Liquid Damper Assembly for Tower Transport Vibration Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind turbine towers face challenges in suppressing vortex-induced cross-wind vibrations during vertical storage and transport, as permanent dampers are tuned to the installed frequency and cannot be used effectively during these stages, and vortex strakes require significant time and weather-dependent manual handling.
Innovation Solution
A temporary damper assembly comprising a liquid damper tuned to the tower's natural frequency, a tower cover, a mounting interface, and a load transfer means, which can be quickly installed and removed, reducing manual handling and weather dependency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If vortex strakes are attached to the outside of the tower to suppress vortex-induced vibrations, then the tower vibration is reduced, but the installation and removal process requires many hours of manual handling and is highly weather-dependent
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the damping function from the external vortex strakes and relocates it to an internal liquid damper system. The liquid damper is contained within a tank that is mounted inside the tower, separating the vibration suppression function from the external tower surface, thereby eliminating the need for complex external attachments while maintaining the vibration suppression effect
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid damper acts as an intermediary element between the tower structure and the vortex-induced vibrations. Instead of directly modifying the external tower surface with vortex strakes, the liquid damper mediates the vibration suppression by utilizing the sloshing motion of liquid to counteract the vibrations, providing a more efficient and weather-independent solution
2Object-affected harmful factors
If vortex strakes are attached to the tower to prevent vortex-induced vibrations, then the tower structural integrity is protected, but the work cannot be carried out in high winds or stormy conditions due to safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid damper system is pre-installed inside the tower during manufacturing or initial assembly, before the tower is subjected to vortex-induced vibrations during operation. This preliminary installation eliminates the need for later external modifications in adverse weather conditions, as the vibration suppression capability is already in place and requires no further manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the complex, weather-sensitive vortex strake attachment process with a simpler, pre-installed liquid damper system. The liquid damper tank and mounting structure constitute a self-contained, weather-independent solution that does not require manual handling during operation, thereby eliminating weather-related safety hazards
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a permanent damper is mounted in the upper reaches of the tower, then tower oscillations are suppressed, but the damper is tuned to the eigenfrequency of the complete installed wind turbine and cannot be used during storage and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid damper system employs dynamic adjustability through variable liquid volume and adjustable mounting positions. The amount of liquid in the tank can be modified, and the tank itself can be repositioned along the tower height, allowing the damper to be retuned for different natural frequencies. This dynamic adaptability enables the same damper to serve multiple purposes: suppressing vibrations during storage/transport at one frequency, and suppressing oscillations during operation at another frequency
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes parameter changes in the liquid damper system to achieve frequency adaptability. By changing the volume of liquid in the tank or adjusting the mounting height of the tank, the natural frequency of the damper can be modified. This parameter adjustment capability allows the damper to be optimized for different operational phases (storage vs. operation) without requiring multiple fixed-frequency dampers
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The temporary damper assembly effectively suppresses vortex-induced vibrations, reducing offshore handling effort and costs while minimizing hazards, and can be adapted for various tower diameters.
Implementation Method 1
A main problem is vortex-induced cross-wind vibrations
Implementation Method 2
A complete installed wind turbine may be provided with a permanent damper, for example a tuned mass damper that is mounted in the upper reaches of the tower
Implementation Method 3
A liquid damper permanently mounted in the upper tower level may be partially filled with a sloshing liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A temporary damper assembly for use during vertical storage and/or vertical transport of a tower includes a liquid damper tuned to the natural frequency of vibration of the tower; a tower cover realized to cover an annular upper opening of the tower during storage and/or transport; a mounting interface configured to suspend the liquid damper from the annular upper opening of the tower; and a load transfer interface for the transfer of loads between the liquid damper and the tower. A method of suppressing vortex-induced vibration in a tower during vertical storage and/or vertical transport of the tower is also provided.