A semi-submersible marine structure is described. The structure includes a hull including a pontoon, a deck disposed above the pontoon, and a plurality of columns supporting the deck from the pontoon. The structure also includes a plurality of tendons supporting the hull from a seabed. The pontoon has the shape of a circular ring, and the plurality of tendons are arranged at regular intervals along an external circumferential surface of the pontoon.

The floating structure (20) for supporting a marine wind turbine comprises a tower (21), a float (23), and a transition element (22) between the tower (21) and the float (23). The tower (21) has a tower tubular wall (31) having a tower axisymmetric outer surface about a central axis (5) defined by a tower generatrix, the float (23) has a float tubular wall (33) and a float lower end closing wall (34), the float tubular wall (33) has a float axisymmetric outer surface about the central axis (5) defined by a float generatrix, and the transition tubular wall (32) has a transition axisymmetric outer surface about the central axis (5) defined by a curved concave transition generatrix which is tangent to the tower generatrix. The transition axisymmetric outer surface of the transition element (22) has a transition upper diameter equal than a tower lower diameter (D1) and a transition lower diameter equal than a float upper diameter (D2). At least the float tubular wall (33), the float lower end closing wall (34) and the transition tubular wall (32) are made of reinforced concrete forming together a reinforced concrete monolithic body.

Exemplary inventive practice provides a structure that is attributed with superior resistance to loading. For example, an inventive structure includes two coaxial axisymmetric (e.g., cylindrical) shells and a granulation-filled matrix material occupying the peripheral space between the shells. According to some inventive embodiments, the granulation-filled matrix material has a loading-responsive matrix (e.g., shear-thickening fluid or highly rate-sensitive polymer) and granules dispersed therein. When the inventive structure encounters pressure loading at its exterior shell, the consistency of the loading-responsive matrix becomes thicker or firmer and thereby promotes, among the granules, interactive mechanisms (e.g., friction and/or arching) that reinforce the granulation-filled matrix material. According to some inventive embodiments, the granulation-filled matrix material has a magnetic-field-responsive matrix and magnetizable granules dispersed therein, and is magnetically fortified via application of a magnetic field (e.g., continuously applied where the matrix is magnetorheological fluid, or temporarily applied where the matrix is rheological fluid containing diamagnetic particles).

Renewable Energy (RE) sources are already one of the cheapest sources of energy available today but are variable and infirm, and the open ocean offers many opportunities to generate energy by using various disparate sources and methods on a floating station. These energy stations converting renewable energy including solar, ocean currents, wind, waves and batteries and hydrogen to store energy and provide sufficient stable power and energy as required and available most of the hours. The invention claimed here is a system to capture energy from a combination of wind, solar and ocean currents, along with batteries for storage and later use and hydrogen creation, storage and use for generation. In addition, apparatus is described that provide mechanical stability and resilience in deep open seas and reliably survive storms and hurricanes. Also described is a method for overcoming intermittency of ensuring continuous and stable energy export from the station, and finally methods to continually operate RE station in the open seas even during storms and hurricanes and survive the high winds and waves.

A method for operating floating vessel wherein the floating vessel comprises a hull having: a bottom surface, a top deck surface, at least two connected sections engaging between the bottom surface and the top deck surface, and at least one fin extending from the hull with an upper fin surface sloping towards the bottom surface and secured to and extending from the hull, the at least one fin configured to provide hydrodynamic performance. The at least two connected sections extend downwardly from the top deck surface toward the bottom surface. The at least two connected sections contain at least two of: an upper portion in section view with a sloping side extending from the top deck section, a cylindrical neck section in profile view, and a lower conical section in profile view with a sloping side extending from the cylindrical neck section.

A method for operating floating vessel wherein the floating vessel comprises a hull having: a bottom surface, a top deck surface, at least two connected sections engaging between the bottom surface and the top deck surface, and at least one fin extending from the hull with an upper fin surface sloping towards the bottom surface and secured to and extending from the hull, the at least one fin configured to provide hydrodynamic performance. The at least two connected sections extend downwardly from the top deck surface toward the bottom surface. The at least two connected sections contain at least two of: an upper portion in section view with a sloping side extending from the top deck section, a cylindrical neck section in profile view, and a lower conical section in profile view with a sloping side extending from the cylindrical neck section.

A semi-submersible marine structure is described. The structure includes a hull including a pontoon, a deck disposed above the pontoon, and a plurality of columns supporting the deck from the pontoon. The structure also includes a plurality of tendons supporting the hull from a seabed. The pontoon has the shape of a circular ring, and the plurality of tendons are arranged at regular intervals along an external circumferential surface of the pontoon.

A novel hull form is described consisting of a base hull that incorporates flared sides along a bow, middle, and stern sections with raked bow and stern stem lines. The bow and stern sections have lateral oriented shapes, either as an attachment or integral to the hull, spanning the hull beam. The cross sections of these shapes have a novel and specific geometric relationship in conjunction with the base hull to provide a constant cross sectional area between the forward and aft perpendiculars. The shape improves the powering and seakeeping of the vessel hull in the marine environment.

Disclosed is buoyant wave energy capture device, adapted to float adjacent to an upper surface of a body of water over which waves pass, and adapted to capture a portion of the radiated waves created by its own rising and falling in response to incident and/or passing environmental waves. A power take off mechanism combined with the disclosed wave energy capture device may be tuned to a specific wave frequency, and thereby optimally extract energy from a motion of a single frequency, even the wave energy capture device may be excited and/or energized by waves of any of a relatively broad range of frequencies, thereby increasing the power-generation and cost efficiencies of such devices relative to wave energy conversion devices of the prior art.