METHOD FOR DEMOLISHING A TOWER

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for dismantling a tower, in particular a wind turbine tower. The invention further relates to an arrangement for carrying out such a method.

[0002] For the purpose of dismantling a tower, in particular a wind turbine tower, it is known, for example, from DE 102019119127 A1, to insert wedge recesses into a section of an outer wall of such a tower, which determine the direction of fall of the tower, and to place explosive charges in the outer wall of the tower to trigger the tipping of the tower.

[0003] However, such explosions have the disadvantage of extremely loud explosion noises, which, especially in the case of wind turbines erected in forested areas, leads to wild animals being scared away or even injured.

[0004] It is also known, for example from DE 10 2016 113 224 B3, to thermally separate or melt individual tower segments and then remove them one after the other, which involves a very large expenditure of time and money. Further prior art is disclosed in JP 2009101542 A.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for dismantling a tower that can be carried out without the use of explosives and at the same time quickly and cost-effectively.

[0006] The problem is solved by a method for dismantling a tower according to claim 1.

[0007] The problem is further solved by an arrangement for carrying out such a method with the features of claim 8.

[0008] The inventive method for dismantling a tower, in particular a tower of a wind turbine, comprises the following process steps: a) Cutting a wedge-shaped recess into a section of the tower's outer wall, defining the direction of fall of the tower; b) Installing a wire saw drive unit near the tower's outer wall on a side of the tower facing away from the direction of fall; c) Installing a first pulley block near the tower's outer wall in a first area to the side of the wedge recess; d) Installing a second pulley block near the tower's outer wall to the side of the wedge recess in a second area on a side of the tower facing away from the first area; e) Arranging a saw wire from the drive unit to the first pulley block, from there along the tower to the second pulley block, and from there to the wire saw drive unit; f) Connecting the ends of the saw wire to form an endless wire; g) Carrying out the sawing process, in which the saw wire cuts into the tower's outer wall until the tower tips over in the direction of the wedge recess.wherein in process step e) the saw wire is guided along an outer surface of the tower's outer wall facing away from the wedge recess, so that during the sawing process the saw wire is pressed away from the drive unit against the outer surface of the tower's outer wall.

[0009] This method according to the invention makes it possible to tip the tower to the side without explosives.

[0010] Another advantage is that cutting into the tower from the side opposite the wedge recess prevents the saw rope from becoming jammed, unlike the usual method of pulling the saw rope towards the drive unit, which in this application would mean that the saw rope would be inserted into the pointed end of the wedge recess. However, this would mean that, due to the weight of the tower, it would have to be braced away from the wedge recess at the same time as the sawing process, otherwise the part of the tower above the saw rope would jam it.

[0011] Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment, as a further process step, the drive unit of the wire saw is anchored on the side of the tower opposite the direction of fall, thereby reliably securing the drive unit in a predetermined position.

[0013] According to another preferred embodiment, in a further process step the first roller block and the second roller block are also anchored.

[0014] In another preferred embodiment, the drive unit of the wire saw and / or the roller supports are anchored to an existing foundation of the tower.

[0015] In an alternative design variant, the drive unit and / or the roller supports are anchored on anchor blocks placed at the same height as the tower's foundation, for example in the form of concrete blocks.

[0016] According to a further preferred embodiment, in a further process step the sawing process is stopped after a predetermined cutting depth and retaining wedges are inserted into the gap created in the outer wall of the tower during the sawing process.

[0017] This ensures additional safety for the saw cable in the event of the tower falling backwards in the opposite direction to the planned fall.

[0018] In a preferred further process step, after the tower falls into a previously prepared drop bed, it is crushed.

[0019] The arrangement according to the invention for carrying out a method for dismantling a tower according to the method described above comprises a wire saw with a drive unit and a saw wire as well as a first roller block and a second roller block with at least one deflection roller each.

[0020] The drive unit is positioned on a wedge recess in a section of an outer wall of the tower on the side of the tower facing away from the outside.

[0021] The roller blocks are positioned on opposite sides of the tower, lateral to the wedge recess, and the saw rope is guided before the start of the sawing process in such a way that it lies against an outer surface of the tower facing away from the wedge recess in the area between the roller blocks and is pressed against the outer surface of the tower by tensioning the saw rope away from the drive unit of the rope saw in the direction of the wedge recess.

