Modular Liquid Tower Dampers for Wind Turbine Oscillation Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine towers experience severe oscillations due to vortex shedding, which can lead to structural damage and equipment or personnel harm, and existing damping systems lack the ability to easily adjust mass and natural frequency to effectively mitigate these oscillations.
Innovation Solution
A modular tower damper system featuring liquid dampers with adjustable natural frequency, secured to the tower via a frame structure and fastening arrangements, including magnetic and axial fixation methods, allowing for easy installation and adjustment to match the tower's natural frequency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-mass damping system is installed on the wind turbine tower, then the tower oscillations can be damped, but the system cannot be easily adjusted to match different tower natural frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The damping system is divided into multiple identical damper modules, each with the same mass and damping characteristics. By installing different numbers of modules, the total damping mass can be adjusted to match different tower configurations without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms for individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple identical damper modules are combined to achieve the required total mass. The modules are secured in parallel to the tower, and their combined mass provides the necessary damping effect. This approach simplifies the design of individual modules while providing adjustability through quantity rather than complexity.
2Reliability
If the damper system mass is increased to improve damping effectiveness, then oscillation reduction improves, but the installation complexity and interference with existing tower structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The total damping mass is segmented into multiple identical modules that can be installed incrementally. This allows the damping effectiveness to be increased by adding more modules rather than installing one large complex system, thereby reducing installation complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The damper modules are designed to be suspended from the tower's existing structure, nesting the damping system within the available space inside the tower. This approach increases damping effectiveness without requiring additional external support structures or interfering with the tower's external dimensions.
3Reliability
If the natural frequency of the damper system is adjusted to match the tower frequency, then damping effectiveness improves, but the manufacturing and configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The natural frequency of the damper system is adjusted by changing the mass parameter - specifically, by installing different numbers of identical damper modules. Each module has a fixed mass that contributes to the total system mass, allowing frequency matching through simple quantity adjustment rather than complex manufacturing variations.
Solution Approach 2:
Each damper module is designed as a universal, identical unit that can be used in any number to achieve the required damping effect. The modules have standardized dimensions, mass, and mounting interfaces, making them manufacturing-simple while providing frequency adjustment capability through scalable deployment.
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 effectively reduces oscillations by synchronizing the liquid damper's frequency with the tower's, using gravity and flow losses to absorb energy and cancel oscillations, thereby preventing structural damage and ensuring safety.
Implementation Method 1
using gravity and flow losses to absorb energy
Implementation Method 2
flow losses to absorb energy
Implementation Method 3
A restoring force in the fluid is due to gravity
Implementation Method 4
The interface arrangement of the frame structure may further comprise a second set of fastening means configured for securing the damper module relative to a tower section in a radial direction of said tower section. Each of the one or more magnetic fastening elements may comprise a number of permanent magnets
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a damper module adapted to be secured to a wind turbine tower section, the damper module comprising at least one liquid damper secured to a frame structure, wherein each liquid damper comprises a container comprising an interior volume containing an amount of liquid, wherein the amount of liquid in the interior volume of the container sets a natural frequency of the liquid damper, and wherein the frame structure comprises an interface arrangement configured for, in cooperation with a damper module suspension arrangement in a tower section, securing the damper module to said tower section, and a liquid damper fastening arrangement configured for securing said at least one liquid damper to the frame structure. The present invention further relates to a liquid damper and a tower section having at least one damper module secured thereto.