CN221914553U - An offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to an offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude, including multiple buoys, a bearing platform, a photovoltaic module and a mooring system, wherein the buoy has a hollow cavity, and one end of the buoy along the length direction has an opening connected to the cavity, and the cavities of the multiple buoys are connected through a connecting pipe; the bearing platform is arranged on the side of the buoy away from the opening, and the bearing platform is fixedly connected to the multiple buoys; the photovoltaic module is directly or indirectly connected to the bearing platform; and the mooring system is fixedly connected to at least some of the multiple buoys. The offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform controls the pressure of the air chamber inside the buoy to a level slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure. When the crest and trough of the wave are located at different buoy positions, since the air chambers in each buoy are connected to each other, the ups and downs of the waves on the sea surface will not cause obvious differences in the pressure of the air chambers in each buoy, ensuring uniform support for the platform, thereby reducing the amplitude of the platform's wave vibration.

Description

An offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of photovoltaic power generation technology, and in particular to an offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude.

Background Art

Offshore photovoltaic power generation platforms can be divided into pile-based and floating types. Floating photovoltaic power generation platforms have broader development prospects because they are not restricted by water depth. Unlike inland waters, offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platforms need to withstand greater wind, wave and current loads. Although some concepts of offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platforms have been proposed, such as the So1arDuck device in the Netherlands and the Moss Maritime device in Norway, both of which use semi-submersible floating platforms, most of the existing concepts of offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platforms do not consider the impact of platform vibration caused by waves on photovoltaic power generation. In fact, the wave-induced vibration of the floating platform causes the photovoltaic modules to be at an angle that is not conducive to absorbing solar energy for a long time, resulting in a decrease in energy capture efficiency; at the same time, excessive platform vibration is prone to structural damage and fatigue damage.

Summary of the invention

An embodiment of the present application provides an offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude, which can reduce the vibration amplitude of the photovoltaic power generation platform under the influence of waves.

The offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

A plurality of buoys, each buoy having a hollow cavity, and one end of each buoy along the length direction having an opening connected to the cavity, and the cavities of the plurality of buoys are connected through a connecting pipe;

A load-bearing platform, the load-bearing platform is arranged on a side of the buoy away from the opening, and the load-bearing platform is fixedly connected to a plurality of the buoys;

A photovoltaic assembly, the photovoltaic assembly being directly or indirectly connected to the carrying platform;

A mooring system is fixedly connected to at least some of the buoys.

In addition, the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform provided in the embodiment of the present application may also have the following additional technical features:

In an optional solution, the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform also includes a buoyancy control unit, which is used to adjust the air volume in the cavity, thereby adjusting the buoyancy of the buoy; the buoyancy control unit includes a vent pipe and an inflation and deflation mechanism, the vent pipe is connected to any one of the multiple buoys, and the inflation and deflation mechanism is connected to the vent pipe.

In an optional solution, the vent pipe is movably connected to the buoy, and the inflation and deflation mechanism includes a solenoid valve and an air pump; the mooring system includes a catenary chain and a gravity anchor, and both ends of the catenary chain are respectively connected to the buoy and the gravity anchor.

In an optional solution, the buoy is a conical barrel structure, and the cross-sectional area of the connecting end of the buoy and the supporting platform is larger than the cross-sectional area of the opening end.

In an optional solution, the number of the buoys is four, and the four buoys are respectively located at four corners of the bearing platform, and one buoy is connected to any three buoys through the connecting pipe.

In an optional solution, the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform also includes a photovoltaic component installation platform, the supporting platform is a frame structure, the photovoltaic component installation platform is arranged on the top of the supporting platform, and the photovoltaic component is arranged on the photovoltaic component installation platform.

