC title

• B63B2035/446

  for converting wind energy into electric energy · CPC title

• B63B5/24

  made predominantly of plastics {(surf boards B63B32/57)} · CPC title

• F05B2240/912

  on a tower · CPC title

• B63B2231/68

  Prestressed concretes · CPC title