Offshore Wind Tower Transport With Horizontal Cradle Upending
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional methods for transporting and installing offshore wind turbine towers face challenges such as limited tower size due to road transportation constraints, high harbor leasing costs, and the need for large cranes and pre-assembly harbors, which are expensive and limited by bridge heights and quayside load capacity.
Innovation Solution
A system and method involving a vessel with a cradle for horizontal tower transport, an upending device for transitioning towers from horizontal to vertical, and a lifting device connected to a crane for upending and installation, allowing towers to be manufactured and transported in longer sections without the need for large cranes at the harbor, reducing quayside load requirements and potentially eliminating the need for pre-assembly harbors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If tower sections are transported by road to the port, then they can be delivered to the installation site, but the maximum tower diameter is limited to around 6.5m which limits the tower's maximum size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the transportation dimension from horizontal (road transport) to vertical (water transport). By transporting tower sections vertically from the manufacturing site directly to the installation location, the system overcomes the 6.5m diameter limitation imposed by road transport, enabling larger diameter towers to be manufactured and installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the pre-assembly and stacking operations from the traditional harbor environment and relocates them to the manufacturing site. This allows tower sections to be stacked and assembled horizontally at the manufacturing facility before being transported vertically, eliminating the need for intermediate harbor stacking operations that are constrained by bridge heights and quayside capacities.
2Ease of manufacture
If pre-assembly harbors are used for stacking tower sections, then tower assembly can be performed, but harbor leasing costs are high due to the need for large cranes and quayside load bearing capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tower assembly operation from the expensive harbor environment and relocates it to the manufacturing site. By performing pre-assembly and stacking at the manufacturing facility using available infrastructure, the system eliminates the need to lease expensive pre-assembly harbors with specialized cranes and high load-bearing quaysides.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing site provides its own assembly capabilities using existing cranes and infrastructure, making the system self-sufficient. This eliminates the need to outsource assembly operations to expensive specialized harbors, as the manufacturing facility serves its own assembly needs.
3Ease of operation
If large cranes are used at the harbor for lifting tower sections, then tower assembly is enabled, but quayside load bearing capacity requirements restrict the available harbors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heavy lifting operation from the harbor environment and relocates it to the manufacturing site. By performing all necessary lifting and assembly operations at the manufacturing facility using available cranes, the system eliminates the need to use harbor cranes, thereby removing the restriction of quayside load bearing capacity requirements.
4Length of moving object
If tower sections are stacked vertically at pre-assembly harbors, then assembly is complete, but bridge heights limit the vertical height of assembled towers that can be transported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the transportation orientation from vertical to horizontal. By transporting the fully assembled tower horizontally along the water surface rather than vertically through bridges, the system overcomes bridge height limitations and can transport towers of any height directly from the manufacturing site to the installation location.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5(c)
AI summary
A system and method for transporting a wind turbine tower (1). A vessel (6) is used to transport one or more towers (1) to an installation site. A cradle (4) is provided for securing the one or more towers (1) in a horizontal orientation during transportation. An upending device (5,10) is used to transition the one or more towers (1) from the horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation for subsequent connection to a foundation at the installation site.