Case Study: Simplifying Blade Lifts

By Malcolm Ramsay

Navigating the twisting roads of Dumfries & Galloway in Southwest Scotland can be difficult at the best of times, but the task is made all the more complex when it involves a cargo measuring more than 50 meters long.

Heavy haulage firm Collett recently rose to this challenge when it became the first firm in the UK to utilize a blade lifter vehicle to deliver a set of turbines for the remote Windy Rig wind farm, 10 kilometers south of New Cumnock.

Partnering with Belgium heavy-lift specialist P. Adams Transport, Collett was responsible for delivery of 12 turbine blades from the Port of Ayr to the wind farm as well as transport of ancillary components from the King George V Dock in Glasgow.

Neil Mackinnon, project manager at Collett & Sons, told Breakbulk that the project was commissioned by Norwegian state-owned renewable energy group Statkraft. As well as having the expertise and project experience, P. Adams also had a blade lifter suitable for the project.

The blade lifter was developed by heavy-lift manufacturer Goldhofer and offered numerous unique advantages for the project, including allowing the project team to tilt the blade to an angle of up to 60 degrees, and also mount the blade horizontally on to the module.

“This tool can be integrated both into a self-propelled modular trailer and a ‘classic’ modular trailer with a pulling truck,” a spokesperson for P. Adams said. “It can lift the blades up to an angle of 60 degrees to swing over obstacles such as houses or trees. The system has a lifting capacity of 500 tonne-meters, which allows transportation of even the biggest on-shore blades on the market today.”

The Goldhofer blade lifter also allows for rotation of up to 340 degrees and features lifting torque of 55 tonnes, allowing the team to consider routes that would otherwise have been impossible or highly disruptive.

“This is the first time a specialist blade transporter has been used in the UK,” a spokesperson for Statkraft explained, highlighting the importance of local liaison for this project – the firm met with the local community council and held regular community liaison meetings to discuss how best to minimize disruption and keep residents informed.

The unique design of the blade lifter allowed the team to reduce the swept path area of the giant blades, which each measured 55 meters in length.

“By utilizing the blade lifter, the client could avoid civils costs and modifications along the delivery route – thus reducing the impact on locals and avoiding third-party land deals,” Mackinnon said.

The blades are the key components in 12 Vestas V112 turbines that power the wind farm, each of which stands with a 69-meter hub height.


Careful Planning

While the introduction of the blade lifter trailer provided distinct advantages for the team, it did not do away with the need for extensive pre-planning and route surveys. With most of the components arriving in King George V, or KGV, Dock – about 60 kilometers north of Port of Ayr – the project team also had to coordinate two different routes and loading operations.

“The route was surveyed, and the data used to produce Swept Path Analysis models and drawings using AutoCAD and SPA software. This was all carried out in-house,” Mackinnon explained. “Only the blades were delivered to Ayr. All other components were delivered to Glasgow KGV Dock. The blades were loaded by cranes at Ayr onto super wing carriers and transported out of the docks under police escort to a transition point 12 kilometers from the site.”

This first section of the journey was completed at night to take advantage of lower traffic levels. However, from the transition point onward, the route became more difficult for traditional transport using the super wing carriers, so the team coordinated the transfer of the blades to P. Adams’ blade lifter.

“At this point they were loaded onto the blade lifter and taken one at a time to site and offloaded by crane at the turbine hard standing. Once the crew gained familiarity of the route, the blade lifter could travel to site in three hours,” Mackinnon noted.

In parallel, transport of the remaining turbine tower components was arranged from Port of Glasgow. These outsized items included tower sections measuring up to 30 meters long and weighing 55 tonnes. These were transported using specialized tower clamp trailers, which Collett explained were utilized to “to allow self-offloading on site and reduce the need for cranes.” Heavier components such as the nacelle, which weighed 64 tonnes, and the V112 drive trains, which weighed 61 tonnes each, were loaded onto multi-axle, low-bed trailers for the 93-kilometer journey to the wind farm.


Repair and Monitoring

With the routes approved, transport was all set to go ahead, but weather conditions proved challenging as heavy rains in the region presented difficulties. “Localized flash flooding damaged the route to site, which caused some delay as the road required repair and monitoring for the length of the project,” Jacob Collett of Collett explained. “Collett employed an engineering consultant to assess the road to ensure it still met the requirements of the axle loadings for the loaded vehicles used on the project.”

“Preparatory road works were required on both sides of the C35 to allow access,” Statkraft added. Deliveries of turbine components commenced shortly after the crane removal.

With these obstacles overcome, the project teams successfully completed delivery of the components in July, with turbine installation completed in August. As of September, all the components had been delivered and the turbines erected, with electrical connection underway – a success for the inaugural use of the blade lifter in the UK.

Based in the UK, Malcolm Ramsay has a background in business analysis and technology writing, with an emphasis on transportation and ports.

PHOTOS:
Image 1: The blade lifter reduced the swept path area of the 55-meter blades. CREDIT: COLLETT

Image 2: The blade lifter can lift blades up to an angle of 60 degrees and has a lifting capacity of 500 tonne-meters. CREDIT: P. ADAMS