Crane with crane boom provided with tag line system

Abstract

The crane includes a tug line system for use in handling one or more wind turbine components, such as rotor blades. The crane includes a boom with boom legs embodied as a lattice-like hollow box structure. At least one of the forward main chords of the boom legs is formed from four planar steel plate members welded together in a rectangular or square cross-sectional arrangement. The forward plate member extends inward from a corner joint with the outer plate member beyond a joint with the inner plate member to form an inwardly projecting guide rail portion. The outer plate member extends rearward from a corner joint with the forward plate member beyond a joint with the rear plate member to form a rearwardly projecting guide rail portion. The tug line trolley includes rollers that engage the inwardly projecting guide rail portion and rollers that engage the rearwardly projecting guide rail portion.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of cranes having luffing crane booms equipped with tag line systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, tagline systems are provided to allow for enhanced control of the movement, position, and / or orientation of a load during the hoisting process.

[0003] In particular, in the field of installation and / or maintenance of wind turbines (e.g., offshore wind turbines), there exists a need for handling of components "at nacelle height," which includes, for example, handling of rotor blades during their installation at the hub of the wind turbine. Current designs propose or have already proposed nacelles at heights greater than 100 meters (e.g., 120 meters or more) (e.g., Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbine).

[0004] Cranes with tagline systems are frequently used to control the position and / or orientation of wind turbine components (e.g., rotor blades), for example, during hoisting of the rotor blades, as well as (or simply during) attachment of the root ends of the blades to the hub of the wind turbine.

[0005] Examples of cranes having booms and equipped with tagline systems are given in EP1925582, EP2490975, EP2889251 and DE20201003269U.

[0006] In commonly known designs of cranes, the crane is - a base structure, the base structure being adapted to be mounted on a vessel, for example for fastening to the hull of the vessel; - a rotary structure swivelable on a swivel bearing about a vertical pivot axis relative to the base structure, the structure comprising a boom connection member; - a boom having a longitudinal axis, the boom having an inner end connected to a boom connecting member such that the boom is pivotable up and down about a boom pivot axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boom; - a luffing device for pivoting the boom up and down, the luffing device including a luffing winch and a variable length luffing system; - a hoist assembly including a winch and a winch drive cable, the winch drive hoist cable passing over a sheave assembly on the boom to a load lifting device for hoisting a load, e.g., a wind turbine component, suspended from the hoist cable and the load lifting device; Including, The boom includes a boom leg, e.g., a single boom leg, which is embodied as a lattice-like hollow box structure, e.g., a lattice-like hollow box structure of rectangular cross section, which includes a pair of forward main chords at a forward side of the boom leg and a pair of rearward main chords at a rearward side of the boom leg, the main chords being interconnected by lacing members between adjacent main chords. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] EP1925582 [Patent Document 2] EP2490975 [Patent Document 3] EP2889251 [Patent Document 4] DE20201003269U [Patent Document 5] WO2018 / 208158 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention aims to integrate a tag line system into a crane boom in an optimal manner, taking into account, for example, the stability of the tag line system and / or the production and maintenance costs of the crane boom. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention provides a crane as set forth in claim 1.

[0010] In the crane of the present invention, at least one of the forward main chords of the boom legs is formed from four steel planar plate members welded together in a rectangular or square cross-sectional arrangement, and the four plate members are: - Front plate member; - a rear plate member opposite the front plate member; - inner plate member; - The outer plate member opposite the inner plate member and the front plate member extends inwardly from a corner juncture with the outer plate member beyond a juncture of the front plate member with the inner plate member to form an inwardly projecting guide rail portion having an inner end surface; the outer plate member extends rearwardly from a corner juncture with the front plate member beyond a juncture of the outer plate member with the rear plate member to form a rearwardly projecting guide rail portion having a rearward end surface; The tagline trolley includes a first roller set of one or more rollers that engage an inner end surface of the inwardly projecting guide rail portion and a second roller set of one or more rollers that engage a rearwardly projecting guide rail portion rearwardly projecting.

[0011] This design of the main chord of the crane boom leg optimally integrates the rail assembly for the tagline trolley with the main chord.

[0012] The crane can have a single boom leg, but in other embodiments, the crane can have two boom legs, for example, in an A-frame or H-frame arrangement. In embodiments, each boom leg has one or more tag line trolleys thereon, in the manner described herein. Thus, in some cases, one crane boom has four tag line trolleys.

[0013] In a practical embodiment, the tagline trolley further comprises a third roller set of one or more rollers engaging a front face of the front plate member perpendicular to the first roller set, and the tagline trolley further comprises a fourth roller set of one or more rollers engaging an outer face of the outer plate member perpendicular to the second roller set.

