Granted Patent B2

US 12,247,545 · App. 18/245,663 · Granted Mar 11, 2025

Inventor: Geir Grimsrud (Son, NO)

Assignee: BRUNEL FLOATING AS

F03D13/256B63B35/44B63B75/00B63B2035/446F05B2240/93

Abstract

Claims (30)

1. A wind turbine comprising:

a floating foundation;

a support structure;

an upwind generator comprising a nacelle and a rotor;

wherein the floating foundation is assembled from a plurality of tubular sections of uniform diameter, the plurality of tubular sections forming a foundation frame with a mooring turret at an apex of the foundation frame, the floating foundation frame being generally situated in one plane;

the support structure comprising two members extending substantially transverse to the plane of the floating foundation, each of the two beams being connected at a first end to a respective side of the foundation frame and at a second end to the nacelle;

wherein the support structure together with the floating foundation forms a triangle with the nacelle fixedly mounted at an apex of the support structure, the rotor facing the apex of the foundation frame; and

wherein in a first alternative:

the two members are two beams; and

the foundation frame comprises:

two first tubular sections of the tubular sections that extend from a turret at the apex thereof with an angular separation of about 45°;

two second tubular sections of the tubular sections that extend in parallel with one another from a free end of each of the two first tubular sections; and

a transverse tubular section connecting the two second tubular sections; and

wherein the two beams are attached adjacent to each end of the transverse tubular section of the foundation frame; and

wherein in a second alternative;

the foundation frame comprises two tubular sections of the tubular sections that extend from a turret at the apex thereof with an angular separation;

the two members are two support tubular sections extending from respective sides of the floating foundation; and

the support structure comprises:

a transverse section extending between the two support tubular sections at a location distant from the floating foundation; and

two inclined tubular struts extending from the two support tubular sections to the transverse section.

2. The wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises tensioned backstays supporting the two beams and ensuring that the two beams are substantially subjected to compression forces only.

3. The wind turbine of claim 2 , wherein the support structure leans at an angle towards the apex of the foundation frame.

4. The wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the two beams are assembled from truss work sections.

5. The wind turbine of claim 4 , wherein the two beams are assembled from identical truss sections manufactured by robot welding and which are connected to each other by bolted connections.

6. The wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the two beams are assembled from pipe sections.

7. The wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the floating foundation comprises straight tubular sections connected to each other by bolted connections.

8. The wind turbine of claim 7 , wherein the bolted connections comprise connection pieces made from the same material as the tubular sections.

9. The wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the floating foundation comprises straight tubular sections connected to each other by welding.

10. The wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein each of the tubular sections has at least one airtight compartment providing buoyancy.

11. The wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein, during operation, the mooring turret protrudes through a water surface while the rest of the floating foundation is below the water surface.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (28)