Slipformed Concrete Tower for Wind Turbines
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing size of wind turbine towers due to higher wind speeds and rotor diameters poses logistical challenges, such as limited transportation capabilities and infrastructure constraints, delaying the installation of new wind turbines.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the construction of a concrete tower using a slipforming technique, where a central pillar is erected, a platform is mounted, and liquid concrete is poured into a slipform, allowing for incremental formation of tower sections, with the platform and central pillar being raised or extended as needed, enabling the use of standard transportation and accommodating varying infrastructure limitations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If wind turbine towers are constructed using traditional steel or concrete sections, then the towers can achieve greater height and rotor diameter, but the transportation and installation are delayed due to infrastructure constraints and limited equipment availability
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is constructed in incremental sections using slipforming, where concrete is poured and cured in place rather than transporting complete sections. This segmentation of the construction process eliminates transportation bottlenecks and allows continuous building upward.
Solution Approach 2:
The foundation and lower tower sections are prepared in advance at the installation site, allowing the slipforming process to begin immediately without waiting for section delivery. This preliminary preparation eliminates waiting time associated with transportation logistics.
2Strength
If wind turbine towers are constructed with greater diameter to handle increased lateral loads, then the structural strength is improved, but the transportation becomes more difficult due to infrastructure limitations
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transporting complete large-diameter sections, the tower is built in place with concrete poured in manageable portions through the slipform, eliminating transportation constraints while achieving the required diameter for structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The construction approach shifts from horizontal transportation of complete sections to vertical construction in place, changing the dimension of the construction process from ground-level transport to elevated incremental building.
3Productivity
If more equipment is deployed to handle increased tower transportation, then the installation capability is improved, but the equipment availability becomes limited due to the increasing number of wind power installations
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy transportation equipment is extracted from the construction process entirely, as the tower is built in place rather than transported. This eliminates the need for specialized heavy-lift transportation equipment while maintaining installation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tower construction becomes self-sufficient at the installation site, with concrete mixed and poured locally through the slipform process, eliminating dependence on external transportation equipment and its limited availability.
4Ease of operation
If the tower sections are made smaller to fit infrastructure constraints, then the transportation becomes easier, but the number of sections increases requiring more assembly operations
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of dividing the tower into multiple transportable sections and assembling them, the approach is inverted by constructing the tower as a continuous in-place structure, eliminating assembly operations while avoiding transportation constraints.
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
This method allows for the easy transportation and construction of tall wind turbine towers at nearly any site, facilitating faster erection of wind turbines by utilizing standard trucks and enabling hybrid tower configurations, thus overcoming logistical and infrastructure limitations.
Implementation Method 1
leaving the liquid concrete to solidify in the slipform
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly and method of constructing a concrete tower is provided. The method includes steps of erecting a central pillar, mounting a platform on the central pillar, setting a slipform defining a portion of the concrete tower, pouring liquid concrete from the platform into the slipform, and leaving the liquid concrete to solidify in the slipform. The slipforming repeats to form further portions of the concrete tower. Each of the further portions of the concrete tower is formed on top of a preceding one of the portions of the concrete tower. The assembly includes a central pillar, at least one slipform and a platform mountable on the central pillar and comprising means for pouring liquid concrete into the at least one slipform.