Hoisting method and hoisting tooling for a tower section

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a hoisting method and a hoisting tool for a tower drum, the hoisting method comprising the following steps: installing a dummy flange on a bottom end flange of the tower drum; and hooking the dummy flange and the bottom end flange to hoist the tower drum. In this way, the installation of the dummy flange on the bottom end flange of the tower drum improves the structural strength of the bottom end flange, and the dummy flange can prevent the bottom end flange from being deformed during the transportation and hoisting of the tower drum.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure belongs to the field of wind power generation technology, and in particular relates to a method for hoisting a tower and a hoisting fixture for the tower. Background Technology

[0002] As the capacity of a single wind turbine unit continues to increase, the weight and blade length of the turbine also increase, which in turn increases the load on the tower. This requires the tower to have greater strength, rigidity, and height, so the diameter, length, and wall thickness of the tower will also increase accordingly.

[0003] Currently, for existing small-sized towers, the common practice during hoisting is to hook the tail end hook onto the end flange of the tower for tailing. This method is widely used due to its simple structure and ease of assembly and disassembly. However, as tower sizes increase, using the aforementioned tail-sliding method for hoisting can easily cause deformation of the end flange or tearing of the tower body, posing uncontrollable risks to tower hoisting. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main purpose of this disclosure is to provide a method and fixture for hoisting a tower to avoid tower deformation.

[0005] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, this disclosure provides the following technical solution:

[0006] One aspect of this disclosure provides a method for hoisting a tower, the method comprising the following steps: installing a dummy flange on the bottom flange of the tower; hooking the dummy flange and the bottom flange to hoist the tower. This arrangement, with the dummy flange installed on the bottom flange of the tower, improves the structural strength of the bottom flange, and prevents deformation of the bottom flange during the transportation and hoisting of the tower.

[0007] This disclosure provides an exemplary embodiment in which the hoisting method further includes: a lifting lug is provided on the upper part of the tower, and the lifting lug is hooked on before hoisting the tower. The lifting lug on the tower facilitates the connection of lifting equipment.

[0008] Furthermore, in the step of hooking the dummy flange and the bottom flange to lift the tower, a tail hook is used to hook the bottom flange and the dummy flange of the tower. This arrangement allows the dummy flange and the bottom flange to jointly bear the weight of the bottom of the tower, thereby avoiding stress concentration on the bottom flange and improving its service life.

[0009] Optionally, there is only one tailing hook. This configuration provides a single lifting point at the bottom of the tower, simplifying the lifting process.

[0010] Specifically, the tailing hook includes a hook body and a limiting block. The limiting block is located radially inside the free end of the hook portion of the hook body, and protrudes circumferentially beyond the free end of the hook portion of the hook body. Optionally, the distance between the limiting block and the hook body can be equal to the sum of the axial length of the bottom flange and the axial length of the dummy flange, thereby stably enclosing the bottom flange and the dummy flange within the tailing hook.

[0011] Optionally, the tower includes a tower body, and the outer side wall of the tower body is provided with lifting lugs, and there are at least two lifting lugs that are spaced apart on the same circumference of the tower body.

[0012] In another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, at least two of the lifting lugs are located on the upper axial part of the tower body and are arranged at equal angular intervals.

[0013] Specifically, the tower body is provided with a tower door, which is located axially below the lifting lugs, and the angle between the tower door and the two adjacent lifting lugs is the same. This arrangement allows for a more uniform stress distribution on the tower body. Specifically, the tower door weakens the local structural strength near the tower body, and the lifting lugs, which are fixedly connected to the tower body, weaken the structural strength at the points where the lifting lugs are connected. By alternately staggering the tower door and lifting lugs circumferentially on the tower body, severe weakening of structural strength in any one area is avoided, thus resulting in a more uniform stress distribution on the steam rack tower.

