Tilt resistant offshore wind turbine

Tilt resistant offshore wind turbine
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With wind turbines installed in the deep sea, the problem is strong winds and big waves.

Large waves can tilt the floating base, and the entire wind turbine tilts with it, which is bad for their safety and energy production.

These problems can be solved by making a wind turbine pole that always stands perpendicular to the water during operation.

Such a wind turbine is shown in the picture above.

The entire wind turbine is supported by four floats (1) that are in the water. The floats (1) are connected to each other by pipes (2) that keep them at a constant distance from each other. While they are placed in the water, or moved to the position where they will be placed, the floats (1) are separated from the bottom, and when they are placed in the working location, they should be connected to the bottom of the sea with ropes. The floats are fitted with slats (3), which are connected to the joint (4) on the upper side. The joint (4) has two axes that allow it to rotate in all directions. The column (5) of the wind turbine passes through the joint (4), on which the gondola (6) is placed on the upper side. The arms (7) of the wind turbine are located on the nacelle (6). A bottle of ballast (8) hangs from the bottom of the column (5). When assembling the wind turbine, the pole (5) is placed from the ship through the joint (4) in a horizontal position, and the nacelle (6) and arms (7) are placed on the longer side of the pole (5). After that, a bottle of ballast (8), which is empty inside, is placed on the other side of the pillar (5). When the ballast bottle (8) is filled with water, it becomes much heavier and the pole (5) pulls down. This raises the other end of the pole (5) with the gondola (6) and arms (7).

In strong waves, the floats (1) can move up and down irregularly, thus tilting the slats (3), but thanks to the heavy bottle of ballast (8), the pole (5) remains vertical to the water, and the wind turbine can work normally even in very large waves. In this way, a greater number of working hours and a greater amount of produced energy can be achieved.

Thanks to this mechanism, the wind turbine can be installed in the sea without ships with very high cranes, and the installation is much easier, faster and cheaper. Servicing and repairs are also much simpler, faster and cheaper. And with lower costs, the produced energy is also cheaper.