External Platform Assembly for Wind Turbine Nacelle Repairs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wind turbine repair procedures are labor-intensive and challenging due to limited working space within the nacelle, requiring the turbine head to be removed and transported for maintenance, which is time-consuming and hazardous, especially when repairs are performed uptower.
Innovation Solution
An external platform assembly is mounted to the front of the nacelle, providing a secure working surface for personnel during repairs, with a platform frame, access assembly, and adjustable cover for safety and protection, allowing for safe access and operation outside the nacelle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If repair procedures are performed within the nacelle, then personnel have access to components, but the working space is minimal and difficult to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the working space from the two-dimensional interior of the nacelle to a three-dimensional external platform mounted on the nacelle exterior. This external platform provides personnel with adequate working space while maintaining the compact nacelle structure, effectively adding a new spatial dimension for repair operations.
2Ease of repair
If the turbine head is removed and transported to a manufacturing facility for repair, then repairs can be performed on removed components, but the process is very time-consuming and labor intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary repair functions from the manufacturing facility context and brings them to the turbine site through the external platform. This allows repair activities to be performed in-situ on the turbine head without complete removal and transport, significantly reducing time loss while maintaining repair capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The external platform is pre-configured with necessary repair equipment, tools, and safety features before repair operations begin. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming setup during actual repair operations and avoids the need to transport components to a facility with pre-existing repair capabilities.
3Productivity
If the turbine head remains mounted uptower, then operational continuity is maintained, but repair procedures become more hazardous
Solution Approach 1:
The external platform serves as an intermediary structure between the turbine head and the ground-based support equipment. It provides a stable, safe working environment for personnel while the turbine head remains mounted uptower, mediating the hazards by creating a protected workspace with proper safety railings, access points, and equipment support.
4Ease of operation
If an external platform is added to the nacelle, then working space and safety are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The external platform is designed as a segmented, modular structure that can be assembled from discrete components. This segmentation reduces overall complexity by allowing each module to be independently designed, manufactured, and installed, while collectively providing the necessary working surface and safety features.
Solution Approach 2:
The external platform is designed with multi-functional elements that perform multiple purposes: structural support for personnel, mounting for repair equipment, safety railings, and access ladders. This universality reduces the number of separate components needed, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining comprehensive functionality.
Data Source
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AI summary
A disassembled wind turbine 10 under repair includes a tower 12 secured to a foundation 14 and a nacelle 16 mounted atop the tower 12. The nacelle 16 includes a base wall 17, side walls 19, a front wall 21, a rear wall 23, and a top wall 25. The front wall 21 includes an opening 27 configured to receive a main shaft 34 of the wind turbine 10; however, the main shaft 34 and a rotor 18 of the wind turbine 10 have been removed from the nacelle 16 during a repair procedure. As such, the disassembled wind turbine 10 further includes an external platform assembly 50 secured at the opening 27 of the front wall 21 of the nacelle 16 during the repair procedure.