The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application are:

The offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform in the embodiment of the present application controls the pressure of the air chamber inside the buoy to a level slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure, thereby ensuring that the water level inside the buoy is higher than the bottom of the buoy and has a suitable margin. When the crest and trough of the wave are located at different buoy positions, since the air chambers in each buoy are interconnected, the ups and downs of the sea surface waves will not cause obvious differences in the pressure of the air chambers in each buoy, ensuring uniform support for the platform, thereby reducing the amplitude of the platform's vibration with the wave. In addition, the unique air chamber support configuration formed by the hollow cavity of the buoy can achieve the sinking and floating of the platform by releasing the gas inside the air chamber or pumping air into the air chamber, thereby better protecting the photovoltaic power generation platform from damage caused by severe weather conditions such as typhoons.

It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary only and are not restrictive of the present application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform provided by the present application in a specific embodiment;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform in FIG1 ;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a connection structure of a buoy provided by the present application in a specific embodiment;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the buoy provided by the present application when floating in water;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram illustrating that the buoy provided by the present application provides uniform supporting force in waves;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the static stability of an offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform provided in the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the floating state on the sea surface and the underwater suspended state of the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform.

Reference numerals: buoy 1 , connecting pipe 2 , carrying platform 3 , snorkel 4 , mooring system 5 , seabed 6 , wave 7 , photovoltaic module 8 , photovoltaic module installation platform 9 , center of mass 10 , buoy waterplane 11 .

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be clear that the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

The terms used in the embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" used in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and/or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

It should be noted that the directional words such as "upper", "lower", "left", and "right" described in the embodiments of the present application are described at the angles shown in the accompanying drawings and should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the context, it is also necessary to understand that when it is mentioned that an element is connected to another element "upper" or "lower", it can not only be directly connected to another element "upper" or "lower", but also indirectly connected to another element "upper" or "lower" through an intermediate element.

With the introduction of global goals such as carbon neutrality and carbon peak, the proportion of renewable energy in electricity production is gradually increasing. In recent years, with the reduction of the cost of photovoltaic modules, photovoltaic power generation has occupied an increasingly important position in the field of renewable energy power generation. Due to the low energy conversion efficiency of photovoltaic power generation, high-power photovoltaic power stations require vast land resources. Limited by the limited and precious land resources on land, water photovoltaic power generation came into being. Inland rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc. are ideal installation locations for water photovoltaic power generation platforms due to their small wind, wave and current loads. However, considering the potential threats to flood control, water supply, and ecological security, the Ministry of Water Resources has issued relevant policies in 2022 to prohibit the installation of water photovoltaic modules in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. The ocean has a vast and unobstructed area, which is also one of the ideal places to install water photovoltaic power generation platforms. Therefore, offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platforms have broad development prospects.

As shown in Figures 1-7, the embodiment of the present application provides an offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude, which mainly includes multiple buoys 1, a bearing platform 3, a photovoltaic module 8 and a mooring system 5, wherein the buoy 1 has a hollow cavity, and one end of the buoy 1 along the length direction has an opening connected to the cavity, and the cavities of the multiple buoys 1 are connected through a connecting pipe 2; the bearing platform 3 is arranged on the side of the buoy 1 away from the opening, and the bearing platform 3 is fixedly connected to the multiple buoys 1; the photovoltaic module 8 is directly or indirectly connected to the bearing platform 3; and the mooring system 5 is fixedly connected to at least some of the buoys 1. The offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform connects the bottom opening of the buoy 1 with the seawater, and forms a high-pressure air chamber inside the buoy 1 to support the weight of the photovoltaic power generation platform. Since the photovoltaic module 8 is light in weight, the overall mass of the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform is small. By increasing the size of the buoy 1, the pressure of the air chamber inside the buoy 1 can be controlled to be slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure, thereby ensuring that the water level inside the buoy 1 is higher than the bottom of the buoy 1 and has a suitable margin. When the crest and trough of the wave 7 are located at different buoys 1, since the air chambers in each buoy 1 are interconnected, the pressure inside each buoy 1 remains approximately the same, thereby achieving uniform support for the photovoltaic power generation platform, thereby reducing the vibration amplitude of the photovoltaic power generation platform.

