Long-Distance Transmission of Power Underwater

Abstract

A subsea long-distance power-transmission system comprises an electrically driven pumping station for producing a flow of pressurised working fluid and an electricity generating station having an electrical generator coupled to a fluid-powered machine. A supply duct extends across the seabed between the pumping station and the generating station, that duct being arranged to convey the flow of working fluid from the pumping station to power the machine. Electric power is supplied to the pumping station from an electric power source, such as a national power grid, and is supplied from the generator to an electric power consumer far distant from the power source, such as a subsea oil and gas installation.

Claims

1-23. (canceled)

24. A subsea long-distance power-transmission system, comprising: an electrically driven pumping station arranged to produce a flow of pressurised working fluid; an electricity generating station having an electrical generator coupled to a fluid-powered machine, the generating station being situated underwater; a supply duct extending across the seabed between the pumping station and the generating station, that duct being arranged to convey the flow of working fluid from the pumping station to power the machine; and a subsea installation connected to the generating station to be powered electrically by energy conveyed along the supply duct by the flow of working fluid; wherein the system is arranged as: a closed loop, and further comprises a return duct extending across the seabed between the generating station and the pumping station, that duct being arranged to convey the flow of working fluid from the generating station to the pumping station for re-pressurisation; or an open loop, wherein the working fluid is seawater, the pumping station comprises a seawater inlet in fluid communication with one end of the supply duct and the generating station comprises a seawater outlet in fluid communication with an opposite end of the supply duct to expel seawater into the surrounding sea after using the seawater to power the machine.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising a remote electric power source that is connected to the pumping station by a cable.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the electric power source is at an above-surface location.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the working fluid is fresh water or monoethylene glycol if the system is arranged as a closed loop.

28. The system of claim 24, further comprising a production flowline that extends along the supply duct and is in fluid communication with a subsea source of hydrocarbon production fluid.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the production flowline is disposed within the supply duct.

30. The system of claim 28, further comprising a heater acting on the working fluid in the supply duct.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the production fluid flows in the production flowline in contra-flow to the working fluid flowing in the supply duct.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the supply duct comprises a penstock that has an accelerator portion tapering toward the generating station.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the pumping station is situated underwater.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the generating station comprises at least one turbo-generator assembly having: a hollow housing that is arranged to maintain a gas-filled space within the housing; at least one working fluid inlet extending through the housing to effect fluid communication between the supply duct and the gas-filled space; and a Pelton turbine supported within the housing to turn in the gas-filled space in reaction to the flow of the working fluid entering the gas-filled space via the or each working fluid inlet.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the generator is supported by the housing.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the housing further comprises a chamber for receiving the working fluid after the working fluid has impinged on the turbine.

37. The system of claim 34, further comprising at least one working fluid outlet extending through the housing in fluid communication with the pumping station.

38. The system of claim 34, further comprising at least one working fluid outlet extending through the housing in fluid communication with surrounding seawater.

39. The system of claim 24, wherein the pumping station and the generating station are separated by a distance of at least 100 km.

40. A method of transmitting power over a long distance underwater, the method comprising: supplying electric power from an electric power source to an electrically-driven pumping station; using the electric power in the pumping station to produce a flow of pressurised working fluid; conveying the flow of working fluid across the seabed from the pumping station to a machine that is situated underwater and is remote from the pumping station; using the working fluid to power the machine; generating electric power in a generator driven by the machine; and supplying the electric power from the generator to an electric power consumer situated underwater; wherein the method further comprises: returning the flow of working fluid across the seabed from the machine to the pumping station, re-pressurising the flow and recirculating the flow back across the seabed to the machine in a closed loop; or drawing seawater into the pumping station from the surrounding sea to constitute the flow of working fluid and expelling the seawater into the surrounding sea after using the seawater to power the machine.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the electric power source is at an above-surface location.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the pumping station is situated underwater.

43. The method of claim 40, comprising conveying a flow of hydrocarbon production fluid parallel to the flow of working fluid between the pumping station and the machine.

