JP2002147339A - Wind turbine generator installation method and wind turbine generator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] To provide a method of installing a wind turbine generator which can be installed by working in a low place. SOLUTION: All or a part of a tower 2 in a wind turbine generator is horizontally assembled, and the tower and a hinge 1 are attached to a foundation 7 or the rest of the tower 2 installed on the foundation.
6, the tower 2 assembled horizontally is erected and fixed, and a wind turbine generator is installed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for installing a wind turbine generator and a wind turbine generator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With increasing global environmental awareness, clean wind power generation is receiving attention. In wind power generation, a large wind turbine generator having a height of about 100 m is installed, wind energy is converted into rotational energy by a wind turbine, and further converted into electric energy by a generator. FIG. 8 shows an explanatory diagram of the wind turbine generator. Windmill generator 1
Are a plurality of blades 5 for receiving wind, a hub 4 that constitutes a windmill together with the blades, and a nacelle 3 containing a generator.
And the components of the tower 2 that secures the height of the windmill are installed on a foundation 7 buried underground. The tower 2 has a lower part 2a, a middle part 2b and an upper part 2c.
It consists of each component of.

[0003] In the conventional method of installing a wind turbine generator, the above components are stacked and installed in order from below.
Since the specific installation method is common to each component, a specific installation method for the blade 5 and the hub 4 will be described as a representative. FIG. 9 shows an explanatory view of a method of installing a blade and a hub according to the conventional technique. First, the blade 5 and the hub 4 manufactured in the factory are loaded on a trailer, transported to an installation site, and unloaded by a small crane. Next, blade 5 on the ground
Are connected to the hub 4 to form a wind turbine portion 6. Next, FIG.
As in (1), the hub 4 is connected to the crane hook 184 of the large crane by wire, while the blade 5 is connected to the crane hook 145 of the small crane by wire.
The windmill portion 6 is lifted by being suspended by a crane. Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the crane hook 145 is lowered or the crane hook 184 is raised, so that the windmill portion 6 is raised. The wire connected to the blade 5 is removed near the ground. Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the crane hook 184 is further raised to connect the windmill portion 6 to the nacelle 3. The connection work is performed by a worker climbing a ladder installed inside the tower 2 and
Had reached the tip of But from that position,
The wires connected to the hub 4 cannot be removed.
Therefore, a large crane different from the above-mentioned large crane is carried in, the gondola 108 is attached to the crane hook 188, and the worker 109 is put on the crane. The height of the hub 4 (60 m above the ground)
Degree) to remove the wires connected to the hub. Perform the above operations in order for each part,
A windmill generator was installed.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the increase in demand for electric power by wind power generation, the size of wind turbine generators tends to increase. In order to install a large wind turbine generator, workers need to work at a higher position. However, there is a problem in that a great physical burden is required to move to a high working position by climbing a ladder installed inside the tower. In addition, there is a problem in that work at high places always involves the danger of injury or death due to falling. Especially, since the wind turbine generator is installed in a place where the wind is strong, there is a problem that the danger is large. Above all,
When removing the wire connected to the hub with a worker on the gondola, there is a problem that the danger is extremely large. The present invention pays attention to the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wind turbine generator installation method and a wind turbine generator that can be installed by working in a low place.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a method of installing a wind turbine generator according to the present invention is to assemble all or a part of a tower of a wind turbine generator horizontally, and to attach the tower to a base portion or the base. The remaining part of the tower installed on the base part was hingedly connected, the horizontally assembled tower was raised and fixed, and a wind turbine generator was installed.

[0006] It is preferable that the tower assembled horizontally is pushed up and raised using a jack. Further, when the tower is horizontally assembled, it is preferable that the nacelle, the hub, and the blade are horizontally assembled.

On the other hand, a wind turbine generator according to the present invention has a structure in which a portion between a tower and a base portion or an intermediate portion of the tower has a hinge connection structure, and an upper portion of the hinge connection portion is capable of falling and standing up. And

[0008]

In the wind turbine generator, all or a part of the tower in the wind turbine generator is horizontally assembled, and the tower is hingedly connected to a foundation or the rest of the tower installed on the foundation, and the horizontally assembled tower is erected. Because the tower is fixed, the wind turbine generator can be installed after the tower is assembled at a low place near the ground.

Further, since the jack is used, the tower can be raised by applying a pushing force to the tower. When applying this point pulling force, it is necessary to fix it firmly with anchor bolts etc. so that the pulling force generator does not rise from the ground, but if a jack is used there is no such problem and it is easy The wind turbine generator can be installed at low cost.

