Siemens Gamesa and Huisman Launch Solution to Stabilise Wind Turbine Blades During Installation

April 20, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

Huisman and Siemens Gamesa have developed a solution to stabilise wind turbine blades during installation, but also nacelles and tower segments. The solution, called the Travelling Load Stabilising System, is universally applied in heavy-lifting cranes and can mitigate operational downtime and increase the integrity of the delicate wind turbine components, according to Huisman.

Travelling Load Stabilising System; Image courtesy of Huisman

The system functions as an integral part of the crane and could be operated from the crane’s cabin as well from an optional walk-around box (WAB).

“This is crucial for the technical readiness of next-generation offshore wind turbine installations, even under challenging wind conditions. The resulting increase in installation uptime will be accompanied by a positive effect on the operational activities in general, as well as increased on-site safety”, said Jesper Moeller, Chief Engineer Execution at Siemens Gamesa.

According to Huisman, the company’s latest crane designs also have provisions allowing a retrofit of the Travelling Load Stabilising System.

The new solution consists of a combination of two pairs of tuggers working in unison to control the position of the load.

One pair is fitted on independent trolleys travelling along an integrated rail along the crane’s stiff boom. The trolleys automatically follow the main block to maintain an optimal tugger line configuration. The second pair of tugger lines is deployed from the crane tip providing a force perpendicular to the first pair of tuggers.

Travelling Load Stabilising System; Image: Huisman

By approaching the load from two different directions, the system provides significantly more control than a conventional single pair of tuggers. A specially designed control system holds the actual position of the load, resulting in a much stiffer restraint, and therefore a higher position accuracy compared to conventional tugger systems that rely on constant tension. In case of an unexpected overload, the system will give way but will return to its position setpoint when the force drops below the threshold again.

“Siemens Gamesa sees the system as a potentially new industry standard with benefits for the whole wind industry, providing more productive vessel days, while at the same time reducing (de-)mobilisation times. Hence, Siemens Gamesa will consider the availability of the new Travelling Load Stabilising System on installation vessel cranes as a significant factor in decision making when selecting/hiring appropriate installations vessels in the future”, Siemens Gamesa’s Jesper Moeller said.

David Roodenburg, CEO of Huisman, said: “The only way to accelerate the energy transition is through innovation enabled by the joint forces of industry partners. We have done this by combining the operational knowledge and experience of Siemens Gamesa with the technical equipment knowledge of Huisman. With the Travelling Load Stabilising System, we are very proud that together we can offer installation companies an efficient solution to reduce weather downtime, a challenging and delaying factor of wind turbine installation”.