Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING A WIND TURBINE ON A TOWER
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation application of Petitioners' earlier application Serial
No.
091829,362 filed April 9, 2001, entitled "METHOD AND lvIEANS FOR fvIOUNTING A
~~ WIND TURBINE ON A TOWER" which is a divisional application of Petitioners'
U.S.
earlier application Serial No. 091563,612 filed May 2, 2000, entitled "METHOD
AND
MEANS FOR MOUNTING A WIND TURBINE ON A TOWER" and which issued as U.S.
Patent No. 6,278,198 on August 21, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
to I, 1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and means for mounting a wind turbine on
the
upper end of a supporting tower and more particularly to a method and means
wherein
~I the turbine is winched up the length of the tower on a carriage which rolls
along a track j
~ or guide rail positioned at one side of the 'tower. '
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I.
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2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
z
VVind turbines are becoming more popular in the producticn of electrical
energy.
I
The wind turbine normally comprises a rotor-driven generator mounted atop a
tower
which may reach heights cf 70 meters or more. The tower is normally first
erected and
d of the tower b means
the mnd turbne is then normally mounted on the upper en y of an
s
extremely large crane. The customary method of mounting the wind turbine on
the
upper end of the tower is quite expensive in that the extremely large crane
used for
positioning the wind turbine on the tower is very expensive and it is costly
to have such
a crane on site during the erection procedure. Thus, it is advantageous to be
able to
io
Ii mount the wind turbine on the upper end of the tower without the use of the
extremely
large crane.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The wind turbine assembly of this invention comprises a vertically disposed
tower
is ~ having upper and lower ends with the tower having a guide rail means
positioned at one
side of the tower which extends between the lower and upper ends thereof. A
turbine
support or carriage is provided which has a pivotal platform mounted thereon
adapted to
have the wind turbine mounted thereon. The carriage is initially supported on
a wheeled
frame means such as a truck, trailer or the tike. The truck is positioned so
that the
carriage may be transferred from the truck to the lower end of the guide rail
means.
The carriage is initially positioned on the lower end of the guide rail in a
vertically
disposed position. Cnce the carriage has been mounted on the lower end of the
guide
,~~ rail. the platform cf the ~~arriage is pivotally moved to a hori~ontalty
disposed position to
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~~~ enable the turbine to be mounted thereon with the turbine being generally
horizontally
disposed. After the turbine has been secured to the platform, the platform is
pivoted so
that the wind turbine is substantially vertically disposed with the main shaft
(rotor shaft)
thereof being positioned at the upper portion of the wind turbine. The
spinnerlhub and
rotor blades are then secured to the main shaft with the rotor blades being
disposed in a
horizontally disposed condition. A winch means then winches the carriage, with
the
wind turbine thereon, to the upper end of the tower. When the carriage reaches
the
upper end of the tower, the platform is again pivoted to cause the wind
turbine to be
again disposed in a substantially horizontally disposed position. The wind
turbine is
1o I
then slidably moved horizontally onto the upper end of the tower at which time
the wind
turbine is detached from the platform sled and is securely fashioned to the
upper end of
the tower. The carriage is then lowered to the lower end of the tower and is
removed
from the guide rails and placed onto the truck so that the carriage may be
used for the
is erection of other wind turbine assemblies. An alternative method is also
disclosed.
In the alternative method, the carriage is initially supported on a wheeled
frame
means such as a truck, trailer or the like as in the previously described
method. The
truck is positioned so that the carriage may be transferred from the truck to
the tower
end of the guide rail means. The carriage is initially positioned on the lower
end of the
20 I
guide rail in a vertically disposed position. Once the carriage has been
mounted on the
lower end of the guide rail, the platform of the carriage is pivotally moved
to a
horizontally disposed position to enable the turbine to be mounted thereon
with the ~
turbine being generally horizontally disposed and with the turbine being
positioned so
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that the main shaft of the turbine extends towards one side of the tower.
After the
turbine has beer secured to the platform, the carriage is winched upwardly on
the tower
a distance greater than the rotor-swept areG. The spinnerr'hub and rotor
blades are then
secured to the main shaft with the rotor blades being disposed in a vertically
disposed
condition. The winch means then winches the carriage, with the wind turbine
thereon,
s I
to the upper end of the tower. When the carriage reaches the upper end of the
tower,
the wind turbine is then siidably moved horizontally onto the upper end of the
tower at
which time the wind turbine is detached from the platform sled and is securely
fashioned
to the upper end of the tower. The carriage is then lowered to the lower end
of the
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tower and is removed from the guide rails and placed onto the truck so that
the carriage
may be used for the erection of other wind turbine assemblies. In the
alternative
method, the wind turbine always remains in a horizontally disposed position,
thereby
eliminating any problems with liquids draining from the gearbox, generator,
etc.
