APPARATUS FOR RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION OF WIND TURBINE BLADES

• US 20130343827A1
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: John T. Sullivan, Karsten Schibsbye
• Inventors: SCHIBSBYE, KARSTEN, SULLIVAN, JOHN T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,641,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 410/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/40 for carrying long loads, e.g. with separate wheeled load supporting elements E04G21/14 takes precedence; signal devices to be attached to overhanging load B60Q7/02
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 3/16 adapted for carrying special loads
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/40 Arrangements or methods specially adapted for transporting wind motor components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

An apparatus (100) for transporting a wind turbine blade (10) on at least two railcars over a railway is provided. The apparatus includes a root end support (22) for supporting the root end (12) of the blade, a mid span support (28) for supporting the mid span (14) of the blade, and a tip displacement limiter (24) for restricting a tip end (16) of the blade from extending beyond a lateral transportation limit (30) imposed by the railroad. The tip displacement limiter exerts a force on the blade which is counter to a force exerted on the blade by the mid span support only when the railcars navigate a design basis curve (32) in the railway to cause a bending of the blade in order to avoid exceeding the lateral transportation limit. The apparatus is particularly useful for the transportation of extra-long or curved wind turbine blades.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transporting a wind turbine blade over a railroad, the apparatus comprising:

a blade root support connected to a first railcar, the blade root support configured to receive a root end of the blade, a tip displacement limiter connected to a second railcar, and a mid span support connected to one of the first or second railcars and positioned between the blade root support and the tip displacement limiter, wherein the mid span support is configured to receive a midsection of the blade; and

wherein the tip displacement limiter comprises a vertically extending bumper positioned outboard of the railcar to contact the blade at a point on the blade within 10% of an axial length of the blade from a tip end, such that when the blade is transported around a design basis curve in the railroad, the tip displacement limiter restricts the blade tip end from extending beyond a lateral transportation limit by exerting a force on the blade which is counter to a force exerted on the blade by the mid span support, resulting in a bending of the blade only as necessary to prevent the tip end from extending beyond the lateral transportation limit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vertically extending bumper is positioned to contact the blade within 5% of the axial length of the blade from the tip end.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vertically extending bumper is positioned to contact the blade within 2.5% of the axial length of the blade from the tip end.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blade is a curved blade, and where the curve is in a horizontal plane, and wherein the blade root support is offset horizontally in a first direction from a centerline of the railroad, and the mid span support is offset horizontally in a second direction opposite the first direction.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vertically extending bumper is positioned within 2-4 feet inboard of the lateral transportation limit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vertically extending bumper is positioned within 1-5 feet inboard of the lateral transportation limit.

7. An apparatus for transporting a wind turbine blade over a railroad using at least a first railcar and a second railcar, wherein the railroad imposes a lateral transportation limit, and wherein the wind turbine blade comprises a root end, a midsection and a tip end, the apparatus comprising:

a blade root support connected to the first railcar, the blade root support configured to receive the root end of the blade,

a mid span support positioned between a center of gravity of the blade and 60% of an axial length of the blade from the blade root end, the mid span support configured to receive the midsection of the blade; and

a tip displacement limiter connected to the second railcar, wherein the tip displacement limiter comprises a vertically extending bumper positioned outboard of the railcar to contact the blade at a point on the blade within 10% of the axial length of the blade from the tip end, such that when the blade is transported around a design basis curve in the railroad, the tip displacement limiter restricts the blade tip end from extending beyond the lateral transportation limit by exerting a force on the blade which is counter to a force exerted on the blade by the mid span support, resulting in a bending of the blade, wherein the bending is distributed across at least 30% of the blade length.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the mid span support is positioned at a location that is at no more than 50% of the axial length of the blade from the blade root end.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the vertically extending bumper contacts the blade at a point on the blade within 5% of the axial length of the blade from the tip end.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the vertically extending bumper contacts the blade at a point on the blade within 2.5% of the axial length of the blade from the tip end.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the bending is distributed across at least 40% of the blade length.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the bending is distributed across at least 50% of the blade length.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the blade is a curved blade, and wherein the blade root support is offset horizontally in a first direction from a centerline of the railroad, and the mid span support is horizontally offset in a second direction opposite the first direction.

14. An apparatus for transporting a wind turbine blade over a railroad using at least a first railcar and a second railcar, wherein the railroad imposes a lateral transportation limit, and wherein the wind turbine blade comprises a root end, a midsection, and a tip end, the apparatus comprising:

a blade root support connected to the first railcar, the blade root support configured to support the root end of the blade, a tip displacement limiter connected to the second railcar, and a mid span support positioned between the blade root support and the tip displacement limiter, the mid span support being configured to receive the midsection of the blade; and

wherein the tip displacement limiter comprises a vertically extending bumper positioned outboard of the railcar to make contact with the wind turbine blade at a point within 15 feet from the tip end, such that when the blade is transported around a design basis curve in the railroad, the tip displacement limiter restricts the blade tip end from extending beyond the lateral transportation limit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the blade is a curved blade, and wherein the blade is curved in a horizontal plane, and wherein the blade root support is offset horizontally in a first direction from a centerline of the railroad, and the mid span support is offset horizontally in a second direction opposite the first direction.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the vertically extending bumper makes contact with the blade at a point on the blade within 5 feet from the tip end.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein vertically extending bumper makes contact with the blade at a point on the blade within 3 feet from the tip end.