Noreq’s Danish subsidiary NoreqActa is to supply 108 Wind Turbine Platform Cranes (WTPCs) for the field – a massive joint venture between Scottish Power Renewables and DONG Energy with a total predicted capacity of around 389MW.
“The dimensions of this park are enormous and it is expected that after the start up in 2014 it will deliver power equivalent to 300,000 British households,” says Styrk Bekkenes, managing director of Noreq.
Noreq has so far delivered close to 1,000 WTPC units to different wind farms: Mr Bekkenes tells MJ that the main changes to the design have come about from looking intensely at the service and maintenance aspects. He explains that when the company was first involved in producing cranes specifically for wind farms “it was a very new industry” but from that first generation, experience and a great deal of collaboration has meant a shift in design.
“Now, so much more is built in: for example the electrical motor and winch is now incorporated into the structure of the crane, integrated well into the body,” he says. Further, the wiring is also channelled into the structure.
The unit consists of two basic steel elements: a lower section which forms the base and an upper section which constitutes the jib of the crane. All the mechanical parts are enclosed in the construction to prevent corrosion and for easy maintenance.
The crane design has a hoisting speed that can be adjusted for the particular wind farm operation, but this set has been optimised for a hoist speed of around 20 metres per minute. The easy-to-operate manual slewing mechanism can take in 360 degrees of turn, run from a worm gear slewing ring. It also benefits from a waterproof and enclosed design.
The crane, which has a capacity of 1 tonne at 2.9 metres extension, is delivered and mounted as a complete unit: this “plug and play” functionality helps with the ease of installation – a necessary point in the inhospitable environments common to offshore wind farms.
Its not going to stop there, as more offshore energy sites are projected. “The potential within the clean energy business is huge,” concludes Mr Bekkenes.
WTPC winch:
Electrical motor
Planet gear
Drum
Wire pressure roller
Centrifugal brake
Emergency brake
Limit switch and encoder
Weatherproof cover in stainless steel
