Modular Container for Wind Turbine Electrical Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore wind turbine servicing is laborious, time-consuming, and expensive due to the need for disassembling and transporting electrical equipment, which is prone to detection of faulty components only after installation, and is heavily dependent on environmental conditions.
Innovation Solution
A modular container system is introduced, where electrical components are pre-installed and tested onshore, then housed in a container with a passageway for personnel, allowing easy access and connection to the wind turbine's electrical system, facilitating quick installation and replacement of components without heavy-load transports or offshore servicing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical equipment is installed offshore after transition platform installation, then the wind turbine can be assembled complete, but servicing becomes laborious, time-consuming and expensive with detection of faulty components only after installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-installing and testing electrical equipment onshore before mounting the transition platform offshore. This allows faulty components to be detected and replaced onshore, avoiding time-consuming offshore servicing. The equipment is prepared in advance in a controlled environment, then the entire assembly is transported and installed offshore as a complete unit.
2Ease of repair
If electrical equipment is disassembled and transported individually from transition platform, then servicing can be performed onshore, but the process is laborious and time-consuming depending on environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the wind turbine system into modular components: the transition platform with integrated electrical equipment as one module, and the nacelle with rotor as another. This modular design allows the electrical equipment to remain integrated with the transition platform during transport and installation, eliminating the need for complex disassembly and reassembly operations offshore while still enabling onshore servicing of complete modules.
3Volume of moving object
If transition platform houses electrical equipment, then space utilization improves, but installation and servicing of equipment becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by integrating the electrical equipment directly into the transition platform structure. The electrical equipment is housed within the transition platform's internal space, combining two functions (structural support and equipment housing) into a single integrated component. This reduces the number of separate parts and simplifies both installation and servicing operations, as the equipment is already positioned and integrated rather than requiring separate mounting procedures.
Data Source
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AI summary
Wind turbine (1), comprising of a foundation (2), a transition platform (4) attached thereupon having at least one arm (5) that extends horizontally outward from a central section (14), and a tower (3) connected to the central section (14) of the transition platform, wherein the arm (5) of the transition platform (4) comprises a passage (17), connecting the central section (14) with the outward end (16) of the respective arm (5), which is formed by a floor (11), a roof (12) and at least two side walls (10) of the transition platform (4), characterized in that a respective container (6) is arranged on the floor (11) at least partially within the respective passage (17), the container (6) featuring a first opening (19) on the side facing towards the central section (14) and a second opening (25) on the opposite side and a passageway (27) connecting the first and the second opening (19,25) allowing personal (26) to pass through the container (6) into the central section (14), wherein the container (6) houses at least one electrical component (20) of the wind turbine (1) which is connected to at least one further electrical component (15) of the wind turbine (1) outside of the container (6).