Wind Turbine Tower Assembly Guidance Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of large wind turbine towers is hazardous and time-consuming due to the need for workers to manually guide and position heavy tower sections, which can lead to misalignment and damage, and is limited by wind speed restrictions.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical guidance device is coupled to the tower sections, allowing them to be aligned and positioned using guidance elements that catch and guide the upper tower section into place, reducing the need for workers to be inside the tower and enabling assembly in higher wind speeds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If workers manually guide and position heavy tower sections inside the tower, then alignment and positioning can be achieved, but safety hazards increase and assembly time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
A mechanical guidance device with guiding elements acts as an intermediary between the tower sections. The guiding elements extend from the flange and engage with corresponding features on the adjacent tower section, providing automatic alignment and positioning. This eliminates the need for workers to manually guide the heavy sections, thereby improving safety while maintaining alignment precision.
2Ease of operation
If workers manually push and pull tower sections to manoeuvre into position, then positioning can be achieved, but assembly time increases and worker safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical guidance device enables the tower sections to self-align and self-position during the assembly process. The guiding elements automatically engage with corresponding features on the adjacent tower section as it is lowered into place, eliminating the need for workers to manually push and pull the sections. This reduces assembly time while maintaining ease of operation.
3Device complexity
If tower sections are assembled without mechanical guidance devices, then assembly process is simpler, but misalignment and damage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical guidance device with guiding elements serves as an intermediary mechanism that automatically ensures accurate alignment between tower sections. The guiding elements extend from the flange and engage with corresponding features on the adjacent tower section, providing foolproof alignment that prevents misalignment and potential damage, while adding only moderate complexity to the assembly process.
4Stability of the object's composition
If assembly is performed with wind speed restrictions below 10 m/s, then stability during assembly is maintained, but productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical guidance device with guiding elements provides stable alignment and positioning of tower sections even in higher wind conditions. By automatically guiding the sections into place and securing them with fastening means, the device reduces the impact of wind-induced movements, enabling assembly to proceed at higher wind speeds and thereby improving productivity while maintaining adequate stability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a tower assembly system, a method of assembling a wind turbine tower and a wind turbine thereof. Three or more guidance devices may be mounted to a mounting flange in the upper end of a lower tower section and/or in the lower end of an upper tower section. The guidance device comprises a contact surface for contacting a mating contact surface on the opposite tower section. The guidance device comprises a mounting flange for mounting the device to the mounting flange of the tower section using fastening means. This allows the guidance devices to catch and guide the free hanging tower section into the correct position on the stationary tower section. This enables the assembly time to be reduced with up to 50 % compared with the present assembly methods. The guidance devices allow the workers to guide the free hanging tower section into position from the ground.