阅读说明：本技术 用于安装适合于支撑海上风力涡轮机的桩柱的船舶和方法 (Vessel and method for installing a pile suitable for supporting an offshore wind turbine ) 是由 D·T·W·A·韦赫梅热尔 M·M·斯德弗雷根 于 2020-04-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于安装适合于支撑海上风力涡轮机的桩柱(50)的船舶(1)和方法。该方法包括以下步骤：a)在基本上竖直的定向上将桩柱(50)从起重缆绳(20)悬吊下来；b)在持桩系统(42)中提供桩柱(50)的下端,从而限制由所述持桩系统(42)固持的桩柱部分的水平运动；以及c)在所述持桩系统(42)固持所述桩柱的情况下降低所述桩柱(50),其中降低至少包含降低所述桩柱通过水体的飞溅区,其中在步骤c)期间,在持桩系统(42)与起重缆绳(20)之间的位置处,两条卷扬机钢丝(32、33)直接或间接连接到所述桩柱(50),操作所述卷扬机钢丝(32、33)以在两个各自的水平方向上抑制所述桩柱的运动。(The invention relates to a vessel (1) and a method for installing a pile (50) suitable for supporting an offshore wind turbine. The method comprises the following steps: a) suspending the pile (50) from the load line (20) in a substantially vertical orientation; b) providing a lower end of a pile (50) in a pile handling system (42) limiting horizontal movement of a pile portion held by the pile handling system (42); and c) lowering the pile (50) with the pile holding system (42) holding the pile, wherein lowering at least comprises lowering the pile through a splash zone of the body of water, wherein during step c) at a location between the pile holding system (42) and the load line (20) two hoist wires (32, 33) are connected directly or indirectly to the pile (50), the hoist wires (32, 33) being operated to inhibit movement of the pile in two respective horizontal directions.)

1. A method for installing a pile adapted to support an offshore wind turbine, the method comprising the steps of:

a. suspending the pile from a load line in a substantially vertical orientation;

b. providing a lower end of the pile in a pile handling system, thereby limiting horizontal movement of a pile portion held by the pile handling system; and

c. lowering the pile with the pile holding system holding the pile, wherein lowering comprises at least lowering the pile through a splash zone of a body of water,

wherein during step c) two hoist wires are connected directly or indirectly to the pile at a position between the pile holding system and the load line, the hoist wires being operated to inhibit movement of the pile in two respective horizontal directions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the two hoist wires extends from a position between the pile holding system and the load line in a first hoist pulling direction as seen in plan view, and the other of the two hoist wires extends from a position between the pile holding system and the load line in a second hoist pulling direction as seen in plan view, wherein the first and second hoist pulling directions define an internal bisector that divides an angle between the first and second hoist pulling directions into two equal parts, wherein during step c, the first and second hoist pulling directions are positioned such that a wave propagation direction is between a direction perpendicular to the bisector and a direction perpendicular to the first hoist pulling direction, or between a direction perpendicular to the bisector and a direction perpendicular to the direction of traction of the second hoist.

3. A vessel for installing a pile adapted to support an offshore wind turbine, the vessel comprising:

-a crane having a hoisting cable and a hoisting winch to suspend and lower the pile in a substantially vertical orientation;

-a pile handling system for holding the pile and limiting horizontal movement of a pile portion held by the pile handling system;

-a winch system comprising two winch wires and corresponding winch winches, the winch wires being connectable directly or indirectly to the pile at a position between the pile holding system and the hoisting cable; and

-a control system for controlling the hoisting winch and the two winch winches to lower the pile with the pile held by the pile holding system using the hoisting winch and to damp the movement of the pile in two respective horizontal directions using the two winch winches.

4. The vessel of claim 3, wherein the hoist system is disposed on the crane.

5. The vessel of claim 3, wherein the winch system is disposed on a deck of the vessel.

6. The vessel of claim 3, wherein the pile handling system is configured to pivot between an orientation corresponding to a substantially horizontal orientation of a pile held in the pile handling system and an orientation corresponding to a substantially vertical orientation of a pile held in the pile handling system, and wherein the hoist system is substantially aligned with the pile handling system and the pile held in the pile handling system and a pipe held in the pile handling system in any orientation of the pile handling system.

