A Novel Tripod Concept for Onshore Wind Turbine Towers

Autor: Maria Villi Billi, Charis J. Gantes, Mahmut Güldogan, Semih Gül
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Energies; Volume 14; Issue 18; Pages: 5772
Energies, Vol 14, Iss 5772, p 5772 (2021)
ISSN: 1996-1073
DOI: 10.3390/en14185772
Popis: A wind turbine tower assembly is presented, consisting of a lower “tripod section” and an upper tubular steel section, aiming at enabling very tall hub heights for optimum exploitation of the wind potential. The foundation consists of sets of piles connected at their top by a common pile cap below each tripod leg. The concept can be applied for the realization of new or the upgrade of existing wind turbine towers. It is adjustable to both onshore and offshore towers, but emphasis is directed towards overcoming the stricter onshore transportability constraints. For that purpose, pre-welded individual tripod parts are transported and are then bolted together during erection, contrary to fully pre-welded tripods that have been used in offshore towers. Alternative constructional details of the tripod joints are therefore proposed that address the fabrication, transportability, on-site erection and maintenance requirements and can meet structural performance criteria. The main structural features are demonstrated by means of a typical case study comprising a 180-m-tall tower, consisting of a 120-m-tall tubular superstructure on top of a 60-m-tall tripod substructure. Realistic cross-sections are calculated, leading to weight and cost estimations, thus demonstrating the feasibility and competitiveness of the concept.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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