Lagerwey, Ampelmann and Axtech are the winners of Statoil’s innovation challenge on the heavy maintenance of offshore wind turbines.
The three companies will each receive a prize of Nkr100,000 (€10,500) towards their proposals and discussions will now take place with Statoil on the further maturation of the ideas.
Onshore wind turbine developer Lagerwey has developed a climbing crane, which attaches itself to the wind tower and climbs up.
While the crane is climbing, it can install elements of the wind tower or change heavy elements of the wind turbine, Statoil said.
Ampelmann’s E-type hexapod would compensate relative motions by using a special gripper on a gangway to make a stable connection.
Once connected, a robot – equipped with a small crane and a blade-handling jig – moves over the gangway towards the tower and hoists itself up towards the nacelle.
Payloads are then lowered with the robot along the tower, where the load can be collected, Statoil said.
Axtech proposes a special catamaran vessel called Wind Worker with active stabilization of the vessel’s roll and pitch together with a special compensated telescopic arm.
“By compensating the roll and pitch motions as well as synchronizing the telescopic arm with the windmill’s motions, maintenance may be performed in a safe and efficient way,” Statoil said.
Statoil said it received a total of 48 proposals for the innovation challenge.
Image: Statoil
