Wind Turbine Tower Dampers for Vortex-Induced Vibration Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vortex-induced vibrations during the construction of wind turbine towers pose safety risks and structural damage due to oscillations that occur when wind speeds reach critical levels, necessitating a weather window below these speeds for installation, thereby prolonging the erection time.

Innovation Solution

The method involves attaching damper units to wind turbine tower sections to dampen oscillations, allowing for construction at higher wind speeds by increasing the critical wind speed threshold, thus expanding the weather window for installation and ensuring safety and stability throughout the erection process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If construction is performed without additional damping measures, then the structural complexity is reduced, but vortex-induced vibrations cause severe tower deflections and safety risks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetower stabilityVSAvoiddamping system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the damping parameter by adding external dampers to the tower structure. These dampers modify the vibrational characteristics of the tower, increasing energy dissipation and reducing the amplitude of vortex-induced vibrations. This parameter change directly addresses the reliability issue while maintaining manageable system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces external dampers as intermediary elements between the wind load and the tower structure. These dampers act as mediators that absorb and dissipate vibrational energy, protecting the tower from severe deflections without requiring fundamental changes to the tower's structural design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If construction waits for wind speeds below critical levels, then tower oscillations are avoided, but the weather window is restricted and erection time is prolonged

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconstruction safetyVSAvoiderection time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-installing external dampers on the tower structure before construction begins. This preliminary damping enhancement enables the tower to withstand critical wind speeds during construction, eliminating the need to wait for favorable weather conditions and thus reducing erection time while maintaining safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces dynamic damping capability to the tower structure through external dampers. This dynamic system allows the tower to adapt to varying wind conditions in real-time, maintaining stability even when wind speeds reach critical levels, thereby expanding the acceptable weather window for construction activities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If higher wind speeds are tolerated during construction, then productivity increases, but the risk of tower oscillation and structural damage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerection speedVSAvoidvortex-induced vibrations

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful effect of wind-induced vibrations into a beneficial outcome by using external dampers to harness and dissipate the vibrational energy. The dampers transform the potentially damaging mechanical energy into heat through friction and material deformation, allowing higher wind speeds to be tolerated during construction without compromising structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent modifies the energy dissipation parameter of the tower system by adding external dampers. This parameter change increases the system's capacity to handle higher wind speeds by providing additional pathways for energy dissipation, thereby enabling faster construction progress even in less favorable wind conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The use of damper units effectively reduces oscillations and allows for the expansion of the weather window during wind turbine tower construction, enhancing safety and reducing the risk of structural damage by ensuring that oscillations are dampened at all times during critical wind conditions.

Implementation Method 1

providing at least two damper units configured to dampen oscillations of the turbine tower

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration damping: Damping

Implementation Method 2

Vortex shedding occurs due to instability of the flow around an object, such as a wind turbine tower

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVortex shedding: Kármán Vortex Street

Data Source

PatentUS11603822B2Method of erecting a wind turbine

Publication Date: 2023.03.14 VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS AS

AI summary

A method of erecting a wind turbine on a wind turbine site, the wind turbine comprising a turbine tower and a nacelle. The method comprises the following steps: providing a plurality of tower sections being arrangeable upon each other in a vertical orientation in a tower structure to form the turbine tower; providing at least one damper unit configured to dampen oscillations of the turbine tower; attaching a damper unit to one of the plurality of the tower sections on an outside thereof, and subsequently arranging the tower section in the tower structure, and arranging the nacelle on top of the tower structure while the damper unit is attached to a tower section in the tower structure.