Method for assembling a wind turbine and a wind turbine system

Abstract

A method for assembling a wind turbine, including: attaching an elevator carriage (27) to a nacelle (9) to form a carriage-nacelle assembly (27,9); and mounting the carriage-nacelle assembly (27,9) on to a tower (3) as a unit.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A vessel including a platform system for transferring a carriage-nacelle assembly or a carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly from the vessel to the side of an offshore wind turbine tower,
 the platform system comprising a movable platform, a platform control system, at least one actuator and at least one sensor, wherein the platform control system is arranged to control operation of the at least one actuator to adjust an orientation of the movable platform in response to signals received from the at least one sensor to account for movement of the vessel caused by wind and waves while transferring a load to a receiving structure.   
     
     
         22 . The vessel according to  claim 21 , wherein the platform control system is configured to maintain the movable platform substantially motionless relative to the wind turbine tower while transferring the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly from the vessel to the wind turbine tower. 
     
     
         23 . The vessel according to  claim 21 , wherein the platform control system is configured to maintain the movable platform in a substantially horizontal orientation. 
     
     
         24 . The vessel according to  claim 21 , wherein the movable platform comprises platform rails for transporting the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly to the wind turbine tower. 
     
     
         25 . A wind turbine system comprising the vessel according to  claim 21  and the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly, wherein the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly comprises an elevator carriage. 
     
     
         26 . A wind turbine system comprising the vessel according to  claim 25 , wherein the elevator carriage comprises at least one carriage support formation for engaging with at least one tower support formation on the wind turbine tower to support the weight of the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly on the side of the wind turbine tower,
 the elevator carriage has a rail attachment system for releasably attaching to at least one elevator rail on the wind turbine tower, and   the elevator carriage has a drive system for elevating the carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly to the top of the wind turbine tower along the at least one elevator rail on the wind turbine tower.   
     
     
         27 . A method of transferring a carriage-nacelle assembly or a carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly from a vessel to an offshore wind turbine tower,
 the vessel including a platform system comprising a movable platform, a platform control system, at least one actuator and at least one sensor,   the method comprising:
 transporting the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly to the wind turbine tower with the vessel; 
 manoeuvring the vessel to position the movable platform adjacent a base of the wind turbine tower; 
 supporting the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly on the movable platform, 
 controlling operation of the at least one actuator with the platform control system to adjust an orientation of the movable platform in response to signals received from the at least one sensor to account for movement of the vessel caused by wind and waves while transferring a load to a receiving structure; and 
 transferring and mounting the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly to the side of the wind turbine tower. 
   
     
     
         28 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , comprising maintaining the movable platform substantially motionless relative to the wind turbine tower while transferring the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly from the vessel to the wind turbine tower. 
     
     
         29 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , comprising maintaining the movable platform in a substantially horizontal orientation. 
     
     
         30 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , comprising transporting the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly to the wind turbine tower along platform rails on the movable platform. 
     
     
         31 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , wherein the carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly comprises a rotor having a rotor hub and the method comprises mounting carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly onto the wind turbine tower with the rotor hub orientated generally downwards. 
     
     
         32 . The method of transferring of  claim 31 , wherein the rotor has rotor blades and the method comprises supporting tips of the rotor blades with tensioned straps connected to the nacelle. 
     
     
         33 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , wherein the carriage-nacelle assembly is adapted to receive a rotor having a rotor hub and the method comprises mounting the carriage-nacelle assembly onto the wind turbine tower orientated to receive a rotor hub that is orientated generally downwards. 
     
     
         34 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , wherein the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly comprises an elevator carriage and a nacelle, and the nacelle is releasably pivotally attached to the elevator carriage, and the method comprises changing the orientation of the elevator carriage from a substantially horizontal orientation to a substantially vertical orientation. 
     
     
         35 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , wherein the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly comprises an elevator carriage, the method comprising the platform control system using control signals and status information from sensors on the elevator carriage to align the elevator carriage onto the wind turbine tower. 
     
     
         36 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , wherein the wind turbine tower comprises at least one tower support formation, and the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly comprises an elevator carriage with at least one carriage support formation, and the method comprises engaging the at least one carriage support formation with the at least one tower support formation to support the weight of the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly on the side of the wind turbine tower. 
     
     
         37 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , wherein the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly comprises an elevator carriage having a rail attachment system, and the method comprises releasably attaching the rail attachment system to at least one elevator rail on the wind turbine tower. 
     
     
         38 . The method of transferring of  claim 37 , comprising elevating the carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly to the top of the wind turbine tower along the at least one elevator rail and mounting the rotor-nacelle assembly onto the top of the wind turbine tower. 
     
     
         39 . The method of transferring of  claim 27 , wherein the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly comprises an elevator carriage having an umbilical cable for connecting the elevator carriage to at least one of a power source and a control system, the method comprising transferring connection of the umbilical cable from a control system located on the vessel to the wind turbine tower, during transferring and mounting the carriage-nacelle assembly or carriage-rotor-nacelle assembly to the side of the wind turbine tower.