[0014] Furthermore, the lifting lugs are arranged in two equiangular intervals on the same circumference of the tower. During the hooking of the lifting lugs, a tilting lifting beam is used, with both ends of the tilting lifting beam hooked onto the two lifting lugs respectively. With this arrangement, the lifting lugs serve as the main load-bearing components during the tower hoisting process. The equiangular intervals between the two lifting lugs on the same circumference of the tower ensure a more even distribution of stress on the tower, preventing excessive localized stress.

[0015] In another aspect of this disclosure, a lifting fixture for a tower is provided, the lifting fixture including a tailing hook and a turning lifting beam, the tailing hook including a hook body and a limiting block, the limiting block being disposed radially inside the free end of the hook portion of the hook body, and the limiting block protruding circumferentially from the free end of the hook portion of the hook body; the turning lifting beam is used to hook onto the upper lifting lug of the tower.

[0016] Furthermore, the overturning and hoisting beam includes a beam body and suspension components pivotally connected to both ends of the beam body.

[0017] The tower hoisting method and hoisting fixtures provided in this disclosure have at least the following beneficial effects: installing a dummy flange on the bottom flange of the tower improves the structural strength of the bottom flange. During the transportation and hoisting of the tower, the dummy flange can share part of the force acting on the bottom flange, thereby preventing deformation of the bottom flange. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The above and / or other objects and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer from the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 A structural diagram of the tower hoisting state provided for an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of the I-ring structure.

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The rear view of the tower in the hoisting state.

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The structural diagram of the hook in the picture.

[0023] Figure 5 for Figure 1 The structural diagram of the suspension beam.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0025] 11. Tower body; 12. Lifting lugs;

[0026] 13. Bottom flange; 14. Dummy flange;

[0027] 20. Tail-end hook; 21. Hook body;

[0028] 22. Limiting block; 23. Tail-running rope;

[0029] 24. Hook working block; 25. Rubber pad block;

[0030] 30. Tilting and hoisting the lifting beam;

[0031] 31. Main body of the lifting beam; 32. Pivot shaft of the lifting beam;

[0032] 33. Suspension components; 34. Suspension beams and ropes. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should not be construed that the embodiments of this disclosure are limited to those described herein. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore their detailed descriptions will be omitted.

[0034] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a tower in a hoisting state provided as an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, with reference to... Figure 1 One aspect of this disclosure provides a method for hoisting a tower, the method comprising the following steps: installing a dummy flange 14 on the bottom flange 13 of the tower; hooking the dummy flange 14 and the bottom flange 13 to hoist the tower.

[0035] This design, by connecting a dummy flange 14 to the bottom flange 13, improves the structural strength of the bottom flange 13. During transportation and hoisting, the dummy flange 14 can share some of the forces acting on the bottom flange 13, making it less prone to deformation or tearing, thereby extending the service life of the tower. Furthermore, because the bottom flange 13 is less prone to deformation, the assembly difficulty of the wind turbine generator is reduced, thus improving the assembly efficiency of the wind turbine generator.

[0036] As an example, the tower hoisting method provided in this disclosure is particularly suitable for integral tower sections. The integral tower section can be a whole tower section located below the nacelle and above the tower foundation. The integral tower section can be formed by stacking and connecting multiple tower sections together, or it can be formed as a single piece. That is, the top end of the integral tower section is used to connect with the nacelle, and the bottom end of the integral tower section is used to connect with the tower foundation.

[0037] Compared to the hoisting process of multi-section tower sections, the single-section tower section can reduce the number of hoisting operations, thereby reducing hoisting costs. However, due to the increased length of the single-section tower section, the weight of each hoisting operation increases, and the probability of damage to the bottom flange 13 increases, leading to increased hoisting difficulty. The tower hoisting method provided in this disclosure improves the structural strength of the bottom flange 13 by installing a dummy flange 14 on the bottom flange 13, thus preventing deformation.

