IP Library Granted Patent US 9,896,310
Granted Patent B2
US 9,896,310 · App. 15/004,077 · Granted Feb 20, 2018

Load-handling means for a tower or a tower section of a wind turbine and method for erecting a wind turbine

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,896,310
App. No.
15/004,077
Granted
Feb 20, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention relates to a load-handling means for a tower or a tower section of a wind turbine, which load-handling means has tower-attachment means for attachment to an upper end or in the region of an upper end of a tower or a tower section of a wind turbine, and attachment points for attaching at least one anchoring means of a lifting gear unit. The invention also relates to a method for erecting a wind turbine, in particular an offshore wind turbine. The load-handling means according to the invention includes at least one oscillation damper, or at least one oscillation damper is attached, in particular releasably and/or exchangeably, to the load-handling means, the damping frequency of which oscillation damper lies in the region of a natural frequency of a clamped or freestanding tower or tower section without a gondola.

Claims (19)

1. A load-handling means configured for releasable attachment to a tower or a tower section during construction of a wind turbine, said load-handling means comprising:

attachment points for releasably attaching at least one anchoring means of a lifting gear unit to the load-handling means; and

at least one oscillation damper;

wherein said at least one oscillation damper is fixedly attached to the load-handling means or is releasably and/or exchangeably attached to the load-handling means,

wherein said at least one oscillation damper has a damping frequency for effecting damping of a natural frequency of the tower or tower section when the tower or tower section is clamped or freestanding and awaiting attachment of a gondola during the construction of the wind turbine, and

wherein the load-handling means is configured for removal from the tower or tower section to allow for attachment of the gondola during construction of the wind turbine.

2. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one oscillation damper is a tuned liquid sloshing damper, a tuned liquid column damper (TLCD), a pendulum damper with or without a viscous liquid, or a spring-mass damper.

3. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the load-handling means comprises a plurality of oscillation dampers with different damping frequencies.

4. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the damping frequency of each of the plurality of oscillation dampers lies between 0.2 and 1.5 Hz.

5. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the damping frequency of each of the plurality of oscillation dampers lies between 0.5 and 1.0 Hz.

6. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the plurality of oscillation dampers are arranged in an exchangeable fashion between an upper lifting frame and a lower lifting frame, or wherein the plurality of oscillation dampers are connected in a fixed fashion to a single lifting frame.

7. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a housing of the plurality of oscillation dampers is a load-bearing part of the load-handling means.

8. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the damping frequency of the at least one oscillation damper lies between 0.2 and 1.5 Hz.

9. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the damping frequency of the at least one oscillation damper lies between 0.5 and 1.0 Hz.

10. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the damping frequency of the at least one oscillation damper can be adapted to various transportation states, construction states, towers and/or tower sections.

11. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the oscillation damper is arranged in an exchangeable fashion between an upper lifting frame and a lower lifting frame, or wherein the oscillation damper is connected in a fixed fashion to a single lifting frame.

12. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 11 , wherein a housing of the at least one oscillation damper is a load-bearing part of the load-handling means.

13. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the upper lifting frame has attachment points for the at least one anchoring means, or wherein the upper lifting frame has anchoring points, and the lower lifting frame has attachment points for the at least one anchoring means, and wherein the anchoring points and the attachment points are arranged offset with respect to each other.

14. The load-handling means as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least part of the load-handling means is a cover for the tower or the tower section and has at least one tower hatch for access to an interior of the tower or the tower section.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Aug 31, 2023
From: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICE GMBH
To: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICE GMBH
Reel/Frame 064834/0873 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 20, 2022
From: SENVION DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
To: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICE GMBH
Reel/Frame 064371/0624 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 16, 2022
From: SENVION GMBH
To: SENVION DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
Reel/Frame 061462/0567 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 5, 2016
From: SEIDEL, MARC
To: SENVION GMBH
Reel/Frame 037679/0524 →