15 iI It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved method
of erecting
a wind turbine assembly.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of positioning a wind
turbine on the upper end of a wind turbine tower wherein the need of an
extremely large
crane is eliminated.
Stiil another object of the invention is to provide a wind turbine assembly
wherein
~';I the turbine tower has a guide rail at one side thereof to accommodate a
carriage to be
', vertically moved upwardly thereon with the carriage supporting the wind
turbine.
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Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved method and
means
for erecting a wind turbine assembly which is less dangerous than the prior
art methods
of erecting the same.
A, further object of the invention is to provide an improved tower for wind
turbines.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side view of the wind turbine assembly of this invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the wind turbine assembly of Figure 1 as seen from
the
right of Figure 1;
m
Figure 3A is a side view of the tower and illustrating the carriage supporting
the
wind turbine being supported on a trailer at the lower end of the tower;
Figure 3B is a somewhat enlarged partial view of Figure 3A;
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3B except that the carriage is being
moved
!~ from the trailer to the guide rail;
Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 except that the carriage has been
completely removed from the trailer and has been mounted on the carriage;
Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 except that the platform of the
carriage is
being pivoted to a horizontal position;
Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 except that the platform of the
carriage has
been pivoted to a horizontal position and the wind turbine is being lowered
towards the
platform;
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Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 except that it illustrates the turbine
positioned on the platform of the carriage;
Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 except that it illustrates the carriage
platform
and the turbine being moved to a vertically disposed position;
II Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 except that the carriage platform
and wind
turbine have been moved to a vertically disposed position;
Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 but which illustrates the spinnerlhub
and
rotors being lowered towards the wind turbine;
Figure 12 is a view sirniiar to Figure 11 except that the spinner/hub and
rotor
to
blades have been mounted on the wind turbine;
Figure 13 is a view scene on lines 13-13 of Figure 12;
Figure 14 is a side view illustrating the carriage and wind turbine having
been
moved to the upper end of the tower;
Figure 15 is a view similar to Figure 14 except that the carriage platform is
being
pivoted from its vertically disposed position to its horizontal position;
Figure 16 is a view similar to Figure 15 except that the carriage platform and
turbine have been moved to a horizontally disposed position;
Figure 17 is a view sirnilar to Figure 16 except that the turbine is
illustrated as
Zo
having been slidably moved from the carriage platform to the upper end of the
tower;
Figure 18 is a view similar to Figure 17 except that the carriage platform is
~I, illustrated as being pivotally moved 'owards a vertically disposed
position;
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Figure 19 is a view similar to Figure 18 except that the carriage is
illustrated as
being lowered towards the ground;
Figure 20 is a view similar to Figure 19 except that the carriage is being
illustrated as being moved onto the trailer;
Figure 21 is a partial side view illustrating the connection of the winch
means with
the carriage while the carriage is mounted on a trailer;
Figure 22 is a sectional view illustrating the relationship of the tower,
guide rail
means and carriage;
Figure 23 is a partial side view illustrating the carriage platform in a
vertically
io
disposed position; and
Figure 24 is a partial side view illustrating the carriage platform having
been
moved to the upper end of the tower with the broken lines illustrating the
movement of a
portion of the carriage platform towards the upper end of the tower.
i5 II DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The wind turbine. assembly of this invention is referred to generally by the
reference numeral 10 and includes a tower 12 which may have a height of up to
seventy
meters or more. A support structure 14 is in the form of a battered leg
structure 14A
and 14B is provided at one side of the tower 12 for stability purposes. Legs
14A and
14B are connected to the tower 12 by braces 15._ The numeral 16 refers to a
conventional wind turbine including a housing 18 which houses various
components of
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the wind turbine 16 such as a cooling system, generator, gearbox, and a main
shaft
i, extending therefrom Into ~Nhich a spinnerihub 20 is mounted including rotor
blades 22.
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The 4vind turbine 16 includes a conventional base portion 24 which is secured
to the
upper end of the tower 12. To this point, the wind turbine assembly 10 is
generally cf
conventionGl prior art construction except for the battered leg structure
which stabilizes
the to4ver 12, distributes the load on the tower 12, and enables the tower 12
to be
~I constructed of a lighter weight material.
The tower 12 is provided with a guide rail means 26 which in this case
comprises
a pair of vertically disposed and horizontally spaced guide rails 28 and 30
positioned at
one side of the tower 12 with the guide rails 28 and 30 extending between the
lower and
upper ends of the tower 12. Although it is preferred that a pair of guide
rails 28 and 30
~, be provided, it is possible that any number of guide rails could he
provided, if desired.