[0038] As an example, the dummy flange 14 can be detachably connected to the bottom flange 13 using fasteners, allowing for reuse. Furthermore, since the dummy flange 14 is only used as an auxiliary lifting tool and can be disassembled after the tower is hoisted and before the wind turbine assembly, it has lower manufacturing precision and cost compared to the bottom flange 13. This further reduces the manufacturing cost of the tower and consequently lowers the assembly cost of the wind turbine.

[0039] Specifically, in the step of hooking the dummy flange 14 and the bottom flange 13 to lift the tower, a tailing hook 20 is used to hook the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14 of the tower. The tailing hook 20 can be used to hook the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14 simultaneously, thereby increasing the contact area between the tower and the tailing hook 20, avoiding stress concentration, and thus preventing deformation of the bottom flange 13. Specifically, the free end of the hook of the tailing hook 20 can be attached to the axial inner side of the bottom flange 13, and the side of the tailing hook 20 connected to the tailing rope 23 can be attached to the axial outer side of the dummy flange 14, so that the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14 can be embedded in the inner space of the hook of the tailing hook 20 to achieve stable hooking. There is only one tailing hook 20. With this configuration, a single lifting point is set at the bottom of the tower, simplifying the lifting process.

[0040] Continue to refer to Figures 1 to 4 The tailing hook 20 may include a hook body 21 and a limiting block 22. The limiting block 22 may be disposed radially inside the free end of the hook portion of the hook body 21, and the limiting block 22 protrudes circumferentially from the free end of the hook portion of the hook body 21. With this configuration, the limiting block 22 can be used to engage with the axially inside the bottom flange 13, which allows the tailing hook 20 to better wrap around the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14, improving the safety of the tower hoisting process and preventing it from detaching from the tailing hook 20 during tower rotation.

[0041] As an example, the distance between the limiting block 22 and the inner side of the hook portion of the hook body 21 provided in this disclosure can be equal to the sum of the axial length of the bottom flange 13 and the axial length of the dummy flange 14. On the one hand, the tail-running hook 20 can be accurately hooked onto the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14, which improves the lifting efficiency to a certain extent; on the other hand, the limiting block 22 and the hook body 21 can be stably clamped on both sides of the axial direction of the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14, which improves the safety of the lifting.

[0042] Furthermore, the tailing hook 20 may also include a hook working block 24, which stably fills the inner space of the hook portion of the hook body 21, and the top surface of the hook working block 24 does not protrude beyond the free end of the hook portion. During the tower hoisting process, the inner ring edges of the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14 can be supported on the top surface of the hook working block 24 respectively. By setting the hook working block 24, the contact area between the tower and the tailing hook 20 is further increased, avoiding stress concentration and thus further preventing deformation of the bottom flange 13. During the tower hoisting process, the inner ring edges of the dummy flange 14 and the bottom flange 13 are supported on the top surface of the hook working block 24, which serves as the main load-bearing component. During the tower's tilting process, part of the tower's weight acts on the limiting block 22. At this time, the limiting block 22 and the hook working block 24 together serve as the main load-bearing components.

[0043] As an example, a rubber pad 25 can be provided on the top of the hook working block 24. In cases where there are installation or manufacturing errors between the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14, resulting in the inner ring edge of the bottom flange 13 and the inner ring edge of the dummy flange 14 not being on the same circumferential surface, the rubber pad 25, due to its elasticity, can fully contact both the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14. This prevents the tail-running hook 20 from only contacting the bottom flange 13 or only the dummy flange 14, thereby improving the versatility of the tail-running hook 20. Furthermore, the tail-running hook 20 can also include an anti-collision strip, which can be installed on the inner wall of the hook body 21 on the side connected to the tail-running rope 23, to prevent hard contact with the hook body 21 during tower hoisting and resulting scratches.

[0044] As an example, the dummy flange 14 provided in this disclosure is substantially the same in structure as the bottom flange 13, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the dummy flange 14 may also be a semi-circular ring or a 3 / 4 circular ring.