[0014] For example, at least the front and outer plate members have a thickness of at least 15 millimeters, such as about 20-30 millimeters.

[0015] In one embodiment, each of the forward main chords of the boom legs is formed from four steel planar plate members welded together in a rectangular or square cross-sectional arrangement, the four plate members having: - Front plate member; - a rear plate member opposite the front plate member; - inner plate member; - The outer plate member opposite the inner plate member and the front plate member extends inwardly from a corner juncture with the outer plate member beyond a juncture of the front plate member with the inner plate member to form an inwardly projecting guide rail portion having an inner end surface; the outer plate member extends rearwardly from a corner juncture with the front plate member beyond a juncture of the outer plate member with the rear plate member to form a rearwardly projecting guide rail portion having a rearward end surface; Each tag line trolley is associated with a respective front main chord, and each tag line trolley includes a first roller set of one or more rollers that engage an inner end surface of the inwardly projecting guide rail portion of the respective front main chord, and a second roller set of one or more rollers that engage a rearward end surface of the rearwardly projecting guide rail portion of the respective front main chord.

[0016] In a practical embodiment, each of the tag line trolleys further comprises a third roller set of one or more rollers engaging a front face of the front plate member perpendicular to the first roller set, and each tag line trolley further comprises a fourth roller set of one or more rollers engaging an outer face of the outer plate member perpendicular to the second roller set.

[0017] In one embodiment, a crane boom has two boom legs over at least one section of its length, each having two main chords at the front sides of the boom legs, with at least one of the front chords being embodied in accordance with the present invention, and in some cases both front main chords being embodied in accordance with the present invention. When the boom legs are parallel to each other, as in an H-frame crane boom, the rail section can extend across these chords to near the tip of the boom. The boom can also have an A-frame boom design, with the two boom legs angled relative to each other. Again, one or both main chords at the front sides of each boom leg can be embodied in accordance with the present invention. In a lambda design for a crane boom, for example, as shown in WO 2018 / 208158, the boom continues at the apex of the two boom legs with a single distal boom section, and the main chord of the boom leg and / or the main chord of the distal boom section can be embodied in accordance with the present invention.

[0018] For example, it is envisioned that one pair of tag lines is used when performing a lifting operation primarily for load control in the horizontal plane, e.g., to control the rotation of the load about the hoist cable from which it is suspended. In an embodiment, another pair of tag lines is used primarily for load control in the vertical plane, e.g., to control the orientation of the load about a horizontal axis. Providing a four tag line system (each with its own rail assembly on each forward main chord) allows two pairs to be used for load control in the horizontal and vertical planes, respectively.

[0019] In an embodiment, the tag line system further includes a tag line trolley drive assembly for each tag line trolley, e.g., independently for each tag line trolley, the drive assembly configured to provide controlled displacement of the tag line trolley along the boom leg. For example, the tag line trolley drive assembly includes a tag line trolley drive winch and associated cables to provide controlled displacement of the tag line trolley along the boom leg.

[0020] In another embodiment, there is no tagline trolley drive and the trolley passively follows the movement of the load and / or load lifting device during hoisting.

[0021] In an embodiment, the load lifting device is embodied as a blade lift tool for the installation of rotor blades on a wind turbine. Various embodiments of such blade lift tools are known in the art.

[0022] A second aspect of the invention relates to a crane configured for use in handling one or more wind turbine components, for example for installation and / or maintenance of an offshore wind turbine, the crane comprising: - a base structure, the base structure being adapted to be mounted on a vessel, for example for fastening to the hull of the vessel; - a rotary structure swivelable on swivel bearings about a vertical pivot axis relative to the base structure, the upper structure comprising a boom connection member; - a boom having a longitudinal axis, the boom having an inner end connected to a boom connecting member such that the boom is pivotable up and down about a boom pivot axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boom; - a luffing device for pivoting the boom up and down, the luffing device including a luffing winch and a variable length luffing system; - a hoist assembly including a winch and a winch drive cable, the winch drive hoist cable passing over a sheave assembly on the boom to a load lifting device, the hoist assembly being adapted to winch a load suspended from the hoist cable and the load lifting device, for example a wind turbine component such as a rotor blade; - a tag line system configured to control the load being hoisted; Including, The tagline system - first and second tagline trolleys each movable along the boom in the longitudinal direction of the boom; - first and second tagline winches and respective first and second winch driven taglines; Including, The tagline system - first and second tagline sheaves; - Transverse beams and further comprising each tag line trolley having a chassis configured to selectively releasably secure a respective tag line sheave or transverse beam thereto, such that the transverse beam is supported by both the first and second tag line trolleys; The transverse beam provides spaced apart locations for first and second tag lines which extend between the transverse beam and the load when the crane and its tag line system are in use.

