Segmented Wind Turbine Tower Handling and Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing size of wind turbine towers for larger generators poses challenges in transportation due to their physical dimensions, particularly when transported by road, requiring innovative handling and assembly methods to mitigate disruptions and construction costs.
Innovation Solution
The method involves constructing wind turbine towers from steel shells joined by bolted or welded joints, cut into segments with vertical and horizontal flanges for secure assembly and disassembly, using handling support members and rotational lifting tools to facilitate efficient stacking and transport, allowing for easier reassembly at the installation site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the wind turbine tower is built as a single large structure, then the energy generation capacity is improved, but the transportability and road accessibility deteriorate due to excessive physical dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is divided into multiple transportable segments that can be assembled on-site. Each segment includes steel shells with coupling mechanisms (flanges and bolts) that enable secure joining. This segmentation allows the tower to be transported in manageable pieces while maintaining the capability to form a complete large-scale structure for high-capacity wind turbines.
2Length of moving object
If the tower is divided into prefabricated segments, then the transportability is improved, but the assembly complexity and labor requirements worsen due to the larger number of component parts
Solution Approach 1:
Coupling elements (flanges and bolt holes) are pre-integrated into the steel shells during manufacturing. Handling support members are attached to segments before transport. This preliminary preparation reduces on-site assembly complexity by eliminating the need to fabricate or attach these components during construction, thereby reducing labor requirements while maintaining segment modularity.
Solution Approach 2:
The steel shells are designed with universal coupling mechanisms (flanges with multiple bolt holes) that can accommodate different segment configurations. The same basic shell design with integrated coupling elements can be used across multiple segments, standardizing the assembly process and reducing the variety of unique components that need to be handled during construction.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If prefabricated tower parts are used to reduce transport size, then the transport disruption is reduced, but the construction cost increases due to more intensive labor and time for assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is segmented into transportable sections that fit within road transport limitations, directly reducing transport disruption. The segmentation is designed with efficient coupling mechanisms that minimize assembly time and labor, thereby controlling construction costs despite the increased number of components.
Solution Approach 2:
Handling support members and coupling elements are pre-installed during manufacturing, reducing on-site labor requirements. This preliminary preparation offsets the increased assembly complexity by eliminating time-consuming fabrication steps during construction, thereby controlling overall construction costs while enabling reduced transport sizes.
Data Source
AI summary
This application relates to tower segment handling methods and apparatus, and in particular to methods and apparatus for handling segments of steel wind turbine towers. The wind turbine tower comprises a plurality of cylindrical vertical tower sections, which in the finished tower are mounted on top of one another. The vertical section of the tower has a longitudinal axis and comprises a plurality of wind turbine tower segments, the tower segments have vertical and horizontal edges and combine to form a complete vertical tower section by joining along their vertical edges. Adjacent vertical tower sections are joined to each other along the horizontal edges of the wind turbine tower segments. The tower segments have support members facilitating storage and transport of the segments. A method of assembling and disassembling a tower section on a roller bed is also disclosed.