[0045] Continue to refer to Figure 1 During the hoisting of the tower, the upper part of the tower can be hooked to keep the tower balanced and prevent it from accidentally overturning during hoisting. As an example, a lifting lug 12 can be provided on the upper axial part of the tower. Before hoisting the tower, the lifting lug 12 is hooked, that is, the lifting lug 12 is set away from the bottom flange 13 to keep the tower balanced during hoisting.

[0046] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The tower includes a tower body 11, and lifting lugs 12 are protruding from the outer side wall of the tower body 11. There are at least two lifting lugs 12, which are spaced apart on the same circumference of the tower body 11. As an example, at least two lifting lugs 12 can be arranged at equal angles. As an example, the lifting lugs 12 can be generally cylindrical, and the lifting lugs 12 can be connected to the tower body 11 by welding, but this is not a limitation.

[0047] To facilitate a detailed description of the tower in this embodiment, we will take the example of a tower having two lifting lugs 12. The two lifting lugs 12 are arranged on the same circumference of the tower body 11, and the included angle between the two lifting lugs 12 is 180°.

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a tower body 11 is provided with a tower door (not shown), which is located axially below the lifting lugs 12, and the included angle between the tower door and the two lifting lugs 12 is the same. To facilitate the tower's rotation, a tilting lifting beam 30 is used in the step of hooking the lifting lugs, with both ends of the tilting lifting beam 30 hooked onto the two lifting lugs 12 respectively.

[0049] Reference Figure 5 The tilting and lifting beam 30 provided in this disclosure may include a beam body 31, with suspension members 33 pivotally connected to both ends of the beam body 31. The suspension members 33 can be connected to the ends of the beam body 31 via a beam pivot shaft 32. As an example, the beam body 31 may be a rod, but is not limited thereto. Further, the middle part of the suspension member 33 is hinged to the end of the beam body 31, and shackles are provided at both ends of the suspension member 33 to facilitate connection with the beam lifting rope 34. Specifically, the tilting and lifting beam 30 may also include a beam lifting rope 34, which may be a steel wire rope, but is not limited thereto.

[0050] Specifically, the upper shackle of the suspension component 33 can be connected to the main and auxiliary hooks of the installation vessel via the lifting beam and rope 34, allowing the installation vessel to lift the tower. Specifically, after the tail hook 20 is hooked onto the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14, the main and auxiliary hooks of the installation vessel can be slowly raised to lift the tower to a suitable height. Then, the tilting lifting beam 30 can be slowly raised, and the tail hook 20 can be slowly lowered to change the tower from a horizontal to a vertical position. Subsequently, the guy ropes are pulled to slowly lower the tail hook 20, keeping the tower vertically lifted to the appropriate position.

[0051] Furthermore, the shackle at the lower end of the suspension component 33 can be connected to the lifting lug 12 of the tower via the lifting beam and rope 34.

[0052] In another aspect, this disclosure provides a tower hoisting fixture, which includes a tailing hook 20 and a turning hoisting beam 30. The tailing hook 20 may include a hook body 21 and a limiting block 22. The limiting block 22 is disposed radially inside the free end of the hook portion of the hook body 21, and the limiting block 22 protrudes circumferentially beyond the free end of the hook portion of the hook body 21. The turning hoisting beam 30 is used to hook onto the upper lifting lug of the tower. As an example, the turning hoisting beam 30 may include a beam body 31 and suspension members 33 pivotally connected to both ends of the beam body 31.

[0053] The tower hoisting method disclosed herein improves the structural strength of the bottom flange 13 by installing a dummy flange 14 on the bottom flange 13 of the tower, making the bottom flange 13 less prone to deformation during tower transportation and hoisting. Furthermore, the dummy flange 14 can be installed on the bottom flange 13, avoiding the need to install the dummy flange 14 on the hoisting site and thus increasing the time required for on-site tower assembly, thereby improving the efficiency of on-site tower assembly.

