System for installing anti-scouring material in a self-floating marine foundation, and associated methods and uses of said system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system for installing anti-scouring material on a premanufactured marine foundation, said foundation being transportable in a self-floating manner to its final position on the seabed; comprising: at least one device for housing the anti-scouring material; at least one device for securing the anti-scouring material and/or said housing device to the marine foundation; and wherein the housing device and the securing device are installable on the marine foundation prior to the marine foundation being installed in its final position.

Claims

1. A system for installing anti-scouring material on a premanufactured marine foundation, said foundation being transportable in a self-floating manner to the foundation's final position on the seabed, the system comprising: at least one housing device for housing the anti-scouring material, wherein said housing device comprises multiple bags filled with anti-scouring material, laterally adjacent to the perimeter of the foundation and joined to each other; at least one device for securing the housing device to the marine foundation, comprising a plurality of independent cords or cables for retaining the multiple bags, wherein each of the multiple bags is connected to one of the independent cords or cables; and a remote control and/or actuation device for said securing device, wherein said control device is adapted to configure the housing device in, at least, two positions: a folded configuration position, wherein the bags of the housing device are maintained in a provisional and retracted position different from its final position in the installed condition, adjacent to the perimeter of the foundation; and a deployed configuration position, wherein the bags of the housing device are released, completely or partially, promoting the positioning of the bags of said housing device in its final position, contiguous to the marine foundation, wherein the securing device comprises at least one provisional securing element connected to the plurality of independent cords or cables from which the bags are suspended, said securing element being releasable, thereby allowing the plurality of bags to fall on the seabed with the housing device in the deployed configuration position, and wherein the anti-scouring material has a density that does not exceed more than 50% of the density of the water, wherein at least a portion of said material is located in a submerged position during the transportation of the marine foundation to its final position.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the anti-scouring material comprises one or more of the following materials: gravel, rocks, sandbags, rockfill, tyres, hardenable compositions, concrete, blocks slabs, or hollow bodies, vegetation, seeds.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the housing device comprises one or more of the following elements: a net, a mesh, a geotextile, a grate, a canopy, a cloth for housing.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the marine foundation is a gravity foundation comprising a hollow concrete base that can float provisionally.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the marine foundation comprises perimeter skirts which penetrate the seabed with the foundation resting thereon, wherein the lower depth level of said skirts is smaller than the lower depth level of the anti-scouring material, such that the penetration of the skirts in the seabed is started before the anti-scouring material comes into contact with the seabed.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the marine foundation is a foundation of a wind turbine tower.

7. A method for installing anti-scouring material in a premanufactured marine foundation the method comprising performing, at least, the following steps in any order using a system according to claim 1: a) arranging anti-scouring material housed and/or supported in at least one housing device comprising multiple bags fillable with said anti-scouring material, laterally adjacent to the perimeter of the foundation and joined to each other; b) using at least one securing device for installing and/or fastening the device for housing anti-scouring material in the marine foundation, before transferring said marine foundation to its final location on the seabed; c) transporting in a self-floating manner the marine foundation together with the system for installing anti-scouring material; d) performing the anchoring of the marine foundation to its final position on the seabed.

8. The method for installing anti-scouring material according to claim 7 further comprising: e) arranging the securing device in the deployed configuration position, completely or partially releasing the housing device, and promoting the positioning of the bags of said housing device in its final position contiguous to the marine foundation.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the system comprises operating the remote control and/or actuation device for the configuration of the positions of the securing device, and wherein said remote control and/or actuation device is operated from a point at or above the surface of the sea.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the method is performed during the transportation of a marine foundation in a self-floating manner along the surface of the sea and/or during the anchoring of a marine foundation to its definitive installation site on the seabed.

11. A wind turbine tower, wind turbine and/or equipment installed on a marine foundation using the system for installing anti-scouring material according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The characteristics of the invention will be clearer starting from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, described, by way of example and not limitation, in reference to the attached drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the system of the invention, according to a preferred embodiment thereof.

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the system described in FIG. 1, wherein the folded configuration position is shown, wherein the anti-scouring material is retracted inside said housing device.

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the system described in FIG. 1, wherein it shows the change to the deployed configuration position, wherein it releases, completely or partially, the device for housing the anti-scouring material, causing the deployment or positioning of said material in its definitive position contiguous to the marine foundation.

(5) FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 schematically represent, in respective side elevation views, phases of a method for using the embodiment of the transportation and placement means of FIG. 1, according to the present invention.

(6) FIG. 8 schematically represents, in a cross section of a side elevation view, an embodiment of the system according to the present invention.

(7) FIG. 9 schematically represents, in a cross section of a side elevation view, the system of FIG. 8 with the foundation installed and the installation system in the deployed configuration.

