Wind Turbine Hatch Arrangement for Space-Saving Vertical Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional hatch arrangements in wind turbines require additional space and safety measures due to the need for guardrails and larger cranes to hoist loads over open hatches, and often lack secure access routes, leading to potential safety hazards when the hatch is open without proper securing.
Innovation Solution
A hatch arrangement featuring a slidable hatch with a first guiding device fixed to the floor and a pivotable second guiding device, allowing the hatch to move horizontally and then pivot vertically, eliminating the need for guardrails and reducing the required crane size by allowing loads to be positioned closer to the opening while the hatch is still closed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hinged hatch with guardrails is used to secure the opening, then safety is improved, but the crane requires more space and larger dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The hatch is divided into two separate parts: a first hatch for securing the opening and a second hatch for load passage. This segmentation allows the first hatch to provide safety without requiring guardrails that would interfere with crane operations, while the second hatch can be opened freely for loading.
Solution Approach 2:
The first hatch acts as an intermediary element between the opening and the crane operation area. It provides the necessary safety function while allowing the crane to operate with reduced space requirements, as the second hatch can be opened without compromising safety.
2Loss of time
If the hatch is opened without mounting guardrails for time saving, then operation time is reduced, but safety hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The first hatch is designed to be mounted in advance and remains in place during operations. This preliminary safety measure is already in position before any loading operations begin, eliminating the need to mount guardrails at the moment of opening the second hatch, thus saving time while maintaining safety.
3Reliability
If guardrails are mounted to secure the opening, then safety is improved, but access routes are blocked or made impractical
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the safety function (first hatch) from the access function (second hatch), the design allows personnel to access the opening through the second hatch without needing to remove or navigate around fixed guardrails. The first hatch remains mounted to provide safety, while the second hatch can be freely opened for access.
4Power
If a larger crane is used to hoist loads over guardrails, then load handling capability is improved, but the space required in the wind turbine increases
Solution Approach 1:
The two-hatch system allows the second hatch to be opened fully for load passage without the interference of guardrails. This enables the use of a more compact crane with reduced space requirements, while the first hatch maintains the necessary safety function.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety function is extracted from the load handling path by placing the first hatch in a position that does not interfere with crane operations. This allows the crane to operate with minimal space requirements while safety is maintained by the separately positioned first hatch.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Hatch arrangement with at least one slidable hatch (14) for closing an opening (7) in a floor (4) of a wind turbine (1), wherein the hatch arrangement (13) comprises a first guiding device (18) which is fixedly mountable to the floor (4) and a second guiding device (24) which is pivotably mountable to the floor (4), wherein the hatch arrangement (13) comprises a first coupling means (20) to guide the slidable hatch (14) along a first guidance path (21) in the first guiding device (18) and a second coupling means (27) to couple the slidable hatch (14) at least pivotably to the second guiding device (24), wherein the slidable hatch (14) is coupled to the first guiding device (18) at a first position (23) and to the second guiding device (24) at a second position (29), wherein the first position (23) and the second position (29) are located along a longitudinal direction of the slidable hatch (14) and spaced apart from each other, wherein a movement of the slidable hatch (14) from a closed, in particular horizontal, position along the first guidance path (21) results in a pivoting movement of the second guiding device (24) and in a movement of the slidable hatch (14) to an open, in particular vertical, position and vice versa.