Wind Energy – China
The world’s largest single-unit 16-megawatt floating offshore wind turbine Three Gorges Pilot was installed last Saturday in waters off Yangjiang, south China’s Guangdong Province.
The turbine consists of three parts, namely a 16 mw ultra-large capacity wind turbine, a semi-submersible floating platform, and a new mooring system.
With a maximum tip height exceeding 270 meters, the wind turbine rotor has a diameter of 252 meters, with a swept area equivalent to seven standard football fields.
Unlike traditional fixed-bottom turbines that are physically connected to the seabed, it is installed on a semi-submersible floating platform measuring 80.82 meters long, 91 meters wide, and with a displacement of 24,100 tons.
The platform is secured through nine suction anchors, combined with domestically produced high-performance polyester fiber cables and anchor chains for seabed mooring and positioning.
According to Pan, the new mooring system combines polyester cable and anchor chain, which is like adding a ‘spring’ to the middle of the system, to deliver superior mechanical performance.