[0023] The second aspect effectively allows for dual use of the tag line trolley, since the tag line trolley can support either the tag line sheaves or the transverse beams when the use of such transverse beams is preferred over the use of the tag line sheaves on the trolley. Whether or not to use the transverse beams may depend on the situation, for example it may depend on the load to be handled, for example it may depend on the size of the rotor blades to be handled, and / or the surrounding environment (e.g. wind loads, etc.).

[0024] In a practical embodiment, the transverse beam has a length greater than the crane boom, for example, with the tag lines extending from the axial ends of the transverse beam.

[0025] In one embodiment of the first and / or second aspects of the invention, the tag line trolleys each include sliding supports for the transverse beams between the axial ends of the transverse beams to allow for a change in the spacing between the first and second trolleys as they are moved up and down their respective cords. For example, the main cords over which the tag line trolleys travel can be non-parallel to each other, as illustrated, for example, in Figures 6 and 8.

[0026] A third aspect of the invention relates to a crane configured for use in handling one or more wind turbine components, for example for installation and / or maintenance of an offshore wind turbine, the crane comprising: - a base structure, the base structure being adapted to be mounted on a vessel, for example for fastening to the hull of the vessel; - a rotary structure swivelable on swivel bearings about a vertical pivot axis relative to the base structure, the upper structure comprising a boom connection member; - a boom having a longitudinal axis, the boom having an inner end connected to a boom connecting member such that the boom is pivotable up and down about a boom pivot axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boom; - a luffing device for pivoting the boom up and down, the luffing device including a luffing winch and a variable length luffing system; - a hoist assembly including a winch and a winch drive cable, the winch drive hoist cable passing over a sheave assembly on the boom to a load lifting device, the hoist assembly being adapted to winch a load suspended from the hoist cable and the load lifting device, for example a wind turbine component such as a rotor blade; - a tag line system configured to control the load being hoisted; Including, The tagline system - first and second tagline trolleys each movable along the boom in the longitudinal direction of the boom; - first and second tagline winches and respective first and second winch driven taglines; Including, The tagline winch is attached to the upper part of the crane boom.

[0027] This placement of the tag line winch can provide enhanced reeving of the tag line and / or enhanced operation of the tag line system.

[0028] The present invention also relates to a crane boom with a tag line system configured for mounting on a crane as described herein.

[0029] The invention also relates to a vessel equipped with a crane as described herein, for example wherein the load lifting device is embodied as a blade lifting tool for the installation of rotor blades on a wind turbine.

[0030] The present invention also relates to a method for installation of rotor blades on a wind turbine (e.g., an offshore wind turbine), utilizing a crane as described herein.

[0031] The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic view of a ship equipped with a crane according to the invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a portion of the crane boom of FIG. 1 with a tagline trolley. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a close-up of FIG. 2 with the main forward chord of the crane boom in section and with the tagline trolley running over it. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a close-up of FIG. 3 from a different angle. [Figure 5] 2 shows a portion of the crane boom of FIG. 1 with a tagline trolley from a different angle. [Figure 6a] FIG. 2 shows a part of a crane boom of a crane according to the invention during handling of a rotor blade of a wind turbine using a blade lifting tool. [Figure 6b] FIG. 2 shows a part of a crane boom of a crane according to the invention during handling of a rotor blade of a wind turbine using a blade lifting tool. [Figure 7] 6a and 6b show a tagline trolley of the crane; [Figure 8]FIG. 6 shows the crane of FIGS. 6a and 6b with the tag line trolley supporting the transverse beam of the tag line system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically an offshore vessel 1 with a hull 2 ​​, a deck 3 and a crane 10 .

[0034] In this example, the vessel 1 is a jack-up vessel having jack-up legs 4 that can be extended and retracted by an associated jack-up mechanism 5. Also, the vessel could be of an entirely different design in other embodiments, such as a floating monohull vessel, a semi-submersible vessel, a catamaran-type vessel, etc.

[0035] It is noted that the inventive concept is equally applicable to land cranes having a lattice-type crane boom (e.g., for use in wind turbine installation). For example, the crane may have a road vehicle-type wheeled base, a base with crawler tracks, a base with track-engaging wheels, or an assembled-in-place base onto which the wind turbine will be assembled. The crane 10 is embodied in this example as a so-called around-the-leg crane 10. Here, it is shown schematically that the legs extend through the pedestal 11 of the crane 10.

[0036] The pedestal 11 is attached to the hull 2 ​​of the vessel 1 or is formed integrally with the hull 2 ​​of the vessel 1 .

