Wind Turbine Cable Saddle Vertical Support Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable loop systems in wind turbines face issues with cable chafing and wear due to adjacent cables interacting, leading to increased weight and maintenance requirements, as well as torsional stress from twisting.
Innovation Solution
A cable saddle with vertically stacked, circularly sectioned support surfaces that prevent cable overlap and contact, combined with a non-rotatable, vertically movable fixture to manage cable twisting, ensuring even distribution and secure attachment of cables.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If cables are forced into a single direction-change element, then the structure is simplified, but cable wear and twisting increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into multiple cable saddles arranged vertically, with each saddle supporting a specific subset of cables. This segmentation allows cables to be distributed across multiple support points rather than forced into a single element, reducing cable-on-cable contact and wear while maintaining structural simplicity through modular design.
2Reliability
If a horizontal support with considerable width is used, then cable chafing is prevented, but the weight of the support increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the horizontal width of a single support surface, the solution transitions to a vertical arrangement of multiple cable saddles. Each saddle provides a narrow support surface, but the vertical stacking of multiple saddles creates sufficient separation between adjacent cables, preventing chafing without requiring a wide horizontal structure, thus reducing overall support weight.
3Device complexity
If a single-piece support surface is used, then cable support is simplified, but the weight of the cable saddle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single-piece support surface is segmented into multiple individual cable saddles arranged vertically. Each saddle is a simple, lightweight component supporting a specific cable or group of cables. The modular segmented design reduces the total weight compared to a single large support surface while maintaining simplicity through standardized reusable components.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to cable saddles (1) for supporting cables (10) in a cable loop (30) of a wind turbine and to wind turbines comprising corresponding cable saddles (1). The cable saddle (1) for supporting cables (10) in a cable loop (30) of a wind turbine next to the free-hanging loop part (31) of the cable loop (30) comprises n∈N>1 vertically arranged saddle surfaces (2), wherein at least one saddle surface (2) has a width sufficient to support at least 1/n of the cables (10), and all saddle surfaces (2) are dimensioned jointly to support the cables (10) thereon without overlap or contact of any two adjacent cables (10).The wind turbine comprises a tower (20), a nacelle arranged on the top of the tower (20) such that the nacelle can pivot in the azimuth direction, and a plurality of cables (10) which are guided from the tower to the nacelle by means of a cable loop (30), where the cables (10) are supported by a cable saddle (1) which is mounted in the tower (20) next to the free-hanging loop part (31) of the cable loop (30), and wherein the cable saddle (1) is designed according to the invention.