OFFSHORE HYDROGEN RESERVOIR

Abstract

The invention relates to an offshore hydrogen reservoir (1) comprising at least one floating hydrogen tank (2). The offshore hydrogen reservoir (1) allows hydrogen to be stored offshore at low cost and safely, in particular once the hydrogen has been generated using the electrical energy of an offshore wind farm. For this purpose, the offshore hydrogen reservoir (1) comprises a floating hydrogen tank (2) which can be disposed in the water separate from an offshore platform (10) equipped with a hydrogen generator (11).

Claims

1. Offshore hydrogen storage (1) comprising at least one floatable hydrogen tank (2).

2. Offshore hydrogen storage (1) according to claim 1, comprising a multiplicity of floatable hydrogen tanks (2) attached to one another.

3. Offshore hydrogen storage (1) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a gangway (3) that is attached to the at least one hydrogen tank (2).

4. Offshore hydrogen storage (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the offshore hydrogen storage (1) is anchored to the seabed (6).

5. Offshore hydrogen storage (1) according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one hydrogen tank (2) is held on a pile (5) that is fixed to the seabed (6).

6. Offshore hydrogen storage (1) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one hydrogen tank (2) is movable along the pile (5).

7. Offshore hydrogen storage (1) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a ballast tank (7), wherein the at least one hydrogen tank (2) can be moved below the water surface (8) by filling the ballast tank (7).

8. Arrangement (9) comprising an offshore platform (10) equipped with a hydrogen generator (11), and an offshore hydrogen storage (12) having at least one floatable hydrogen tank (2), wherein the at least one hydrogen tank (2) is connected to the hydrogen generator (11) via a line (12).

9. Method in which hydrogen is stored offshore in at least one floatable hydrogen tank (2).

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one hydrogen tank (2) is kept below the water surface (8) during normal operation and is at least in part raised above the water surface (8) for maintenance purposes.

Description

[0035] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. The figures show particularly preferred embodiments to which the invention is not limited, however. The figures and the proportions shown therein are only schematic. In the drawings:

[0036] FIG. 1: is a top view of an arrangement according to the invention,

[0037] FIG. 2: is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an offshore hydrogen storage for the arrangement of FIG. 1,

[0038] FIG. 3: is a side view of a second embodiment of an offshore hydrogen storage for the arrangement of FIG. 1 during normal operation,

[0039] FIG. 4: is a side view of the offshore hydrogen storage of FIG. 3 in a state for maintenance purposes, and

[0040] FIG. 5: is a perspective view of the offshore hydrogen storage of FIGS. 3 and 4 during normal operation.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows an arrangement 9 having an offshore platform 10 and an offshore hydrogen storage 1. The offshore platform 10 has a hydrogen generator 11 with which hydrogen can be generated, in particular using electrical energy from an offshore wind farm. This hydrogen, in particular as a gas, can be fed to the offshore hydrogen storage 1 via a line 12 in order to be stored in the offshore hydrogen storage 1. For this purpose, the offshore hydrogen storage 1 has multiple floatable hydrogen tanks 2. In the shown embodiment, 4×4, i.e. 16, hydrogen tanks 2 are provided. These are attached to one another via a frame 13. The part of the frame 13 that can be seen in FIG. 1 is designed as a gangway 3. Via the gangway 3, for example, maintenance work can be carried out.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of an offshore hydrogen storage 1 for the arrangement 9 of FIG. 1. The 16 hydrogen tanks 2 can be seen that are arranged parlay below and partly above the water surface 8. The hydrogen tanks 2 thus float. This is possible because the hydrogen tanks 2 are dimensioned in such a way that their buoyancy just compensates for the weight. In order to prevent the hydrogen tanks 2 from drifting off, they are anchored to the seabed 6 by means of ropes 4, in this case four by way of example. The gangway 3 and the other parts of the frame 13 are also shown.

[0043] FIGS. 3 to 5 show a second embodiment of an offshore hydrogen storage 1 for the arrangement 9 of FIG. 1. Therein, the hydrogen tanks 2 are held on a pile 5 that is fixed to the seabed 6. The hydrogen tanks 2 can be moved along the pile 5, i.e., up and down. Therein, they are guided by the pile 5. The position of the hydrogen tanks 2 on the pile 5 can be adjusted by filling and emptying ballast tanks 7. It is thus possible for the hydrogen tanks 2 to be kept below the water surface 8 during normal operation when the ballast tanks 7 are filled (FIG. 3) and to be raised at least in part above the water surface 8 for maintenance purposes. In this embodiment, too, the hydrogen tanks 2 are attached to one another via a frame 13. Said frame is not designed as a gangway, which however would also be possible in this embodiment.

[0044] The offshore hydrogen storage 1 allows hydrogen to be stored offshore at low cost and safely, in particular once the hydrogen has been generated using the electrical energy of an offshore wind farm. For this purpose, the offshore hydrogen storage 1 comprises a floatable hydrogen tank 2 that can be disposed in the water separate from an offshore platform 10 equipped with a hydrogen generator 11.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0045] 1 offshore hydrogen storage [0046] 2 hydrogen tank [0047] 3 gangway [0048] 4 rope [0049] 5 pile [0050] 6 seabed [0051] 7 ballast tank [0052] 8 water surface [0053] 9 arrangement [0054] 10 offshore platform [0055] 11 hydrogen generator [0056] 12 line [0057] 13 frame