7. The vessel of claim 6, wherein the two winch wires extend in a substantially horizontal direction from a location between the pile holding system and the load line.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vessel and a method for installing a pile suitable for supporting an offshore wind turbine.

Background

In known methods for installing offshore wind turbines, a foundation in the form of a pile is first installed by driving the pile into the sea floor, and then the wind turbine is installed on the pile either by installing the wind turbine as a whole at once or by assembling the wind turbine on the pile in batches.

There is a trend towards larger wind turbines and it is desirable to install offshore wind turbines at locations having greater depth than the water depths currently encountered. Both of which result in a larger and heavier base. It is therefore expected that in the near future, piles of more than 100 metres, possibly 120 metres or more, will need to be installed. Such stakes may weigh more than 1000mt, perhaps 1300mt or more.

Installation of the piles is currently done using jack-up vessels, where the legs are lowered into the water to at least partially lift the vessel out of the water, so that the impact of waves on the vessel is limited or minimal. Examples of which can be found in EP2886722a 1.

Although the influence of waves on the jack-up vessel is limited or minimal, during lowering the waves and wind may have a non-negligible influence on the pile itself, resulting in a swinging, i.e. pendulum movement, of the pile when suspended from the crane via the hoisting cable. To dampen these movements, EP2886722a1 teaches to use a gripping construction with a gripping member movable relative to a support structure on the vessel, wherein a motion damping device is provided to dampen the movement of the gripping member relative to the support structure, thereby dampening the swinging motion of the pile transverse to its longitudinal direction.

A disadvantage of the teaching of EP2886722a1 is that the motion damping device only results in a rigid body eigenmode or zero eigenmode that damps the pile to swing like a pendulum. The motion damping means hardly dampens the higher eigenmodes and therefore the pile undesirably moves, hindering the installation of said pile, especially in the more severe wave and wind conditions that can excite these higher eigenmodes. This problem increases as the expected length of the pile increases in the future.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vessel and a method for installing a pile suitable for supporting an offshore wind turbine, which vessel and method allow installation of the pile in harsher wind and wave conditions, respectively.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for installing a pile suitable for supporting an offshore wind turbine, the method comprising the steps of:

a) suspending the pile from the hoisting cable in a substantially vertical orientation;

b) providing a lower end of a pile in a pile handling system, thereby limiting horizontal movement of a pile portion held by the pile handling system; and

c) lowering the pile while the pile holding system holds the pile, wherein lowering at least comprises lowering the pile through a splash zone of the body of water,

wherein during step c) two hoist wires are connected directly or indirectly to the pile at a position between the pile holding system and the load line, said hoist wires being operated to restrain the movement of the pile in two respective horizontal directions.

The advantage of this method is that the horizontal position of the pile is controlled at two different height levels, so that more eigenmodes (eigenmodes) can be effectively suppressed when excited by waves and/or wind, allowing installation during harsher wind and wave conditions.

If the skilled person considers controlling the horizontal position of the pile at two different height levels, he will use two pile holding systems known in the art and arrange them on top of each other, instead of using a combination of pile holding system and winch system, because EP2886722a1 teaches to use one such pile holding system, while US2015/0110582a1 teaches not to use the winch wire, because they only pull the load and do not push it. However, the present inventors have found that pile movement can be sufficiently suppressed using two winch wires used in different horizontal directions.

In one embodiment, waves in a body of water (i.e., the sea) have a wave propagation direction as seen in plan view. Further, one of the two hoist wires (i.e., the first hoist wire) extends from a position between the pile holding system and the hoist rope in a first hoist pulling direction as seen in a plan view, and the other of the two hoist wires (i.e., the second hoist wire) extends from a position between the pile holding system and the hoist rope in a second hoist pulling direction as seen in a plan view. The first and second hoist pulling directions define an inner bisector that divides an angle between the first and second hoist pulling directions into two equal portions. Preferably, the first and second hoist pulling directions are positioned such that the wave propagation direction is between a direction perpendicular to the bisector and a direction perpendicular to the first hoist pulling direction, or between a direction perpendicular to the bisector and a direction perpendicular to the second hoist pulling direction. An advantage may be that at least one of the two hoist wires is able to apply a pulling force to the pile during the whole period of the eigenmode of the pile, which results in a more effective suppression of the eigenmode.

