Craneless Wind Turbine Blade Mounting via Tip Beam Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for craneless blade mounting and dismounting at wind turbines rely on expensive and heavy crane equipment, and lack total control over the blade during critical position changes from vertical to horizontal, risking damage and safety issues.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a blade tip beam clamped to the blade and a supporting structure that guides and secures the blade tip beam, using winches and wires to control the blade's movement without a crane, ensuring total control and stability through clamping devices and tag wires, allowing for safe and secure mounting and dismounting without crane usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If crane equipment is used for blade mounting and dismounting, then the blade can be moved and positioned, but the equipment becomes expensive, heavy, and requires rental
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of blade positioning from the complex crane system. By using a simplified supporting structure with guide rails and clamping devices that can be attached directly to the blade, the system removes the need for heavy external crane equipment while maintaining the core capability of controlled blade movement and positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade supporting structure is designed to be self-contained, with all necessary positioning and control mechanisms integrated into the structure itself. The guide rails, clamping devices, and winches form a self-sufficient system that does not require external crane assistance, enabling the structure to perform all mounting and dismounting operations independently.
2Ease of operation
If traditional methods are used, then blade movement can be achieved, but total control over the blade during critical position changes is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous monitoring and control mechanisms where the supporting structure's position, the blade's orientation, and the tension in control cables are constantly monitored. This feedback enables real-time adjustments to maintain precise control during critical position changes, ensuring the blade moves safely through vertical to horizontal transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The supporting structure incorporates dynamic control capabilities with adjustable winches and movable clamping devices that can respond to changing operational conditions. The system transitions from static positioning to dynamic control, allowing real-time adaptation during blade movement to maintain optimal control and safety throughout the positioning process.
3Reliability
If a blade tip beam with clamping device is used, then the blade can be secured and controlled, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the blade tip beam assembly. The beam structure integrates the clamping mechanism, the support connection point, and the control cable attachment, consolidating what could be separate components into a unified system. This merging reduces overall system complexity while maintaining reliable blade control and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade tip beam is designed as a multi-functional component that serves multiple purposes: it provides structural support, enables clamping to the blade, facilitates connection to the supporting structure, and allows attachment of control cables. This universal design eliminates the need for multiple specialized components, reducing system complexity while ensuring reliable blade control.
Data Source
AI summary
System (1) for craneless blade (6) mounting and dismounting at wind turbines (2), wherein the system (1) at least comprises a blade tip beam (9) to be fixed at the blade (6) and a blade supporting structure (15) to be connected with and to guide and secure the blade tip beam (9) while the supporting structure (15) is displaced in a substantially horizontal direction, whereby total control of the blade (6) when moved from vertical position towards horizontal position and until the blade (6) is safe on a cradle or support (15) or opposite during mounting is achieved.