US 12,455,009 B2
Method for building a sealed structure comprising two tubular members, a sealed structure, an offshore wind turbine and a sealing system
Leendert Jurriaan Van Den Berg, Ridderkerk (NL)
Assigned to TRELLEBORG RIDDERKERK B.V., Ridderkerk (NL)
Appl. No. 17/926,079
Filed by TRELLEBORG RIDDERKERK B.V., Ridderkerk (NL)
PCT Filed Jun. 3, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/064925
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 17, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/249868, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 16, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2025813 (NL), filed on Jun. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0193996 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. F03D 13/20 (2016.01); F16J 15/02 (2006.01); F16J 15/3232 (2016.01); E02B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC F16J 15/025 (2013.01) [F03D 13/22 (2016.05); F16J 15/3232 (2013.01); E02B 2017/0065 (2013.01); E02B 2017/0091 (2013.01); F05B 2240/95 (2013.01); F05B 2240/97 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for building a sealed structure of an offshore wind turbine, comprising the steps of:
providing two tubular members having different diameters, wherein said tubular members are support members for the turbine;
interconnecting said tubular members such that an outer end of a first one of said tubular members is connected to an outer end of a second one of said tubular members such that the outer end of one of said tubular members surrounds the other one of said tubular members while leaving a cylindrical gap between the surfaces of said tubular members;
wherein said first tubular member is provided with a sealing system for preventing fluid to enter from the environment to the interior of the structure, said sealing system comprising an annular strip which is fixed to a surface of the first tubular member and an integrally formed flexible sealing member, extending along a surface adjacent the outer end of said first tubular member, wherein the annular strip is a metal annular strip;
wherein the integrally formed flexible sealing member comprises, seen in cross section and before the tubular members are interconnected:
an annular attachment part which is attached to the metal annular strip;
an annular strip shaped sealing part which is connected to said attachment part by means of an annular hinge portion of said sealing part, and which sealing part extends away from said attachment part substantially in a direction which is parallel to the axis of the first tubular member towards the outer end of said first tubular member;
an annular strip shaped actuator part extending from said hinge portion of said sealing part substantially in a radial direction towards the second tubular member, wherein the radial width of the sealing member including the actuator part is larger than the width of the gap between the tubular members in the mounted state;
where interconnecting said tubular members comprises moving the outer end of the first tubular member towards and past the outer end of the second tubular member, whereby said actuator part of said sealing member is engaged and moved by the outer end of the second tubular member, such that said actuator part deforms the hinge portion of said sealing part during said movement, whereby, after the tubular members are interconnected:
said sealing part extends away from said attachment part towards and onto the surface of the second tubular member in an oblique direction between the direction which is parallel to the axis of the first tubular member towards the outer end of said first tubular member and the radial direction towards the second tubular member; and
said actuator part extends from said hinge portion of said sealing part towards and onto the surface of the second tubular member, in an oblique direction between a direction which is parallel to the axis of the first tubular member away from the outer end of said first tubular member and the radial direction towards the second tubular member;
wherein the metal annular strip is coupled to the first tubular member prior to installation of the integrally formed flexible sealing member.