44. The method of claim 43, comprising surrounding the flow of production fluid with the flow of working fluid.

45. The method of claim 43, comprising heating the flow of working fluid.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein the flow of production fluid is opposed in direction to the flow of working fluid.

Description

[0029] In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a first power-transmitting system of the invention;

[0031] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a second power-transmitting system of the invention;

[0032] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional side view of a power transmitting link for use in the arrangements of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional side view of a variant of the power transmitting link shown in FIG. 3;

[0034] FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional side view of a further variant of the power transmitting link shown in FIG. 4;

[0035] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view through a conduit of the power transmitting link on line VI-VI of FIG. 5; and

[0036] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a variant of the conduit shown in FIG. 6.

[0037] Referring firstly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a first power transmitting system 10 of the invention transmits power from a source of electric power 12 to a consumer of electric power that may be exemplified by a subsea oil and gas installation 14 on the seabed 16. The source 12 may be a generating station or a node of a power grid.

[0038] In this example, the source 12 is on land 18 but it could instead be beneath the surface 20, for example as part of an offshore renewable energy installation. Conversely the consumer of electric power could instead be above the surface 20, for example a community on an island that is separated from the mainland by an expanse of sea.

[0039] The subsea installation 14 is far distant from the source 12, in the order of several tens of kilometres away and potentially substantially more than 100 km away, for example 150 km to 300 km away.

[0040] In accordance with the invention, the power transmitting arrangement 10 comprises a subsea power transmitting link 22 that, in this example, lies on the seabed 16. The link 22 conveys power along most, and potentially nearly all, of the distance between the source 12 and the subsea installation 14. At one end, close to the source 12, the link 22 converts electrical energy from the source 12 into kinetic energy and potential energy by creating a flow of working fluid at elevated working pressure. The fluid flows along the link to drive a machine at the other end of the link, close to the subsea installation. The machine drives a generator to convert the energy conveyed by the fluid back into electrical energy to power the subsea installation 14.

[0041] Thus, at its end closest to the source 12, the link 22 comprises an electrically-driven pumping station 24. Conversely, at its end closest to the subsea installation 14, the link 22 comprises a generating station 26 that in this example comprises a turbo-generator assembly. At least one fluid conduit 28 extends across the seabed 16 between the pumping station 24 and the generating station 26.

[0042] The pumping station 24 may comprise one or more pumps of any suitable type, such as a positive-displacement pump, a centrifugal pump or any combination of two or more pumps.

[0043] The or each pump of the pumping station 24 is driven by an integral electric motor that is powered via a conventional electric power cable 30 extending from the source 12 to the pumping station 24. To reduce its cost and to maximise its reliability, the cable 30 should be as short as possible and hence only as long as is necessary to connect the pumping station 24 on the seabed 16 to the source 12 on land 18. As a non-limiting example, the cable 30 may be from 5 km to 15 km long.

[0044] A second, much shorter connector 32 connects the generating station 26 to a power distribution system of the subsea installation 14.

[0045] FIG. 2 of the drawings shows a second power transmitting system 34 of the invention. This largely corresponds to the first power transmitting system 10 shown in FIG. 1 and therefore like numerals are used for like features. The key difference between these variants is that FIG. 2 depicts the source 12 as an offshore or inshore platform that has an on-board generating station for producing electric power. The umbilical cable 30 that connects that source 12 to the pumping station 24 can be beneficially shorter than the cable 30 shown in FIG. 1, potentially being not much greater in length than the depth of the water between the surface 20 and the seabed 16 at that location.

[0046] Moving on now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, these drawings show variants of the link 22 that are denoted as 22A, 22B and 22C respectively. Specifically, FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show further details of the generating station 26 and variants of the fluid conduit 28 that extends between the pumping station 24 and the generating station 26. The generating station 26 is largely common to all of these embodiments and so will be described first. The variants of the fluid conduit 28 shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, denoted 28A, 28B and 28C respectively, will be described afterwards.

