Assembly of a power plant at sea:

Assembly of a wind power plant at sea creates numerous problems, often hard to deal with, if it bases on the technology using cranes.

EKO-PRO proposes an entirely new method of assembly of sea-based wind power plants. The whole facility is put together in the dockyard, placed on a floating platform, and hauled to the place of foundation. The final stage of assembly consists in lifting the power station to a vertical position with the aid of tow boats.

The drawings present successive phases of assembly.

Phase 1 (Drawing 3) - The wind power plant has been hauled on a floating platform to its location. The single-pillar foundation and rotary sleeve mounted thereon are already installed. Pins of the rotary sleeve are at the water surface level. The float bearing the entire wind power plant is connected by a lattice beam with floating ballast which pulls the upper part of the tower down. The rope of the hoisting winch and the bracket keep it in the right position. To the tower, an assembling system of beams and ropes is attached. Its task is to reduce the force of rope tension in Phase 4.

Phase 2 (Drawing 4) - In order to efficiently complete the assembly, the tower bearings and the pins on the rotary sleeve must be on the same level. This is achieved by uncoiling the rope from the hoisting winch reel.

Phase 3 (Drawing 5) - The drawing shows a fragment of the tower and the rotary sleeve with pins seen from the top. First, one of the tower's bearings is positioned in front of one of the pins on the rotary sleeve at a small angle. Then the tower bearing is pushed onto the pin. Finally, both bearings are placed symmetrically on relevant pins which are blocked with pegs to prevent the bearings from going out of the pins.

Phase 4 (Drawing 6) - Depending on the size of the wind power plant, two or three tow boats approach and hook ropes on the rope of the assembling system. The tow boats pull the ropes and the wind power plant turns up on the pins of the rotary sleeve until it reaches a vertical position. At this moment the tower floats hit the water. The assembly is completed. All that remains to do is to dismantle the assembling system, install the back rudder, remove the blockade from the rotary sleeve, which may from now on rotate freely, and connect the power transmission cable.