Wind Turbine Blade Transport Support Structures
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation of long wind turbine blades poses challenges due to the loss and discarding of fixtures, inefficiencies in lifting and securing blades on ships, and the risk of blade damage from flexing during ocean transport, which results in increased costs and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising root and tip section support structures with corner fittings that allow for coupling and reinforcement, enabling edge-vertical packing and reduced use of securing chains, cables, and fixtures, allowing for modular configurations to accommodate varying blade lengths and numbers, and facilitating efficient loading and unloading with standard cranes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fixtures are bolted to blade root and tip sections for lifting and securing, then blades can be transported, but fixture components are lost or discarded at wind turbine farms resulting in monetary loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional bolted fixtures from the blade structure and replaces them with integrated lifting eyes and securing mechanisms that are permanently attached to the blade. This extraction of removable fixtures eliminates the loss of components while maintaining all necessary lifting and securing functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade structure itself is designed to provide lifting and securing capabilities through integrated features such as lifting eyes at the root and tip, and built-in securing points. The blade serves its own transportation needs without requiring external fixtures that could be lost.
2Quantity of substance
If blades are stacked in edge-horizontal orientation to increase packing density, then more blades can be carried per shipload, but loading causes blades to flex vertically resulting in contact and damage
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of stacking blades horizontally with edges parallel to the deck, the patent inverts the orientation to edge-vertical stacking where the blade edges are perpendicular to the deck. This inversion fundamentally changes the stress distribution and eliminates the flexing problem while maintaining packing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional horizontal stacking to three-dimensional vertical stacking arrangement. By utilizing the vertical dimension for blade orientation, the system achieves both high packing density and damage prevention through proper structural support at multiple levels.
3Productivity
If standard fixtures are used for securing blades to ship decks, then blades can be transported, but in-port time and cost constraints require faster lifting and securing techniques
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting eyes and securing points are pre-integrated into the blade structure during manufacturing, eliminating the need for on-site fixture installation. This preliminary action allows immediate lifting and securing operations upon arrival, significantly reducing in-port time.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated fixtures serve multiple functions: lifting during loading, securing during transport, and potential reuse at installation sites. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple different fixtures and operations, streamlining the entire process and reducing time requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for transporting wind turbine blades includes a root support structure for supporting a wind turbine blade root and a tip section support structure for supporting a wind turbine blade tip. Each of the root and tip support structures includes upper and lower frames, first and second side frames, a set of upper corner fittings disposed at upper corners of the support structure, and a set of lower fittings disposed at lower corners of the support structure. The sets of corner fittings allow the root and tip support structures to be coupled to vertically or horizontally adjacent root and tip support structures to form an array of support structures for transporting multiple wind turbine blades. The sets of corner fittings also allow for attachment to handling equipment, as well as to reinforcing structures for reinforcing an array of tip support structures.