[0022] Preferred embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a lower part of a tower and a foundation of the tower with a wire saw attached and a wedge recess inserted, and Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view through a cutting plane immediately above the saw wire.

[0023] In the following figure descriptions, terms such as top, bottom, left, right, front, back, etc., refer exclusively to the exemplary representation and position of the wire saw, tower, saw wire, pulley block, deflection pulley, and the like as chosen in the respective figures. These terms are not to be understood as restrictive; that is, these references may change due to different working positions, mirror-symmetrical design, or similar factors.

[0024] In the Figure 1 and 2 Reference numeral 2 denotes a lower part of a tower, in particular a wind turbine.

[0025] Tower 2 is involved, as in Figure 1The tower 2 is arranged on a foundation 6, as shown. It is typically made of precast concrete elements or cast-in-place concrete elements, usually consisting of individual ring elements.

[0026] The dismantling of such a Tower 2 is carried out, as described in the Figure 1 and 2 As shown, a wedge recess 7 was first made in a section of an outer wall 21 of the tower 2.

[0027] The wedge recess 7 is, for example, inserted into the section of the outer wall 21 of the tower 2 by sawing or chiseling.

[0028] The orientation of the wedge recess 7 is determined by the intended fall direction F of the tower 2.

[0029] In the direction of fall F of tower 2, a fall bed for tower 2 will be prepared if necessary.

[0030] To secure the fall direction F, an anchor with a pull rope can be mounted in an upper area of ​​tower 2 if necessary (not shown).

[0031] After the wedge recess 7 has been inserted, a drive unit 31 of a wire saw 3 is placed near the outer wall 21 of the tower 2 on a side of the tower 2 facing away from the direction of fall F.

[0032] Subsequently, a first roller support 4 is erected near the outer wall 21 of the tower 2 in a first area 8 to the side of the wedge recess 7.

[0033] Afterwards, or simultaneously, a second roller support 5 is placed near the outer wall 21 of the tower 2, to the side of the wedge recess 7 in a second area on a side of the tower 2 facing away from the first area.

[0034] The two roller blocks 4, 5 are preferably aligned such that they are positioned perpendicular to the direction of fall F on an imaginary extended line of a tip of the wedge recess 7.

[0035] It is also conceivable to place the roller supports 4, 5 perpendicular to the direction of fall F slightly further in the direction of fall F to ensure that a saw wire 32 of the wire saw 3 could cut into the outer wall 21 of the tower 2 up to the area of ​​the wedge recess 7, if necessary.

[0036] The saw rope 32 is then arranged, with a first end of the saw rope 32 being fixed in the drive unit 31 and leading from there to the first roller block 4, from there along the outer wall 21 of the tower 2 to the second roller block 5 and from there back to the drive unit 31 of the rope saw 3.

[0037] This arrangement is well suited to Figure 2 to recognize.

[0038] Subsequently, the two ends of the saw rope 32 are joined to form an endless rope. The two rope ends are preferably connected by pressing a rope lock in the area of ​​the drive unit 31.

[0039] The sawing process then begins, in which the saw rope 32 cuts into the outer wall 21 of the tower 2 until the tower 2 tilts towards the wedge recess 7.

[0040] The saw rope 32 is guided along one of the outer surfaces 22 of the outer wall 21 of the tower 2, which faces away from the wedge recess 7, so that during the sawing process the saw rope 32 is pressed away from the drive unit 31 against the outer surface 22 of the outer wall 21 of the tower 2 in the direction of the wedge recess 7.

[0041] To prevent the saw rope 32 from jamming during the sawing process in any case, the sawing process can preferably be interrupted several times.

[0042] After stopping the sawing process after sawing a few centimeters, it is preferably intended to secure the saw gap after the predetermined cutting depth by inserting retaining wedges into the gap in the outer wall 21 of the tower 2.

[0043] Furthermore, the saw wire 32 is preferably wetted with water throughout the entire sawing process for cooling and removal of material sludge, in particular concrete sludge. The wetting with water also prevents dust formation and minimizes the risk of wire breakage.

[0044] The saw wire 32 is preferably designed as a diamond wire.

[0045] In a further preferred process step, the drive unit 31 of the wire saw 3 is anchored on the side of the tower 2 opposite the direction of fall F, preferably in the existing foundation 6 of the tower 2. Likewise, the two roller supports 4, 5 are preferably anchored in the existing foundation 6 of the tower 2.

