A subsea unit suitable for storing gas underwater comprises a weighting base 20 and an array of interconnecting storage tanks 26 on the base. A protective structure 34 fixed to the base covers the array of tanks, and a restraint system (28, figure 4) which may comprise a series of strap restraints curving around the top of each tank, secures the tanks to the base against buoyant upthrust. The restraints are attached to elongate tensile members 40 extending upwardly from the base, disposed on opposite sides of the underlying tank. The base may be cast from concrete on a deck of a vessel (10, figure 3) from which the unit is subsequently launched. The subsea storage unit may be suitable to store hydrogen gas. In some embodiments, an offshore installation capable of generating electrical energy from a renewable source (90, figure 14), and comprising an electrolyser 82, also comprises at least one such subsea storage unit to store the generated hydrogen.
Subsea hydrogen storage system
2024-06-26
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch