Liquidless Wind Turbine Tower Damper for Reusable Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tall and slender wind turbine towers oscillate with high amplitude due to wind-induced vortexes, and existing tower dampers are not reusable across different tower sizes and heights, requiring complex tuning and potential environmental hazards from liquid-based systems.
Innovation Solution
A liquidless damper system with a cylindrical housing, a horizontally limited damper mass, and shock-absorbing structures that can be easily adjusted and reused, featuring disc-shaped or ball-shaped elements and a friction ring for effective damping without the need for liquid and complex tuning, allowing for efficient damping across various tower sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid-based dampers are used to reduce tower oscillation, then damping effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and environmental risk increase due to pumping equipment and potential liquid spilling
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the liquid component from the damper system, using only solid elements (steel balls, springs, housing) to achieve damping. This eliminates the need for pumping equipment and liquid handling systems, directly resolving the technical contradiction by maintaining damping effectiveness while removing complex liquid management infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses simple, replaceable solid components (steel balls, springs) that can be easily replaced if needed, eliminating the need for complex liquid-based systems. This approach trades the complexity of liquid management for simple, maintainable solid components that achieve the same damping function without environmental risks.
2Manufacturing precision
If detailed tuning to tower eigenfrequency is implemented, then damping precision is improved, but adaptability to different tower sizes and heights deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a universal damper design using steel balls and springs that can be applied to towers of various sizes and heights without requiring detailed tuning to specific eigenfrequencies. The system achieves effective damping across different tower configurations through its inherent mechanical properties, making it adaptable to multiple applications while maintaining simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the damping approach from frequency-specific tuning to a broader mechanical damping system where the steel balls and springs provide effective damping across a range of oscillation frequencies. This parameter change allows the same damper design to work effectively on different tower sizes and heights without requiring precise frequency matching.
3Reliability
If damper mass is increased to improve damping effect, then damping factor is improved, but weight of moving object increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite damping system combining steel balls and springs working together to achieve effective damping with reduced mass compared to traditional single-component dampers. The steel balls provide inertial damping while the springs provide elastic energy storage and dissipation, creating a synergistic system that achieves high damping factors with lighter overall mass.
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 system achieves a damping factor of about 10, reducing oscillation amplitude from 0.5 to 1 meter to 0.05 to 0.1 meters, enabling mass savings and easier handling while avoiding environmental risks and complex tuning requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a relative movement between the tower and the damper mass may cause an impact with between the tower mass and the shock absorbing structure dependent on the magnitude of the amplitude of the tower oscillation
Implementation Method 2
at least one shock absorbing structure
Implementation Method 3
The damper mass may include a ball-shaped damper element. Hereby some friction is obtained as well a high inertia
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to wind turbine towers and in particular to such towers having a damper for use when erecting the tower and prior to installing a nacelle on the top of the tower. The invention also relates to a method for damping wind turbine towers. One aspect of the invention involves a wind turbine tower (2) with an upper tower structure (24) and a damper (5) comprising, —a liquidless damper housing (7,8) fixed to the upper structure, —a cylindrical interior surface of the damper housing, and —a damper mass having a horizontal extent which is less than a horizontal extent of the cylindrical interior surface of the damper housing, and —at least one shock absorbing structure, where the damper mass is arranged to, when the tower oscillates, essentially stay in a standstill location, whereby a relative movement between the tower and the damper mass may cause an impact with between the tower mass and the shock absorbing structure dependent on the magnitude of the amplitude of the tower oscillation. A main technical progress is that the damper does not need detailed tuning to the towers natural frequency. As long as the damper mass is sufficient, it may be used for damping a range of tower sizes and heights.