When the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform is working, the bottom of the buoy 1 is connected to the seawater and sealed by the water body, and the internal cavity forms an air chamber. All the weight of the photovoltaic power generation platform is borne by the air chamber, and the pressure of the air chamber is controlled at a level slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure, thereby ensuring that the water level inside the buoy 1 is higher than the bottom of the buoy 1 and has a suitable margin. The buoys 1 are connected by a connecting pipe 2, so that the gas pressure inside each buoy 1 is approximately consistent. When the crest and trough of the wave 7 are located at different buoys 1, since the air chambers in each buoy 1 are connected to each other, the ups and downs of the sea surface waves 7 will not cause obvious differences in the pressure of the air chambers in each buoy 1, thereby ensuring uniform support for the platform, thereby reducing the amplitude of the platform's wave vibration, and ensuring the stability of the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform when it is working.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the photovoltaic assembly 8 is directly or indirectly connected to the carrying platform 3, which means that the photovoltaic assembly 8 can be directly arranged on the carrying platform 3, or can be indirectly arranged on the carrying platform 3 by other installation methods. As shown in FIG1 , in a specific embodiment, the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform further includes a photovoltaic assembly installation platform 9, which is arranged on the top of the carrying platform 3, and the photovoltaic assembly 8 is arranged on the photovoltaic assembly installation platform 9.

The bottom of the bearing platform 3 is fixedly connected to each buoy 1 by welding, and the top thereof is fixedly connected to the photovoltaic module installation platform 9 by welding. In order to carry more photovoltaic modules 8, the size of the bearing platform 3 is larger, which is of the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the wave 7, and thus has higher requirements for structural rigidity. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the bearing platform 3 adopts a frame structure to make it have a larger thickness, which can not only reduce the weight of the bearing platform 3 itself, but also improve the structural rigidity and strength. The photovoltaic module installation platform 9 is fixedly connected to the bearing platform 3, and its function is to provide a flat surface required for installing the photovoltaic modules 8, so the requirements for its strength and rigidity are not high, and thus its thickness can be appropriately reduced to reduce the weight. The photovoltaic module 8 is installed on the photovoltaic module installation platform 9, and is a key device for realizing solar energy capture.

As shown in Figures 1-7, in a specific embodiment, the buoy 1 is a conical barrel structure, and the cross-sectional area of the connection end between the buoy 1 and the supporting platform 3 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the open end, that is, the buoy 1 is an inverted conical hollow thin-walled structure, which is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, and the bottom is open. The purpose of the inverted conical barrel structure of the buoy 1 is to improve the static stability of the photovoltaic power generation platform at the equilibrium position. When the photovoltaic power generation platform deviates from the equilibrium position by a certain angle, the inverted conical air chamber can provide a restoring torque to restore the platform to the equilibrium position, thereby ensuring the static stability of the platform at the equilibrium position. In addition, the unique air chamber support configuration formed by the hollow cavity of the buoy 1 can achieve the sinking and floating of the platform by releasing the gas inside the air chamber or pumping air into the air chamber, thereby better protecting the photovoltaic power generation platform from damage caused by severe weather conditions such as typhoons.

It should be explained that in still water, the air buoyancy of a buoy 1 sealed by water at the bottom is proportional to the area of the buoy waterplane 11. If the photovoltaic power generation platform is supported by a cylindrical buoy 1, when the platform is offset by a certain angle around its center of mass 10, the waterplanes in the buoys 1 on both sides are ellipses and have the same area. Since the gas inside the buoys 1 on both sides is connected, that is, the air pressure is the same, the buoys 1 on both sides cannot generate a restoring torque to return the platform to the equilibrium position, so the cylindrical buoy 1 will cause the platform to be unstable. If an inverted cone buoy 1 is used to support the photovoltaic platform, as shown in Figure 6, when the photovoltaic power generation platform is offset by a certain angle counterclockwise around its center of mass 10, the waterplanes in the buoys 1 on both sides are also approximately ellipses, but the waterplane area in the left buoy 1 is larger than that on the right. Even if the air pressure in the buoys 1 on both sides is the same, it can still generate a restoring torque to return the buoy 1 to the equilibrium position, so the inverted cone buoy 1 can ensure the stability of the photovoltaic power generation platform. On this basis, since the mooring system 5 itself can provide a certain restoring torque, the static stability of the photovoltaic power generation platform will be further enhanced. A single floating platform can be supported by a plurality of (more than three) buoys 1, so that the platform can float stably on the sea.

