Crusher for a rotor blade of a rotor of a wind turbine

Abstract

The application relates to a crusher (100) for a rotor blade of a rotor of a wind turbine according to an embodiment. The crusher comprises a cutting blade (215), a cutting blade counter structure (216), and a power transmission system (230). The cutting blade is configured to move towards the counter structure so that the cutting blade moves in an overlapping manner with respect to the counter structure. The power transmission system is configured to move the cutting blade towards the counter structure to cut the interposed rotor blade and away from the counter structure. The crusher further comprises a protective container (102) that can be transported by a transport vehicle, designed to protect the cutting blade, the counter structure, and the power transmission system installed inside (104) the protective container, as well as to collect crushing waste generated during the crushing of the rotor blade.

Description

[0001] CRUSHER FOR A ROTOR BLADE OF A ROTOR OF A WIND TURBINE

[0002] Technical field

[0003] The invention concerns in general a crusher for a rotor blade of a rotor of a wind turbine.

[0004] Background

[0005] Special machinery is needed to cut and crush wind turbine rotor blades, as the rotor blades are made of a tough and large composite material such as glass fibre or carbon fibre containing epoxy and polyester resins as binders. Fibrous composite materials cannot be processed with conventional cutting or crushing equipment due to their durable and strong structure.

[0006] Large and heavy rotor blades have to be transported from the vicinity of wind turbines by slow, expensive, and specialised transport requiring prior planning, over long distances to the vicinity of waste incineration plants for processing by crushing equipment such as an industrial shredder, a jaw crusher, or a crushing line consisting of crushing equipment.

[0007] As an alternative to special transport, the rotor blades can be cut, in the vicinity of wind turbines, into smaller pieces by an excavator equipped with, e.g., a concrete shear intended for crushing reinforced concrete. The concrete shear, attached to the end of the excavator boom, has a powerful hydraulic or mechanical cutting jaw to cut the rotor blades into smaller pieces which, after cutting, can be transported by trucks to the vicinity of waste incineration plants for processing by crushing equipment.

[0008] Summary

[0009] An object of the invention is to solve problems in the prior art and to provide a crusher for a rotor blade of a rotor of a wind turbine that allows for environmentally friendly crushing of rotor blades in the vicinity of a wind turbine, avoiding the uncontrolled release of crushing waste into the environment and the costly, slow, and intricate special transport of the long rotor blades to distant crushing sites. An object of the invention is achieved by the wind turbine rotor blade crusher according to the independent claim.

[0010] Embodiments of the invention are presented in the claims.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the invention a crusher for a rotor blade of a rotor of a wind turbine (wind turbine rotor blade crusher) comprises a cutting blade, a cutting blade counter structure, and a power transmission system. The cutting blade is configured to move towards the counter structure so that the cutting blade moves in an overlapping manner with respect to the counter structure. The power transmission system is configured to move the cutting blade towards the counter structure to cut the interposed rotor blade and away from the counter structure. The crusher further comprises a protective container that can be (to be) transported by a transport vehicle, designed to protect the cutting blade, the counter structure, and the power transmission system installed inside the protective container, as well as to collect crushing waste generated during the crushing of the rotor blade.

[0012] Brief description of the figures

[0013] In the detailed description of the figures, the embodiments of the invention are described, by way of example, in more detail with reference to the following figures: fig. 1 shows a transport vehicle installed with a crusher protection container, with the cutting blade in a lower position for transport fig. 2 shows more details of the crusher with the cutting blade in the lower position fig. 3 shows more details of the crusher with the cutting blade in the upper position

[0014] Detailed explanation of the figures

[0015] Figs. 1-3 show a wind turbine rotor blade crusher 100, which allows rotor blades to be cut into smaller pieces in an environmentally friendly way, so that the cut pieces can be transported cheaply, quickly and without special arrangements for further processing.

[0016] The crusher 100 comprises a protective container 102 intended to protect crushing elements 214, 215, 216, 230 mounted inside (in an interior space of) 104 the protective container 102 from mechanical shocks and weathering. In addition, the protective container 102 is intended to collect crushing waste generated during the cutting (crushing) of the rotor blades.

[0017] The protective container 102 has a frame 106 with a floor 208 and walls 110 defining an interior space 104 of the protective container 102. The protective container 102 is open at the top or has an openable roof (not shown) to allow the crushing elements 216, 230 in the interior space 104 to operate and to allow the crushing waste from the crushing process to be removed from the protective container 102 through the top.

