B63B2035/446

WIND TURBINE COMPRISING VARIABLE SWEPT AREA AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A WIND TURBINE
20230108917 · 2023-04-06 ·

A wind turbine includes tower, a nacelle mounted at the top of the tower, a rotor mounted rotatable relatively to the nacelle about a rotation axis and includes at least one blade, wherein the blade, when rotating about the rotation axis, is configured to span a swept area, and a control device which is configured to control an actuator so as to move the swept area.

METHOD FOR DETERMINING A SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT OF A FLOATING WIND TURBINE RELATIVE TO ITS ENVIRONMENT
20230105529 · 2023-04-06 ·

A sensor system for a floating wind turbine is provided. The sensor system includes a wind sensor configured to provide a wind sensor signal indicative of a wind flow; and a processing unit configured to receive the wind sensor signal and to determine, based on the wind sensor signal, information indicative of a spatial arrangement of a floating base of the floating wind turbine relative to an environment of the floating wind turbine. Furthermore, a corresponding floating wind turbine and method of operating a floating wind turbine are provided.

Floating wind turbine generator installation
11649806 · 2023-05-16 · ·

A method of installing a wind turbine generator onto a floating foundation. The floating foundation has variable buoyancy and is pre-ballasted to float at a predetermined vertical position before installation of a wind turbine generator component onto the floating foundation. A wind turbine generator component supported by lifting equipment is brought towards the floating foundation until contact is made with the floating foundation. Ballast is removed from the floating foundation to increase the buoyancy of the floating foundation such that weight of the wind turbine generator component supported by the floating foundation is increased from substantially zero to substantially the entire weight of the wind turbine generator component. The vertical position of the floating foundation is substantially unchanged during transferring weight of the wind turbine generator component onto the floating foundation.

FLOATING WIND TURBINE SYSTEMS AND METHODS
20230141340 · 2023-05-11 ·

A method of operating a downwind floating wind turbine comprising the downwind floating wind turbine floating in a body of water assuming mean heel angle within a range, the mean heel angle defined by a mean pitch angle of a central axis Y of a tower of the downwind floating wind turbine in a direction of wind; and the downwind floating wind turbine operating with a maximum rotor misalignment from a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to gravity while assuming the mean heel angle. The tower includes a turbine with a nacelle, hub and a plurality of blades extending from the hub, the plurality of blades configured to rotate about a rotor axis R, the rotor axis R having rotor tilt angle defined by an angle of rotor axis R relative to a perpendicular axis to the central axis Y.

POWER GENERATION SYSTEM
20230139764 · 2023-05-04 ·

Provided is a power generation system including a wave power generator that can be configured in a simple manner.

The power generation system 1 includes: a power generation unit including a wave power generator 11; a power storage unit 40 accumulating electric power obtained by the power generation unit; a production unit 51 producing at least one of hydrogen and an organic hydride based on the electric power obtained by the power storage unit; and a tank 53 located below compared to the wave power generator 11 and storing at least one of the hydrogen and the organic hydride obtained by the production unit 51.

OFFSHORE ASSEMBLY AND OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION SYSTEM AND METHOD COMPRISING SUCH OFFSHORE ASSEMBLY

An offshore assembly to operate a facility, in particular an underwater oil and gas production facility, has: a semi-submersible support structure arranged in a body of water and having at least one tubular portion; a wind turbine to generate electricity and equipped with a tower, a nacelle and a blade assembly; and at least one back-up power source mounted on the semi-submersible support structure to generate electricity; a plurality of compartments stacked on top of each other within the tubular portion, in which each of the compartments is dedicated to housing respective equipment to perform respective functions; and a cooling and ventilation system to cool and ventilate the plurality of compartments.

POSITIONING OF A KEEL OF A FLOATING STRUCTURE, ESPECIALLY FOR A WIND TURBINE
20230202624 · 2023-06-29 ·

An offshore floating structure is provided including a floater with positive buoyancy and a keel with negative buoyancy, as well as active and passive suspenders connecting nodes of the keel and the floater with each other. When the keel at the offshore site is lowered by making the active suspenders longer, the passive suspenders, which have a fixed length and are held taut, causes the keel to rotate about the vertical during lowering.

FLOATING WINDMILL
20230204013 · 2023-06-29 ·

The invention provides a floating windmill, comprising a floating element and a wind turbine. The floating windmill is distinguished in that it further comprises: a tension leg, an anchoring, a buoyancy element, a swivel and a cross bar, wherein the swivel is arranged in the buoyancy element. In operation, the floating windmill in operation is configured with the wind turbine in an upper end of the floating element extending up above the sea level, with a lower end or part of the floating element submerged in the sea, with the cross bar in one end connected to the lower part or end of the floating element and in the opposite end connected to the buoyancy element, with the buoyancy element fully submerged, preferably at safe draught depth below surface for service vessels and/or marine transport ships, with the tension leg arranged between the buoyancy element and the anchoring on the seabed. The floating windmill configured with the wind turbine in the upper end can weathervane freely around the buoyancy element, wherein in a low force condition when the forces by ocean current, wind and waves are low the floating element, the buoyancy element and the tension leg is oriented in substance in vertical direction and the cross bar is oriented in substance in horizontal direction, wherein in a high force condition when the forces by ocean current, wind and waves are high the shape of the floating element, cross bar, buoyancy element and tension leg is stretched by the forces to provide a shape like a lazy-s configuration, which change in shape and dynamic behavior reduce extreme stress levels.

Wind-powered computing buoy

Disclosed is a novel type of computing apparatus which is integrated within a buoy that obtains the energy required to power its computing operations from waves that travel across the surface of the body of water on which the buoy floats. Additionally, these self-powered computing buoys utilize their close proximity to a body of water in order to significantly lower the cost and complexity of cooling their computing circuits. Computing tasks of an arbitrary nature are supported, as is the incorporation and/or utilization of computing circuits specialized for the execution of specific types of computing tasks. And, each buoy's receipt of a computational task, and its return of a computational result, may be accomplished through the transmission of data across satellite links, fiber optic cables, LAN cables, radio, modulated light, microwaves, and/or any other channel, link, connection, and/or network.

WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER WITH SUBMERGED ELEMENT
20170363058 · 2017-12-21 ·

A wave energy converter (1) has: a buoyant structure (2) which, in use, floats on water; a generator (18); a generator drive mechanism (38) on board the buoyant structure (2), the generator drive mechanism (38) having an rotational input drive shaft (20) and a rotational output drive shaft (36); a drive member (22) operably connected to the input drive shaft (20), the drive member (22) being moveable back and forth between a first position and a second position; a biasing arrangement (23, 26) for example a buoyant block acting on the drive member; and, a submerged element 4, 4′ which, in use, moves below the surface of the water out of phase with the buoyant structure (2), the drive member (22) being attached by a tether (28) to the submerged element (4). In use, when the buoyant structure (2) encounters a wave crest, the spacing between the buoyant structure (2) and the submerged element (4, 4′) increases and the drive member (22) is pulled towards the second position by the tether (28), and, when the buoyant structure (2) encounters a wave trough, the spacing between the buoyant structure (2) and the submerged element (4, 4′) decreases and the drive member (22) is urged towards the first position by the biasing arrangement (23, 26). The back and forth movement of the drive member (22) between the first and second positions causes the input drive shaft (20) to rotate and, thereby, causes the output drive shaft (36) to rotate. The submerged element (4, 4′) is preferably a heave plate. The invention also comprises a heave plate for a submerged, partly submerged or floating structure.