Patent Application
20120192420
This application claims priority of European Patent Office Application No. 11152655.4 EP filed Jan. 31, 2011. All of the applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The claimed invention relates to wind turbines. More particularly, to a lifting system for lifting rotor blades of wind turbines. The claimed invention further relates to a method for lifting rotor blades of wind turbines by using a lifting device. In addition, the claimed invention relates to a method for installation of rotor blades of wind turbines.
Wind power is known to be used by human man kind since several thousand years, for example for transportation, grinding grains, or for the pumping of water. Since some time, the usage of wind energy gained significant relevance for the generation of electrical power. So-called wind turbines are applied to convert wind power into electrical power. A typical wind turbine comprises a tower and a nacelle which is mounted on top of the tower. The nacelle contains a generator which generates electrical power upon a rotation of a so-called rotor hub being connected to the generator. Furthermore, the wind turbine includes rotor blades which are attached to the rotor hub.
In order to achieve good power conversion efficiency, wind turbines are preferably installed in areas, which are known for constant and relatively strong winds, like on hill tops or even in the open sea, off the coast line, i.e. off-shore. Furthermore, it is often desirable to place wind turbines away from housing areas so that noise, shadowing, and light flickering caused by the wind turbines is not annoying the residents. Consequently, wind turbines are often installed in quite remote regions. However, the manufacturing sites for wind turbines will not be located in those remote regions. As a result, means for transportation are required to haul the wind turbines from the manufacturing site to the installation site. Often, different transportation vehicles, like railcars, ships, aircrafts, helicopters or trucks have to be used to reach the installation site. Accordingly, beside the installation of the wind turbine, lifting operations for loading and unloading will take place. In general, a wind turbine is transported in multiple parts to the installation site and assembled at the installation site with installation equipment for lifting the wind turbine parts, like cranes. Typically, the parts that are transported separately comprise at least several parts for assembling the tower, the nacelle with the generator, the rotor hub, and a few rotor blades.
Another factor relating to wind power conversion efficiency is the size of wind turbines. To this end, the size of wind turbines has increased considerably over time. Today, wind turbines with an installed total height exceeding 190 m and rotor blades reaching a length of 60 m and more are known already. Correspondingly, the transportation of wind turbine parts is becoming more and more challenging. Especially, the transportation of rotor blades requires dedicated concepts, since the rotor blades are often relatively fragile, as they are normally implemented following a light-weight construction scheme.
The usage of large and often dedicated transportation vehicles involves relatively high costs, for example for hiring a large enough ship to transport the rotor blades to an off-shore installation site. Furthermore, especially for off-shore wind turbines, the transportation and assembly of the wind turbine parts could be quite dangerous, particularly in case of stronger winds or high sea. It is therefore desirable to establish means for a fast transportation, lifting, and assembly of wind turbines to reduce costs and risks associated with them.
It has already been suggested by EP 1 974 995 A2 to place rotor blades into containers which are housing the rotor blades, such that damage to the rotor blades is prevented during transportation. However, EP 1 974 995 A2 does not teach how to lift rotor blades being housed inside the described container. Also, EP 1 849 719 B1 discloses a transportation system for a wind turbine rotor blade comprising fixtures adapted to receive a rotor blade. Still, EP1 849 719 B1 does not describe the lifting of rotor blades. Furthermore, EP1 836 389 B1 suggests a packing device for the transport of pairs of wind turbine rotor blades but again does not disclose the lifting of rotor blades.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lifting system for rotor blades of wind turbines, and methods for lifting and for installation of rotor blades of wind turbines using such a system which allows a fast and reliable transportation and installation of rotor blades in a simple, inexpensive and low risk manner.
This object is achieved by a lifting system, by a modular frame structure, by a method for lifting rotor blades and by a method for installation of rotor blades as claimed in the claims.
A lifting system for lifting rotor blades of wind turbines in a lifting operation comprises a plurality of frame structures for rotor blades, each of the frame structures being configured to support a rotor blade. The lifting system further comprises a lifting structure which is attachable to a lifting device, and a number of lifting connectors which are being configured to connect a pack of frame structures to the lifting structure, preferably in a detachable manner.
Because a pack comprising more than one rotor blade is lifted during a lifting operation, the lifting system supports a fast transportation and installation of rotor blades, thereby reducing the associated transportation and installation costs. Hereby, a pack of frame structures might consist of frame structures being placed horizontally side-by-side, or vertically on top of each other, or in a combination of horizontal and vertical placements.
Since the time needed for transportation and installation of wind turbines is reduced by the lifting system, the risks being present in difficult environmental situations, like at an off-shore installation site, are reduced. Also, the lifting system makes beneficial use of frame structures which are supporting the rotor blades. Those frame structures can be configured such that they are suitable for transportation and lifting operations. Accordingly, it is not required to detach rotor blades from a frame structure suitable for transportation prior to or ahead of a lifting operation. As a result, transportation time and transportation costs can be reduced by re-using the frame structures for a lifting operation with a lifting system as claimed. In addition, the frame structures can provide mechanical support and protection against damage during transportation. By re-using such frame structures for lifting operations, the risks of damaging the rotor blades during a lifting operation can be reduced advantageously or even avoided at all.
The frame structures themselves can be configured in many ways. For instance, for supporting the relatively sensitive rotor blades, the frame structures might comprise flexible structures, like wires, ropes, or belts made of various materials. Hereby, the shape of the structures supporting the rotor blade can be configured such that they follow at least partly the shape of the rotor blade to provide a tight mechanical support. In particular, the supporting structures can be implemented in a cradle-like or tray-like configuration. In addition, a frame structure might comprise an outer shell or frame, which is more rigid in order to provide a mechanical support to the rotor blades and to protect them from damage. Those outer shells or frames might be made of metal, preferably steel, or other materials like wood, synthetics, plastic materials, glass fibers or carbon fibers.
The lifting structure, which is attached to the pack of frame structures by lifting connectors, might support a reliable and safe lifting operation, since it can keep for example the lifting connectors at pre-defined positions during a lifting operation.
Furthermore, the lifting structure can support a lifting operation such that the pack of frame structures is moved up and down in a stable fashion, e.g. such that the rotor blades are aligned substantially horizontally along their length during the lifting operation.
The lifting connectors can provide a flexible way of connecting a pack of frame structures to the lifting structure, which again supports fast and cost-effective lifting operations, especially if the lifting connectors are configured such that they can be attached and detached from the frame structures in a simple manner. Preferably, the lifting structure connects to a lifting device, like a crane or a winch, which is capable of lifting the lifting structure and the connected frame structures with the rotor blades. Hereby, the lifting device might be an integral part of the lifting system.
Alternatively, the lifting device might be placed independently from the lifting system, for example a crane or winch which is part of a ship, a truck, a railcar, an aircraft, a helicopter or similar means of transportation. Also, the lifting device might be installed for example on the ground, on an off-shore platform, or at similar places.
The claimed invention also describes a method for lifting rotor blades of wind turbines by using a lifting device and such a lifting system, wherein a frame structure is attached to each rotor blade such that the frame structure supports the rotor blade. The method comprises a step in which a plurality or group of frame structures is packed together to build a pack of frame structures. Also the method comprises steps for attaching a lifting structure to the lifting device, for connecting the pack of frame structures to the lifting structure with lifting connectors, and for lifting the pack of frame structures with the rotor blades by lifting the lifting structure with the lifting device. Hereby, it has to be understood that the method might include as well the step of attaching the frame structure to each rotor blade.
In addition, the claimed invention describes a method for installation of rotor blades of wind turbines, for example the installation of rotor blades for off-shore wind turbines, using and such a lifting system. Hereby, ahead of the installation, a frame structure is attached to each rotor blade such that the frame structure supports the rotor blade. The method comprises a first step of lifting each rotor blade separately out of its frame structure. Further steps of the method comprise the installation of the rotor blades on the rotor hub of the wind turbine and the placement of each empty frame structure on a handling frame, preferably the handling frame of the nacelle of the wind turbine. Especially in an off-shore situation, but also in other installation situations where space is limited, like on a hill-top, the described method provides a benefit, since the empty frame structures are collected in a dedicated place and might then be transported back easily to be re-used for the transportation of further rotor blades.
Particularly, space is saved at the installation site if a handling frame is employed for storing the empty rotor blade frame structures, which is already present at the installation site, for example the handling frame that was used to transport the nacelle of the wind turbine to the installation site. Assembling the empty frame structures on the handling frame in groups, especially in numbers corresponding to the number of rotor blades being employed for one wind turbine, is a preferred embodiment of the method. For example, if a wind turbine comprises three rotor blades, assembling the empty frame structures in groups of three frame structures would be beneficial for the re-use of the frame structure in subsequent transportation and lifting operations.
The dependent claims and the subsequent description disclose particularly advantageous embodiments and features of the claimed invention. Features of the embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Features described in the context of one claim category can apply equally to another claim category.
Preferably, a lifting system is characterized by lifting connectors which are attached with a top end to the lifting structure. Furthermore, in this preferred embodiment, each of the lifting connectors is attached with a bottom end to at least one frame structure of the pack of frame structures comprising rotor blades. In a particular embodiment, the lifting connectors are connected only to the frame structures at the bottom of a pack of frame structures, thereby simplifying the process of attaching the lifting connectors to the frame structures ahead of a lifting operation as well as simplifying the process of detaching the lifting connectors from the frame structures at the end of a lifting operation.
Hereby, other frame structures being located above the frame structures at the bottom of the pack would be simply lifted by lifting the frame structures at the bottom of the pack of frame structures. Similarly, in another corresponding embodiment, the lifting connectors might only be attached to the frame structures being located at the top of the pack of frame structures. Hereby, the other frame structures located below the frame structures at the top of the pack of frame structures are connected to the frame structures at the top of the pack of frame structures by mechanical connectors or fasteners. Consequently, a lifting operation would lift all the frame structures being connected to the frame structures on top of the pack of frame structures. Also, without leaving the scope of the claimed invention, the lifting connectors might be connected to any of the frame structures located between the frame structure at the top and those at the bottom of a pack of frame structures.
In order to establish fast and cost-efficient lifting operations, the claimed invention provides in another preferred embodiment lifting connectors which do comprise fixation devices which are configured to being attachable to and detachable from at least one of the frame structures of the pack of frame structures, preferably comprising a hook, a twist lock, or a screwable locking device. Such fixation devices will support a fast lifting of rotor blades, for example from a ship to an off-shore platform, since they enable a quick and convenient connection of the lifting structure to the pack of frame structure via the lifting connectors.
In another preferred embodiment, the lifting system is characterized by frame structures which comprise hollow frame structure portions having openings, and by additional lifting brackets which are configured to penetrate a frame structure through an opening, preferably from a bottom side of a frame structure, especially from the bottom side of a pack of frame structures. Hereby, the lifting brackets do comprise a bracket connector which is configured to establish a connection with at least one of the lifting connectors, preferably with the fixation device of the lifting connector. The cross section of a hollow frame structure portion might hereby follow but is not limited to the shape of a rectangle, a square, a circle, or an oval. Similarly, the opening of a hollow frame structure portion might be configured for example in a rectangular, a square-like, a circular or an oval shape. In a preferred embodiment, the bracket connector is configured as a so-called pad-eye which is a widely known mechanical structure in the field of shipbuilding. Again, those lifting brackets will contribute to the desired fast and cost-effective attachment of lifting connectors to a frame structure or a pack of frame structures since the lifting brackets might be connected easily to the frame structures, for example by hooking the lifting brackets into the openings of the frame structures.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the lifting brackets comprise anchor or guide elements which are configured such that they fit inside an opening of a hollow frame structure portion and at least partly inside the hollow frame structure portion itself. Hereby, a close mechanical connection between the frame structures and the lifting brackets might be established, leading to a reliable lifting operation. Preferably, the anchor or guide elements are configured such that they tightly fit into the opening and the hollow frame structure portion.
Particularly, the anchor elements might follow the shape of the opening and the shape of the hollow frame structure portion, i.e. the cross section of an anchor element might follow a rectangular, a square-like, a circular or an oval shape. Also, such anchor elements are preferably characterized by a taper towards their tip which acts as a guide when an anchor element of a lifting bracket is inserted into the opening of a frame structure.
