Apparatus and method for adjusting a wind turbine system, and mast of a wind turbine system

1. An apparatus ( 100 ) for adjusting a wind turbine system ( 202 ), the apparatus comprising:

a structure ( 102 ) comprising a top surface opening and a bottom surface opening opposite to the top surface opening; and

a jacking mechanism ( 104 ), characterized in that

the structure ( 102 ) is configured to receive a mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ) through the top surface opening and the bottom surface opening;

the jacking mechanism ( 104 ) is operable to raise or lower the structure ( 102 ) with respect to the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), wherein the structure ( 102 ) is configured to be raised or lowered along a substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ); and

the apparatus ( 100 ) further includes a locking mechanism ( 106 ) configured to releasably secure the structure ( 102 ) to the wind turbine system ( 202 ).

2. The apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jacking mechanism ( 104 ) is disposed on the structure ( 102 ).

3. The apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jacking mechanism ( 104 ) comprises

a hydraulic jacking mechanism ( 11 ).

4. The apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the structure ( 102 ) comprises a buoyant structure ( 12 ) including a hull ( 3 ) having an outer hull shape of geodesic horizontal cross-section, wherein the top surface opening is a deck opening ( 16 ) of the buoyant structure ( 12 ) and the bottom surface opening is a keel opening of the buoyant structure ( 12 ).

5. The apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a caisson ( 38 ) configured to receive a rotor blade of a plurality of rotor blades ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), the caisson ( 38 ) being installed onto the structure ( 102 ).

6. The apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the caisson ( 38 ) comprises at least one of the following:

a pocket for the rotor blade ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ) to park therein;

a caisson opening ( 8 ) for the rotor blade ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ) to enter into the caisson ( 38 );

a stairway ( 54 ) to accommodate access to at least part of the received rotor blade ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ); or

a sleeve configured to encircle at least part of the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ).

7. The apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising a barrel assembly ( 50 ) comprising a storage unit ( 51 ) configured to hold a replacement rotor blade, a barrel configured to move the replacement rotor blade into the caisson ( 38 ) for assembly onto the wind turbine system ( 202 ) when performing a replacement of rotor blade for the wind turbine system ( 202 ), and a gear mechanism ( 52 ) configured to operate movements of the barrel.

8. The apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising a robotic arm configured to assemble the replacement rotor blade onto the wind turbine system ( 202 ).

9. The apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one of the following:

a swivel mechanism configured to adjust an assembly ( 15 ) comprising rotor blades ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ), a nacelle ( 27 ) and an engine room ( 18 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ) between an operational position to a docking position, wherein at the operational position, the rotor blades ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ) are at a 0-180 degree position along a vertical plane ( 19 ) that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), and at the docking position, the rotor blades ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ) are positioned along a tilted plane at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), the angle being more 0 degree but less than 180 degree; or

a hoisting support platform ( 23 ) configured to provide access to the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), the hoisting support platform ( 23 ) being lifted up or down alongside the mast ( 140 , 17 ).

10. A system comprising:

an apparatus ( 100 ) as claimed in claim 1 ; and

a mast ( 140 , 17 ) of a wind turbine system ( 202 ) receivable by the structure ( 102 ) of the apparatus ( 100 ), characterized in that the apparatus ( 100 ) and the mast ( 140 , 17 ) are configured to work cooperatively with each other to raise or lower the mast ( 140 , 17 ) with respect to the structure ( 102 ) of the apparatus ( 100 ) along the substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), or to lock the mast ( 140 , 17 ) to the structure ( 102 ).

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the mast ( 140 , 17 ) comprising:

an exterior body;

a plurality of mating elements ( 142 ) disposed along a substantially entire length of the exterior body of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), each of the plurality of mating elements ( 142 ) configured to releasably couple to a complementary mating component ( 144 ) provided by the structure ( 102 ),

wherein the mast ( 140 , 17 ) is configured to be received by the structure ( 102 ) through a top surface opening of the structure ( 102 ) and a bottom surface of the structure ( 102 ), the bottom surface being opposite to the top surface opening; and

the plurality of mating elements ( 142 ) and the complementary mating component ( 144 ) are configured to facilitate an operation of a jacking mechanism ( 104 ) disposed on the structure ( 102 ) to raise or lower the structure ( 102 ) with respect to the mast ( 140 , 17 ) along a substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ).

