A wind turbine blade is generally relatively large, especially the length of blades, which are often several tens of meters. It should take a lot of material, manpower and time to transport it to the designated location. I am particularly curious about how such a large wind turbine blade is transported. Later, I found out that there was a trailer specially designed to transport wind turbine blades. I was really stunned by this mode of transportation. See below how wind turbine blades are transported. And how does the wind turbine blade transport trailer work?
Most wind turbines are huge. With the development of technology, large and even super-large wind turbines are emerging. Among them, blades with a length of more than 50 meters and 60 meters are very common. So how are these blades transported? These blades are almost always installed in the windy places on the mountain, and the transportation process is very difficult. How can they be fixed on these heavy transport vehicles and not fall off?
Next, let's take a look at how the 59-meter-long blade is fixed to the trailer.
Did you see clearly?
A blade is 59 meters long, so two cranes are required to lift it at the same time.
The vehicle that transports the blade is also a special trailer, and the hole on the big wheel is used to combine with the blade.
The bottom of the blade is a bolt that combines with the hole on the special trailer.
Wind blades began to be combined with the special trailer.
It is ready to transport.
Wind Turbine Blade Transport Trailers
Speaking of which, I have to mention a trailer made by semi trailer manufacturer Vehicle Master. This trailer is specially designed and manufactured for the transportation of wind turbine blades under complex roads, and is divided into two parts: chassis and upper slewing platform. When in use, the wind turbine blades can be fixed to the slewing platform, and the slewing platform itself can rotate 360 degrees. In addition, the fixing device itself can also rotate. When encountering complex road conditions that are difficult to pass directly, the blades can be rotated to anyone. The angle suitable for passing greatly increases the passing performance of the vehicle and makes the transportation of wind power safer and more convenient.
In order to solve the unstable center of gravity of the whole vehicle caused by the long blades during rotation, a counterweight box is also designed in the opposite direction of the blade installation position. Ballast can be added as needed, and the distance between the counterweight box and the rotary platform can also be hydraulically used as required. The cylinder is adjusted to avoid the danger of overturning caused by the imbalance of the center of gravity of the whole vehicle caused by the transport of long blades as much as possible.
In order to effectively solve the problem that the blade is difficult to pass in the climbing section and the turning section, a special device for mountain road transportation (special blade lift truck) has been adopted in the blade transportation in recent years to carry out the secondary reverse transportation of the blade.
The device is used to control the use of the blade by the transport vane, so as to make the blade raise, swing, and rotate itself during transportation, avoid obstacles (trees, mountains, wires, etc.) on the way, and realize the maximum avoidance of the blade during transportation. obstacle.
The device is controlled by hydraulic pressure to make the blade rotate 360 degrees. The blade can rotate at a maximum angle of 360 degrees through the lower slewing bearing and the annular slideway. from the front of the tip to the ground).
Why Does the Wind Turbine Blade Transportation Need Ground Transportation Instead of Helicopters?
The most commonly used 2 MW wind turbine has a single blade length of about 50 meters and a weight of around ten tons. This kind of weight requires a heavy helicopter to be able to lift it, but even if the weight factor is ignored, something of such a large size is slightly wind will seriously affect the flight safety of helicopters. In addition, the base and nacelle of the wind turbine are also large in size, with a total weight of hundreds of tons, which must also be transported by road.
However, Air Transport of Wind Turbine Blades May Also Be Possible in The Future.
A few days ago, two major wind turbine manufacturers, Vestas and Siemens Gamesa, are looking for a new alternative to land transportation to reduce the difficulty and cost of transporting turbine blades. The wind power industry needs to transport hundreds of wind turbine blades every year, each blade can be up to 80 meters long or even longer, and the heaviest blade weighs 25 tons. The transportation cost and time are expensive, and in the meandering Transportation on the road also poses great challenges for drivers.
At present, the land transportation of turbine blades is reaching the limit of capacity. The transportation difficulty and cost remain high. Therefore, the two leading manufacturers have shifted their focus to the airship industry. They hope to further demonstrate the use of airships for turbine blade transportation. feasibility.
Cargo Airship
According to Klaus Lynge Petersen, head of innovation technology at Vestas, the two wind power manufacturers are starting to focus on the airship industry for a simple reason: “Turbine blades are getting bigger and bigger and transport is reaching its limits, especially for remote and Areas with complex infrastructure. Airship transportation is a relatively cost-effective mode of transportation and is not affected by changes in terrain.”
Last year, Vestas unveiled a demonstration turbine blade that uses a four-rotor concept, and the company's chief technical officer, Anders Vedel, said the benefit of the design is that it significantly reduces the need for transportation. Petersen suggested that in future technological developments, large blades could be fragmented, transported to the site and assembled. Airship transport is very attractive to turbine blade manufacturers because of its vertical take-off and landing capability, which allows transport to remote areas without runways and poor ground infrastructure. For example, it may be difficult to find a decent road in the mountains, while in deserts with no trees and flat ground, it is easy for a ground driver to get lost.
Regardless of whether the new design method or the airship transportation scheme is adopted, the problem of transportation is still a major problem in the wind power industry today.
At present, the existing airship technology is not enough to meet the needs of the wind power industry. After targeted design in the future, its feasibility remains to be demonstrated.
I have to say that manufacturing has really changed human life everywhere, and we are also creating the history.