As shown in Figures 4-6, it is assumed that the wavelength of wave 7 is twice the distance between the center lines of the left and right buoys, and the buoys 1 on the left and right sides are respectively located at the crest and trough of wave 7. At this time, the volume of the air chamber inside the left buoy 1 decreases and the pressure increases, and the volume of the air chamber inside the right buoy 1 increases and the pressure decreases. Since the air inside the buoys 1 on the left and right sides is connected, the air inside the buoy 1 with a higher pressure will flow through the connecting pipe 2 to the buoy 1 with a lower pressure, so that the pressure of the air inside each buoy 1 remains approximately balanced, so that the support force of each buoy 1 on the photovoltaic power generation platform remains approximately uniform, thereby reducing the vibration amplitude of the platform under the action of wave 7. When deviating from the above extreme situation, the change amplitude of the volume of the air chamber inside each buoy 1 will be smaller than the above extreme situation. Since the air chambers inside each buoy 1 are connected, the pressure of the air inside each buoy 1 is more consistent, so that the vibration amplitude of the floating platform is smaller.

As shown in Figures 1-3, in a specific embodiment, there are four buoys 1, which are respectively located at the four corners of the bearing platform 3, and one buoy 1 is interconnected with any other three buoys 1 through a connecting pipe 2. It should be noted that each buoy 1 establishes a direct connection with as many other buoys 1 as possible through the connecting pipe 2, thereby ensuring the smooth flow of air between the buoys 1, and the flow is faster, achieving rapid uniformization of the air pressure inside each buoy 1, thereby reducing the vibration amplitude of the photovoltaic power generation platform in the waves 7. The connecting pipe 2 is connected to the top of each buoy 1, which can prevent the connecting pipe 2 from being filled with seawater and losing the function of circulating air, thereby ensuring that the water level in the buoy 1 can have a larger range of variation.

As shown in Figures 1-7, in a specific embodiment, the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform also includes a buoyancy control unit, which is used to adjust the air volume in the cavity, thereby adjusting the buoyancy of the buoy 1; the buoyancy control unit includes a vent pipe 4 and an inflation and deflation mechanism, the vent pipe 4 is connected to any buoy 1 among the multiple buoys 1, the inflation and deflation mechanism is connected to the vent pipe 4, the vent pipe 4 is movably connected to the buoy 1, and the inflation and deflation mechanism includes a solenoid valve and an air pump.

In this embodiment, the vent pipe 4 is connected to a certain buoy 1, one end of which is connected to the internal air chamber of the buoy 1, and the other end is connected to the external air. A solenoid valve is provided at the connection end of the vent pipe 4 and the external air, which can control the connection between the internal air chamber of the buoy 1 and the external air; an air pump is provided at the connection end of the vent pipe 4 and the internal air chamber of the buoy 1, which is used to pressurize the internal air chamber of the buoy 1. The function of the vent pipe 4 is: when bad weather such as typhoons is predicted, a part of the gas in the internal air chamber of the buoy 1 can be released from the vent pipe 4, reducing the overall density of the photovoltaic power generation platform so that it sinks to a safe underwater depth. At this depth, the overall density of the photovoltaic power generation platform is the same as the density of seawater, and the platform is suspended; after the bad weather has passed, air can be pumped into the internal air chamber of the buoy 1 from the vent pipe 4 through the air pump, increasing the overall density of the photovoltaic power generation platform so that it floats to the surface of the water and continues to work. The length of the vent pipe 4 needs to be greater than the safe depth of the photovoltaic power generation platform when it is suspended underwater, so that its top is always above the water surface during the working process. In both the floating state on the water surface and the suspended state underwater, the vent tube 4 is in a folded state, thereby preventing the slender vent tube 4 from colliding with air or water debris and being damaged.