In addition, in another preferred embodiment, all or at least some of the lifting brackets comprise at least one pair of anchor elements, wherein each pair of anchor elements is spaced apart such that a single lifting bracket might be connected to at least two frame structures. Hereby, a first frame structure of a first rotor blade is aligned next to a second frame structure of a second rotor blade and the first anchor element of the pair of anchor elements is connected to the first frame structure while the second anchor element of a pair of anchor elements is connected to the second frame structure, for example by penetrating a hollow frame structure portion via an opening of each frame structure. Thereby, a lifting bracket advantageously provides a connection between the first and the second frame structure. Also, by sharing a lifting bracket between two frame structures, the number of lifting brackets required to lift multiple frame structures is reduced beneficially.
Besides the described connection of two frame structures by a lifting bracket, a lifting bracket can also be applied to connect a frame structure and an auxiliary structure, for example a spacer structure which is placed in a space between two frame structures. Moreover, a lifting bracket can comprise one or multiple plates, for example steel plates, whereby the bracket connector and the anchor elements are attached to the plate, preferably by a welding connection.
In a further embodiment, a lifting system further comprises frame connectors connecting the frame structures to establish groups of connected frame structures. In a preferred embodiment, the groups of frame structures connected by frame connectors comprise three frame structures or multiple of three frame structures. Thereby, the logistics of transportation, like the distribution from the manufacturing site to the installation site, are largely simplified, since today the majority of installed wind turbines comprise three rotor blades. The frame connectors can be for example an integral part of a frame structure, i.e. a first frame structure comprises mechanical structures, like bolts, pins, mandrels, or anchors which establish a connection to a second frame structure aligned next to the first frame structure.
More particularly, the first frame structure can comprise extensions of its frame structure that fit into a hollow frame structure portion of the second frame structure, thereby establishing the desired connection of frames. Alternatively, separate mechanical fasteners can be applied as frame connectors, for example fasteners like bolts, screws, screwable locks, twist locks, or brackets. Those separate frame connectors can be installed only temporarily. For example, they might only be installed for a lifting operation with the lifting system.
Preferably, the pack of frame structures of the lifting system is configured such that the rotor blades of the pack of frames structures are aligned substantially in parallel along the length of the rotor blades. In this case, all of the rotor blades can be aligned in the same direction, which means that all root end portions of the rotor blades within a pack of frame structures would be aligned next to each other. Hereby, the root end of a rotor blade is defined as the part of a rotor blade which is connected to the rotor hub of a wind turbine once the wind turbine is assembled. Hence, a root end portion typically comprises means suitable for establishing a mechanical connection, i.e. bolts, screws, or boreholes.
Alternatively, a pack of frame structures can comprise as well rotor blades which are aligned in opposing directions, i.e. a root end portion of one rotor blade can be located next to a tip end portion of another rotor blade. Hereby, the tip end of a rotor blade is defined as the portion of a rotor blade which is located farthest away from the rotor hub once the wind turbine is assembled.
In another embodiment of the lifting system, the frame structures comprise at least two frame structure portions, preferably comprising a root end frame structure portion configured to support the rotor blade near its root end and comprising a tip end frame structure portion configured to support the rotor blade between its shoulder and its tip end. Hereby, the shoulder is defined as the portion of a rotor blade which exhibits the widest cross section along the length of a rotor blade.
In a preferred embodiment, the root end frame structure portion is tightly coupled to the root end of the rotor blade. This coupling might be established by one or more than one dedicated coupling device at the root end frame structure portion which is tightly connected to portions of the root end of the rotor blade, for example to bolts, hooks, bore holes, openings, or screws.
Preferably, the coupling device connects to portions of the root end of the rotor blade which are configured to establish the connection of the rotor blade with the rotor hub, like for example bolts, hooks, bore holes, openings, or screws.
Furthermore, the tip end frame structure portion might comprise one or more than one supporting portion which is supporting the rotor blade in one or more directions. Such a supporting portion might be configured for example like a cradle, a tray, or a holder. In addition, the tip end frame structure portion might comprise one or more than one guiding portion as a fixation for a portion of the rotor blade, preferably as a fixation of a portion of the rotor blade where the rotor blade is tapering to a sharp point.
Also, it has to be understood that a frame structure is defined as a structure that includes the structure portions which are supporting a rotor blade. Accordingly, it is not required that the frame structure portions are linked together by some other portions of the frame structure. That means that a frame structure can comprise two or more than two portions which are only linked together by the rotor blade being supported by the frame structure.
Furthermore, a pack of frame structures can contain additional auxiliary structures, like spacer structures. Those space structures are beneficially applied inside a pack of frame structures, if the frame structure portions are differing in their dimensions. For example, a root end frame structure can be larger compared to a tip end frame structure portion. Here, additional spacer structures can be positioned next to the tip end frame structure portions to compensate the mismatch in dimensions.
In a further embodiment, the lifting structure of the lifting system comprises at least two lifting beams which are connected to the top ends of the lifting connectors and further comprises a main beam which is connected to the lifting beams and the lifting device. Preferably, the lifting beams are aligned perpendicular along their length to the main beam, at least during a lifting operation. The connection between the main beam and the lifting beams can be established but is not limited to wire-, rope-, chain- or cord-like structures which are attached to the main and lifting beams by mechanical fasteners, like shackles, hooks, locks, or pad-eyes.
Furthermore, in a particular embodiment, one of the lifting beams is connected to lifting connectors exclusively connecting to tip end frame structures portions while another lifting beam is connected to lifting connectors exclusively connecting to root end frame structures portions.
Preferentially, the lifting connectors are configured as a wire, a rope or a chain such that they provide at least a limited mechanical flexibility. Also, a lifting system can be characterized in that the frame structures and the lifting structure are substantially composed of metal, preferably steel.
For a particularly easy realization of the claimed invention, a modular frame structure system for a lifting system is provided, wherein the frame structure system comprises a plurality of frame structures each being configured to support a rotor blade. Furthermore, the modular frame structure system comprises frame connectors for connecting the frame structures to establish groups of connected frame structures, preferably groups comprising three frame structures or multiple of three frame structures.
A further preferred embodiment of the method for lifting rotor blades of wind turbines by using a lifting device is characterized in that the method further comprises a step before lifting the lifting structure wherein the frame structures are connected together by frame connectors to establish groups of connected frame structures, preferably groups comprising three frame structures or multiple of three frame structures. Preferably, the frame structures are connected such that the rotor blades of a group of connected frame structures are aligned substantially in parallel along the length of the rotor blades.
Furthermore, in another embodiment of the method for lifting rotor blades, a pack of nine frame structures is established before lifting the group of rotor blades, the pack comprising a bottom, a middle, and a top group of frame structures, each of the three groups comprising three frame structures. In a further embodiment, two or more than two packs of frame structures as described above are lifted together in a lifting operation, for example from a vessel to a platform, to the ground, or to another transportation vehicle. Accordingly, in a single lifting operation, 18 or even more than 18 rotor blades would be lifted together, assuming that each pack comprises nine rotor blades. Thereby, the number or lifting operations required to unload a vessel is beneficially reduced.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptions considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for the purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the claimed invention.
In
The lifting device 3 is connected to a lifting structure 25, particularly to a main beam 18 by a mechanical connection, for example a chain, a wire, a rope, a belt, or a multitude of such mechanical connections. The main beam 18 might comprise mechanical fortifications, as indicated in
In addition, the main beam 18 is connected to two lifting beams 17 which are aligned substantially perpendicular along their length to the length of the main beam 18. Again, the mechanical connection between the main beam 18 and the lifting beams 17 might consist of chains, wires, ropes, belts or similar connectors.
In addition, the mechanical connection between a main beam 18 and the lifting beams 17 might include fastening devices which support a fast assembly and disassembly of a lifting structure 25 containing a main beam 18 and lifting beams 17. Such fastening devices can be realized with twist locks, screwable locks, hooks, shackles, or similar devices.