[0018] One wall 110 of the protective container 102 has an openable crushing hatch 112 through which a rotor blade can be pushed into the interior space 104 of the protective container 102 to be cut.

[0019] The protective container 102 is a maritime or freight container that can be mounted on a transport vehicle 113, such as a truck, in a fixed or detachable manner, allowing it to be transported by the transport vehicle 113 to the vicinity of a wind turbine to cut the rotor blades to be crushed. The protective container 102 is made of steel, aluminium or both and has a length of 6-9 m, e.g. 6, 7, 8, or 9 m, in a longitudinal direction PS.

[0020] The crusher 100 further comprises, in the interior space 104, a cutting blade

[0021] 215 and its counter structure 216 mounted on a floor 208 by means of support structures 214 for cutting the rotor blades.

[0022] While in a cutting motion KA, the cutting blade 215 is intended to move downwardly towards the fixed counter structure 216 to a lower position AL such that the cutting blade 215 moves in an overlapping manner with respect to the counter structure 216, thereby cutting the rotor blade placed between the cutting blade 215 and the counter structure 216. While in a lifting motion NO, the cutting blade 215 is further intended to move away from the counter structure

[0023] 216 when the cutting blade 215 is lifted upwards towards the top of the protective container 102 to an upper position YL in preparation for a new cutting motion KA.

[0024] With the cutting blade 215 ready in the upper position YL awaiting the cutting motion KA, a rotor blade to be cut is inserted from the open crushing hatch 112 of the protective container 102 into the interior space 104 by a machine (not shown) operating outside the crusher 100 so that a cutting point of the rotor blade rests against the counter structure 216 between the cutting blade 215 and the counter structure 216. In a downward cutting motion KA towards the lower position AL, the cutting blade 215 cuts the rotor blade between it and the counter structure 216 at the cutting point, causing the cut-off rotor blade portion to drop to the floor 208 of the protective container 102 to await disposal. After cutting, the cutting blade 215 is lifted from the lower position AL back up with an upward lifting motion NO to the upper position YL to await a new cutting motion KA. The cutting and lifting motions KA, NO are repeated until the entire rotor blade is cut into sections or the cutting is interrupted for some reason.

[0025] The substantially upwardly curved arcuate cutting blade 215 has a blade body 218 and, at a bottom of the blade body 218, a serrated blade 320 which is detachably attached to the blade body 218 by an attachment mechanism 322, e.g., a bolt attachment mechanism, to enable blade replacement when an old worn-out blade 320 is to be replaced or when a blade 320 suitable for a different application, e.g., for cutting sheet vinyl flooring, is to be installed in the crusher 100.

[0026] The blade body 218 is made of steel and its length in the longitudinal direction PS is 5-8 m, e.g., 5, 6, 7, or 8 m, so that it can fit inside the protective container 102. The blade 320 is made of steel, e.g., wear-resistant steel, and its length in the longitudinal direction PS is shorter than the length of the blade body 218 as shown in the figures.

[0027] The blade body 218 of the cutting blade 215 further comprises additional blade bodies (not shown), which in the figures are behind the cutting blade 215 structure, e.g., two, three, four, or five additional blade bodies, and an additional serrated blade (not shown) attached to each additional blade body, substantially perpendicular to the blade body 218, for crushing the rotor blade into smaller pieces. Alternatively, each additional blade is attached to the blade body 218.

[0028] Each additional blade is detachably attached to the additional blade body or to the blade body 218 by an attachment mechanism, e.g., a bolt attachment mechanism, to allow blade removal when an additional blade is not required, or to allow blade replacement when an old worn-out additional blade is to be replaced or when the crusher 100 is to be equipped with additional blades suitable for a different use. Each additional blade body is made of steel, if used in the cutting blade 215. Each additional blade is made of steel, e.g., wear- resistant steel, and has a length of 0.7-1 m, e.g., 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 m.

[0029] The substantially upwardly, slightly more roughly, curved arcuate counter structure 216 has a beam frame 224 and, at an upper edge of the beam frame 224, a serrated counter blade 326 which is detachably attached to the beam frame 224 by an attachment mechanism 328, e.g., a bolt attachment mechanism, to enable blade replacement when an old worn-out counter blade 326 is to be replaced with a new one or when a counter blade 326 suitable for a different use is to be installed in the crusher 100.

[0030] The beam frame 224 is made of steel, e.g., a steel beam, and its length in the longitudinal direction PS is 5-8 m, e.g. 5, 6, 7, or 8 m, corresponding to the length of the blade body 218 so that it, too, fits inside the protective container 102. The counter blade 326 is made of steel, e.g., wear-resistant steel, and its length in the longitudinal direction PS is shorter than the length of the beam frame 224 as shown in the figures.