Further, when the tower is horizontally assembled, the nacelle, the hub and the blades are horizontally assembled, so that the entire assembling work can be performed at a low place near the ground, and then the wind turbine generator can be installed. In particular, there is no need to carry an operator on the gondola to remove the wire connected to the hub at a high place, and the risk of falling is reduced.

Further, since the wind turbine generator has a hinge connection structure between the tower and the base portion or an intermediate portion of the tower, an upper portion of the hinge connection portion can be overturned and erected. In addition to the installation of the wind turbine generator, maintenance or dismantling of the wind turbine generator by working at a low place becomes possible.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that what is described below is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. The installation method of the wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment includes a nacelle,
A hub and blades are horizontally assembled, the tower is hinged to a lower part of a tower installed on a foundation, the horizontally assembled tower is raised and fixed by a hydraulic jack, and a wind turbine generator is installed. .

At the place where the wind turbine generator is installed, a base 7 that supports the weight of the wind turbine generator and prevents it from falling is installed (see FIG. 8). The base part 7 is composed of an underground part and a ground part connected to the underground part, and the underground part is formed of reinforced concrete or the like. Further, in order to prevent the underground part from being pulled out to the ground by the erecting work of the tower, it is preferable that the projected area of the underground part on the ground surface is larger than the area of the base part upper surface. Further, it is preferable that the distance from the central axis of the foundation to the tip of the underground portion in the direction of assembling the tower and in the opposite direction is longer than the distance from the center axis of the base in the other direction. On the other hand, in order that the tower middle part 2b and the tower lower part 2a can be fixed to each other after the tower is erected, flanges and the like are formed on the bottom surface of the tower middle part and the upper surface of the tower lower part, respectively. FIG. 2
As shown in (2), the shaft 14 is attached to both sides of the middle part 2b or the upper part 2c of the tower for connection with a hydraulic jack. The shaft 14 is attached by welding or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of band fittings 18 may be arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the tower, fixed to each other with bolts or the like, and the shaft 14 may be attached to the band fittings. Thereby, the load can be dispersed and input to the tower when the tower is standing, and the shaft 14 can be easily removed after the tower is installed. In order to prevent the band from sliding on the tower surface,
Are arranged on both axial sides of the band fitting 18 and fixed to the tower. On the other hand, the rotating pin of the hinge 12 is formed so as to withstand a shear load several times the weight of the wind turbine generator.

Further, two hydraulic jacks 22 for erecting the tower are formed on both sides of the tower 2. The two hydraulic jacks 22 are formed so as to be able to support a load several times the own weight of the wind turbine generator. Further, holes are formed at both ends of the hydraulic jack 22 for connection to the tower 2 and a base 20 described later. In addition, in order to operate the hydraulic jack at a constant speed even when the direction of the force acting on the hydraulic jack 22 is suddenly reversed, the hydraulic circuit of the hydraulic jack is formed as a meter-out circuit shown in FIG. The meter-out circuit is provided with a flow control valve on the oil return side. On the other hand, for assembling the wind turbine generator, a plurality of work tables 32 and 34 are temporarily provided along the assembling direction of the tower 2.

In the method for installing a wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment, the wind turbine generator is installed according to the following procedure based on the above configuration. FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a method for installing the wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment.

First, the procedure for assembling the wind turbine generator will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a method of assembling the wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment. The components of the tower 2, the nacelle 3, the hub 4, and the blades 5 and the hinges 12, which constitute the wind turbine generator, are individually manufactured in a factory and carried to the installation site. First, as shown in FIG. 2 (2), the tower lower part 2a is installed on the base part 7 (step 80). The specific installation method is the same as in the prior art. Next, the components of the wind turbine generator other than the tower lower part 2a are horizontally assembled (step 82). The assembling procedure is a repetition of a work of placing each part on the worktables 32 and 34 and a work of joining the placed parts. Since the mounting method and the joining method are common to each component, a specific method for the blade 5 and the hub 4 will be described as a representative. First,
The blade 5 and the hub 4 manufactured in the factory are loaded on a trailer, transported to the installation site, and unloaded with a small crane.
Next, the blade 5 is connected to the hub 4 on the ground to form a windmill portion 6. Next, as shown in FIG. 2A, the blade 5 and the hub 4 of the windmill portion 6 are simultaneously connected to a crane hook 46 of a small crane with a wire or the like. Then, the windmill portion 6 is lifted by the small crane and placed on the nacelle 3 as shown in FIG.