[0037] Crane 10 further includes a rotating structure 12 that is supported on pedestal 11 via slewing bearings 13 for rotation of structure 12 relative to pedestal 11 about a vertical pivot axis.

[0038] The rotating structure 12 includes a boom connecting member 15 .

[0039] The crane 10 has a boom 20 having a longitudinal axis 21 .

[0040] For example, the boom 20 has a length of at least 60 meters between the inner end 22 and the tip end 23 of the boom 20. In practical embodiments, the length can be greater than 100 meters, for example, about 150 meters.

[0041] The inner end 22 is pivotally connected to the boom connecting member 15 so that the boom 20 can pivot up and down about a horizontal boom pivot axis 24 that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 21 of the boom.

[0042] Here, it is shown that the vessel is equipped with a boom rest 60 on which the boom 20 can rest in a horizontal rest position, for example as shown in Figure 1.

[0043] A luffing device for the boom 20 is provided for pivoting the boom 20 about the horizontal boom pivot axis 24. The luffing device includes one or more boom luffing winches 45 and a variable length luffing system with one or more luffing cables 46 driven by the one or more luffing winches 45.

[0044] The crane 10 has a hoist assembly that includes one or more main hoist winches 70 and one or more main hoist cables 71 that are driven by the one or more main hoist winches 70. Here, the hoist winches 70 are shown on the rotating structure 12, but the hoist winches 70 could be located elsewhere, for example on the crane boom 20, for example near its inner end.

[0045] Other arrangements of the winch or winches are possible, for example, when the crane 20 is embodied as a mast crane, with the hoist winch or winches positioned inside the crane's pedestal (e.g., on a rotating platform as known in the art).

[0046] One or more cables 71 pass over a sheave assembly 72 near the tip of the boom 20 and lead to a load lifting device 75 (also referred to as a main hoist block). For example, a so-called blade lift tool can be suspended from the main hoist block 75 for handling wind turbine rotor blades by the crane 10.

[0047] In the illustrated example, the boom 20 has a single boom leg embodied as a lattice hollow box structure (here, a lattice hollow box structure of rectangular cross section), for example as shown in Figures 2 to 5. The lattice hollow box structure of the crane boom 20 is essentially a welded steel structure of rigid design.

[0048] The lattice-like hollow box structure includes a pair of forward main chords 31, 32 at the forward sides of the boom leg and a pair of aft main chords 33, 34 at the aft sides of the boom leg, with the main chords 31, 32, 33, 34 interconnected by lacing members 35, 36, 37, 38 between adjacent main chords. The lacing members 35, 36, 37, 38 generally define a lattice-like hollow box together with the main chords 31, 32, 33, 34. It is noted that other lacing members (e.g., within the hollow box) may be present, as may one or more diagonal lacing members in a plane transverse to the boom length, as shown, for example, in FIG. 2.

[0049] The crane 10 is equipped with a tug line system configured to control the movement of the load connector and / or the load being hoisted (e.g., wind turbine components, e.g., rotor blades). The tug line system can obviously also be useful during lowering of the load connector and / or load, it being noted that the term hoisting encompasses both hoisting and lowering.

[0050] The tug line system includes a tug line trolley 80 that is movable along the length of the boom legs. Additionally, there is a tug line winch 81 and winch driven tug line 82 that extends from the tug line trolley 80 to the load and / or to the load lifting device 75 when the crane 10 is in use.

[0051] Here, by way of example, the tagline trolley 80 has a chassis 83 that is configured to be guided over and run on each front main cord 31 by a plurality of roller sets of one or more rollers, as will be explained in the examples below.

[0052] The chassis 83 supports one or more tag line sheaves 84, over which the tag line 82 passes. The one or more sheaves 84 can be arranged to rotate about an axis that is in a fixed orientation relative to the chassis 83, as shown, although pivotal arrangements of the one or more tag line sheaves 84 are also contemplated. For example, the one or more sheaves 84 pivot relative to the chassis 83 about an axis that is parallel to the forward main chord. In other designs of tag line systems in the context of the present invention, the tag line is connected at its end to the trolley 80, and for example, a tag line winch is provided on the load connector 75 and / or on a lift tool (e.g., on a rotor blade lift tool) and / or on the load. The tag line 82 is passed from its end on the trolley to a sheave on the load connector 75 and / or on a lift tool (e.g., on a rotor blade lift tool) and / or on the load, and then returned to a sheave on the trolley.

[0053] Preferably, the tug line system further includes a tug line trolley drive assembly for each tug line trolley 80, e.g., independently for each tug line trolley on the crane boom 20, the drive assembly configured to provide controlled displacement of the tug line trolley along the boom leg. For example, as known in the art, the tug line trolley drive assembly includes a tug line trolley drive winch and associated cables to provide controlled displacement of the tug line trolley along the boom leg.

