U.S. patent application number 11/576825 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-17 for (method of) construction of a submerged floating foundation with a blocked vertical thrust as a support base for the installation of a wind turbine, of an electrolyser for the electrolysis of water and of other equipment, combined with fish farming.
This patent application is currently assigned to ENERTEC AG. Invention is credited to Martin Jakubowski.
Application Number | 20080089746 11/576825 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35997250 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080089746 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jakubowski; Martin |
April 17, 2008 |
(Method of) Construction of a Submerged Floating Foundation With a
Blocked Vertical Thrust As a Support Base for the Installation of a
Wind Turbine, of an Electrolyser for the Electrolysis of Water and
of Other Equipment, Combined With Fish Farming
Abstract
The invention is related to a method of positioning chains or
pipes on the upper part of a floating foundation in order to make
the foundation more rigid and stable.
Inventors: |
Jakubowski; Martin; (Hanau,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KAPLAN GILMAN GIBSON & DERNIER L.L.P.
900 ROUTE 9 NORTH
WOODBRIDGE
NJ
07095
US
|
Assignee: |
ENERTEC AG
Ruggell
LI
|
Family ID: |
35997250 |
Appl. No.: |
11/576825 |
Filed: |
October 4, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
October 4, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB05/02950 |
371 Date: |
April 6, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
405/244 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02E 10/72 20130101;
Y02P 60/60 20151101; B63B 2035/446 20130101; F05B 2240/95 20130101;
B63B 21/502 20130101; A01K 61/60 20170101; Y02E 10/727 20130101;
E02B 2017/0091 20130101; B63B 2021/505 20130101; F03D 13/22
20160501; F03D 13/10 20160501; Y02A 40/81 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
405/244 |
International
Class: |
E02D 27/52 20060101
E02D027/52 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 6, 2004 |
IT |
BA2004U000027 |
Claims
1. Method of positioning chains or pipes, preferably on the upper
part of the foundation, but possibly both on the upper and lower
parts of the foundation, in order to make more rigid and stable a
submerged floating foundation with blocked vertical thrust.
2. A method according to claim 1 of attaching the submerged
floating foundation with blocked vertical thrust, to bottom-weights
placed on the sea floor using steel chains placed diagonally so as
to stop and neutralize possible horizontal shifts and therefore
provides additional stability.
3. A method according to claim 1 of placing a counter-weight below
the submerged floating foundation with blocked vertical thrust,
thus moving the centre of gravity of the whole structure below its
centre of rotation, thus avoiding and neutralizing possible
external forces which may otherwise cause rotation and tipping over
of the structure.
4. A method according to claim 1 of installing and positioning of a
cylinder or floating tank, above the submerged foundation and
fastened to the foundation.
5. A method according to claim 1 of using the floating tank as a
container for the electrolyser.
6. A method according to claim 1 of installing and positioning of a
reservoir below the foundation, fastened to a counterweight and
used for storage of the hydrogen produced by the electrolyser.
7. A method according to claim 1 of anchoring the foundation, using
suitable steel cables or chains connecting vertically and
diagonally the foundation to submerged hollow bodies buried in the
sand below the sea floor, and filled with rubble and sand.
8. Method of creating a submerged floating facility for fish
farming, made of cages for the breeding of various types of fish,
fixed with ropes or chains to floats on the sea surface.
9. A method according to claim 8 of attaching the submerged cages
to floats using pullable ropes or chains.
10. A method according to claim 8 of anchoring the floats with
ropes to bottom-weights on the sea floor.
11. A method according to claim 8 of connecting the floats to the
bottom-weights holding the submerged floating foundation in place,
so as to create a single multi-purpose installation, entirely or
partially submerged.
12. Method of combining, using innovative techniques, design and
construction methods, a submerged floating foundation with blocked
vertical thrust used as a support base for a tower holding a wind
turbine, with a facility for the production of hydrogen, placed
above the foundation, and with a facility for storage of hydrogen
placed below the foundation, and furthermore combining the use of
the bottom-weights to anchor the foundation and the entire
structure to the sea floor and to attach floats which hold by means
of ropes or chains cages used for fish farming.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to the combination of
innovative techniques for the construction of a submerged floating
foundation, to be used as a submerged support base for a wind
turbine and for an electrolyser, and with the possibility of
utilising the entire submerged facility to house additional
equipment; the entire structure to be combined with fish farming
facilities, placed in the immediate vicinity of the foundation and
attached permanently to the foundation with various cables or
ropes.
[0002] The innovative content does not only relate to the creation,
at a depth below the area affected by wave movements, in fresh or
sea waters, of a submerged floating foundation, by itself a
technical innovation in view of the method used for executing the
work, but also to the use of the structure to house an electrolyser
for the electrolysis of water and the production and storage of
hydrogen, together with all the equipment required to carry out
these activities. A second innovation relates to the particular
method used to make the structure rigid through the use of chains
and pipes, and to the particular method used to stabilize the
foundation by using bottom-weights. Furthermore, the particular
method of anchoring the structure to the sea floor permits the
positioning and the realization of a fish farming facility.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention comprises the following elements, described
and evidenced in the attached drawings.
[0004] The foundation consists of a horizontal hexagonal body built
in concrete, or preferably in steel.
[0005] At the centre of the foundation are attached two bodies, one
on the upper side, pointing towards the sea surface (Nr. 8) and one
on the lower side, pointing towards the ocean floor (Nr. 1).
[0006] The upper body is a hollow, buoyant body containing an
electrolyser for the production of oxygen and hydrogen (Nr. 7). In
the same hollow body are placed one or more tanks for the storage
of the oxygen produced by electrolysis. This hollow body is also
the support base a tower (Nr. 10), to which a working platform
above the sea level is attached, which allows access to the inside
of the tower.
