专利摘要:
A sealing system (1) is disclosed for arranging inside a support structure (3) of an off-shore wind turbine for sealing the inside of a lower section (2) of the support structure (3) off from an upper section (4) of the support structure (3), said sealing system (1) comprising - a closing structure (7) extending in a radial direction (RD) and configured to be arranged substantially horizontally inside the support structure (3); - a supporting arrangement (8, 10, 11) configured for supporting the closing structure (7) on the inside of the support structure (3); - a sealing element (12) being sealingly connected to the closing structure (7) along a first closed path; and - expansion means (13, 14) configured for moving a contact part of the sealing element (12) in the radial direction (RD) from a contracted position to an extended position for abutting an inner wall (15) of the support structure (3) along a second closed path, so that the sealing element (12) and the closing structure (7) form a substantially moisture-tight sealing across the support structure (3).
公开号:DK201970784A1
申请号:DKP201970784
申请日:2019-12-18
公开日:2021-06-10
发明作者:Fog Gjersøe Nils;Frej Henningsen Jesper;Leth Mads
申请人:Vattenfall Ab;
IPC主号:
专利说明:

DK 2019 70784 A1 1 A SEALING SYSTEM FOR AN OFF-SHORE WIND TURBINE AND A WIND
TURBINE HAVING SUCH SEALING SYSTEM Field of the invention The present invention relates to a sealing system for an off-shore wind turbine for providing a substantially moisture-tight sealing across a lower section of the support structure as well as to a wind turbine comprising such sealing system. Background Arrangements in off-shore wind turbines for preventing moisture from the inside of e.g. a monopile to raise to the internal space of upper parts of the support structure of a wind turbine, such as into the transition piece are known in the art, e.g. from the disclosure of US 2019/040844 A1 in which a support edge is provided on the inside of the monopile so that an airtight seal can be formed by —a floor resting on the support edge. It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative system for providing a substantially moisture-tight sealing across a lower section of the support structure of an off-shore wind turbine, which is cost optimized.
Brief description of the invention The present invention provides a sealing system for arranging inside a support structure of an off-shore wind turbine for sealing the inside of a lower section of the support structure off from an upper section of the support structure, said sealing system comprising a closing structure extending in a radial direction and configured to be arranged substantially horizontally inside the support structure; a supporting arrangement configured for supporting the closing struc- ture on the inside of the support structure; a sealing element being sealingly connected to the closing structure along a first closed path; and expansion means configured for moving a contact part of the sealing element in the radial direction from a contracted position to an extended position for abutting an in- ner wall of the support structure along a second closed path, so that the sealing element and the closing structure form a substantially moisture-tight sealing across the support structure.
DK 2019 70784 A1 2 Hereby, a support edge or any similar structure need not be provided on the in- ner wall of the support structure in order to provide a moisture-tight sealing, and the time-consuming and thereby costly process of fastening the support edge orthe like to the inner wall by e.g. welding can be spared. Furthermore, the welding in itself may weaken the support structure or alter its mechanical prop- erties in an unwanted manner, which can be avoided with the present inven- tion.
lt is preferred that the closing structure has a substantially circular extent in the radial direction with a first outer diameter, which is in correspondence with the usual circular inner cross-section of most support structures of off-shore wind turbines.
For the same reason, the sealing element is preferably formed as an annular element.
The sealing element is in a preferred embodiment a membrane, in particular formed as a conical element. In alternative embodiments, the sealing element may be form as or comprise one or more inflatable member, such as an annu- lar tube.
The preferred material for the sealing element is a synthetic rubber such as polychloroprene, which is also known by the trade name of neoprene.
The sealing system is preferably formed to be suitable for use inside a support structure having a substantially circular inner cross-sectional opening in a hori- zontal plane.
The expansion means are in preferred embodiments of the invention config- ured to move the contact part of the sealing element at least 20 cm, preferably at least 30 cm, such as in the range of 20 to 70 cm, preferably in the range of 30 to 50 cm in the radial direction between the contracted position and the ex- tended position thereof.
DK 2019 70784 A1 3 The expansion means are preferably configured to move the contact part of the sealing element to extend at least 20 cm, preferably at least 30 cm, such as in the range of 20 to 60 cm, preferably in the range of 30 to 50 cm beyond an outermost rim of the closing structure.
In a preferred embodiment, the supporting system comprises a number of an- choring brackets fastened to the closing structure and extending upwards from the closing structure. The anchoring brackets may be equipped with connecting means for connecting to an inner flange part of the lower section for connecting the lower section and the upper section of the support structure above the level of the closing structure.
Also, the anchoring brackets may include an extension mechanism having a plurality of extension element being configured to be moved between an ex- tended position and a contracted position thereof, and wherein the sealing ele- ment is connected to the extension elements of the extension mechanism.
