A floating platform comprised of a tower, buoyant outriggers, and an articulated arm can be used in one embodiment to support an offshore wind turbine. The buoyant articulated arm is positioned with a winch system that supports the tower in a nearly horizontal position during assembly at shore and during transport. The winch and articulated arm elevate the system into its operational position at sea. The tower may include a keel structure to reduce motions and stresses on the system. The floating platform may rotate about an area surrounding an anchor system without active wind alignment equipment. The natural alignment with the wind allows for optimization of the structure, resulting in lighter-weight, less material mass and ultimately lower cost. The horizontal transport alleviates clearance restrictions of many bridges. Requiring neither large cranes nor specialized ships during installation, its ability to raise itself is scalable to large sizes lowering cost.
Self elevating articulated lightweight floating tower
2024-01-23
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B63B Schiffe oder sonstige Wasserfahrzeuge , SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS |