As part of a repowering project in Lorup, Lower Saxony, turbine manufacturer Enercon is replacing 16 older turbines with 10 modern E-175 EP5 units. Rotor blade transport systems (RBTS) from TII Scheuerle are being deployed to move the 86 m-long blades.
At 86 m, TII Scheuerle said the rotor blades are among the largest onshore blades in the world. The first transports from JadeWeserPort in Wilhelmshaven have been completed, with the heavy load combinations measuring 99.5 m long.
Close to the start of the route, the combination had to exit the freeway and the trailing unit of the RBTS units had to be lifted to swing over the highway’s guard rails and roadside barriers. “The enormous lifting height of the RBTS was crucial for this operation. Such situations are really no problem for our system,” explained Markus Pflederer, sales manager at TII Scheuerle.
Further along the route, a roundabout in the Friesoythe area had to be temporarily dismantled and covered with steel plates while the rotor blade’s swivel range was adjusted accordingly; the tractor unit, including the lifting adapter, had to drive through an underpass while the trailer was still manoeuvring on the roundabout area, resulting in a complex operation of vehicle guidance and system control.
Then, at the final destination, the final challenge involved reversing 800 m along a narrow farm track.
In total, 30 wind turbine blades will be transported along the 160 km route deploying RBTS units from TII Scheuerle.
Enercon had purchased three RBTS units earlier this year, owing to the system’s lateral displacement of the blade on the dolly, double lifting cylinder design and gyrostatic transport platform.