In one embodiment, the operation of the two hoist wires is controlled according to the lowering control of the pile, since the two hoist wires have to follow the lowering of the pile even without inhibiting the movement.

In one embodiment, at least two hoist wires are connected to the load connector or attachment means prior to connecting the load connector or attachment means to the upper end of the pile.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a vessel for installing a pile adapted to support an offshore wind turbine, the vessel comprising:

-a crane having a hoisting cable and a hoisting winch to suspend the pile in a substantially vertical orientation and to lower the pile;

-a pile handling system for holding a pile and limiting horizontal movement of a pile portion held by the pile handling system;

-a winch system comprising two winch wires and corresponding winch winches, the winch wires being connectable directly or indirectly to the pile at a position between the pile-holding system and the hoisting cable; and

a control system for controlling the hoisting winch and the two winch winches to lower the pile with the pile held by the pile holding system using the hoisting winch and to damp the movement of the pile in two respective horizontal directions using the two winch winches.

In one embodiment, the hoist system is disposed on a crane.

In one embodiment, the crane comprises a boom rotatably connected to a structure to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation, wherein the structure comprises an expander to guide two hoist wires at opposite sides of the boom towards a position between the pile holding system and the load line.

In one embodiment, the position between the pile holding system and the load line is on the upper end of the pile.

In one embodiment, the position between the pile system and the load line is at a load connector suspended by the load line.

In one embodiment, the position between the pile holding system and the load line is at the attachment means between the load connector and the upper end of the pile.

In an embodiment, the two winch wires comprise a first winch wire and a second winch wire, wherein the winch system further comprises a first winch for the first winch wire and a second winch for the second winch wire, and wherein preferably the first and second winch winches are arranged on the crane, e.g. on a structure or boom of the crane.

In one embodiment, a hoist system comprises: a first hoist sheave for guiding a first hoist wire between the first hoist winch and the location; and a second sheave for guiding the second winch wire between the second winch and the location, wherein preferably the first and second sheave are arranged on the spreader.

In one embodiment, the winch system is arranged on the deck of the vessel, or on another structure on the vessel than the crane.

In one embodiment, the pile handling system is configured to pivot between an orientation corresponding to a substantially horizontal orientation of a pile held in the pile handling system and an orientation corresponding to a substantially vertical orientation of a pile held in the pile handling system, and wherein the hoist system is substantially aligned with the pile handling system and the pile held in the pile handling system and the pipe held in the pile handling system in any orientation of the pile handling system.

In one embodiment, two hoist wires extend in a substantially horizontal direction from a position between the pile holding system and the load line. This may be achieved by using a sheave to guide the winch wire to a position between the pile holding system and the load line at an elevated position above the upper deck of the vessel, but may also be achieved by arranging the entire winch system at an elevated position above the upper deck of the vessel.

Drawings

The present invention will now be described in a non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements, and wherein:

fig. 1 schematically depicts a crane to be used on a vessel and/or in a method according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 2 schematically depicts a vessel according to an embodiment of the invention, comprising the crane of fig. 1;

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a plan view of the load connector and the direction of traction of the hoist system of the crane of FIG. 1;

fig. 4 schematically depicts a vessel with a pile in a substantially horizontal orientation according to another embodiment of the invention; and

fig. 5 schematically depicts the vessel of fig. 4 with the piles in a substantially vertical orientation.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 schematically depict a vessel 1 according to an embodiment of the invention and a crane 10 to be used on the vessel 1 and/or in a method according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 1 schematically depicts a crane 10 isolated from a vessel 1, and fig. 2 schematically depicts a vessel 1 comprising a crane 10, while performing a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

The crane 10 shown is a pedestal mounted crane, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the invention may also be used with other types of cranes, such as mast cranes. In this embodiment, the crane 10 comprises a base 11, a structure 12 rotatable relative to the base about a substantially vertical axis of rotation, and a boom 13 rotatable relative to the structure 12 about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation 14.

