Crane system to install giant offshore wind turbines

Norwegian company develops system including aluminum frame, crane and some other tools that help reduce the cost of installing offshore wind turbines by 50%.

Offshore wind turbine installation crane system. Photo: Windspider

One reason offshore wind power is expensive is that installing turbines requires massive crane ships. To address this, Norwegian company Windspider has developed an ultralight crane system that promises to cut costs in half, New Atlas reported on March 26. The company has just received significant funding to develop and build its first full-scale system.

The new generation of offshore wind turbines is growing to staggering sizes. They consist of giant towers, taller than some skyscrapers, topped with a generator box with three blades that can span more than 310 meters in diameter. Lifting the giant generators and blades to the top of the tower is no small feat, and it’s done from a crane ship that bobs in the waves. Cranes this large can cost millions of dollars a day.

WindSpider’s solution is to build an aluminum exoskeleton around the mast. This cage-like section is relatively light and easy to handle, and doesn’t require the same modifications to the turbine design as the climbing crane method.

Atop the frame sits a heavy-duty crane, adjustable to handle loads of over 1,500 tons. The crane is designed to hug both sides, with enough space in the middle to lift the generator box and place it on top of the turbine’s mast.

WindSpider's blade tool helps lift wind turbine blades. Photo: Windspider

Once the generator box is installed, WindSpider’s “blade tool” will grab each turbine blade from the deck and pull it up. It grabs one side of the frame and lifts the blade up, rotating it into position to attach to the generator box. WindSpider designed this tool because lifting the giant blades with a crane in windy areas can be difficult. WindSpider also designed another tool, also attached to the side of the frame, to lift and replace parts of the generator box, which can weigh up to 400 tons, during maintenance.

WindSpider believes the new system can operate at altitudes of more than 200 meters. The company also said the system will help reduce installation and maintenance costs for fixed and floating turbines by more than 50%.

Thu Thao (According to New Atlas )

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