[0054] In the example, each of the boom leg forward main chords 31, 32 is formed from four flat steel plate members welded together in a rectangular or square cross-sectional arrangement, which will be discussed herein with reference to forward main chord 31, with the other forward main chord 32 also being of the same design.

[0055] As used herein, the term forward refers to the side of the crane boom 20 where hoisting is performed by the hoist assembly and, therefore, where the load connector 75 and suspended load are located during a hoisting operation, allowing the tag line system to provide enhanced control of the load connector and / or the load being hoisted.

[0056] The four flat steel plate members that make up the hollow front main chord 31 are: - front plate member 31a; - a rear plate member 31c opposite the front plate member; - inner plate member 31d; and - an outer plate member 31b opposite the inner plate member is.

[0057] These plate members are welded together to form the rectangular or square cross-sectional design of the forward main chord 31.

[0058] The front plate member 31a extends inwardly from its welded corner joint with the outer plate member 31b beyond its welded joint with the inner plate member 31d to form an inwardly projecting guide rail portion 31e having an inner end surface 31a1.

[0059] The outer plate member 31b extends rearward from its welded corner joint with the front plate member 31a beyond its welded joint with the rear plate member 31c to form a rearwardly projecting guide rail portion 31f having a rearward end surface 31b1.

[0060] The tag line trolley 80 includes a first roller set 93 of one or more rollers (preferably a plurality of rollers) that engage the inner end surface 31a1 of the inwardly projecting guide rail portion 31e.

[0061] The tag line trolley 80 includes a second roller set 94 of one or more rollers (preferably a plurality of rollers) that engage the rear end surface 31b1 of the rearwardly projecting guide rail portion 31f.

[0062] The tagline trolley further comprises a third roller set 95 of one or more rollers (preferably a plurality of rollers) perpendicular to the first roller set 93 and engaging the front face of the front plate member 31a.

[0063] The tagline trolley includes a fourth roller set 96 of one or more rollers (preferably multiple rollers) that are perpendicular to the second roller set 94 and engage the outer surface of the outer plate member 31b.

[0064] As shown, a third set of rollers 95 and a fourth set of rollers 96 preferably engage on the front main cord 31 adjacent the end faces 31a1, 31b1 of the respective plate members.

[0065] The lacing members between the front main chords 31, 32 and between each front main chord 31, 32 and the nearest rear main chord 33, 34 are offset from the protruding portions of the front and outer plate members to allow passage of a trolley, and in particular to allow passage of the first and second roller sets 93, 94 of the trolley.

[0066] In alternative embodiments, the second and / or third sets of rollers 95, 96 are not present. Instead, for example, the first and / or second sets of rollers are equipped with grooved rollers that engage at end faces 31a1 or 31b1 and have guided support not only in the plane of the respective front or outer plate member as shown, but also perpendicular to the plane of the respective plate member. For example, end faces 31a1 or 31b1 can be beveled to have a V-shape, and the rollers have a corresponding shape.

[0067] The figures also illustrate the optional provision of one or more hook members 85a,b on the chassis 83 of the trolley 80 which engage over the protruding section of the respective front plate member 31a or outer plate member 31b. These hook members 85a, 85b can serve to secure the mounting of the trolley 80 on the front main cord.

[0068] Figures 6a and 6b show part of a crane according to the invention during handling of a rotor blade 100 of a wind turbine (e.g. an offshore wind turbine), where components discussed above with reference to Figures 1 to 5 are provided with the same reference numbers.

[0069] A wind turbine rotor blade 100 is held by a blade lift tool 75 that is suspended below a crane hook 90. ​​The hook 90, and thereby the tool 75, is suspended from the crane boom tip of the crane boom 20 via a winch driven hoist cable 71 that passes over a sheave assembly 72.

[0070] The boom 20 has sections embodied as a lattice-like hollow box structure that includes a pair of forward main chords 31, 32 at the forward side of the boom and a pair of aft main chords 33, 34 at the aft side of the boom. The main chords 31, 32, 33, 34 are interconnected by lacing members between adjacent main chords.

[0071] A first tug line trolley 80a travels on cord 31, and a second tug line trolley 80b travels on cord 32. Tug lines 82a,b extend from the blade lift tool 75 to the respective trolleys 80a,b and from there via reevings to tug line winches 81a,b. These tug line winches 81a,b are mounted on the upper portion of the boom 20, but could be mounted elsewhere (e.g., on the trolleys 80a,b). In another embodiment, the tug line winches are on the blade lift tool 75, e.g., with the distal ends of the tug lines secured to the respective trolleys 80a,b.