The present invention also relates to an off-shore wind turbine foundation com- prising a support structure having a lower section and an upper section, and a sealing system as described herein, wherein the sealing system is arranged to form a substantially moisture-tight sealing across an inner opening of the lower section of the support structure.
The lower section of the support structure of the off-shore wind turbine may be provided with an inner flange for connecting the lower section to the upper sec- tion of the support structure, in which case it is preferred that the outer circum- ference of the closing structure and the sealing element of the sealing system when the sealing element is in the contracted position is of a size allowing the sealing system to pass through said inner flange of the lower section during mounting of the sealing system.
Furthermore, the upper section of the support structure may also be equipped with an inner flange, in which case it is preferred that the outer circumference of
DK 2019 70784 A1 4 the closing structure and the sealing element of the sealing system when the sealing element is in the contracted position is of a size allowing the sealing system to pass through said inner flange of the upper section during mounting of the sealing system.
Also, the closing structure is preferably supported from such an inner flange of the upper section of the support structure for connecting the upper section to the lower section of the support structure, in one embodiment the closing struc- ture is supported on an upper surface of the inner flange of the upper section.
The lower section of the support structure is preferably a monopile, and the up- per section of the support structure is preferably a so-called transition piece. Brief description of the drawings An embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the enclosed drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of support structure of an off-shore wind turbine and a sealing system prior to installation of the latter, Fig. 2 is a side view of the sealing system of Fig. 1 during installation, Fig. 3 is a side view of the sealing system of Figs. 1 and 2 when installed, Fig. 4 is a perspective, detailed view of the sealing system of Figs. 1 to 3 in the expanded state, where the sealing element and the closing structure are omit- ted for illustrative reasons, Fig. 5 is a second, perspective view similar to Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is another perspective, detailed view of the sealing system of Figs. 1 to 4 in the pre-expanded state, where the sealing element and the closing structure are omitted for illustrative reasons, Fig. 7 is a second, perspective view similar to Fig. 6, Fig. 8 is yet another perspective, detailed view of the sealing system of Figs. 1 to 5 in the expanded state, where the sealing element is shown, and Fig. 9 is a second, perspective view similar to Fig. 8.
DK 2019 70784 A1 Alternatives to the shown embodiment can be envisioned by the skilled person and some alternatives are discussed herein. Detailed description 5 Figs. 1 to 3 illustrates the process for installing a sealing system 1 according to the present invention for sealing off a lower part 2 of a support structure 3 for an off-shore wind turbine from an upper part 4 of the support structure 3. Ac- cording to one embodiment, the lower part 2 is a monopile that has been driven into the seabed, but the lower part 2 could also be a part of another type of an off-shore foundation for a wind turbine, such as e.g. a tripod, a jacket, a gravity- based foundation or a floating foundation structure. The common feature of these foundations is that there is a need to seal off the lower part 2 from the up- per part 4 of the support structure in a substantially moisture-tight manner in or- der to protect sensitive parts, such as control systems, electric switchgears and other electric installations in the upper part 4 of the support structure 3. The up- per part 4 will often be a so-called transition piece arranged to support the wind turbine tower on the foundation and may comprise boat-landing and access ladder, switchgear, crane and/or other equipment and means for enabling ser- vice access to the off-shore wind turbine.
In the example shown, the upper part 4 is provided at its lower end with an in- ner flange 5 for cooperating with an inner flange 6 of the lower part 2 for con- necting the upper part 4 and the lower part 2. The connection is made by means of a plurality of bolts (not shown) extending vertically through both flanges 5, 6. The sealing system 1 comprises a closing structure 7 in the form of a circular steel plate which extends in a radial direction RD of the closing structure 7 with a diameter DC smaller than the smallest diameter DF of the annular shaped in- ner flange 6 of the lower part 2 so that the closing structure 7 can pass the in- ner flange 6 when the sealing system 1 is installed in the support structure 3. The closing structure 7 may be provided with inspection openings and the like, which during normal operation are sealed off.