Further, the guide rails 28 and 30 could be positioned on the opposite sides
of the tower
12 and could take shapes other than that disclosed. For example, guide rails
could be
T-shaped if desired.
i~ The numeral 32 refers generally to a carriage which is adapted to move
along the
~7
guide rails 28 and 30 and which includes a platform 52 adapted to have the
wind turbine
16 secured thereto and which includes means for pivoting the platform 52
approximately
ninety degrees with respect to the carriage, as will be described in mare
detail
hereinafter. It is preferred that the carriage 32 be removabiy positioned on a
wheeled
frame such as a truck or trailer 36 having a pair of spaced-apart guide rails
38 provided
thereon which are adapted to mate with or register with the lower ends of the
guide rails
28 and 30 so that the carriage 32 may be rnoved from its position on the
~rvheeled frame
means 36 onto the guide rails 28 and 30.
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Carriage 32 includes a pair of projecting frame members 40 and 42 having
1
recessed portions 44 and 46 formed therein, respectively, which are adapted to
receive
the guide rails 2t3 and 30 and which are also adapted to receive the guide
rails 38 when
the carriage 32 is mounted on the wheeled frame means 36. It is preferred that
the
recessed areas 44 and 46 be provided with a plurality of slides or rollers 48
provided
s
thereon to facilitate the sliding movement of the carriage 32 with respect to
the guide
rails 28 and 30. Generally speaking, carriage 32 includes a frame means 50
having the
platform 52 pivotally secured thereto and which is movable therewith by means
of
power cylinder 54 or some other mechanism. It is preferred that a slide
mechanism 56
io
be slidably mounted on platform 52 to enable the slide mechanism 56 to. be
moved from
the position illustrated in Figure 24 to a position towards tower 12 to enable
the turbine
16 to be moved from the carriage to the upper end of the tower 12 as will be
more fully
described hereinafter. Slide 56 includes means for having the wind turbine 16
is ~~ selectively secured thereto.
The numeral 58 refers to a winch which is preferably positioned at the lower
end
of the tower 12 and which has a winch cable 60 extending therefrom. Winch
cable 60
preferably extends around pulley 62 and thence upwardly to the upper end of
the tower
12 wherein it extends over pulleys 64 and 66. Winch cable 60 then extends
downwardly, as seen in Figure 21, for connection to the carriage 32.
The tower 12 is first erected in conventional fashion, except for the
structure 14,
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~Nith the guide rails 28 and 30 being provided thereon as previously
described. When it .
1~~ ;s desired '~.o mount the turbine .6 on the upper end of the tower 12, the
vNheeled frame
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means 36 is positioned adjacent the lower end of the tower 12 so that the
guide rails 38
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mate with the lower ends of the guide rails 28 and 30. The winch cable 60 is
then
i connected to the carriage 32 and the winch 58 is actuated so that the cable
60 pulls the
carriage 32 from the wheeled frame means 32 onto the lower ends of the guide
rails 28
i
and 30, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. When the carriage 32 has been
positioned on
the lower end of the guide rails 28 and 30, as illustrated in Figure 5, the
platform 52 is
pivotally moved from the vertically disposed position of Figure 5 to the
position of Figure
6 and then to the position of Figure 7. At that time, the wheeled frame means
36 may
be moved away from the lower end of the tower 12. When the platform 52 is in
the
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position of Figure 5, a small crane is then used to lower the wind turbine 16
onto the
slide 56 to which it is securely fastened, as illustrated in Figure 8. The
platform 52 is
then pivotally moved from the position of Figure 8 to the position of Figure 9
and then to
the position of Figure 10 wherein the wind turbine 16 is substantially
vertically disposed.
is When the wind turbine 16 is in the position of Figures 10 and 11, the
spinnerlhub 20
with the rotor blades 22 attached thereto is lowered onto the main shaft of
the wind
turbine 16 by means of a small crane or the like. It should be noted that the
rotor blades
22 may be secured to the spinnerlhub 20 after the spinner/hub 20 has bean
mounted on
the wind turbine 16. Figure 12 illustrates the spinner/hub 20 and the rotor
blades 22
mounted on the wind turbine 16. Figure 13 is a top view illustrating the wind
turbine 16
in the position of Figure 12.