Next, the worker moves horizontally inside the tower 2 to reach the tip of the nacelle 3 and performs the joining operation of the windmill portion 6. On the other hand, a ladder is temporarily provided from above the worktable 34 toward the above-mentioned joint portion of the wire or the like, and the worker climbs the ladder to remove the wire or the like. Since the work is performed at a low place, even if a gondola is connected to a small crane and a worker is put on the work to remove wires or the like, there is little risk of injury or death due to falling. The above operation is performed for each component in the same manner as described above, and each component of the wind turbine generator other than the tower lower part 2a is horizontally assembled.

Next, the upper end of the tower lower part 2a installed on the base part 7 and the lower end of the horizontally assembled tower middle part 2b are connected by the hinge 16 (step 84). The middle part 2b of the tower may be placed horizontally on the workbench 32, hinged to the lower part 2a of the tower in advance, and then the other parts may be assembled horizontally. Meanwhile, the lower part of the tower 2
The whole of the wind turbine generator including a may be assembled horizontally, and this may be hinged to the flange 8 (see FIG. 8) provided on the base portion 7. The lower part 2a of the tower placed horizontally
And the flange 8 on the base 7 may be hinged in advance, and then the other components may be horizontally assembled. According to these methods, it is possible to assemble the wind turbine generator at a low place near the ground. In this case, a flange or the like is formed on the bottom surface of the tower lower portion 2a so that it can be fixed to the flange 8 of the foundation.

Next, a hydraulic jack 22 is installed between the horizontally assembled tower 2 and the ground surface (step 8).
6). One hydraulic jack will be installed on each side of the tower. Specifically, the shaft 14 attached to the tower 2 is rotatably fitted to a hole formed at the tower-side end of the hydraulic jack 22. Further, a shaft 2 for connecting a hydraulic jack is provided.
The base 20 formed with 5 is fixed on the ground, and its shaft is rotatably fitted to a hole formed at the ground side end of the hydraulic jack 22. By connecting the two ends of the hydraulic jack 22 with the pins as described above, the bending moment does not act on the hydraulic jack, and the failure of the hydraulic jack can be prevented. As described above, while the own weight of the wind turbine generator acts on the center of gravity point 10 in the downward direction, an upward force acts on the position of the shaft 14 serving as the connection point of the hydraulic jack 22, and any point acts as a fulcrum. Since it is located on the side of the nacelle 3 when viewed from the hinge 16, the wind turbine generator is balanced and supported. Therefore, at this stage, the worktables 32 and 34 can be removed (step 88). In addition, it is preferable that the shaft 14, which is a connection point of the hydraulic jack, is mounted as close to the nacelle 3 as possible. Thereby, the ratio of the arm length up to the axis 14 to the arm length from the hinge 16 serving as a fulcrum to the center of gravity 10 is increased. Therefore, the pushing force generated by the hydraulic jack can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost and operating cost of the hydraulic jack can be reduced.

Next, the hydraulic jack is operated to erect the tower (step 90). FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for erecting a wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment. That is, a push-up force is generated on the hydraulic jack 22, and the shaft 14 is moved along an arc 28 centered on the hinge 16 as shown in FIG.
To raise the tower. If the center of gravity 10 climbs over the hinge 16 as shown in FIG. 1 (2) immediately before the wind turbine generator stands, the wind turbine generator may fall down on the tower lower part 2a due to gravity inertia, and may damage each part. There is. However, since the hydraulic circuit of the hydraulic jack is formed as a meter-out circuit or the like as described above, even if the direction of the force acting on the hydraulic jack 22 after the center of gravity 10 passes over the hinge 16 and suddenly reverses, the hydraulic jack can be used. It can be operated at high speed. FIG. 5 shows a hydraulic circuit diagram of the meter-out circuit. In FIG. 5, when a downward force is acting on the piston, oil discharged from the pump 58 flows into the cylinder 51 and pushes up the piston 52. However, in the meter-out circuit 50, since the flow control valve 54 is installed on the pipe 54 on the cylinder upper side which is the oil return side, the rising speed of the piston 52 is kept constant according to the flow set value of the flow control valve 56. Will be kept. Therefore piston 5
Even when an upward force is suddenly applied to 2, the rising speed of the piston 52 can be kept constant according to the set flow rate of the flow control valve 54. Thus, the wind turbine generator can be safely installed without being damaged. As described above, the horizontally assembled tower 2 is erected (step 90).