(8) FIGS. 10A-10B show two preferred embodiments of the invention, wherein the device for housing the anti-scouring material comprises a plurality of bags for housing said material, arranged around the marine foundation.

(9) FIGS. 11A-11C show different steps of the method for installing the system described in FIGS. 10A-10B, according to the present invention.

(10) FIGS. 12A-12C show three steps of a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein the marine foundation comprises perimeter skirts, adapted to penetrate the seabed when the foundation rests thereon.

(11) Reference numbers of the drawings:

(12) TABLE-US-00001 (1) Anti-scouring material (2) Marine foundation (3) Device for housing anti-scouring material (4) Device for securing the housing device and/or anti-scouring material (5) Installation site (6) Folded configuration position of the securing device (7) Deployed configuration position of the securing device (8) Concrete box (9) Upper wall (10) Lower wall (11) Side wall (12) Tower (13) Tyres (14) Mesh, geotextile or slab (15) Grommets (17) Guide arches (18) Cord (19) Long edge of the rectangular mesh (20) Long edge of the rectangular mesh (21) Surface of the sea (22) Seabed (23) Tugboat (24) Bags for housing anti-scouring material (25) Skirts (26) Working platform (27) Provisional securing element

(13) In the figures, identical or analogous elements in different embodiments are indicated using the same reference numbers, adding a prime symbol.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(14) FIGS. 1-3 show an embodiment of the system for installing anti-scouring material (1) in a premanufactured underwater foundation (2) according to the invention.

(15) As seen in said figures, the system for installing anti-scouring material (1) comprises, preferably, at least one device (3) for housing the anti-scouring material (1); and at least one device (4) for securing the anti-scouring material (1) and/or said housing device (3) to the marine foundation (2);

(16) wherein the housing device (3) and the securing device (4) are installable in the marine foundation (2) prior to the marine foundation (2) being installed in its final position (5).

(17) Preferably, the device (4) for securing the anti-scouring material (1) and/or the housing device (3) is configurable in, at least, two positions: a folded configuration position (6), wherein it secures the housing device (3) to the marine foundation (2), such that said anti-scouring material (1) is retracted inside said housing device (3); and a deployed configuration position (7), wherein it releases, completely or partially, the device (3) for housing anti-scouring material (1), promoting the deployment of said material (1) in an area contiguous to the marine foundation (2).

(18) Preferably, the gravity foundation (2) comprises a concrete structure or box (8), having a hollow inner space, and which has an essentially circular and flat upper wall (9), an essentially circular and flat lower wall or slab (10) arranged parallel and concentric to said upper wall (9), and a side wall that in this embodiment is vertical (11) which perimetrically joins said upper wall (9) and said lower wall (10).

(19) Nevertheless, the foundation (2) can have any other shape within the ones used, normally being, for example, frustoconical, square, etc. The gravity foundation (2) supports a construction comprising, preferably, a tower (12) tall enough to emerge from the surface of the sea at the installation site (5) of the box (8).

(20) In this embodiment, the anti-scouring material (1) comprises a plurality of tyres (13), the housing device (3) comprises a housing mesh (14), and the fastening device (4) comprises an operating assembly made up of grommets (15), attachment arches (16), guiding arches (17) and a cord (18). Nevertheless, and as occurs in the rest of the embodiments of the invention, it is possible to use other equivalent means such as pulleys instead of grommets (15), rings or through holes instead of arches (17), cables instead of cords (18), or any other means known in the art for the guiding and/or securing thereof.

(21) One (19) of the long edges of said mesh (14) is joined in a fixed manner to the radially outer edge of said lower wall (10) and said grommets (15) are distributed uniformly along the other one (20) of the long edges of said mesh (14). The attachment arches (16) are distributed along the upper edge of said vertical wall (11), and said guiding arches (17) are arranged in two parallel rows that extend radially on the upper wall (9), from the radially outer edge of said upper wall (9) to the tower (12), and additionally along the vertical extension of said tower (12) beyond the surface of the sea (21) in the installed condition of the box (8). Said mesh (14) is placed such that said grommets (15) are interspersed between said attachment arches (16). Said cord (18) is threaded in said grommets (15) and said attachment arches (16), therefore crossing through grommets (15) and attachment arches (16) in an alternating manner, and it is additionally threaded in said guiding arches (17) beyond the surface of the sea in the installed condition of the box (8). Said cord (18) has tension so as to be extended in a substantially circumferential manner in the threaded portion thereof in grommets and attachment arches. Said mesh (14) is big enough so as to, in this position, create a pocket with said vertical wall (11) wherein said tyres (13) are housed, perimetrically in relation to said box (8). This situation corresponds to the folded configuration of the securing system, wherein the relative position of the anti-scouring material (1) in relation to the concrete box (8) differs from the one that will be its final position in the installed condition.

