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The Automatic Positioning System (APS) simplifies and speeds up the installation of rotor blades while also increasing the safety at ENERCON construction sites. Using this system means that no more guide ropes are needed, which opens up new possibilities for site engineering in particular at challenging sites.
The Rotor Blade Clamp (RBC) made by Ematec, which has already proved its worth at ENERCON construction sites, is joined by another engineering innovation: the Automatic Positioning System (APS) developed by Seaside Solutions based on ENERCON requirements consists of two propellers that are mounted on the Ematec lifting beam and ensure greater efficiency and safety for rotor blade installation.
With this combination of RBC and APS, rotor blade installation can be performed without the use of guide ropes. The two propellers can compensate for higher wind speeds and are better at stabilising the rotor blades, compared to the previous method of using guide ropes controlled by workers on the ground. This makes it possible to install rotor blades at wind speeds up to 10 m/s. The traditional approach worked at wind speeds up to 8 m/s, depending on the rotor blade type. ‘On average, using the APS saves us 2.3 working days per construction site, when otherwise installation would have to be put on hold because of weather conditions’, explains site engineer Klaas Schumann.
Doing away with the guide ropes has also reduced the working radius required for rotor blade installation. ‘In particular for challenging sites, such as in the forest or in the mountains, near the water or near major industrial sites, this new system makes work at the construction site faster, simpler and safer’, says equipment expert Gerhard Olthoff. Without the new system, the use of guide ropes for stabilising rotor blades and other major components during installation requires 150 metres of space. ‘Thanks to the APS, we can offer our customers safe and effective installation even at challenging sites where this kind of space is not available’, says Klaas Schumann.
Working with the APS does more than just save time and resources – for workers at the construction site, it also reduces the hazards involved in the use of guide ropes. ‘We no longer need constant communication between the three workers who guide and monitor the guide ropes. RBC and APS are controlled by two remote control units’, adds Gerhard Olthoff. One person controls the process from the ground until the component reaches a certain height; then, control is transferred to a second person in the hub who completes the lifting and installation process. The energy supply is via a redundant system with two power generators. This ensures that even if one generator fails, the component can still be lowered to the ground safely.
There is another benefit of the ASP, says Klaas Schumann: when replacing major components, it is no longer necessary to attach guide ropes to the components up-tower – a time-consuming procedure. ‘On top of that, the lifting beam consisting of RBC and APS is gentler on the components because only horizontal forces act on the rotor blades during the hoisting operation.’
Originally, two systems were available. They provided for easier and faster installation in a number of projects such as Flöthe, Fuchstal and Liebenau in Germany and the large-scale Horizonte project in Chile. Starting in August, 17 of the new systems will gradually become available for blade installation in ENERCON projects at challenging sites. ‘We are also investigating whether the system could provide benefits for the installation processes of other components’, says Gerhard Olthoff with a view to the future.
