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EP-4739906-A1 - A TOWER FOR A WIND TURBINE

EP4739906A1EP 4739906 A1EP4739906 A1EP 4739906A1EP-4739906-A1

Abstract

A tower (20) for a wind turbine comprising a plurality of tower sections (21, 22, 23, 24), a spacer (40) and a frame (50) is provided. The spacer (40) configured for allowing access to the tower and the frame (50) for coupling the tower (20) to a foundation. The spacer (40) comprises a first plate (60), a second plate (70), and at least one support element (80) arranged between the first plate (60) and the second plate (70). The first plate (60) and second plate (70) spaced apart to form at least one opening (90) to allow workers to enter the interior of the tower (20).

Inventors

  • BERTELSEN, Frederik Jul

Assignees

  • Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240730

Claims (11)

  1. 1. A tower (20) for a wind turbine (10) comprising a plurality of tower sections (21, 22, 23, 24) , a spacer (40) for allowing access to the tower (20) and a frame (50) for coupling the tower (20) to a foundation, wherein the spacer (40) is arranged between the frame (50) and a lower tower section (21) of the plurality of tower sections (21, 22, 23, 24) , wherein the spacer (40) comprises: - a first plate (60) coupled to a flange (30) of the lower tower section (21) , - a second plate (70) coupled to the frame (50) , and - at least one support element (80) arranged between the first plate (60) and the second plate (70) and coupled to both the first plate (60) and the second plate (70) , characterized in that the first plate (60) and the second plate (70) are spaced apart to form at least one opening (90) , wherein the opening (90) is configured to allow workers to enter the interior of the tower (20) .
  2. 2. The tower (20) according to claim 1, wherein the spacer (40) comprises a plurality of support elements (80) arranged between the first plate (60) and the second plate (70) and coupled to both the first plate (60) and the second plate (70) .
  3. 3. The tower (20) according to claim 2, wherein the spacer (40) comprises a plurality of openings (90) formed between the plurality of support elements (80) .
  4. 4. The tower (20) according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of openings (90) is configured for the passage of HV-cables.
  5. 5. The tower (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said tower (20) comprises a plurality of spacers (40) arranged between the frame (50) and the lower tower section (21) .
  6. 6. The tower (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the spacer (40) further comprises a tower guiding element (100) arranged at the first plate (60) for aligning the spacer (40) with the lower tower section (21) during installation .
  7. 7. The tower (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the spacer (40) further comprises at least one forklift pocket (110) for transporting the spacer (40) during installation .
  8. 8. The tower (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first plate (60) comprises holes (120) and fastening means inserted in the holes (120) for coupling the first plate (60) with the lower tower section (21) .
  9. 9. The tower (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second plate (70) comprises holes (130) and fastening means inserted in the holes (130) for coupling the second plate (70) with the frame (50) .
  10. 10. The tower (20) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the fastening means are semi-permanent joining means such as bolts, screws, pins, rivets, threads, studs, or other longitudinal pieces which can be used as fasteners.
  11. 11. A wind turbine (10) comprising a generator, a foundation, a nacelle and a tower (20) according to any of the claims 1 to 10, wherein the frame (50) of the tower (20) is coupled to the foundation and an upper tower section (24) of the plurality of tower sections (21, 22, 23, 24) is coupled to the nacelle .

Description

Description A tower for a wind turbine FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tower for a wind turbine having a tower spacer between the lower part of the tower and the frame to allow workers to enter the interior of the tower . BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Wind turbine towers are typically designed with a door opening . Some off shore wind turbines a s sembly includes a transition piece with a door . However , there are some towers or transition pieces that do not include a door opening and the acce s s must be arranged underneath the lower section of the tower or in the tower flange in such a ca se . A typical disadvantage of such known towers is that when maintenance is required, the tower must be lifted to allow workers to acces s to the interior of the tower and perform the maintenance ta s ks . It is therefore a goal of the present invention to provide a tower for a wind turbine with a spacer arranged between the frame and the lower space of the tower , in which the spacer has an opening configured for acces s to allow workers and the HV-cables to enter the interior of the tower , which overcome s the above-mentioned di sadvantages . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The obj ect of the invention is achieved by the independent claims . The dependent claims de scribe advantageous development s and modifications of the invention . In accordance with the invention there is provided a tower for a wind turbine comprising a plurality of tower sections , a spacer for allowing acces s to the tower and a frame for coupling the tower to a foundation . The spacer is arranged between the frame and a lower tower section of the plurality of tower sections . The spacer comprises a first plate , a second plate and at least one support element . The first plate is coupled to a flange of the lower tower section and the second plate is coupled to the frame . The at least one support element is arranged between the first plate and the second plate and coupled to both the first plate and the second plate . The first plate and the second plate are spaced apart to form at least one opening , the opening i s configured to allow workers to enter the interior of the tower . By having a spacer arranged between the f rame and the lower tower section , the tower can be acces sed easily by workers through the opening formed by the first and the second plate . The tower spacer allows to have a permanent acces s , preventing to lift the tower with a crane to acces s underneath the tower every time that the tower needs to be acces sed e . g . , due a maintenance tas k , which is a costly and complex operation . In an example , the spacer may comprise a plurality of support elements arranged between the first plate and the second plate . The support elements may be coupled to both the f irst plate and the second plate . In an example , the spacer may comprise a plurality of openings formed between the plurality of support elements . In an example , the at least one of the plurality of openings may be configured for the pas sage of HV-cable s . Some openings may be assigned only for HV-cables and others only for worker access to prevent accidents, e.g. , worker tripping over a cable. In an example, the tower may comprise a plurality of spacers arranged between the frame and the lower tower section. By having a plurality of spacers arranged between the frame and the lower tower section, there may be a plurality of access to the interior of the tower. Thereby, a worker may save time by entering the tower by the nearest access. In the same way, the HV-cables may be introduced into the nearest access, preventing surrounding the tower which may require longer cables . In an example, the spacer may further comprise a tower guiding element arranged at the first plate for aligning the spacer with the lower tower section during installation. In an example, the spacer may further comprise at least one forklift pocket for transporting the spacer during installation . By having a forklift pocket, the spacer can be easily and securely gripped by a crane, preventing the spacer from slipping . In an example, the first plate may comprise holes and fastening means inserted in the holes for coupling the first plate with the lower tower section. In an example, the second plate may comprise holes and fastening means inserted in the holes for coupling the second plate with the frame. In an example, the fastening means are semi-permanent joining means such as bolts, screws, pins, rivets, threads, studs, or other longitudinal pieces which can be used as fasteners. In a further aspect, a wind turbine comprising a generator, a foundation, a nacelle, and a tower is provided. The frame of the tower is coupled to the foundation and an upper tower section of the plurality of tower sections is coupled to the nacelle . Advantageous configurations and embodiments of the tower according to the invention follow from the claims dependent on claim 1 and cla