[0007] On top of the tower a nacelle is positioned containing the
turbine and its accessories (Nr. 12); the nacelle contains the
rotor, the revolutions multiplier and the generator (Nr. 11). All
these items rest, without interruption, on the foundation (Nr. 6),
whose main purpose is therefore to provide a support base for the
turbine and the electrolyser.
[0008] The lower body consists first of a hollow body, cylindrical
or polygonal (Nr. 4), full or filled with ballast; this body acts
as a counterweight to stabilize foundation movements. To this first
body is permanently attached a second hollow body (Nr. 13),
preferably of spherical shape (or polygonal or cylindrical), to be
used--also, if needed, with the hollow body of the foundation (Nr.
6)--as a reservoir for the storage of the hydrogen produced by the
electrolyser.
[0009] Inside the structure run the cables for the transmission of
electricity from the nacelle and the pipes for the transport of
hydrogen from the electrolyser to the storage containers; from the
main body go off the cables and the pipes for the transmission of
the electricity, hydrogen and oxygen produced either directly to
shore or towards intermediate structures, such as ships or other
storage and transport facilities.
[0010] The entire structure is designed to stand against external
natural forces (wind, waves, currents, tides) through the joint and
combined action of two forces: the force, based on Archimedes
principle, which pushes the structure upwards vertically, and the
reaction produced by the anchoring chains (Nr. 3a), which pulls the
structure downwards; these two forces, however, are not sufficient
to ensure the absolute stability of the foundation, necessary for
the correct working of the turbine.
[0011] In order to make the structure more rigid and better able to
resist horizontal external forces (and to prevent capsizing), in
addition to positioning the central ballast below the foundation
(Nr. 4), further precautions have been added. These are shown in
the drawing as rigid metal pipes (Nr. 5) (although reinforced
cement is also possible), placed above the foundation and fastened
to the top of the upper buoyant hollow body (Nr. 7). It is possible
that these pipes will be replaced by chains attached on the upper
part in the same manner as the pipes, or also attached to the lower
hollow body (Nr. 4) below the foundation and also to the hydrogen
reservoirs (Nr. 13).
[0012] The entire structure is attached with cables or preferably
by chains to bottom-weights (Nr. 2), placed on the sea floor (Nr.
1). To the outside rim of the foundation (Nr. 6) are attached the
main vertical chains (Nr. 3a) that tie the foundation to the
bottom-weights (Nr. 2) at the bottom of the sea. From the central
ballast (Nr. 4) go off additional chains placed diagonally (Nr.
3b), also attached to the bottom-weights (Nr. 2), whose function is
to off-set and prevent any horizontal shifting of the
structure.
[0013] Further innovation is represented by the new positioning
system for the fish farming installation. The installation is no
longer positioned above the foundation but on its side. More
precisely, from each main bottom-weight (Nr. 2) placed on the sea
floor (Nr. 1) go off some anchoring ropes, which connect the
bottom-weight to floats (Nr. 15) which are themselves connected
through additional anchoring ropes (Nr. 18) to other bottom-weights
(Nr. 19) on the sea floor. From the floats go off ropes (Nr. 16)
which connect the floats to the fish farming installation, which
consists of a cage (Nr. 17) on top of which is placed the dispenser
used to provide fish-food inside the cage.
APPLICATION SCOPE
[0014] The scope for the use of this technology is almost
unlimited. In fact, in addition to its application to the
production of electricity, of hydrogen and of oxygen, it includes
aquaculture. Furthermore, thanks to the characteristics of the
foundation and of the structure resting on it, it can be used as a
meteorological station, as a substation, or as a facility for the
storage of energy, hydrogen and oxygen and more generally for other
activities in the open sea.
ADVANTAGES AND INNOVATIVE CONTENT OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Existing technologies do not foresee such combination of
inventions, which are anyway innovative in their own right.
[0016] As a matter of fact, the method of construction of the
submerged foundation is totally innovative, as it creates a stable
structure able to withstand and compensate automatically the impact
of all natural forces acting at the site where the foundation is
located (winds, waves, marine currents, tides of any foreseeable
intensity).
[0017] In addition, using the structure to house a facility to
produce and stock hydrogen and oxygen is very innovative.
Furthermore it is possible to use the produced and stored oxygen to
oxygenize the water in the fish farming facility and to produce
electrical energy using fuel cells placed inside the hollow body
above the foundation (Nr. 7), which recombining oxygen and hydrogen
previously created by electrolysis can produce electricity.
[0018] The innovative content of the fish farming facility
comprises various elements.
[0019] Firstly, the method of construction is greatly changed by
the current invention.
[0020] Secondly, the fact that the facility uses the submerged
floating foundation as its primary anchoring support provides
greater stability and allows the breeding of any fish species in
open and deep waters.
[0021] Thirdly, the described facility is completely automatic with
regard to the feeding of the fish and the oxygenation of the
water.
[0022] The main technical aspects of this innovative construction,
although combined to create a single structure, each reflect
innovative and autonomous methodologies in their own right, which,
if used in combination among them result in the creation of a
single facility, with economic advantages and lower costs.
[0023] Such a combined facility allows the use of a single
structure to generate at least three revenue streams from: the
turbine (electricity), the electrolyser (hydrogen) and the
aquaculture plant (sea food). Also innovative is the fact that a
limited amount of space is used to generate substantial financial
benefits, while totally respecting the environment.
[0024] Various phases in the implementation of the project may be
carried out at different times and be subject to changes and
modifications, to take account of the geography of the site.
* * * * *