Rotor Hub Mounted Wind Turbine Service Crane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing service cranes for wind turbines require time-consuming assembly and transportation, occupy valuable space in the nacelle, and can compromise safety by obstructing access to essential areas.
Innovation Solution
A crane system that can be lifted to and mounted on the rotor hub of a wind turbine, allowing for rapid assembly and increased space within the nacelle, while also improving safety by enhancing access to critical areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a large ground-based crane is used for lifting components, then lifting capacity is sufficient, but transportation time and assembly time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The crane is divided into a base portion remaining on the ground and a movable portion that can be detached and repositioned. This segmentation allows the large crane to be used for initial lifting without requiring full assembly and disassembly, reducing time loss while maintaining sufficient lifting capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The crane configuration is made dynamic by allowing the movable portion to be detached and repositioned along the tower. This enables the crane to adapt its position for different lifting operations without requiring complete reassembly, reducing transportation and assembly time while maintaining lifting capability.
2Loss of time
If an uptower service crane is used, then assembly time is reduced, but the amount of space available in the nacelle for servicing operations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The service crane is segmented into a base portion that remains in the nacelle and a movable portion that can be detached and positioned on the tower. This allows the crane to provide assembly support without permanently occupying nacelle space, thus reducing assembly time while preserving servicing space.
Solution Approach 2:
The crane configuration is made dynamic, allowing the movable portion to be repositioned between the nacelle and tower. This enables the crane to occupy minimal nacelle space during assembly operations while providing full access to servicing areas when needed.
3Productivity
If a service crane is mounted in or on the nacelle, then assembly operations can be performed, but access to certain areas such as the hatch escape route becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The crane is segmented with the movable portion that can be detached from the nacelle and positioned on the tower. This allows assembly operations to be performed with the crane base in the nacelle, while the movable portion can be repositioned to clear access paths to the hatch and escape route.
Solution Approach 2:
The crane configuration is made dynamic, allowing the movable portion to be repositioned between different locations. This enables the crane to provide assembly support while maintaining clear access to critical areas like the hatch and escape route by moving the crane arm or boom out of the way when not needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A method (100) of servicing or installing a component of a wind turbine (10) using a crane (50), the wind turbine (10) comprising a nacelle (16) and a rotor hub (20) coupled to the nacelle (16) and rotatable about a rotor axis, the method (100) comprising rotating the rotor hub (20) about the rotor axis to a first rotational position; lifting the crane (50) to the rotor hub (20) while the rotor hub (20) is positioned at the first rotational position; mounting the crane (50) to a mounting portion (21) of the rotor hub (20) while the rotor hub (20) is positioned at the first rotational position; and rotating the rotor hub (20) together with the crane (50) from the first rotational position to a second rotational position.