(22) The embodiment shown illustrates a securing system with a single cord (18) securing the mesh (14). Naturally, configurations are possible wherein more than one cord (18) or mesh (14) are used generating several operating subsystems without limiting, for this reason, the scope of the invention.

(23) FIGS. 4 to 7 show different phases of the method for using the means for transporting and placing anti-scouring material of FIGS. 1 to 3.

(24) FIG. 4 shows a mass of water, in this case the sea, which has an underwater bed, in this case the seabed (22), which in turn comprises an installation site (5), (said site being able to be recessed or not). Along the surface of the sea (21), a tugboat (23) moves which tows the box (8) by self-floatation until it is situated in vertical correspondence with its installation site (5). Said box (8) carries resting therein at least a portion of the tower (12), which in this case is a telescopic-type tower. In this embodiment, a wind turbine is transported already installed together with the foundation (2). As seen in the figure, the system for installing anti-scouring material (1) according to the present invention has been installed prior to transporting the assembly in a single operation.

(25) Preferably, the anti-scouring material (1) is completely or partially submerged during the towing transportation process, which reduces the effective weight thereof and therefore the effect thereof on the depth of the assembly. The use of low-density materials such as tyres, the density thereof being very similar to that of water, provides a relevant advantage given that the effect thereof on the depth of the assembly is minimised or even practically nullified.

(26) FIG. 5 shows said box (8) which has already been situated in said installation site (5), by means of gravity, in this case by weighing it down using the flooding of the inner space thereof with water from the sea (21) itself.

(27) FIG. 6 shows that one of the ends of the cord (18) emerging from the surface of the sea (21) is pulled through the respective row of guiding arches (17), while the other end of the cords (18) emerging from the surface of the sea (21) is released through the respective row of guiding arches (17). Thus, said cord (18) is unthreaded from the grommets (15), the attachment arches (16) and the guiding arches (17), releasing the edge (20) from grommets of said mesh (14); meaning, said operating assembly (15), (16), (17), (18) is freed or deployed. FIG. 6 shows a moment of this phase wherein said cord (18) has been unthreaded from a portion of said grommets (15), from a portion of said attachment arches (16) and from a portion of said guiding arches (17) and has therefore already released a portion of the edge (20) from grommets of said mesh (14). Said portion of the edge (20) of grommets of said mesh (14) that has already been released then falls on the seabed (22) from the effects of the weight of the tyres (13), and said tyres (13) are thus deployed in the area of the seabed (22) contiguous to said box (8). Preferably, the securing device (4) can be actuated from a working platform (26) located in the tower (12) and which stays above the water throughout the entire process. To do so, the cord (18) can be operated from said platform (26).

(28) FIG. 7 shows that the cord (18) has already been completely withdrawn and all the tyres (13) are therefore already deployed in the vicinity of the seabed (22) surrounding said box (8) in a contiguous manner.

(29) Preferably, the very mesh (14) that has acted as a housing device in the provisional installation phases, and that in the definitive situation is located completely or partially underneath the anti-scouring material (1), can also contribute to reducing or preventing the possible scouring.

(30) Subsequently, due to the effects of natural movements of the seabed, the tyres (13) can tend to slowly fill up with material from the bed, sand for example, which gives them weight and improves the function thereof as anti-scouring material (1). Preferably, the tyres (13) are joined to each other by means of cords or any other attachment means known in the state of the art, which is advantageous in order to prevent units from being dragged or separated from the rest. The tyres can be separated or grouped into bags or secondary meshes, inside the main mesh (14).

(31) Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, these figures show means for transporting and placing anti-scouring material for a premanufactured underwater foundation according to another preferred embodiment of the invention. Said means for transporting and placing anti-scouring material comprise a geotextile (14) which can be a simple layer (blanket-type) or a double layer (bag-type). Concrete slabs can also be used as an alternative to the geotextile. The securing device in this embodiment could be analogous to the one shown in other embodiments such as the ones described in FIGS. 1 to 3 or in FIG. 10A or 10B.

(32) FIG. 8 shows the system in the folded position (6) thereof, and FIG. 9 shows the system in the deployed configuration (7) thereof.

(33) In this embodiment, the anti-scouring material is the geotextile (14) itself and the housing device are elements to support and/or fasten the lower edge of said geotextile arranged laterally along the perimeter of the foundation, which can be articulated or not. Optionally, when using a bag-type double-layer geotextile, the inner space of the geotextile (14) can be filled with another material, preferably hardenable. Optionally, the geotextile can incorporate seeds, fertilisers or other components intended to facilitate the vegetation of the seabed (22) in the area contiguous to the box (8). In order to facilitate a better deployment of the geotextile on the seabed, the geotextile can have a tubing on the outer perimeter edge thereof, such as a hose or similar, able to be filled by pressure, such that it tends to adopt the essentially circular geometry thereof and in this manner contribute to the deployment of the geotextile.

