Lifting Device Trolley Guide Monopile Upending Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of large and heavy offshore wind turbine monopiles is challenging due to the lack of control in upending processes, which are often weather-dependent and inefficient, especially with traditional crane systems that allow top-end swing and require optimal weather conditions.
Innovation Solution
A lifting device with a trolley guide and hoisting assembly that secures the monopile upright, providing stability and control during upending, allowing for a larger operational window and enabling the use of a crane with a pivotable boom to lift and position the monopile in a controlled manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional deck mounted cranes are used to upend monopiles, then the upending process can be performed, but the top end of the monopile swings uncontrollably and weather dependency increases
Solution Approach 1:
A trolley system acts as an intermediary between the crane and the monopile top end. The trolley travels along a guide track mounted on the crane boom, providing a constrained path that prevents swinging while allowing controlled movement during the upending operation. This intermediary mechanism transfers the load in a controlled manner, eliminating the uncontrolled swing behavior of traditional crane operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static crane configuration to a dynamic one where the trolley moves along the guide track during the upending process. The guide track itself is positioned to change orientation as the boom moves, dynamically guiding the monopile top end through the required arc from horizontal to vertical position while maintaining control and reducing weather dependency.
2Productivity
If larger and heavier monopiles are used to support bigger wind turbines, then the wind turbine capacity increases, but the upending process becomes more difficult and less controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The upending system is segmented into distinct functional components: the crane for lifting, the guide track for guidance, and the trolley for controlled movement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the guide track provides structural support and guidance path, while the trolley handles the actual engagement and movement of the monopile top end, making the overall system more manageable despite increased monopile sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The trolley serves as a mediator between the heavy monopile and the crane system. It distributes the load and provides a controlled interface for upending operations on larger monopiles, reducing the complexity burden on the crane itself while enabling the handling of increased weights and dimensions.
3Reliability
If the upending process is made more controlled with guiding mechanisms, then the operational window enlarges, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide track serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the monopile top end during upending, guides the trolley movement, and defines the operational arc from horizontal to vertical position. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate guiding components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving reliable controlled upending with enlarged operational window.
Data Source
AI summary
A vessel for installation of a pile for supporting a wind turbine includes a hull, a lifting device, and a pile gripper. The lifting device includes a base, an elongate, upright superstructure, and a lifting assembly and the pile gripper includes a gripper base and a gripper device. The pile engagement device and the gripper device are, by respective movabilities thereof in an X-Y plane relative to the vessel, whilst both engaging a pile, and whilst supporting the pile, simultaneously movable relative to the hull from an inboard retaining position in which the pile engagement device is in the upper position and the pile is above the hull, to an outboard installation position of the pile in which the pile is outside the contour of the vessel.