The specific operation method for sinking the photovoltaic power generation platform is as follows: first, erect the vent pipe 4 folded horizontally on one side of the platform, as shown in FIG7 , and open the solenoid valve connecting the vent pipe 4 to the external air end to reduce the air volume inside the float 1, thereby reducing the displacement of the platform, so that the overall buoyancy of the platform decreases, and the platform gradually descends; then, when the platform descends to a safe depth, close the solenoid valve, and the platform floats at the specified depth; finally, fold the vent pipe 4 horizontally on one side of the platform to prevent it from being damaged by debris in the water.

The specific operation method of the photovoltaic power generation platform is as follows: first, erect the vent pipe 4 folded horizontally on one side of the platform, open the solenoid valve connecting the vent pipe 4 to the external air end, and open the air pump connecting the vent pipe 4 to the air end inside the buoy 1, increase the air volume inside the buoy 1, thereby increasing the displacement of the platform, so that the overall buoyancy of the platform increases, and the platform gradually rises; then, when the platform rises to the working height, turn off the air pump and the solenoid valve, and the platform floats at the working height; finally, fold the vent pipe 4 horizontally on one side of the platform to prevent it from being damaged by debris in the air. The length of the vent pipe 4 must be greater than the safe depth of the photovoltaic power generation platform when it is suspended underwater, so that its top is always above the water surface during operation.

As shown in Fig. 1-2, in a specific embodiment, the mooring system 5 includes a catenary chain and a gravity anchor, and the two ends of the catenary chain are respectively connected to the buoy 1 and the ears of the gravity anchor. The photovoltaic power generation platform is moored by multiple sets of catenary chains and gravity anchors evenly distributed in the circumference. The gravity anchor sinks to the seabed 6 under its own gravity, thereby fixing its position at sea. At the same time, the parameters such as the flat length, chain link size and chain link number of the catenary chain should be reasonably designed so that the platform has sufficient mooring stiffness and load-bearing capacity when it is floating on the water surface and suspended underwater.

The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims (6)

1. An offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude, characterized by comprising: A plurality of buoys, each buoy having a hollow cavity, and one end of each buoy along the length direction having an opening connected to the cavity, and the cavities of the plurality of buoys are connected through a connecting pipe; A load-bearing platform, the load-bearing platform is arranged on a side of the buoy away from the opening, and the load-bearing platform is fixedly connected to a plurality of the buoys; A photovoltaic assembly, the photovoltaic assembly being directly or indirectly connected to the carrying platform; A mooring system is fixedly connected to at least some of the buoys. 2. According to claim 1, the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude is characterized in that it also includes a buoyancy control unit, which is used to adjust the air volume in the cavity, thereby adjusting the buoyancy of the buoy; the buoyancy control unit includes a vent pipe and an inflation and deflation mechanism, the vent pipe is connected to any one of the multiple buoys, and the inflation and deflation mechanism is connected to the vent pipe. 3. According to claim 2, the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude is characterized in that the ventilation pipe is movably connected to the buoy, and the inflation and deflation mechanism includes a solenoid valve and an air pump; the mooring system includes a catenary chain and a gravity anchor, and the two ends of the catenary chain are respectively connected to the buoy and the gravity anchor. 4. An offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the buoy is a conical barrel structure, and the cross-sectional area of the connection end between the buoy and the supporting platform is larger than the cross-sectional area of the opening end. 5. The offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude according to claim 4 is characterized in that the number of the buoys is four, the four buoys are respectively located at the four corners of the bearing platform, and one buoy is connected to any three buoys through the connecting pipe. 6. According to claim 4, the offshore floating photovoltaic power generation platform with low wave vibration amplitude is characterized in that it also includes a photovoltaic component installation platform, the supporting platform is a frame structure, the photovoltaic component installation platform is arranged on the top of the supporting platform, and the photovoltaic component is arranged on the photovoltaic component installation platform.