[0072] Respective tag line trolley drive assemblies are provided for controlled displacement of each tag line trolley 80a,b along the cords 31, 32. In the illustrated example, cable 120 connects to trolley 80a and is driven by a winch (not shown) to move the trolley up and down. Cable 121 connects to trolley 80b and is driven by another winch (not shown) to move trolley 80b up and down, preferably independently of trolley 80a.

[0073] Figures 6a, 6b show that additional third and fourth tug lines 130, 131 extend down from the tip of the crane boom 20 to the load lifting device 75 (here a blade lift tool). Each of these tug lines 130, 131 is driven by an associated winch and allows control of the device 75 and load 100 primarily in the vertical plane, while tug lines 82a, b act primarily horizontally.

[0074] 6a and 6b show that the blade lift tool 75 has a frame 76 with blade retention members (e.g., clamping members 77a, b). The frame 76 is tiltably connected via a horizontal axis hinge 78 to a pendant member 79 that hangs from a crane hook 90. ​​A tilt actuator 79a between the frame 76 and the pendant member 79 allows for controlled tilting of the tool 75, for example to set the tilt of the rotor blade 100 to allow for installation of the blade 100 at an angle relative to the hub of the wind turbine.

[0075] Figure 7 shows part of the crane boom 20 of Figures 6a, 6b with a second tagline trolley 80b running above the main chord 32. A cable 121 allows the trolley 80b to be controllably moved up and down along the chord 32.

[0076] FIG. 7 also shows that trolley 80b (like trolley 80a) has a chassis 83b which supports tag line sheave 84b in a pivotal manner about an axis 84c parallel to cord 32.

[0077] Each chassis 83 is configured to releasably secure a respective tag line sheave 84b to the chassis 83 such that the tag line sheave 84b can be removed.

[0078] Each chassis 83 is configured to support a respective tag line sheave 84b as well as to support the transverse beam 150 of the tag line system when the sheave 84 is removed.

[0079] An example of a transverse beam 150 supported by tagline trolleys 80a,b is depicted in FIG.

[0080] The chassis 83 has one or more support flanges 83c,d for supporting the transverse beam 150.

[0081] 8 illustrates that the transverse beam is supported by the first and second trolleys so as to extend transversely to the midplane of the crane boom 20. The transverse beam has axial ends.

[0082] The transverse beam 150 has a length greater than the crane boom, and tag lines 82a,b, for example, extend from the axial ends of the transverse beam toward the load.

[0083] In this embodiment, the tag lines 82a, 82b extend in a cross direction when viewed from above.

[0084] In this example, the beam 150 is of a fixed length and lacks a telescoping section; the beam can be telescoping if desired, for example, with telescoping beam end portions.

[0085] Since the cords 31, 32 are non-parallel in Figures 6 to 8, it is envisaged that the trolleys 80a, 80b can be provided with sliding supports 80d, 80e for the transverse beam 150, respectively, between the axial ends of the transverse beam 150, e.g. as replaceable parts, instead of the associated tag line sheave 84b, allowing the spacing between the first and second trolleys 80a, b to be varied when the first and second trolleys 80a, b are moved up and down their respective cords 31, 32.

[0086] Tag line 82a extends from blade lift tool 75 to tag line sheave 151 on transverse beam 150 (e.g., and further to tag line winch 81a). Tag line 82b extends from blade lift tool 75 to tag line sheave 152 on transverse beam 150 (e.g., and further to tag line winch 81b).