[0047] The turbo-generator assembly of the generating station 26 comprises a hollow, rigid, pressure-resistant and self-supporting domed shell or housing 36. The housing 36 is rotationally symmetrical around a substantially vertical central axis 38 and so is circular in plan view.

[0048] The housing 36 contains a generally toroidal manifold or ring duct 40 for receiving high-pressure working fluid 42 from the fluid conduit 28. The ring duct 40 encircles the central axis 38. The housing 36 also encloses, and the ring duct 40 also surrounds, a Pelton turbine 44 that is supported to spin about the central axis 38. Such a turbine 44 is characterised by an array of circumferentially-facing buckets that are distributed angularly around the central axis 38.

[0049] The ring duct 40 supports, and is in fluid communication with, an array of nozzles 46 that face inwardly from the ring duct 40 and are spaced angularly from each other around the central axis 38. The nozzles 46 are offset angularly from radial alignment with respect to the central axis 38, all in the same circumferential direction. Thus, the nozzles 46 have tangential orientation to direct jets of high-pressure fluid from the ring duct 40 into the buckets of the turbine 44 with substantial circumferential or tangential momentum. The buckets reverse the flow of the jets to maximise the momentum change and hence the reaction force applied to the turbine 44.

[0050] The housing 36 is surmounted by, and supports the weight of, a generator 48 such as an alternator. The generator 48 closes an open top of the housing 36 and is coupled to the turbine 44 by a drive shaft 50 that also spins on the central axis 38.

[0051] A transformer may conveniently also be mounted on top of the housing 36, for example on top of the generator 48, but has been omitted from these simplified views. For example, the transformer could instead be positioned elsewhere and connected to the generator 48 by cables or other conductors.

[0052] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the working fluid 42 is a liquid such as water. Thus, the housing 36 extends downwardly below the turbine 44 to define an open-topped chamber 52 that serves as a drainage receptacle for a liquid working fluid 42 that falls from the turbine 44 under gravity after impinging on the buckets of the turbine 44. In this respect, a turbine of the Pelton type works most efficiently when it spins in a gas. Thus, advantageously, the surface of the liquid working fluid 42 in the chamber 52 is kept beneath the turbine 44 by a pocket 54 of air or other gas at elevated pressure that is trapped around the turbine 44 in the domed upper portion of the housing 36.

[0053] The ring duct 40 is in fluid communication with one or more supply ducts 56 of the fluid conduit 28, through which the ring duct 40 receives a flow of high-pressure working fluid 42 that is expelled, in use, from an outlet 58 of the pumping station 24.

[0054] In the examples shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the or each supply duct 56 has a tubular penstock 60 that enters the housing 36 of the generating station 26. The penstock 60 comprises a frusto-conical venturi or accelerator portion that tapers in a downstream direction to accelerate the flow of liquid that enters the ring duct 40.

[0055] On entering the ring duct 40, the incoming flow accelerated by the penstock 60 is deflected to follow the ring duct 40 in a circumferential direction corresponding to that of the jets projected by the nozzles 46. In consequence, a high-pressure, high-velocity flow of liquid impinges against the buckets of the turbine 44 and so drives the turbine 44 efficiently.

[0056] The link 22A of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from the links 22B, 22C of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in that FIG. 3 shows a closed-loop system whereas FIGS. 4 and 5 show open-loop systems. Thus, the working fluid 42 in FIG. 3 is recirculated in the system rather than being expelled into the sea and so could be fresh water treated with routine additives, or another liquid such as MEG. The housing 36 of the generating station 26 is therefore closed so as to enclose the working fluid 42 fully, apart from an outlet 62 in the housing 36 at the level of the chamber 52 through which the working fluid 42 is returned to the pumping station 24.