When the spinner/hub 20 and rotor blades 22 have been mounted on the wind
~~ turbine 16, the carriage ~2 ~Nith the ~Nind turbine 16 mounted thereon is
winched to the
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upper end of the tower 12 by means of the 4vinch 58. When the carriage 32 has
been
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winched to the position of Figure 14, the platform 52 is pivotally moved from
its vertically
disposed position to the position of Figure 15 and then to the position of
Figure 16. The
slide 56 is then moved towards the upper end of the tower 24, as indicated by
the
dashed arrow in Figure 24; so that the wind turbine 16 may be removed from the
slide
56 and secured to the upper end of the tower 24. When the turbine 16 has been
secured to the upper end of the tower 12, as illustrated in Figure 18, the
platform 52 is
pivotally moved from its horizontally disposed position to the position of
Figure 18 and
then to a vertically disposed position. The carriage 32 is then lowered on the
guide rails
ZO
28 and 30 to the lower end of the tower. The wheeled frame means 36 is then
positioned adjacent the lower end of the tower so that the guide rails 38
thereof register
once again with the guide rails 28 and 30, The carriage 32 is then moved from
the
guide rails 28 and 30 onto the guide rails 38 of the wheeled frame means 36 so
that the
z5 ~ carriage 32 is positioned on the wheeled frame means 36. The wheeled
frame means
36 and the carriage 32 may then be moved to another location wherein another
wind
turbine assembly 10 is to be erected.
The turbine 16 may be installed or mounted on the upper end of the tower in a
somewhat different way such as will now be described. As in the previously
described
method, when it is desired to mount the turbine 16 on the upper end of the
tower 12, the
wheeled frame means 36 is positioned adjacent the lower end of the tower 12 so
that
!~ the guide rails 38 mate with the lower ends of the guide rails 28 and 30.
The winch
~~ cable 60 is then connected to the carriage 32 and the vNinch 58 is actuated
so that the ',
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CA 02492353 2005-O1-11
cable 60 pulls the carriage 32 from the wheeled frame means 36 onto the lower
ends of
the guide rails 28 and 30. When the carriage 32 has been positioned on the
lower end
of the guide rails 28 and 30, the platform 52 is pivotally moved from the
vertically
disposed position of Figure 5 to the position of Figure 6 and then to the
position of
Figure 7. At that time, the wheeled frame means 36 may be moved away from the
lower end of the tower 12. When the platform 52 is in the position of Figure
5, the
carriage 32 is then winched upwardly along the guide rails 28 and 30 until the
carriage
has reached a height which is greater than the rotor-swept area. The wind
turbine 16 is
then positioned on the platform 52 of the carriage 32 by means of a small
crane with the
io
wind turbine 16 being horizontally disposed and with the main shaft thereof
e;rtending
laterally from one side of the tower. The spinnerlhub 20 with the rotor blades
22
attached thereto are then secured to the main shaft of the wind turbine 16
with the rotor
blades being vertically disposed.
~~ When the spinnerlhub 20 and the rotor blades 22 have been mounted on the
?o
wind turbine 16, the carriage 32 with the wind turbine 16 mounted thereon is
winched to
the upper end of the tower 12 by means of the winch 58. When the carriage 32
has
been winched to the upper end of the tower, the slide 56 is then moved towards
the
upper end of the tower 24 so that the wind turbine 16 may be removed from the
slide 56
and secured to the upper end of the tower 24. When the turbine 16 has been
secured
to the upper end of the tower 12, the carriage 32 is then lowered on the guide
rails 28
and 30 to the lower end of the tower, as in the previously described method.
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The advantage of the alternate method is that the wind turbine is always in a
1 fj horizontally disposed position. In some cases, if the wind turbine was
vertically
disposed and components of the turbine have been previously filled with
lubricating
fluids, cooling fluids, etc., some leakage could possibly occur. By
maintaining the wind
II turbine in the horizontally disposed condition, leakage problems are
eliminated.
Although the preferred method of moving the wind turbine to the upper end of
the
tower is with a winch, it is possible that other means could be utilized. For
example,
some form of ratcheting mechanism could be utilized. A rack and pinion gear
arrangement which is motor-driven could also be used.
lo
Thus it can be seen that a novel apparatus has been provided for mounting a
wind turbine on the upper end of a wind turbine tower involving the use of a
carnage
which is movably mounted on guide rails provided on the tower and wherein the
need
for an extremely large crane is eliminated. The relationship of the carriage
32 with
15 II respect to the guide rails 28 and 30 ensures that undesirable horizontal
movement
between the carriage 32 and the guide rails 28 and 3D will be prevented while
permitting
the desirable vertical movement of the carriage 32 on the guide rails 28 and
30.
It can therefore be seen that a novel apparatus and method has been provided
which accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.
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