[0046] If the foundation 6 does not offer sufficient space for anchoring, as a further step, at least one anchoring block, for example in the form of a concrete block, is placed next to the foundation 6, with the top of the anchoring block being at the same height as the top of the foundation 6 from which the tower 2 projects upwards. The same applies to the anchoring of the roller supports 4, 5, which can also be anchored to such anchoring blocks if the foundation 6 lacks sufficient surface area.

[0047] Each of the roller blocks 4, 5 has at least one deflection roller 41, 42, 51, 52. In the Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, each of the roller blocks 4, 5 has two such deflection rollers 41, 42, 51, 52.

[0048] The drive unit 31 also preferably has at least one drive roller 33, 34 at the rope exit, through which the saw rope 32 is driven for the sawing process.

[0049] After Tower 2 has fallen into its fall bed, it is preferably crushed and recycled while lying on the ground. Reference symbol list

[0050] 2Tower 21Outer wall 22Shell outer surface 3 Wire saw 31 Drive unit 32 Saw wire 33 Drive pulley 34 Drive pulley 4 first roller block 41 first deflection pulley 42 second deflection pulley 5 second roller block 51 first deflection pulley 52 second deflection pulley 6 Foundation 7 wedge recess Direction of fall

Claims

1. Method for dismantling a tower, in particular a wind turbine tower, comprising the method steps: a) making a wedge-shaped recess (7) in a section of an outer wall (21) of the tower (2), which recess specifies a direction of fall (F) for the tower (2); b) setting up a drive unit (31) of a cable saw (3) near the outer wall (21) of the tower (2) on a side of the tower (2) facing away from the direction of fall (F); c) setting up a first roller block (4) near the outer wall (21) of the tower (2) in a first region to the side of the wedge-shaped recess (7); d) setting up a second roller block (5) near the outer wall (21) of the tower (2) to the side of the wedge-shaped recess (7) in a second region on a side of the tower (2) facing away from the first region; e) arranging a sawing cable (32) starting from the drive unit (31) to the first roller block (4), from there along the tower (2) to the second roller block (5) and from there to the drive unit (31) of the cable saw (3); f) connecting the ends of the sawing cable (32) to form an endless cable; g) carrying out the sawing process, in which the sawing cable (32) cuts into the outer wall (21) of the tower (2) until the tower (2) tilts in the direction of the wedge-shaped recess (7); wherein, in method step e), the sawing cable (32) is guided along an outer jacket surface (22) of the outer wall (21) of the tower (2) facing away from the wedge-shaped recess (7), so that during the sawing process the sawing cable (32) is pressed away from the drive unit (31) against the outer jacket surface (22) of the outer wall (21) of the tower (2).

2. Method according to claim 1, having the additional method step of: h) anchoring the drive unit (31) of the cable saw (3) on the side of the tower (2) opposite the direction of fall (F).

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, having the additional method step of: i) anchoring the first roller block (4) and the second roller block (5).

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive unit (31) of the cable saw (3) and / or the roller blocks (4, 5) are anchored on an existing foundation (6) of the tower (2).

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, wherein the drive unit (31) of the cable saw (3) and / or the roller blocks (4, 5) are anchored on a separately placed anchor block.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, having the further method step of: j) stopping the sawing process (5) after a predetermined cutting depth and inserting retaining wedges into the gap created in the outer wall (21) of the tower (2) during the sawing process.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, having the further method step of: k) crushing the tower (2) tipped into a previously created fall bed.

8. Arrangement (1) for carrying out a method for dismantling a tower (2) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising - a cable saw (3) with a drive unit (31) and a sawing cable (32), - a first roller block (4) and a second roller block (5), each with at least one deflection roller (41, 42, 51, 52), wherein - the drive unit (31) is positioned on a side of the tower (2) facing away from a wedge-shaped recess (7) in a section of an outer wall (21) of the tower (2), - the roller blocks (4, 5) are positioned on opposite sides of the tower (2) to the side of the wedge-shaped recess (7), and - before the sawing process begins, the sawing cable (32) is guided in such a way that it rests against the outer jacket surface (22) of the tower (2) facing away from the wedge-shaped recess (7) in the region between the roller blocks (4, 5) and is pressed against the outer jacket surface (22) of the tower (2) by tensioning the sawing cable (32) away from the drive unit (31) of the cable saw (3) in the direction of the wedge-shaped recess (7).