[0057] Specifically, the conduit 28A shown in FIG. 3 comprises parallel supply and return ducts 56, 64 that together extend between the pumping station 24 and the generating station 26. As noted above, the supply duct 56 effects fluid communication between the outlet 58 of the pumping station 24 and the ring duct 40 of the generating station 26. Conversely, the return duct 64 effects fluid communication between the outlet 62 in the housing 36 of the generating station 26 and a suction inlet 66 of the pumping station 24. Working fluid 42 flowing along the return duct 64 that enters the suction inlet 66 of the pumping station 24 is re-pressurised by the pumping station 24 and recirculated through the outlet 58 into the supply duct 56, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0058] Turning next to the links 22B, 22C shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, these open-loop systems have several features in common with the link 22A shown in FIG. 3. Consequently, like numerals are used for like features. The main difference between FIGS. 4 and 5 and FIG. 3 is that there is no longer a return duct 64, and hence there is no longer an outlet 62 in the housing 36 of the generating station 26. Instead, the housing 36 has an exhaust outlet 68 at the level of the chamber 52, through which a working fluid 42 in the form of seawater is expelled into the surrounding sea after passing through the turbine 44. The seawater working fluid 42 is drawn into the system through a suction inlet 70 of the pumping station 24 that now opens directly into the surrounding sea. The seawater working fluid 42 is pressurised by the pumping station 24 and then flows via the supply duct 56 from the outlet 58 of the pumping station 24 to the ring duct 40 of the generating station 26.

[0059] The link 22C shown in FIG. 5 has all of the features of the link 22B of FIG. 4, plus some additional features. Most notably, the supply duct 56, which is also shown in cross-section in FIG. 6, is widened to accommodate a production flowline 72. A major portion of the production flowline 72 extends along the interior of the supply duct 56 in parallel to the direction of flow of the seawater working fluid 42. In this example, that portion of the production flowline 72 extends centrally along the supply duct 56. Thus, in this case, the supply duct 56 is an annulus that surrounds the production flowline 72, which is therefore submerged in the seawater working fluid 42 that flows within the supply duct 56.

[0060] As FIG. 5 shows, the direction of flow of hydrocarbon production fluid along the production flowline 72 is typically opposed to the direction of flow of the seawater working fluid 42 along the supply duct 56. This contra-flow arises as the production fluid flows from the subsea installation 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 back to the land 18 or to the platform that houses the source 12 of electric power.

[0061] FIG. 5 also shows a heater 74 in the supply duct 56 upstream of the production flowline 72. The heater 74 heats the flow of seawater working fluid 42 exiting the pumping station 24 for the purpose of flow assurance in the production flowline 72. The added heat beneficially reduces the thermal gradient between the seawater working fluid 42 and the hotter production fluid in the production flowline 72. The abovementioned contra-flow between the production fluid and the working fluid 42 is also advantageous when using a heated working fluid 42. In that case, the temperature of the working fluid 42 will be at its highest at the upstream end of the supply duct 56 coinciding with the downstream end of the production flowline 72, where the production fluid will tend to have lost more of its heat.

[0062] The cross-sectional view of the conduit 28C in FIG. 6 shows the production flowline 72 suspended on the central longitudinal axis 76 of the supply duct 56 by spacer elements 78 that extend radially outwardly from the production flowline 72 to the inner surface of the supply duct 56.

[0063] In this example, the supply duct is defined externally by a carrier pipe 80 that comprises a polymer sleeve or outer pipe 82, for example of PVC, a steel inner pipe 84 and a concrete layer 86 in an annulus between the outer and inner pipes 82, 84. The concrete layer 86 adds weight to stabilise the supply duct 56 on the seabed 16 and also contributes some thermal insulation to retain heat in the seawater working fluid 42 that flows within the supply duct 56.

[0064] By way of example, the outer pipe 82 may have an inner diameter of 60 inches (1.52 m) the inner pipe 84 may have an inner diameter of 54 inches (1.37 m) and the production flowline 72 may have an inner diameter of 16 inches (40.6 cm).

[0065] Among variations within the inventive concept, a production flowline like that shown in the fluid conduit 28C of the open-loop system of FIGS. 5 and 6 could be integrated with the fluid conduit 28A of a closed-loop system like that shown in FIG. 3.

