Travelling Car with Movable Deck for Wind Turbine Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of very tall wind turbines is challenging due to the complexity and infrastructure requirements of traditional crane-based methods, which can be cumbersome and weather-dependent.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a travelling car with a movable deck portion that can travel up and down a wind turbine tower, equipped with a device for selective raising or lowering, allowing items like tower sections, nacelles, and blades to be installed without a giant crane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional giant cranes are used to install wind turbine parts, then installation capability is achieved, but infrastructure requirements and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The travelling car is divided into multiple independent functional modules: a propulsion system with drive wheels for vertical movement along the tower, a movable deck portion for horizontal item positioning, and a lifting system for vertical item movement. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently and reduces overall system complexity compared to a single giant crane.
Solution Approach 2:
The travelling car acts as an intermediary device between the ground and the tower top, providing a mobile platform that can transport and position items at any height along the tower. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for giant cranes by creating a step-by-step installation system that climbs the tower progressively.
2Length of stationary object
If giant cranes are used for installation, then parts can be lifted to height, but installation speed and productivity decrease due to setup time
Solution Approach 1:
The travelling car is designed as a dynamic system that can move vertically along the tower and adjust the position of items both vertically and horizontally. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to different installation heights and positions without requiring reconfiguration or setup time, thereby increasing installation speed and productivity.
3Ease of operation
If items are lifted by crane separate from tower, then installation is possible, but stability decreases due to relative movement
Solution Approach 1:
The travelling car merges the lifting function and the positioning function into a single integrated system that moves with the tower structure. The drive wheels engage with the tower to provide vertical movement, while the movable deck portion provides horizontal positioning, all from a single stable platform attached to the tower, eliminating the relative movement problems of separate crane operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is for performing parts of an operation to install a wind turbine, wherein the wind turbine has a tower, wherein the apparatus has a travelling car for travelling up and down along the tower for the wind turbine, and wherein the travelling car has a movable portion of a deck of the travelling car, wherein the movable portion of the deck is configured to carry an item to be installed as part of the wind turbine to a height for installation of the item and for moving the item substantially horizontally into a position for installation of the item when the travelling car is in a vertical position for installation of said item. Further is disclosed a method of installing at least a part of a wind turbine.