[0031] In addition, the beam frame 224 of the counter structure 216 has additional beam frames (not shown), which in the figures are behind the counter structure 218, e.g., two, three, four, or five additional beam frames, the number of which corresponds to the number of the additional blades, and a serrated additional counter blade (not shown) attached to each additional beam frame, substantially perpendicular to the beam frame 224, for crushing the rotor blade into smaller pieces together with the corresponding additional blade when the cutting blade 215 is moved by cutting and lifting motions KA, NO. Alternatively, each additional counter blade is attached to the beam frame 224.

[0032] Each additional counter blade is detachably attached to an additional beam frame or to the beam frame 224 by an attachment mechanism, e.g., a bolt attachment mechanism, to allow blade removal when additional counter blades are not required, or to allow blade replacement when an old worn-out additional counter blade is to be replaced or when the crusher 100 is to be equipped with additional counter blades suitable for a different use. Each additional beam frame is made of steel, if used in the counter structure 216. Each additional counter blade is made of steel, e.g., wear-resistant steel, and has a length of 0.7-1 m, e.g. 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 m, corresponding to the length of the additional blade.

[0033] The crusher 100 further comprises a power transmission system 230 for moving the cutting blade 215 in the cutting motion KA towards the counter structure 216 to cut the interposed rotor blade and in the lifting motion NO away from the counter structure 216.

[0034] The power transmission system 230 is a hydraulic power transmission system partly inside the interior space 104 and partly outside the protective container 102, comprising a hydraulic cylinder 232 for performing the cutting and lifting motions KA, NO of the cutting blade 215, and coupling hoses 234 for hydraulically coupling the power transmission system 230 to the power transmission system of the transport vehicle 113 (not shown) so that the engine and hydraulic pump of the transport vehicle 113 can be used to move the cutting blade 215. The hydraulic cylinder 232 is inside the interior space 104 and the coupling hoses 234 are partly inside and partly outside the interior space 104, travelling through coupling hose openings in the protective container 102 to allow coupling to the transmission system of the transport vehicle 113.

[0035] When transporting the crusher 100 by the transport vehicle 113, the cutting blade 215 is left in the lower position AL for transport and the coupling hoses 234 of the transmission system 230, disconnected from the power transmission system of the transport vehicle 113, are placed in the transport position so that they are protected during transport, e.g., by pulling them through the coupling hose openings into the interior space 104.

[0036] Only a few embodiments of the invention have been described above by way of example. Naturally, the principle according to the invention can be modified within the scope of protection defined by the claims, e.g., with regard to implementation details and fields of application.

Claims

Claims1 . A crusher (100) for a rotor blade of a rotor of a wind turbine, comprising a cutting blade (215), a cutting blade counter structure (216), and a power transmission system (230), which cutting blade is configured to move towards the counter structure so that the cutting blade moves in an overlapping manner with respect to the counter structure and which power transmission system is configured to move the cutting blade towards the counter structure to cut the interposed rotor blade and away from the counter structure, characterised in that the crusher further comprises a protective container (102) that can be transported by a transport vehicle, designed to protect the cutting blade, the counter structure, and the power transmission system installed inside (104) the protective container, as well as to collect crushing waste generated during the crushing of the rotor blade.

2. The crusher according to the previous claim, wherein the protective container is a maritime container (102), open at a top or with an opening roof, with a frame (106), floor (208), and walls (110), through the top of which the crushing waste from the crushing operation can be removed from the protective container.

3. The crusher according to any one of the previous claims, wherein one wall (110) of the protective container comprises an openable crushing hatch (112) through which the protective container is configured to receive a rotor blade inserted into the protective container and placed to rest on the counter structure.

4. The crusher according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the essentially arcuate cutting blade comprises a blade body (218) and a serrated blade (320) which is detachably attached to the blade body by an attachment mechanism (322) to allow blade replacement, and the essentially arcuate counter structure comprises a beam frame (224) and a serrated counter blade (326), which is detachably attached to the beam frame by an attachment mechanism (328) to allow replacement of the counter blade.

5. The crusher according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the power transmission system is a hydraulic power transmission system (230) comprising a hydraulic cylinder (232), which is configured to move the cutting blade, and coupling hoses (234), which are configured to couple the crusher power transmission system hydraulically to the power transmission system of the transport vehicle so that the engine and hydraulic pump of the transport vehicle can be used to move the cutting blade.

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