12. A method ( 120 ) for adjusting a wind turbine system ( 202 ), the method ( 120 ) comprising:

receiving a mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ); and

raising or lowering a structure ( 102 ) with respect to the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), characterized in that

the mast ( 140 , 17 ) is received through a top surface opening and a bottom surface opening of the structure ( 102 ), the bottom surface opening being opposite to the top surface opening;

the structure ( 102 ) is raised or lowered with respect to the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ) along a substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), wherein the step of raising or lowering the structure ( 102 ) with respect to the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 102 ) along the substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ) is performed by using a jacking mechanism ( 104 ); and the method ( 120 ) further includes the step of

releasably securing the structure ( 102 ) to the wind turbine system ( 202 ).

13. The method ( 120 ) as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the step of raising or lowering the structure ( 102 ) comprises operating a hydraulic jacking mechanism ( 11 ) comprising a plurality of inner jacks ( 10 b ) and a plurality of outer jacks ( 10 a ), wherein the plurality of inner jacks ( 10 b ) and the plurality of outer jacks ( 10 a ) are arranged extending upwardly from the structure ( 102 ) and spaced apart in elevation from each other.

14. The method ( 120 ) as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the step of raising the structure ( 102 ) comprises:

disabling a locking mechanism ( 106 ) to release engagement between the structure ( 102 ) and the wind turbine system ( 202 ),

extending a piston ( 9 b ) of at least one inner jack ( 10 b ) to engage a first complementary orifice provided along the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), wherein the first complementary orifice is one of a plurality of complementary orifices ( 9 ) disposed along the substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), and

retracting the at least one inner jack ( 10 b ); and

wherein the step of lowering the structure ( 102 ) comprises:

retracting a piston ( 9 b ) of at least one inner jack ( 10 b ) to release engagement with a first complementary orifice provided along the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), wherein the first complementary orifice is one of a plurality of complementary orifices ( 9 ) disposed along the substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ),

extending at least one outer jack ( 10 a ) with a piston ( 9 a ) of the at least one outer jack ( 10 a ) engaged with a second complementary orifice provided along the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), wherein the second complementary orifice is another one of the plurality of complementary orifices ( 9 ) disposed along the substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ),

retracting the piston ( 9 a ) of the at least one outer jack ( 10 a ) to release engagement with the second complementary orifice; and

enabling a locking mechanism ( 106 ) to secure engagement between the structure ( 102 ) and the wind turbine system ( 202 ).

15. The method ( 120 ) as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the step of raising the structure ( 102 ) further comprises:

retracting the piston ( 9 b ) of the at least one inner jack ( 10 b ) to release engagement with the first complementary orifice,

extending a piston ( 9 a ) of at least one outer jack ( 10 a ) to engage a second complementary orifice provided along the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), wherein the second complementary orifice is another one of the plurality of complementary orifices ( 9 ) disposed along the substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), and

retracting the at least one outer jack ( 10 a ).

16. The method ( 120 ) as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the step of lowering the structure ( 102 ) further comprises:

prior to enabling the locking mechanism ( 106 ), extending the piston ( 9 b ) of the at least one inner jack ( 10 b ) to engage a third complementary orifice provided along the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ), wherein the third complementary orifice is yet another one of the plurality of complementary orifices ( 9 ) disposed along the substantially entire length of the mast ( 140 , 17 ),

extending the at least one inner jack ( 10 b ), and

retracting the piston ( 9 b ) of the at least one inner jack ( 10 b ) to release engagement with the third complementary orifice.

17. The method ( 120 ) as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the step of raising or lowering the structure ( 102 ) comprises operating a rack and pinion mechanism ( 26 ).

18. The method ( 120 ) as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising receiving a rotor blade of a plurality of rotor blades ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ) in a caisson ( 38 ), the caisson ( 38 ) being installed onto the structure ( 102 ).

19. The method ( 120 ) as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising moving a replacement rotor blade into the caisson ( 38 ) by using a barrel assembly ( 50 ) and assembling the replacement rotor blade onto the wind turbine system ( 202 ) using a robotic arm.

20. The method ( 120 ) as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising at least one of the following steps:

adjusting an assembly ( 15 ) comprising rotor blades ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ), a nacelle ( 27 ) and an engine room ( 18 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ) between an operational position to a docking position, wherein at the operational position, the rotor blades ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ) are at a 0-180 degree position along a vertical plane ( 19 ) that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), and at the docking position, the rotor blades ( 13 a , 13 b , 13 c ) are positioned along a tilted plane at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the mast ( 140 , 17 ), the angle being more 0 degree but less than 180 degree;

encircling at least part of the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ) with a sleeve of the caisson ( 38 ); or

lifting up or down a hoisting support platform ( 23 ) alongside the mast ( 140 , 17 ) of the wind turbine system ( 202 ) to provide access to the mast ( 140 , 17 ).