Next, the tower lower part 2a and the standing tower middle part 2b are fixed (step 94). Tower lower part 2a
Since the flange and the like are formed on the opposing surfaces of the tower middle part 2b, they are fixed with bolts or the like. Note that the hinge 16 and the shaft 14 may be removed after the tower is erected, or may be left attached to be used for the maintenance / disassembly method of the wind turbine generator described in the third embodiment. With the above operation, the entire wind turbine generator is installed on the foundation.
After installation, the hydraulic jack 22 is removed and reused for installing another windmill generator.

If the method for installing a wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment is used, the wind turbine generator can be installed by working at a low place. In this regard, conventionally, each component of the wind turbine generator has been sequentially installed from below. Therefore, in order to perform the connection work of each part, it is necessary to climb the ladder installed inside the tower to a high place, which is a physical burden on the worker. In addition, there is always the danger of injury or injury due to falling when working at heights, especially since the wind turbine generator is installed in a windy place. In particular, when a worker is put on a gondola to remove a wire or the like connected to the hub, the danger is extremely large.

However, in the first embodiment, the nacelle, the hub, and the blade are horizontally assembled in addition to the middle and upper portions of the tower, and the tower is hinged to the lower portion of the tower installed on the base, and the horizontally assembled tower is assembled. The tower is raised and fixed by a hydraulic jack, and a wind turbine generator is installed. Thus, the wind turbine generator can be assembled at least at a low place equivalent to the upper end of the lower part of the tower. Therefore, it is not necessary to climb the ladder to a high place, and the physical burden on the worker can be reduced. In addition, since the work is performed at a low place, the possibility of injury or death is reduced even when the machine falls. on the other hand,
Since the hydraulic jack is used to raise the tower, the tower can be raised by applying a pushing force to the tower. When applying this point pulling force, it is necessary to firmly fix the pulling force generator with anchor bolts etc. so that it does not rise from the ground, but using a hydraulic jack does not have such a problem and it is easy The wind turbine generator can be installed at low cost.

Further, in addition to the tower, the nacelle, the hub, and the blade are also assembled horizontally, so that the entire wind turbine generator can be assembled by working at a low place. In particular, there is no need to carry an operator on a gondola to remove wires and the like connected to the hub at a high place, thereby reducing the risk of falling.

Since the wind turbine generator can be assembled in a low place as described above, the wind turbine generator can be assembled only by a small crane without using a large crane, and the operating cost of the crane can be reduced. it can. Further, it is possible to reduce road construction costs for carrying a large crane. In addition, when moving the large crane to the next wind turbine generator installation location, it was necessary to disassemble and move the jib, boom, counterweight, etc., and reassemble it. , Construction time and labor costs can be reduced.

Further, since the wind turbine generator is assembled horizontally as described above, it is not necessary to lift each part by hanging and hanging by two cranes, and it is possible to lift with only one crane. Therefore, the operating cost of the crane can be reduced.

The method of installing the wind turbine generator according to the second embodiment is such that the nacelle, the hub and the blade are horizontally assembled in addition to the middle and upper parts of the tower, and the tower is hinged to the lower part of the tower installed on the foundation. Then, the tower assembled horizontally is raised and fixed by a winch, and a wind turbine generator is installed. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be omitted. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a method of assembling the wind turbine generator according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, a winch (hoist) 66 is installed to pull the tower 2 upright. The winch 66 is installed on the opposite side of the base 2 from the place where the tower 2 is horizontally assembled, and is firmly fixed to the ground using anchor bolts or the like.

In the method of installing the wind turbine generator according to the second embodiment, first, similarly to the first embodiment, in addition to the middle and upper portions of the tower, a nacelle, a hub, and blades are horizontally assembled, and the tower is mounted on a base portion. It is connected to the lower part of the tower installed above by a hinge 16. Next, in the second embodiment, the winch 66 and the tower 2 are connected by a wire 67 or the like. By the way, when the wire 67 connecting the tower and the winch is located below the hinge 16, the tower does not stand even if the wire is wound up by the winch. Therefore,
The crane hook 62 and the tower 2 are connected by wires, and the tower 2 is raised by the crane. Then, the wire 67 connecting the tower and the winch also rises at the same time, and stops moving the crane when the wire passes over the hinge 16 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the wire 67 can be wound up by the winch 66 to erect the tower 2. After that, a wind turbine generator is installed as in the first embodiment.