[0087] 6 to 8 also serve to illustrate a second aspect of the invention relating to a crane configured for use in, for example, handling one or more wind turbine components 100, for example for installation and / or maintenance of an offshore wind turbine, the crane comprising: - a base structure 11, which is adapted to be mounted on a vessel, for example for fastening to the hull of the vessel; - a rotary structure 12 swivelable on a swivel bearing about a vertical pivot axis relative to the base structure, the upper structure being provided with a boom connection member; - a boom 20 having a longitudinal axis 21, the boom having an inner end 22 connected to a boom connecting member such that the boom is pivotable up and down about a boom pivot axis 24 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boom; - a luffing device for pivoting the boom up and down, the luffing device including a luffing winch 45 and a variable length luffing system 46; - a hoist assembly including a winch 70 and a winch drive cable 71, the winch drive hoist cable passing over a sheave assembly 72 on the boom to a load lifting device 75 for hoisting a load suspended from the hoist cable and the load lifting device, such as a wind turbine component, e.g., a rotor blade 100; - a tag line system configured to control the load being hoisted; Including, The tagline system - first and second tagline trolleys 80a, b each movable along the boom in the longitudinal direction of the boom; - first and second tagline winches 81a, b and respective first and second winch-driven taglines 82a, b; Including, The tagline system - first and second tagline sheaves 84b; - Transverse beam 150 and further comprising each tag line trolley 80a,b has a chassis 83b configured to selectively releasably secure a respective tag line sheave 84a,b or transverse beam 150 thereto, such that the transverse beam is supported by both the first and second tag line trolleys 80a,b; The transverse beam 150 provides spaced apart locations for first and second tag lines 82a, b which extend between the transverse beam 150 and a load (here, tool 75) when the crane and its tag line system are in use. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1 ship 2. Hull 3 Decks 4 jack-up legs 5 Jack-up mechanism 10 Crane 11 Pedestal, base structure 12 Rotating Structure 13 Slewing bearing 15 Boom connection member 20. Boom 21 Longitudinal axis 22 Inner end 23 Tip end 24 Horizontal boom pivot axis 31 Front main code 31a Front plate member 31a1 Inner end face 31b Outer plate member 31b1 Rear end face 31c Rear plate member 31d Inner plate member 31e Inward-protruding guide rail portion 31f Guide rail part protruding backward 32 forward main code 33 Rear main cord 34 Rear main cord 35 Racing parts 36 Racing parts 37 Racing parts 38 Racing parts 45 Boom Luffing Winch 46 Luffing Cable, Variable Length Luffing System 60 Boom rest 70 Main hoist winch 71 Main hoist cable, winch drive cable 72 Sheave assembly 75 Load lifting devices, main hoist blocks, blade lift tools, load connectors 76 frames 77a Clamping member 77b Clamping member 78 Horizontal axis hinge 79 Pendant parts 79a Tilt Actuator 80 Tagline Trolley 80a 1st Tagline Trolley 80b 2nd Tagline Trolley 80d sliding support 80e Sliding Support 81 Tagline Winch 81a First tagline winch 81b Second tagline winch 82 Winch-driven tagline 82a First Tagline 82b Second Tagline 83 Chassis 83b chassis 83c Support flange 83d Support flange 84 Tagline Sheaves 84a First Tagline Sieve 84b Second Tagline Sieve 84c axis 85a Hook member 85b Hook member 90 Crane Hook 93 First Roller Set 94 Second Roller Set 95 Third Roller Set 96 4th Roller Set 100 cargo, rotor blades 120 Cable 121 Cable 130 Third Tagline 131 Fourth Tagline 150 transverse beam 151 Tagline Sieve 152 Tagline Sheaves

Claims

1. A crane (10), configured for use in, for example, handling one or more wind turbine components, for example for installation and / or maintenance of an offshore wind turbine, the crane comprising: - a base structure (11), said base structure (11) being adapted to be mounted on a vessel, for example for fastening to the hull of said vessel; - a rotary structure (12) swivelable on a swivel bearing about a vertical pivot axis relative to the base structure, the upper structure comprising a boom connection member; - a boom (20) having a longitudinal axis (21), the boom having an inner end (22) connected to the boom connection member such that the boom is pivotable up and down about a boom pivot axis (24) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boom; - a luffing device for pivoting the boom up and down, the luffing device including a luffing winch (45) and a variable length luffing system (46); a hoist assembly including a winch (70) and a winch drive cable (71), the winch drive hoist cable passing over a sheave assembly (72) on the boom to a load suspension device (75) for hoisting a load suspended from the hoist cable and the load suspension device, such as a wind turbine component, e.g., a rotor blade; Including, the boom (20) includes a boom leg, for example, a single boom leg, the boom leg being embodied as a lattice-like hollow box structure, for example, a lattice-like hollow box structure of rectangular cross section, the lattice-like hollow box structure including a pair of front main chords (31, 32) at a front side of the boom leg and a pair of rear main chords (33, 34) at a rear side of the boom leg, the main chords (31, 32, 33, 34) being interconnected by lacing members (35, 36, 37, 38) between adjacent main chords; The crane is - further comprising a tag line system configured to control the load being hoisted; The tag line system comprises: a tagline trolley (80) movable along the boom leg in the longitudinal direction of the boom leg; a tag line winch (81) and a winch driven tag line (82), the tag line extending from the tag line trolley to the load and / or to the load lifting device when the crane is in use; Including, At least one of the forward main chords of the boom leg is formed from four planar steel plate members welded together in a rectangular or square cross-sectional arrangement, the four plate members comprising: - front plate member (31a); - a rear plate member (31c) opposite said front plate member; - inner plate member (31d); - an outer plate member (31b) opposite said inner plate member; and the front plate member (31a) extends inward from a corner joint with the outer plate member (31b) beyond a joint of the front plate member with the inner plate member (31d) to form an inwardly projecting guide rail portion (31e) having an inner end surface (31a1); the outer plate member (31b) extends rearward from the corner joint with the front plate member (31a) beyond the joint of the outer plate member with the rear plate member (31c), forming a rearwardly protruding guide rail portion (31f) having a rear end surface (31b1); The tag line trolley includes a first roller set (93) of one or more rollers that engage the inner end surface (31a1) of the inwardly projecting guide rail portion (31e) and a second roller set (94) of one or more rollers that engage the rearwardly projecting guide rail portion (31f) of the rearwardly projecting guide rail portion (31f).