(34) FIGS. 10A and 10B show other preferred embodiments of the invention, wherein the device (3) for housing the anti-scouring material (1) comprises a plurality of housing bags (24) suspended laterally around the marine foundation (2). In said embodiment, each one of these bags (24) is connected to a cord (18) or cable for retaining them, wherein said cord (18) acts as a device (4) for securing the anti-scouring material (1) and the housing device (3). As a person skilled in the art will see, the use of meshes (14), bags (24) or other equivalent solutions are indistinctly applicable in the scope of the invention, without altering the object thereof. It is likewise possible that a single cord (18) enables more than one bag (24) to be suspended.

(35) In the embodiment of FIG. 10A, the securing device (4) has an operating assembly for the deployment of said bags (24) comprising one or more provisional securing elements (27) for the different cords (18) from which the bags (24) are suspended, said securing element being releasable, such that once the foundation rests on the seabed (22), the cords (18) can be released thus letting the bags (24) fall on the seabed (22). Said provisional securing element (27) can be remotely actuable (for example by means of cords or ties operated from the surface, not shown in the figure), or it can be designed to be self-releasing once the foundation (2) is resting on the seabed (22), and it can be positioned in any convenient point of the foundation (2) and/or the tower (12) and/or the working platform (26). This embodiment of the invention possesses some additional advantages, since it enables the anti-scouring material (1) to be deployed without needing to open the bags (24) by means of releasing the housing device (3). Thus, the bags (24) fall towards the seabed (22), but maintain the anti-scouring material (1) inside them, which provides greater control over the deployment thereof at the feet of the foundation (1) or at another point of the tower (12). This solution, furthermore, facilitates the tasks of withdrawing or substituting the anti-scouring material (1) and implies a lesser environmental impact than that of other alternatives. Additionally, the fact that the anti-scouring material (1) is maintained housed in the bags (24) makes it so said material (1) has a lesser risk of moving due to the effects of waves, tides or currents.

(36) In order to facilitate the positioning and/or the operations of the system, the operating assembly of the securing device (4) can also have guiding arches (17), and/or guides, pulleys or analogous elements that facilitate the positioning, guiding or securing of the cords (18). As a person skilled in the art will see, said operating assembly can be divided into several operating subassemblies, each of which is applied on a fraction of all the bags (24) surrounding the foundation (2) for the purpose of limiting the size thereof and/or facilitating the placement and/or operations thereof.

(37) FIG. 10B shows an alternative securing device (4), wherein each cord (18) for securing the different bags stays joined to a second cord (18), which is threaded through attachment arches (16) and/or guiding arches (17), such that when the second cord (18) is released, it makes it so the different suspended bags (24) descend until resting in their final position on the seabed (22).

(38) FIGS. 11A-11C show different steps of the method for installing the transportation and placement means described in FIGS. 10a-10b, analogous to those of FIGS. 4-7.

(39) As a person skilled in the art will see, other configurations of the securing system with different operating assemblies can be used with analogous effects and based on elements known in the art, without leaving the scope of the invention for this reason.

(40) Preferably, the different bags (24) are joined to each other, such that it prevents each bag from acting as a separate and independent element. This can be especially convenient during the towing transportation phase of the assembly made up of the foundation (2) and the system for installing the anti-scouring material (1).

(41) FIGS. 12A-12C show different phases of another preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein the marine foundation (2) comprises perimeter skirts (25) which penetrate the seabed (22) when the foundation (2) rests thereon, wherein the lower dimension of said skirts (25) is smaller than the dimension of the anti-scouring material (1), such that the nailing of the skirts is started before the anti-scouring material (1) comes into contact with the seabed (22). As described in previous sections, thanks to the skirts (25), when the anti-scouring material (1) makes contact with the seabed (22) it prevents the risk of said material being able to slide under the foundation (2), even if it has not yet rested on the bed (22), since the skirts (25) act as a barrier. Additionally, the skirts (25) make it possible for the anti-scouring material (1) to go directly in the definitive dimension thereof (coinciding with the base of the foundation (2)), making the means for controlling the configuration of the positions of the fastening device (4) unnecessary.

(42) As a person skilled in the art will understand based on the teachings of the present document, a manual mechanical operating assembly, like the ones described here in relation to different embodiments of a respective assembly device according to the present invention, can be substituted by an electromechanical assembly device by remote control. However, in certain applications this second type of assembly device could end up being too costly, for example due to requiring a high number of parts with high resistance in sea environments.

(43) Naturally, the start of the invention staying the same, the embodiments and the construction details can vary widely with respect to the ones described and illustrated herein, purely by way of non-limiting example, without thus leaving the scope of the invention for this reason as defined in the attached claims.