[0066] In this respect, FIG. 7 shows a fluid conduit 28D in which a bundle of parallel pipes is encased within an outer carrier pipe 80 like that shown in FIG. 6, hence comprising a polymer outer pipe 82, a steel inner pipe 84 and a concrete layer 86 in the annulus between the outer and inner pipes 82, 84. Again, the production flowline 72 is disposed centrally in this example but it is now bundled with, and surrounded by, an array of pipes 88A, 88B for conveying working fluid 42 from the pumping station 24 to, and in an optional closed-loop system also back from, the generating station 26. The pipes 88A, 88B may be supported within the carrier pipe 72 by transverse spacers or may themselves serve as spacers that support the production flowline 72. The pipes 88A, 88B may be of a polymer material such as PVC; the production flowline 72 is typically of steel but could be of a polymer composite material.

[0067] In this example, the pipes 88A, 88B comprise an equal mixture of supply pipes 88A for receiving high-pressure working fluid 42 from the pumping station 24 and return pipes 88B for returning working fluid 42 back to the pumping station 24 at lower pressure after the working fluid 42 supplied by the pumping station 24 has passed through the turbine 44.

[0068] Many other variations are possible within the inventive concept. For example, any of the various pipes of a conduit or a production flowline could be of steel or largely of polymers or of composite materials. Additional layers or components can be added to the pipes, such as an internal liner or an outer coating. Such additional layers or components may comprise polymer, metal or composite materials. Also, pipes can be single-walled or of double-walled pipe-in-pipe (PiP) construction.

[0069] Other elongate elements such as auxiliary pipes and cables may be included in a conduit, extending in parallel with the other pipes of the conduit to carry fluids, power and data signals between the towheads. Longitudinally-distributed transverse spacers may hold the various pipes and other elongate elements of the bundle relative to each other

[0070] Foundations, fixings or anchors such as staples or pins may be spaced along a conduit to support the conduit, to fix the conduit to the seabed and to prevent the conduit sinking excessively into the seabed.

[0071] Multiple pumping stations and/or heating units may be distributed along the length of the conduit, like repeater stations on a data transmission line, to maintain the pressure and temperature of the working fluid.

[0072] The conduit is apt to be towed out to an installation site in multiple sections that are each a few kilometres in length. In this respect, the maximum length of each section may be constrained by the availability of land at onshore fabrication facilities such as spoolbases or yards. However, a conduit can be made as long as required by fabricating it from multiple sections coupled end-to-end.

[0073] A towable conduit section can be prefabricated, assembled and tested onshore or in sheltered water before it is towed offshore for installation. Sections can be joined underwater or at the surface. Conveniently, multiple sections can be joined inshore at the surface, towed together to an installation site as a single unit and installed on the seabed simultaneously in one operation.

[0074] Various towing methods may be used to transport conduit sections to an offshore installation site. In particular, the sections may be towed at various depths in the water. Sections may be surface-towed at or near to the surface, or near the seabed to protect them from the influence of surface water dynamics. Mid-water towing may be preferred, for example using the controlled-depth towing method or CDTM as known in the art for installing pipeline bundles.

[0075] Stacking major components of the turbo-generator assembly along the vertical central axis simplifies installation and maintenance, allowing the assembly as a whole, or any of its major components, to be lowered from or raised to the surface together or separately. Subsea-releasable, ROV-operable fastenings may be provided between the stacked components for this purpose so that the assembly may be assembled or disassembled subsea.

[0076] The or each supply duct could be provided with one or more valves that are capable of controlling or blocking fluid flow. For example, one-way valves may allow water to enter the housing of the turbo-generator assembly but block the egress of gas from the housing.

[0077] A Pelton turbine is preferred for its compactness and efficiency. However, in principle, the turbine could be different type of turbine such as a Francis turbine. It may also be possible to replace the turbine with a different machine to drive the generator, such as a screw expander or other positive-displacement machine.