The crane 10 may further comprise a pitch cable 15 extending between the upper end of the structure 12 and the upper end of the boom 13, said pitch cable 15 being configured to be pulled in or paid out using a pitch winch (not shown) to set the angular orientation of the boom 13 relative to the structure 12. The pitch winches may be arranged inside the structure 12.

The crane 10 further comprises a hoisting system with a hoisting cable 20; a load connector 21 connected to the load line; and a hoisting winch (not shown) operating on the hoisting cable to lower or lift the load connector 21. The hoisting winch may also be arranged inside the structure 12, wherein the hoisting cable 20 extends between the hoisting winch and the load connector, preferably via a position at or near the rotation axis 14, such that the pitch operation of the crane using the pitch cable 15 minimally affects the length of the hoisting cable extending between the upper end of the boom 13 and the load connector 21.

In the embodiment of fig. 1 and 2, the crane 10 is also equipped with a hoist system, which in this embodiment comprises:

a first winch 30;

second winch 31;

a first winder wire 32;

a second winch wire 33;

-a first sheave 34; and

second sheave 35.

The first winch wire 32 is configured to extend from the first winch 30 to the load connector 21 via a first sheave 34, while the second winch wire 33 is configured to extend from the second winch 31 to the load connector 21 via a second sheave 35.

To avoid interference between the first 32 and second 33 winch wires and the boom 13, the structure 12 is equipped with an expander 16, wherein the first 34 and second 35 sheave wheels are fixed to the expander 16 at a relatively large horizontal distance, allowing the first 32 and second 33 winch wires to pass the boom 13 and connect to the load connector 21. Another advantage of the spreader 16 is that the first and second hoist wires 32, 33 extend from the load connector in different directions and are therefore able to apply forces to the load connector 12 in different horizontal directions.

In fig. 2, a crane 10 is arranged on the vessel 1, more specifically on the upper deck 2 of the vessel 1. The vessel 1 is a jack-up vessel in which the legs 3 can be lowered into the water to at least partially lift the vessel 1 out of the water so that the influence of waves on the vessel 1 is limited or minimal.

The vessel further comprises a pile holding system 40 arranged on the upper deck 2. The pile holding system comprises a support structure 41 and a pile frame 42 supported by the support structure 41. The pile 42 comprises a gripping device 43 for engaging with the pile 50 to hold the pile 50 and limit horizontal movement of the pile portion held by the pile 42. The gripping device 43 may be equipped with rollers to engage with the pile to hold the pile and allow the pile to move relative to the pile frame in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pile while limiting lateral movement of the pile portion held by the pile frame 42.

Piles similar to the pile 50 shown in fig. 2 may be stored and/or transported in a horizontal orientation on the vessel 1 or on a separate supply vessel. Thus, in this case the crane 10 may be used to lift one end, i.e. the upper end of the pile 50, until the pile is suspended from the hoisting cable in a substantially vertical orientation as shown in fig. 2. For this purpose, the attachment device 22 may serve as an interface between the stud 50 and the load connector 21, said attachment device 22 may be configured to allow the stud 50 to rotate relative to the load connector 21 without interfering with each other.

After providing the pile 50 in a vertical orientation, the lower part or end of the pile 50 is arranged in the pile frame 42 of the pile holding system 40. Thus, the position of the lower part of the pile 50 is controlled by the pile holding system 40, and the position of the upper part of the pile 50 is controlled using the load line 20 (for vertical positioning) and the two hoist wires 32, 33 (for horizontal positioning).

When lowering the pile 50 using the load line 20, the pile 50 will first pass through the splash zone of the body of water, which is the transition from air to water as the pile is lowered into the water and where the pile is subjected to waves. The vessel 1, preferably the crane 10, comprises a control system for controlling the hoisting winch and the two winch winches 30, 31 to lower the pile 50 using the hoisting winch with the pile held by the pile holding system 40 and to inhibit movement of the pile 50 in two respective horizontal directions using the two winch winches 30, 31. Thus, when waves and/or wind excite the rigid body eigenmode or higher, the pile holding system and the winch system are able to dampen the resulting movement during lowering of the pile 50. This enables the installation of a pile suitable for supporting an offshore wind turbine in harsher wind and/or water conditions.