2. 2. The crane of claim 1, wherein the tag line trolley further comprises a third roller set (95) of one or more rollers that engage a front surface of the front plate member (31 a) perpendicular to the first roller set (93), and the tag line trolley further comprises a fourth roller set (96) of one or more rollers that engage an outer surface of the outer plate member (31 b) perpendicular to the second roller set (94).

3. Each of the forward main chords (31, 32) of the boom legs is formed from four planar steel plate members (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) welded together in a rectangular or square cross-sectional arrangement, the four plate members having: - Front plate member; - a rear plate member opposite said front plate member; - inner plate member; an outer plate member opposite said inner plate member; and the front plate member extends inwardly from a corner juncture with the outer plate member beyond a juncture of the front plate member with the inner plate member to form an inwardly projecting guide rail portion having an inner end surface; the outer plate member extends rearward from the corner juncture with the front plate member beyond the juncture of the outer plate member with the rear plate member, forming a rearwardly projecting guide rail portion having a rearward end surface; Each tag line trolley (80a, b) is associated with a respective front main chord (31, 32), and each tag line trolley comprises a first roller set (93) of one or more rollers engaging the inner end surface of the inwardly projecting guide rail portion of each front main chord, and a second roller set (94) of one or more rollers engaging the rearward end surface of the rearwardly projecting guide rail portion of each front main chord. The crane of claim 1.

4. 4. The crane of claim 1, wherein the tag line system further comprises a tag line trolley drive assembly for each tag line trolley (80a, b), e.g., independently for each tag line trolley, the drive assembly configured to provide controlled displacement of the tag line trolley along the boom leg, e.g., the tag line trolley drive assembly comprising a tag line trolley drive winch and associated cables (120, 121) to provide controlled displacement of the tag line trolley along the boom leg.

5. 5. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the load lifting device is embodied as a blade lifting tool (75) for the installation of rotor blades (100) on wind turbines.

6. A crane boom (20) with a tag line system configured to be mounted on a crane (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The boom (20) has a longitudinal axis (21), the boom has an inner end (22) configured to be connected to a boom connecting member, and the boom is pivotable up and down about a boom pivot axis (24) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boom; the boom (20) includes a boom leg, for example, a single boom leg, the boom leg being embodied as a lattice-like hollow box structure, for example, a lattice-like hollow box structure of rectangular cross section, the lattice-like hollow box structure including a pair of front main chords (31, 32) at a front side of the boom leg and a pair of rear main chords (33, 34) at a rear side of the boom leg, the main chords (31, 32, 33, 34) being interconnected by lacing members (35, 36, 37, 38) between adjacent main chords; The tug line system is configured to control the movement of a load being hoisted, the tug line system comprising: a tagline trolley (80) movable along the boom leg in the longitudinal direction of the boom leg; a tag line winch (81) and a winch-driven tag line (82), the tag line extending from the tag line trolley to the load and / or to a load lifting device when the crane is in use; Including, At least one of the forward main chords of the boom leg is formed from four planar steel plate members welded together in a rectangular or square cross-sectional arrangement, the four plate members comprising: - front plate member (31a); - a rear plate member (31c) opposite said front plate member; - inner plate member (31d); - an outer plate member (31b) opposite said inner plate member; and the front plate member (31a) extends inward from a corner joint with the outer plate member (31b) beyond a joint of the front plate member with the inner plate member (31d) to form an inwardly projecting guide rail portion (31e) having an inner end surface (31a1); the outer plate member (31b) extends rearward from the corner joint with the front plate member (31a) beyond the joint of the outer plate member with the rear plate member (31c), forming a rearwardly protruding guide rail portion (31f) having a rear end surface (31b1); The tag line trolley includes a first roller set (93) of one or more rollers that engage the inner end surface (31a1) of the inwardly projecting guide rail portion (31e) and a second roller set (94) of one or more rollers that engage the rearwardly projecting guide rail portion (31f) of the crane boom (20).

7. For example, a ship (1) equipped with a crane (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the load lifting device is embodied as a blade lifting tool (75) for the installation of rotor blades (100) on a wind turbine.

8. 8. A method for the installation of components, e.g. rotor blades (100), on a wind turbine, e.g. an offshore wind turbine, in which a crane according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is utilized.

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