Zip Line Cable Installation in Wind Turbine Towers
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing height and weight of cables in wind turbine towers, especially offshore, make traditional bottom-up cable installation difficult and expensive, with risks of equipment and personnel damage due to the full weight being suspended in one point.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the temporary installation of a zip line within a horizontally oriented wind turbine tower section to guide and anchor electric cables, allowing for safer and more efficient cable installation by distributing the weight and facilitating easier cable handling and anchoring, which can be reused across multiple tower sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If cables are installed bottom-up after the full wind turbine tower has been erected, then the tower structure can be completed first, but the installation becomes increasingly difficult and expensive with taller towers and heavier cables
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by installing cables in tower sections before they are transported to the final location and assembled vertically. The zip line is installed in the horizontal tower section beforehand, allowing cables to be drawn through the section at a manageable level. This preliminary cable installation in the horizontal position avoids the difficulties of working at great heights later, resolving the contradiction between tower height and cable installation ease.
2Ease of operation
If the full weight of heavy cables is suspended in one point during vertical installation, then installation may be simpler, but the risk of substantial damage to equipment and personnel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the cable weight support into multiple points along the zip line rather than suspending the full weight at one point. The zip line is anchored at both ends of the horizontal tower section, creating distributed support points. This segmentation of the load-bearing function reduces the risk of damage from cable drops while maintaining ease of operation during cable installation.
3Ease of operation
If tower sections are assembled vertically before cable installation, then the tower structure is complete, but access for installing and maneuvering heavy cables becomes extremely difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by reversing the conventional sequence: instead of erecting the tower vertically first and then installing cables from the top down, the tower section is first positioned horizontally, the zip line is installed, and cables are drawn through the horizontal section. Only after cable installation is complete is the section rotated to its final vertical orientation. This inverted approach provides excellent accessibility for cable handling while achieving the required vertical tower configuration.
Data Source
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AI summary
A new method for installing one or more electric cables (60) in a wind turbine tower section (100) is provided. The method comprises providing the wind turbine tower section (100) in a substantially horizontal orientation and installing a zip line (20) inside the wind turbine tower section (100), between a first end (120) and a second end (130) of the wind turbine tower section (100). The method further comprises coupling a second end of the electric cables (60) to the zip line (20) at a location near the first end of the wind turbine tower section (100), drawing the second end of the electric cables (60) through the wind turbine tower section (100) along the zip line (20), decoupling the second end of the electric cables (60) from the zip line (20), and removing the zip line (20) from the wind turbine tower section (100). The method further comprises anchoring a first end of the electric cables (60) to the wind turbine tower section (100), at a location adjacent the first end of the wind turbine tower section (100), and anchoring the second end of the electric cables (60) to the wind turbine tower section (100), at a location adjacent the second end of the wind turbine tower section (100).