DK 2019 70784 A1 6 The closing structure 7 is equipped with a plurality of anchoring brackets 8 equidistantly distributed along the periphery of the closing structure 7 for sup- porting the sealing system from the inner flange 5 of the upper part 4 of the support structure 3 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The anchoring brackets 8 each comprises an upright part 10 connected at the lower end to the closing struc- ture 7 and a support part 11 connected to the upper end of the upright part 10, where the support part is intended to support the sealing system from the inner flange 5. In an alternative embodiment, the support part 11 is designed to be supported on an upper surface 9 of the inner flange 5 of the upper part 4. Furthermore, the sealing system 1 comprises a sealing element 12 in the form of a flexible, annular membrane made from neoprene, a synthetic rubber also known as polychloroprene. The membrane 12 is at an inner part sealed to the closing structure 7 along a closed path and is connected at an outer part to ex- pansion braces 13, which are discussed further below with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. The expansion braces 13 may be moved in the radial direction RD by means of expansion rods 14 connected to the support part 11 of the anchoring brackets 8 in a manner that allows the expansion rods 14 to moved vertically and be fixed to the support part 11 in the displaced position. The membrane 12 shown in the example is of a conical shape, but could in an alternative embodiment be of a flat shape, where either the inner wall 15 of the lower part 2 of the support structure 3 or the expansion braces 13 are equipped with a sealing rim, such as an O-ring to ensure that the sealing system when in the extended position as shown in Fig. 3 provides a substantially moisture-tight sealing across the support structure 3. In yet another embodiment of the pre- sent invention (not shown), the sealing element 12 comprises or consists of an inflatable annular tube.
The sealing system 1 is installed by introducing it into the upper part 4 of the support structure 3 and fixing the support parts 11 of the anchoring brackets 8 to the flange 5 thereof as shown in Fig. 1, where the sealing system 1 is shown
DK 2019 70784 A1 7 pre-mounted in the upper part 4 in its contracted position, where the sealing el- ement 12 is of a size allowing it to pass the inner flange6 of the lower part 2 of the support structure 3. The upper part 4 together with the sealing system 1 is then lowered onto the lower part 2 as shown in Fig. 2, where the closing struc- ture 7 and the sealing member 12 in the form of the membrane 12 extends be- low the inner flange 6 of the lower part 2 of the support structure 3. In the next step of the installation of the sealing system 1, the expansion rods 14 are moved outwardly in the radial direction RD so as to move the outer part of the membrane 12 into abutting contact with the inner wall 15 of the lower part 2 of the support structure 3 by moving the expansion braces 13 connected to the membrane 12. The sealing system 1 is shown in Fig. 3 where the mem- brane 12 is in its extended position and that a substantially moisture-tight seal- ing is provided across the lower part 2 of the support structure 3.
The sealing system 1 is shown in the extended position in Figs. 4 and 5, where the membrane 12 and the closing structure 7 are omitted for providing a clearer view of the arrangement of the expansion braces 13. The expansion braces 13 are positioned in an extension of each other to form an annulus as opposed to the staggered arrangement in the contracted position shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The sealing system 1 is shown in the contracted position in Figs. 6 and 7, where the membrane 12 and the closing structure 7 are omitted for providing a clearer view of the arrangement of the expansion braces 13. The braces 13 are connected on one side to the outer ends of the expansion rods 14, which are connected to the anchoring brackets 8. The braces 13 are on their outer side curved with a radius of curvature corresponding to the curvature of the inner wall 15 of the lower part 2 of the support structure 3, i.e. as segments of an an- nular structure. The length and arrangement of the individual expansion braces 13 and their connection to the membrane 8 allows the expansion braces 13 to be placed in an overlapping manner when the sealing system 1 is in the con- tracted position as shown in Figs 6 and 7, whereby a cross-section of the mem- brane 8 is smaller than the smallest diameter DF of the inner flanges 5, 6, thus allowing the closing structure 7 and the membrane 12 in its contracted position
DK 2019 70784 A1 8 to be installed in the upper part 4 from the top thereof and to be lowered down through the flange 6 from the upper part 4 to the lower part 2 of the support structure 3 during installation of the sealing system 1.
The expansion braces 13 are forced outwardly in the radial direction RD by means of the expansion rods 14 and press the outer rim of the membrane 12 into abutting contact with the inner wall 15 of the lower part 2 of the support structure when the sealing system is installed as shown in Fig. 3.
The sealing system 1 is shown in its entirety in Fig. 8 and 9 with the membrane 12 in the extended position.
DK 2019 70784 A1 9 Reference numerals Sealing system 1 Lower part of a support structure 2 Support structure for an off-shore wind turbine 3 Upper part of the support structure 4 Inner flange of the upper part 5 Inner flange of the lower part 6 Closing structure 7 Anchoring brackets 8 Upper surface of inner flange of upper part 9 Upright part of brackets 10 Support part of brackets 11 Membrane, sealing element 12 Expansion braces 13 Expansion rods 14 Inner wall of lower part of support structure 15 Radial direction of closing structure RD Diameter of closing structure DC Smallest diameter of inner flanges DF
权利要求:
Claims (18)
[1] 1. A sealing system (1) for arranging inside a support structure (3) of an off- shore wind turbine for sealing the inside of a lower section (2) of the support structure (3) off from an upper section (4) of the support structure (3), said seal- ing system (1) comprising - a closing structure (7) extending in a radial direction (RD) and con- figured to be arranged substantially horizontally inside the support structure (3); - a supporting arrangement (8, 10, 11) configured for supporting the closing structure (7) on the inside of the support structure (3); - a sealing element (12) being sealingly connected to the closing structure (7) along a first closed path; and - expansion means (13, 14) configured for moving a contact part of the sealing element (12) in the radial direction (RD) from a contracted position to an extended position for abutting an inner wall (15) of the support structure (3) along a second closed path, so that the sealing element (12) and the clos- ing structure (7) form a substantially moisture-tight sealing across the support structure (3).