In the method of installing a wind turbine generator according to the second embodiment, the horizontally assembled tower is set up by a winch, so that the wind turbine generator is installed at a lower cost than in the first embodiment using a hydraulic jack. can do.

In the wind turbine generator according to the third embodiment, the lower part of the tower and the middle part of the tower are hinged. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a method for maintaining or dismantling a wind turbine generator according to the third embodiment. The maintenance or disassembly method of the wind turbine generator according to the third embodiment performs the reverse work of the installation method according to the first embodiment. That is, the lower part of the tower and the middle part of the tower are hinged to the already installed wind turbine generator (step 120). Next, a hydraulic jack is installed between the tower and the ground (step 122). The hydraulic jack is installed in the extended state. The hydraulic circuit of the hydraulic jack used in the third embodiment is the same meter-out circuit as that of the first embodiment, except that a flow control valve 56 is installed on a pipe 53 below the cylinder which is the oil return side. Are different. Next, the fixing between the lower part of the tower and the middle part of the tower is released, and only the hinge is connected (step 124). Next, the hydraulic jack is operated in reverse to apply a pulling force to the tower (step 1).
26). The pulling force is applied to the tower only for a short time until the center of gravity exceeds the hinge, and the pulling force to be applied is small. After the center of gravity exceeds the hinge, the tower descends due to gravity inertia. However, the descending speed can be kept constant by the meter-out circuit.
The tower is turned over as described above (Step 12)
8). If necessary, set up a workbench (Step 1)
30), maintenance or dismantling work of the wind turbine generator is performed (step 132).

According to the wind turbine generator according to the third embodiment,
In addition to installing the wind turbine generator by working at low places, the wind turbine generator can be maintained or dismantled by working at low places. In this regard, the conventional disassembly method disassembles each component of the wind turbine generator in order from the top. Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment, the work is performed at a high place, the physical burden on the worker is large, and there is a risk of death or injury due to falling. However, in the third embodiment, maintenance or disassembly of the wind turbine generator can be performed in a low place, so that the physical burden on the operator can be reduced, and the possibility of injury or death even when the operator falls is reduced. On the other hand, to turn the tower over, it is only necessary to apply a small pulling force to the tower immediately after the start of the fall, and it is not necessary to fix the hydraulic jack firmly to the ground. A generator can be installed. In addition, the wind turbine generator can be maintained or disassembled with the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

[0033]

According to the present invention, all or a part of a tower in a wind turbine generator is horizontally assembled, and the tower is hinged to a base portion or the rest of the tower installed on the base portion, and the horizontally assembled tower is assembled. Erect and fix,
Since the configuration is such that the wind turbine generator is installed, the wind turbine generator can be installed by working at a low place.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for erecting a wind turbine generator according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a method of assembling the wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a method of attaching a shaft.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a method for installing a wind turbine generator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a hydraulic circuit diagram of a meter-out circuit.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a method for installing a wind turbine generator according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a maintenance or disassembly method for a wind turbine generator according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a wind turbine generator.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a method of installing a blade and a hub according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 wind turbine generator, 2 tower, 2a tower lower part, 2b tower middle part, 2c upper tower, 3 tower nacelle, 4 hub, 5 ... blade, 6 ... windmill part, 7 ... base part, 8 ... flange, 10 ... center of gravity, 14 ... ... shaft, 16 ... hinge, 18 ... band fittings, 19 ... ... Stopper, 20
……… Base, 22 …… Hydraulic cylinder, 25 ………
Shaft, 28... Shaft moving direction, 32.
…… Work table, 50… Meter-out circuit, 51…
... Cylinder, 52 ... Piston, 53, 54 ... Piping, 56 ... Flow control valve, 58 ... Pump, 62 ...
... crane hook, 66 ... winch, 67 ...
Wire, 108 ... Gondola, 109 ... Worker,
145 crane hook, 184, 188 crane hook

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A tower or a part of a tower of a wind turbine generator is horizontally assembled, and the tower is hingedly connected to a base part or the rest of the tower installed on the base part. Erect and fix,
A method for installing a wind turbine generator, comprising installing a wind turbine generator. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the horizontally assembled tower is pushed up and raised using a jack. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the nacelle, the hub, and the blade are horizontally assembled when the tower is horizontally assembled. 4. A hinge-connected structure between a tower and a base portion of the wind turbine generator or an intermediate portion of the tower,
A windmill generator, wherein an upper part of the hinge connection portion is capable of falling and standing up.