Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4-6. Dimensional Breakpoints in Transportation Costs. Exceeding these
breakpoints results in major logistic problems and excessive costs. [Griffin 200]
Component
Height
Width
Length
Mass
Blades
4.4 m (4.5 ft)
7.6 m (25 ft)
45.7-48.8 m
(50-60 ft)
Not Problematic
Hubs (w/o permits)
3.7 m (2 ft)
Not Problematic
Not Problematic
7,200-9,00 kg
(38,000-42,000 lbs)
Nacelles
3.7 m (2 ft)
Not Problematic
Not Problematic
79,400-83,900 kg
(75,000-85,000 lbs)
Towers (w/o pemits)
3.7 m (2 ft)
Not Problematic
.2 m (5.3 ft)
7,200-9,00 kg
(38,000-42,000 lbs)
Towers (w/ permits)
4.5 m (4.5 ft)
Not Problematic
Not Problematic
79,400-83,900 kg
(75,000-85,000 lbs)
Blade Transportation
Blades are commonly transported by ship, rail, and truck. Blade length is the most difficult
transportation challenge for large-scale wind turbines. Some early large-scale wind turbines
( e.g ., the Mod-2 2.5 MW HAWT and the Mod-5B 3.2 MW HAWT) used blades made of weld-
ed steel plates that were manufactured in several pieces to satisfy transportation constraints.
These sections were then bolted and welded together on-site. However, today's wind turbine
blades are made of composite materials and are manufactured in one piece. This is partly be-
cause of the difficulty in designing and fabricating joints between composite material sections.
Using metal fasteners at a potential blade joint can result in significant internal stresses caused
by the difference in the moduli of elasticity of the two materials. Figure 4-6 shows the type of
special truck and trailer equipment that is required to transport very large wind turbine blades.
Figure 4-6. Specialized wheeled fixtures are required for transporting very long wind
turbine blades. The blade shown here is 6.5 m long. ( Courtesy of LM Glasfiber )
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