[2] 2. The sealing system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the closing structure (7) has a substantially circular extent in the radial direction (RD) with a first outer diameter (DC).
[3] 3. The sealing system (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the sealing element (12) is formed as an annular element.
[4] 4. The sealing system (1) according to claim 3, wherein the sealing element (12) is a membrane.
[5] 5. The sealing system (1) according to claim 4, wherein the sealing element (12) is formed as a conical element.
[6] 6. The sealing system (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the sealing element (12) is made from synthetic rubber such as polychloroprene.
DK 2019 70784 A1 11
[7] 7. The sealing system (1) according to any of the previous claims, which is suit- able for use inside a support structure (3) having a substantially circular inner cross-sectional opening in a horizontal plane.
[8] 8. The sealing system (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the expansion means (13, 14) are configured to move the contact part of the seal- ing element (12) at least 20 cm, preferably at least 30 cm, such as in the range of 20 to 70 cm, preferably in the range of 30 to 50 cm in the radial direction (RD) between the contracted position and the extended position thereof.
[9] 9. The sealing system (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the expansion means (13, 14) are configured to move the contact part of the seal- ing element (12) to extend at least 20 cm, preferably at least 30 cm, such as in the range of 20 to 60 cm, preferably in the range of 30 to 50 cm beyond an outermost rim of the closing structure (7).
[10] 10. The sealing system (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the supporting system (8, 10, 11) comprises a number of anchoring brackets (8) fastened to the closing structure (7) and extending upwards from the closing structure (7).
[11] 11. The sealing system according to claim 10, wherein the anchoring brackets (8) are equipped with connecting means (11) for connecting to an inner flange part (6) of the lower section (2) for connecting the lower section (2) and the up- per section (4) of the support structure (3) above the level of the closing struc- ture (7).
[12] 12. The sealing system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the anchoring brackets (8) includes an extension mechanism (13, 14) having a plurality of ex- tension element (13) being configured to be moved between an extended posi- tion and a contracted position thereof, and wherein the sealing element (12) is connected to the extension elements (13) of the extension mechanism (13, 14).
DK 2019 70784 A1 12
[13] 13. An off-shore wind turbine foundation comprising a support structure (3) hav- ing a lower section (2) and an upper section (4), and a sealing system (1) ac- cording to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the sealing system (1) is arranged to form a substantially moisture-tight sealing across an inner opening of the lower section (2) of the support structure (3).
[14] 14. The off-shore wind turbine foundation according to claim 13, wherein the lower section (2) of the support structure (3) is provided with an inner flange (6) for connecting the lower section (2) to the upper section (4) of the support structure (3).
[15] 15. The off-shore wind turbine foundation according to claim 14, wherein the outer circumference of the closing structure (7) and the sealing element (12) of the sealing system (1) when the sealing element (12) is in the contracted posi- tion is of a size allowing the sealing system to pass through said inner flange (6) of the lower section (2) during mounting of the sealing system (1).
[16] 16. The off-shore wind turbine foundation according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the closing structure is supported from an inner flange (5) of the upper section (4) of the support structure (3) for connecting the upper section (4) to the lower section (2) of the support structure (3).
[17] 17. The off-shore wind turbine according to any of claims 13 to 16, wherein the lower section (2) of the support structure (3) is a monopile.
[18] 18. The off-shore wind turbine according to any of claims 13 to 17, wherein the upper section (4) of the support structure (3) is a transition piece.
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同族专利:
公开号 | 公开日
DK180536B1|2021-06-10|
引用文献:
公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题

法律状态:
2021-06-10| PAT| Application published|Effective date: 20210610 |
2021-06-10| PME| Patent granted|Effective date: 20210610 |
优先权:
申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
DKPA201970784A|DK180536B1|2019-12-18|2019-12-18|Sealing system for an offshore wind turbine and a wind turbine with such a sealing system|DKPA201970784A| DK180536B1|2019-12-18|2019-12-18|Sealing system for an offshore wind turbine and a wind turbine with such a sealing system|
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