Mobile Wind Turbine Tower Maintenance Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing maintenance platforms for wind turbines are expensive, limited in usage, and require extensive manual effort for cable inspection and maintenance, posing safety risks and high operational costs.
Innovation Solution
A mobile, temporarily deployable maintenance platform with adjustable U-profile cheeks and adjusting rods that can be securely attached to a vertical ladder, allowing for horizontal alignment and easy movement along the tower height, reducing the need for intermediate platforms and enhancing accessibility and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional permanent maintenance platforms are installed in wind turbine towers, then personnel can access cable splices and bundling facilities, but the cost is high and usage is limited to specific locations
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance platform is designed as a mobile, temporarily deployable structure that can be moved to different heights and positions within the tower. The U-profile cheeks with adjusting rods allow the platform to be dynamically repositioned along the vertical ladder, replacing static permanent platforms with a dynamic mobile system that provides flexible access to cable maintenance facilities at any height.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile maintenance platform serves multiple functions: it provides a working surface for cable maintenance, acts as an access point to cable splices and bundling facilities, and can be repositioned to serve different maintenance locations. The adjustable U-profile cheeks and vertical ladder configuration enable the single platform to replace multiple fixed platforms throughout the tower.
2Reliability
If extensive manual effort is used for cable inspection and maintenance, then thorough maintenance can be performed, but safety risks increase and operational costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The platform design enables maintenance personnel to perform cable inspection and maintenance tasks independently at any height within the tower. The self-contained mobile platform with adjustable support structures eliminates the need for rope teams or external assistance, allowing personnel to safely conduct thorough maintenance operations on cable splices and bundling facilities without exposing themselves to additional safety risks.
3Ease of operation
If multiple intermediate platforms are installed throughout the tower, then accessibility to different heights is improved, but the cost and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tower interior space is segmented into multiple accessible levels through the use of a single mobile platform that can be positioned at different heights. The vertical ladder with rungs divides the tower height into discrete positioning points, while the mobile platform provides a continuous working surface that can be relocated along these segments, replacing the need for multiple fixed intermediate platforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The platform transitions from a static multi-platform system to a dynamic single-platform system. The U-profile cheeks with adjusting rods enable the platform to be vertically repositioned along the ladder, providing on-demand access to different tower heights without requiring permanent structures at each level. This dynamic repositioning capability maintains accessibility while reducing overall structural complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Maintenance platform for temporary use inside a tower, in particular a tower of a wind turbine, comprising at least one railing and at least one footplate and a hatch, wherein the at least one footplate is detachably held on two supports, wherein the supports are each movably and detachably held on a cheek and the cheeks are aligned parallel to each other and are designed at least partially as a U-profile, wherein the open sides of the U-profiles are designed to accommodate the stiles of a ladder between them.