Alternatively, the winch system may be replaced by a second pile holding system, but this would significantly complicate the vessel, since the relatively large and heavy second pile holding system should be arranged above the other pile holding system 40. Furthermore, the vertical distance between the two pile holding systems will always be a compromise between a small distance, preferably allowing the two pile holding systems to hold the pile over a reduced height as long as possible, and a large distance, preferably holding the pile in place during the initial lowering when the lower part of the pile is held by the lower pile holding system.

Fig. 3 schematically depicts the load connector 21 in plan view, with the first 32 and second 33 winch wires extending away from the load connector. The first hoist wire 32 extends from the load connector 21 in a first hoist tow direction TP1, and the second hoist wire 33 extends from the load connector 21 in a second hoist tow direction TP 2. The first winch towing direction TP1 and the second winch towing direction TP2 define an inner bisector BI that divides the angle between the first and second winch towing directions into two equal parts a and β. Preferably, during installation of the pile, the first and second winch traction directions are positioned such that the wave propagation direction in the sea is between a direction D1 perpendicular to the bisector BI and a direction D2 perpendicular to the first winch traction direction TP1 as indicated with solid line shading, or between a direction D1 perpendicular to the bisector BI and a direction D3 perpendicular to the second winch traction direction TP2 as indicated with dashed line/bubble shading. An advantage may be that at least one of the two hoist wires 32, 33 is able to apply a pulling force to the pile during the whole period of the pile eigenmode in which the load connector moves in a direction substantially parallel to the wave propagation direction, which results in a more effective suppression of the eigenmode.

Although the above examples describe the hoist system as part of or arranged on the crane, the hoist system may also be provided elsewhere on the vessel, including but not limited to on the deck of the vessel, on the piler system or on a separate vessel. An example of a winch system provided on the deck of a vessel will now be described in more detail below.

Fig. 4 and 5 depict a vessel 1 according to another embodiment of the invention. Fig. 4 depicts only a portion of the pile 50, pile holding system 40, hoist system, and crane 10. In fig. 4, the stud 50 is in a substantially horizontal orientation. Fig. 5 depicts the pile 50, the pile holding system 40, a part of the hoist system and the crane 10, wherein the pile 50 is in a substantially vertical orientation.

The vessel 1 is a jack-up vessel in which legs 3 (partially visible in fig. 4, but fully visible in fig. 5) can be lowered into the water W to engage the seabed B via their corresponding feet 3a in order to at least partially lift the vessel 1 out of the water W so that the influence of waves on the vessel 1 is limited or minimal.

The pile-holding system 40 is arranged on the upper deck 2 of the vessel 1. Pile-holding system 40 comprises a support structure 41 and a pile frame 42 supported by support structure 41. The post 42 may include a gripping device for engaging with the post 50 to hold the post and limit lateral movement of the portion of the post held by the post 42. Lateral motion is motion perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 51 of the post 50.

The pile holding system 40 is configured such that the pile 42 is pivotable about a substantially horizontal pivot axis PA between a substantially vertical orientation of the pile 42 corresponding to a substantially horizontal orientation of the pile 50 held by the pile 42 as shown in fig. 4 and a substantially horizontal orientation of the pile 42 corresponding to a substantially vertical orientation of the pile 50 held by the pile 42 as shown in fig. 5. Due to the length of the pile 50, the pile is typically transported in a substantially horizontal orientation. Having the picket shelf 42 pivotable as described above enables the picket 50 to be introduced into the picket shelf 42 while still in a horizontal orientation, thereby enabling the picket shelf 42 to assist in guiding the lower end of the picket 50 during erection.

The pile holding system 40 further comprises a bottom end support BES attached to the pile frame 42 such that the bottom end support BES is pivotable together with the pile frame 42. The bottom end support BES is configured to engage with the bottom end of the pile 50 to hold the bottom end during erection.