[0054] Furthermore, the tower hoisting method provided in this disclosure uses a turning hoisting beam 30 to hook the lifting lug 12 located on the upper part of the tower, and a tail hook 20 to hook the bottom flange 13 and the dummy flange 14, which can effectively overcome the defects of large turning span and easy deformation of the whole-section tower.

[0055] In addition, the tail hook 20 has a large contact area with the tower, which can adapt to various tower flange parameters, and also has the properties of wear resistance and increased friction.

[0056] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms “center,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer,” etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this disclosure.

[0057] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0058] In the description of this disclosure, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this disclosure based on the specific circumstances.

[0059] The features, structures, or characteristics described in this disclosure can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the foregoing description to give a full understanding of embodiments of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details described, or other methods, components, materials, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for hoisting a tower, characterized in that, Applicable to integral tower sections, the hoisting method includes the following steps: A dummy flange (14) is installed on the bottom flange (13) of the tower. The dummy flange (14) extends circumferentially along the bottom flange (13), and the circumferential arc length of the dummy flange (14) is not less than 1 / 2 of the circumference of the bottom flange (13). The dummy flange (14) and the bottom flange (13) are hooked by a tail hook (20), so that the bottom flange (13) and the dummy flange (14) are simultaneously embedded in the inner space of the hook part of the tail hook (20) to lift the tower.

2. The tower hoisting method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The hoisting method further includes: a lifting lug (12) is provided on the upper part of the tower, and the lifting lug (12) is hooked before hoisting the tower.

3. The tower hoisting method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The tail hook (20) is one unit.

4. The tower hoisting method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The tail hook (20) includes a hook body (21) and a limiting block (22). The limiting block (22) is located on the radial inner side of the free end of the hook portion of the hook body (21), and the limiting block (22) protrudes from the free end of the hook portion of the hook body (21) along the circumference of the hook body (21).

5. The tower hoisting method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The tower includes a tower body (11), and a lifting lug (12) is provided on the outer side wall of the tower body (11). There are at least two lifting lugs (12) and they are spaced apart on the same circumference of the tower body (11).

6. The tower hoisting method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, At least two of the lifting lugs (12) are located on the upper part of the tower body (11) and are arranged at equal angles.

7. The tower hoisting method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The tower body is provided with a tower door, which is located axially below the lifting lug, and the included angle between the tower door and the two adjacent lifting lugs (12) is the same.

8. The method for hoisting a tower as described in any one of claims 2 and 5-7, characterized in that, The lifting lugs (12) are two in number and are arranged at equal angles on the same circumference of the tower. In the step of hooking the lifting lugs, a turning lifting beam (30) is used, and the two ends of the turning lifting beam (30) are hooked onto the two lifting lugs (12) respectively.

9. A hoisting fixture for a tower, characterized in that, The hoisting equipment for the tower includes: A dummy flange (14) is used to be detachably mounted on the bottom flange (13) of the tower. The dummy flange (14) extends circumferentially along the bottom flange (13), and the circumferential arc length of the dummy flange (14) is not less than 1 / 2 of the circumference of the bottom flange (13). The tail-end hook (20) includes a hook body (21) and a limiting block (22). The limiting block (22) is located on the radial inner side of the free end of the hook portion of the hook body (21), and the limiting block (22) protrudes from the free end of the hook portion of the hook body (21) along the circumference. The dummy flange (14) and the bottom flange (13) can be simultaneously embedded into the inner space of the hook portion of the hook body (21), so that the tail-end hook (20) can simultaneously hook the dummy flange (14) and the bottom flange (13). The overturning hoisting beam (30) is used to hook onto the upper lifting lug (12) of the tower.

10. The tower hoisting fixture as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The overturning and hoisting beam (30) includes a beam body (31) and suspension members (33) pivotally connected to both ends of the beam body (31).

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