Telescopic Bar Arrangement for Wind Turbine Blade Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing blade access arrangements for wind turbines struggle to reach the tip of the rotor blade, which is farthest from the tower, and are not easily transportable between wind power plants in a compact form.

Innovation Solution

A blade access arrangement featuring a bar arrangement with telescopic beams and an extension beam connected via a hinge, allowing the beams to extend for operation while folding for transport, and a wire-driven system for smooth telescopic movement, enabling access to the blade tip and compact transport.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If the platform is designed to reach the blade tip (farthest point from tower), then the access capability is improved, but the platform size and weight increase making it difficult to transport

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereach distance to blade tipVSAvoidplatform weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The bar arrangement is divided into multiple telescopic beam segments (inner beams and outer beams) that can extend and retract. This segmentation allows the platform to achieve long reach when needed while maintaining a compact form for transport, resolving the contradiction between reach distance and transportability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The telescopic beams are designed to be dynamically extendable and retractable during operation. The beams can extend to reach the blade tip during maintenance operations, then retract to a compact configuration for transport, making the platform adaptable to different operational requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Length of moving object

If the telescopic beams are extended to reach the blade tip, then the access capability is improved, but the platform cannot be transported on a trailer

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebeam length for blade tip accessVSAvoidtransportability on trailer
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The inner beams are nested within the outer beams of the telescopic structure. When retracted, the beams fold into each other like nested dolls, creating a compact configuration that fits within transport constraints while maintaining the capability to extend to full length when needed for blade tip access.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Length of moving object

If the inner beam length is increased to reach the blade tip, then the access capability is improved, but the platform becomes too large for compact transport

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinner beam lengthVSAvoidplatform volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The beam structure is segmented into telescopic sections that can be extended to the required length for blade tip access, then retracted to a compact form for transport. This eliminates the need for a permanently long inner beam, resolving the contradiction between beam length and platform volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4251825B1Tower guide arrangement for a wind turbine blade access platform
Publication Date: 2024.08.07 PP ENERGY APS
  • EP4251825B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP4251825B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP4251825B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

The invention relates to a blade access arrangement (1) for a rotor blade of a wind power plant having a tower, the arrangement (1) comprising a platform (2), tower guide means (3) for guiding the platform (2) against the tower, a bar arrangement (4, 5) capable of being displaced in relation to the platform (2) and connecting the platform (2) with the tower guiding means (3), said blade access arrangement (1) comprising a hoisting arrangement for hoisting the blade access arrangement (1) up and down, where the bar arrangement (4, 5) comprises an extension beam (12, 13) connected to the bar arrangement (4, 5) via a hinge (14).