The erection of the pile 50 is achieved by using a crane 10. The crane 10 may be of similar type and design as the crane 10 of the embodiment in fig. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 depicts a portion of a hoist system. The hoisting system comprises a hoisting cable 20 and a load connector (e.g. a hook) 21 connected to the hoisting cable 20.

The crane 10 is used to lift one end, i.e. the upper end of the pile 50, until the pile is suspended from the hoisting cable 20 in a substantially vertical orientation as shown in fig. 5. For this purpose, the attachment device 22 may serve as an interface between the stud 50 and the load connector 21, said attachment device 22 may be configured to allow the stud 50 to rotate relative to the load connector 21 without interfering with each other.

When the pile 50 is in a substantially vertical orientation and the total weight of the pile 50 is carried by the crane 10, the bottom end support BES may be removed or moved away to allow the pile 50 to be lowered into the water W.

The hoist system includes a hoist wire 32 operable by a respective hoist winch 31. The winch wire 32 is shown in fig. 4 and 5, and only the corresponding winch 31 is shown in fig. 4. Winch 31 is arranged on the upper deck 2 of vessel 1. The winch system further comprises a trolley wheel 34 arranged on the upper deck 2 of the vessel 1 and a trolley wheel 35 arranged on the attachment means 22. As shown in fig. 4, the winch wire 32 extends from the winch 31 to the sheave 35 via the sheave 34 and then returns to the upper deck 2, for example attached to the sheave 34 or close to the sheave 34. The hoist wire 32 is then indirectly connected to the pile 50, i.e. to the attachment means 22, at a position between the pile holding system 40 and the load line 20.

In the embodiment shown, the winch 31 and the winch wire 32 are arranged below the pile 50 when the pile is in a substantially horizontal orientation. This means that the hoist system is aligned with the pile holding system 40 and the pile 50 in any orientation of the pile 42 and the pile 50.

When lowering the pile 50 using the load line 20, the pile 50 will first pass through the splash zone of the water W, which is the transition from air to water when lowering the pile 50 into the water W and where the pile 50 is subjected to waves. The vessel 1 (and possibly the crane 10) comprises a control system for controlling a hoisting winch operating on the hoisting cable 20 and a winch 31 for lowering the pile 50 using the hoisting winch with the pile held by the pile holding system 40 and for restraining movement of the pile 50 in a horizontal direction using the winch 31. Thus, when waves and/or wind excite the rigid body eigenmode or higher, the pile holding system 40 and the hoist system are able to dampen the resulting motion during lowering of the pile 50. This enables the installation of a pile suitable for supporting an offshore wind turbine in harsher wind and/or water conditions.

Although in the embodiments of fig. 4 and 5 the hoist system comprises only one hoist wire and corresponding hoist winch, the hoist system may be equipped with additional hoist wires and corresponding hoist winches, for example as shown in the embodiments of fig. 1 and 2, to achieve damping in at least two different horizontal directions. The winch system may then be generally aligned with the pile holding system and pile, but portions thereof, such as a separate pair of winch wires and winch winches, may be misaligned. Thus, the winch system is arranged symmetrically around a plane extending in horizontal and vertical orientation through the longitudinal axis of the pile, which may also be referred to as an aligned winch system.

Although the above example shows two hoist wires connected to the load connector, any other location is possible including, but not limited to, an attachment between the load connector and the upper end of the pile or the upper end of the pile itself.

Although the entire description indicates the use of two hoist wires, i.e., the first and second hoist wires, it is also contemplated to use more than two hoist wires, and thus three, four or more hoist wires. There may also be multiple sets of two hoist wires, each set being configured to act on a different part of the pile or on the same part of the pile but during different time periods. For example, a first set of two winch wires may be operated (directly or indirectly) on the pile during a first lowering phase, while a second set of two winch wires may be operated on the pile during a subsequent lowering phase. This is most likely the case when the pile has a relatively large length and the lowering may result in the hoist wires obtaining a less preferred orientation relative to the pile than the other hoist wires, so that these hoist wires can take over the damping process.