China Deploys Massive Dual Rotor Floating Wind Power Platform
China’s Mingyang Smart Energy has begun the deployment of a unique floating wind turbine structure. The company is calling the OceanX platform the world’s largest floating wind power platform and the largest single-capacity floating wind platform.
Positioning of the platform began on Sunday, August 11, and is expected to take 72 hours to travel the 191 nautical miles to its offshore location in the Qinghou IV Offshore Wind Farm in Yangjiang, a city in southern China southwest of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Officials highlight that it is a challenging navigation, maneuvering the platform below major bridges and past busy harbors while transiting the Pearl River Delta's waterways.
The platform is maneuvering along the Pearl River Delta toward its position in the ocean off Yangjian in Southwest China (Mingyang)
The platform was built at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard and launched in mid-July. The unique arrangement incorporates two towers in a “V” shape, each holding an 8.3 MW MySE hybrid drive offshore wind turbine. The total output from the structure is expected to reach 16.6 MW.
Mingyang highlights that it is also the first use of ultra-high performance concrete that gives the structure a higher compressive strength. The company, which promotes itself as having the largest market share in offshore wind power, highlights as unique the structures airfoil double tower, its double main engine, double rotors, and application of the cable stay system as all being world firsts.
It is designed to be deployed in seas with a depth of 35 meters (115 feet) or greater with a draft of 5.5 meters (18 feet). It uses a single-point mooring system that can withstand extreme typhoons. At its highest point, OceanX is 219 meters (718 feet) and has a maximum width in the air of approximately 369 meters (1,200 feet). The total displacement is about 15,000 tons.
The 191 nm voyage is expected to take 72 hours (Mingyang)
Mingyang reports it has developed three unique designs for floating offshore wind turbines. It is working in conjunction with China Three Gorges and China National Offshore Oil Company to develop and deploy its offshore wind technologies.
As an example of the advancements in offshore wind turbines, the company highlights that OceanX adopts a downwind design. This reduces the load on the supporting structure by approximately 40 percent. The design also incorporates more than 3,000 sensors to monitor all aspects of the operating status of the platform. It can provide operators with video, audio, and pictures as well as data on the displacement, temperature, vibration, stress, voltage, current, wind speed, and wind direction.
OceanX is expected to reach its operating position on Wednesday, August 14. Once commissioning is completed, the structure is expected to generate 54 million kWh annually.
