Modular Wind Turbine Nacelle Height Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation of large wind turbine nacelles poses challenges due to height restrictions, requiring specialized equipment and often necessitating the nacelle to be transported in multiple parts, which increases costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A modular nacelle design where the top part can be adjusted to fit inside the bottom part during transport, reducing overall height, and using a transport kit with support beams and detachable parts to maintain stability and sealing, allowing for single-truck transportation while maintaining the nacelle's installed height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the nacelle is designed with a large installed height to accommodate large wind turbines, then the power generation capacity is improved, but the transportation height exceeds regulatory limits requiring special equipment or multiple parts
Solution Approach 1:
The nacelle is divided into a bottom part and a top part that can be separated during transportation. The top part includes a cover and intermediate parts that can be detached and arranged to reduce the overall height, allowing compliance with transportation height limits while maintaining the full height for power generation when assembled
Solution Approach 2:
The nacelle design incorporates adjustable and detachable components that allow it to dynamically change its configuration between two states: a tall assembled configuration for power generation and a compact disassembled configuration for transportation, adapting to different operational requirements
2Adaptability or versatility
If the nacelle is transported in multiple parts to comply with height restrictions, then the transportation compliance is improved, but the device complexity and transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom part and top part of the nacelle are designed to be transportable together on a single truck when the top part is in its reduced configuration, merging what would traditionally require separate transportation into one unified transport operation, thereby reducing complexity and cost
Solution Approach 2:
The top part of the nacelle is designed to nest within or alongside the bottom part during transportation, with the cover and intermediate parts arranged to fit within the overall footprint of the bottom part, minimizing the space required and allowing single-truck transportation
3Length of moving object
If the top part is designed to extend outside the width of the nacelle during transport, then the intermediate parts can be separated to reduce height, but the side faces must be pressed towards or away from each other increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The top part is designed with asymmetric separation capability where the intermediate parts can be independently detached and positioned, allowing the structure to achieve reduced height without requiring symmetric compression of the side faces, thereby simplifying the adjustment mechanism
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a nacelle for a wind turbine, the nacelle having a first height in its installed position and a second height in its transported position, the first height being higher than the second height, comprising a bottom part having a bottom face and two opposite side faces defining a space and a width of the bottom part and a top part. In the transported position, the top part extends inside the width or outside the width in order to cover at least part of the space. The invention also relates to a transportation kit and a transport method.