Wind Turbine Blade Assembly System Using Tower-Mounted Capstans
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assembling and disassembling windmill blades require large cranes, resulting in high costs, resource mobilization, and complexity, often impractical in locations without access to such equipment, and involve complicated and costly guiding systems.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a hoisting structure attachable to the windmill tower, a CBR structure with movable lifting points and clamps for blade orientation, and four traction cables with capstans for safe and efficient ascent and descent, allowing for compact transportation and reduced operational expenses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If large cranes are used for assembling and disassembling windmill blades, then the blades can be lifted and positioned, but the costs, resource mobilization, and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the blade assembly system into modular components: a hoisting structure with multiple independent lifting points, a CBR structure with separate clamping and orientation mechanisms, and individual traction cable systems. This segmentation eliminates the need for a single large complex crane while achieving the same functional outcomes through coordinated simpler components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs movable lifting points on the CBR structure that can be dynamically repositioned along the blade, and a turning mechanism that dynamically adjusts blade orientation during the assembly process. This dynamic adaptability replaces the need for heavy fixed-position cranes with flexible, motion-based positioning systems.
2Force
If traditional crane systems are deployed for blade installation, then lifting capacity is sufficient, but transportation and mobilization costs increase dramatically
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting function is segmented into four independent traction cable systems with capstans distributed around the tower, each handling a portion of the total load. This distributes the force requirement across multiple smaller, more transportable units rather than requiring one large crane with massive mobilization requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The hoisting structure and CBR assembly are designed to be self-installing on the tower using the tower's own structural features as mounting points, eliminating the need for external crane assistance for installing the assembly equipment itself. The system installs itself, reducing mobilization time and cost.
3Reliability
If complicated guiding systems are incorporated in the tower for crane support, then the crane can be stabilized, but the system complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention provides stability not through complex vertical guiding rails in the tower, but by distributing support forces across multiple dimensions: four capstans positioned around the tower circumference, multiple lifting points on the CBR structure, and a turning mechanism that distributes rotational forces. This multi-dimensional force distribution achieves stability without complex single-dimension guiding systems.
4Power
If huge cranes are transported to the installation site, then adequate lifting power is available, but transportation requires up to 48 trucks and incurs huge costs
Solution Approach 1:
The total lifting power is segmented into four separate traction cable systems, each with its own capstan and motor. This allows the system to be transported in four separate units rather than one massive crane requiring 48 trucks, dramatically reducing transportation resource requirements while maintaining equivalent total lifting capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential lifting function from the massive crane structure, isolating only the necessary components (hoisting structure, CBR, four traction cables, and capstans) that can be transported efficiently. This extraction eliminates the excessive structural mass of traditional cranes while preserving the core lifting capability.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3a
AI summary
A system for assembling/disassembling a blade in the rotating hub of a windmill is described, which system includes a set of structural components including: a hoisting structure capable of joining the tower and providing an element to support the load, with a variable geometry to adapt to the changes of diameter of the tower; a main structure that moves along the extension of the tower, provided with lifting points, also movable to control the position in the horizontal level; a clamp structure to grasp the blade and facilitate the subsequent change in the orientation of the blade; and means for lifting the main structure made up by traction cables attached at one end to the hoisting structure and at the other end to respective capstans which are external to the structure and located at ground level.