Even though
The lifting beams 17 are connected to some of the frame structures 4 of the pack 28 of frame structures 4 by lifting connectors 5. The lifting connectors 5 can be implemented either in a more rigid or in a more flexible configuration. Preferably, the lifting connectors 5 comprise flexible elements simplifying the attachment and detachment of frame structures 4. For example, a lifting connector 5 might comprise a chain, a rope, a wire, or a belt. The top end 7 of each lifting connector 5 connects to a lifting beam 17. Thereby, the top end 7 of a lifting connector 5 might include fastening devices which support a fast attachment and detachment of a lifting connector 5. Such fastening devices can be realized with twist locks, screwable locks, hooks, shackles, or similar devices. The bottom ends 6 of the lifting connectors 5 shown in
Each of the frame structures 4 comprises a root end frame structure portion 15 and a tip end frame structure portion 16. Each root end frame structure portion 15 enclose a rotor blade 2 close to its root end 22 while the tip end frame structure portions 16 are enclosing a rotor blade 2 between its shoulder 24 and its tip end 23. The root end frame structure portions 15 as well as the tip end frame structure portions 16 are placed on top of each other thereby creating a pack 28 of frame structures 4. Hereby, frame connectors 14 which are part of each root end frame structure portion 15 and each tip end frame structure portion 16 are providing a mechanical support and alignment between neighbouring frame structures 4 since the frame connectors 14 of a lower frame structure 4 are fitting into a hollow frame portion of a frame structure 4 being placed on top of this frame structure 4.
For connecting a lifting connector 5 to a frame structure 4 the lifting connector 5 might either be located outside or within portions of the frame structure 4. The latter is shown in
Four lifting connectors 5 are applied to connect the pack 28 of frame structures 4 to the lifting beam 17. Hereby, this embodiment beneficially shares lifting connectors 5 between two horizontally neighbouring root end frame structure portions 15. This means that each of the two lifting connectors 5 in the middle of the group of four lifting connectors 5 is connecting advantageously to two root end frame structure portions 15 at the bottom of the pack 28.
Furthermore, six spacer structures 27 are depicted which are located in between a pair of tip end frame structure portions 16. Those spacer structures 27 beneficially compensate at least partly the smaller dimensions of the tip end frame structure portions 16 when compared to the dimensions of the root end frame structure portions 15. As a result, it is possible that a group of root end frame structure portions 15 has similar dimensions as the combination of a group of tip end frame structure portions 16 and spacer structures 27.
Consequently, the spacer structures 27 can avoid undesired bending of the rotor blades 2 or an undesired touching of neighbouring rotor blades 2. Furthermore, it enables the usage of similarly or identically configured lifting beams 17. The lifting connectors 5 are connecting either to a tip end frame structure portion 16 located at the bottom of the pack 28 or to a pair of structures, consisting of a tip end frame structure portion 16 and a spacer structure 27.
Even though
The anchor element 12 penetrates a hollow frame portion of the root end frame structure portion 15 of the frame structure 4 via an opening 9. Hereby, the anchor element 12 is characterized by a taper at its tip which simplifies the insertion of the anchor element 12 into the opening 9 of the root end frame structure portion 15. In summary, the lifting connector 5 is connected to the root end frame structure portion 15 by the lifting bracket 10 in a flexible manner, thereby enabling a fast and simple attachment of lifting connectors 5 to frame structures 4. Furthermore, a twist lock 26 is shown in
Similarly,
Furthermore,
Finally,
Although the present claimed invention has been disclosed in the form of preferred embodiments and variations thereon, it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. For example, even though the figures describe a lifting system embodiment with nine rotor blades aligned next to each other, it can be easily conceived, that the claimed invention applies to other numbers of rotor blades as well. Furthermore, the described systems and methods might be useful in many other areas where larger mechanical structures have to be transported and lifted in a simple and reliable fashion.
For the sake of clarity, it is also to be understood that the use of “a” or “an” throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and “comprising” does not exclude other steps or elements. Also, a “unit” or “device” may comprise a number of blocks or devices, unless explicitly described as a single entity.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP11152655 | Jan 2011 | EP | regional |
