Subsea 7 Norway As

Ernst Kristen Helgoy Kloster

Rasmus Asp Juhlin

Stale Moen Tonnessen

Paul Douglas Chang

Argyrios Akritidis

A floating power-generation group comprises a floating hub such as a spar buoy that is anchored to subsea foundations by anchor lines. Floating power producer units such as wind turbines are connected electrically and mechanically to the hub. The power producer units are each moored by mooring lines. At least one mooring line extends inwardly toward the hub to effect mechanical connection to the hub and at least one other mooring line extends outwardly toward a subsea foundation. The groups are combined as a set whose hubs are connected electrically to each other via subsea energy storage units. Anchor lines of different groups can share subsea foundations. The storage units comprise pumping machinery to expel water from an elongate storage volume and generating machinery to generate electricity from a flow of water entering the storage volume. The pumping machinery can be in deeper water than the generating machinery.

Generation of electrical power offshore

An underwater turbo-generator unit for producing electrical power has a pressure-resistant shell that defines a sealed internal chamber. At least one water inlet extends through the shell to effect fluid communication between the chamber and a body of water surrounding the shell. A turbine is supported within the chamber to turn on a spin axis in response to admission of a flow of water into the chamber via the or each water inlet. The shell is arranged to maintain a gas-filled space within the chamber, facilitating the use of a Pelton turbine that turns about a vertical spin axis. The or each water inlet communicates with at least one tubular penstock structure that can be supported by the unit outside the shell. The chamber communicates with, and drains water into, a fluid storage volume such as a pipeline positioned at a level beneath the chamber.

Underwater hydroelectric power generation system including a pelton turbine and perforated tubular penstocks

A subsea energy storage installation comprises a pumped-storage system having pumping and hydropower generation components for, selectively, converting electricity into potential energy by expelling water from within a tank into the surrounding sea and for generating electricity from an incoming flow of water re-entering the tank under hydrostatic pressure. The tank comprises at least one elongate rigid pipeline that may be lowered to the seabed as part of a towable unit or laid on the seabed as a pipe string launched from a surface vessel.

Growing community of inventors

Stavanger, Norway

Ernst Kristen Helgoy Kloster