Japanese Infrastructure Newsletter 1:147 Infrastructure Development Institute—JAPAN Construction of Large Onshore Wind Turbine by Lift Up Method CONTENTS 20th Infrastructure Technology Development Award 2018 Construction of Large Onshore Wind Turbine by Lift Up Method Utlo: Wind  Life 2 on installation automation technology nate winch operation and pump operation in or alsson installation work) 5 Infrastructure Development Institute – Japan (IDI) Plaza Edogawa-bashi 3F. 1-23-6, Sekiguchi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-0014, JAPAN Tel: +81-3-5227-4107 Fax: +81-3-5227-4109 E-Mail: idi17@idi.or.jp Website: http://www.idi.or.jp/en/
● Construction of Large Onshore Wind Turbine by Lift Up Method Subtitle: Wind Lift
1. Background and Motivation of
Technological Development
With use of the conventional method that uses a 1200-ton class hydraulic crane to install a wind turbine, a vast construction yard was necessary to assemble a rotor on the ground and install the rotor in a nacelle. In addition, the conventional method is likely to be affected by wind when materials are lifted by crane. Especially when a rotor was installed in a nacelle, wind made suspended materials unstable, and the operation had to be stopped, which caused a process delay. In order to solve such problems, the Wind Lift System, a large-scale wind turbine assembly and lifting method, has been developed.
2. Technological Details
This method is an unprecedented assembly technique that makes use of an elevating stage vertically moving along the tower construction and by which a hub and blades are connected and a wind turbine is lifted and built (Figures 1 and 2). This system eliminates the necessity of an ultra-large crane; moreover, the area of a construction yard can be drastically reduced because only an auxiliary crane is necessary at assembling the hub and blades on the ground and raising them (Figures 3 and 4). In consideration of the influence of wind, a rotor can be stably moved to the top of the tower by horizontally assembling it above a protection forest, raising it, and lifting it. What is more, the risk of a process delay can be reduced because a tower with a truss structure is highly rigid and is less subject to the influence of wind at material lifting (Figures 5 and 6).
3. Application Scope of Technology
● Construction work of wind turbine in general ● Maintenance work and disassembling work for wind turbine ● Assembling work at harbor for offshore wind power
4. Effect of Technology
● A construction yard can be reduced by about 30% in comparison with the conventional method because an ultra-large crane is not used and the rotor is not assembled on the ground, and the reduction of site preparation work leads to decreases in manpower, construction costs, and environmental stress. ● With this method, measures can be implemented to prevent suspended loads from swinging because of the reduced influence of wind when materials of a wind turbine are lifted; therefore, the influence of wind can be reduced in comparison with the conventional method, and processes can be followed.
5. Social Significance and Developability of
Technology
This method can remarkably reduce a construction yard and contribute to decreases in manpower, construction costs, and environmental stress by reducing site preparation work. Wind power generation tends to increase the size and height of a tower; thus, preparation of an ultra-large crane is expected to be difficult. This method can be a solution for such preparation problem and can contribute to acceleration of the wind power generation industry. For construction of an offshore wind power station in which assembly at a harbor takes a long time, the rent for an ultra-large crane and ground improvement cost can be remarkably reduced thanks to this method, Infrastructure Development Institute - Japan which leads contributions to business to development.
6. Applicable Track of Technology
Construction work of Mitane-Hamada Wind Power Station, April to June 2017 Applicant: Obayashi Corporation Development Engineer: [Obayashi Corporation] Takanori Ezoe, Toshiaki Miwa Joint Developer: Tomoe Research & Development, Ltd. E-Mail: ezoe.takanori@obayashi.co.jp TEL: +81-3-5769-1462 FAX: +81-3-5769-1925 Caisson Installation Automation Technology (Automate winch and pump operations in a caisson installation work)
1. Background of Technology Development
The i-Construction for ports has been applied to port construction work in Japan since 2017: it is aimed to save the labor and to enforce mechanization in the construction work with
using three-dimensional data.
Because of the complexity of meteorological and oceanic phenomena in maritime construction, the most of the conventional construction works depends on the experiences and skills of workers. Given such  a caisson background, the installation system which enables to automate water injection, induction and winch operation in the installation of caissons has been developed.
2. Detailed Description of the Technology
The caisson installation system consists of the real-time position measuring system of the caisson and the automatic pump operation system. The real-time position measuring system of the caisson executes winch operation by position information data of the caisson; and the automatic pump operation system executes pump operation by water level measurement data. Movement of the caisson is controlled by four winches installed on the caisson. The winch reaction force is obtained from the weight block installed on the seabed, then the caisson is moved up and down by the winch. The winding torque of each winch is adjusted automatically to make the winding force of the The caisson is controlled by the automatic winch operation and moved to the predetermined position calculated from its three dimensional position data. The three-dimensional position data of the caisson is measured by two automatic tracking type total stations and a two-axis inclinometer. The automatic pump operation system is operated based on the water level and inclination data measured in   each chamber of the caisson. The quantity of water injected into the caisson is measured by water level gauges in each chamber of the caisson. By water injection of this system, the caisson can be held horizontally, and the water level difference between adjacent chambers can be also kept within the specified value.
3. Effect of Developed Technology
We developed the technology of automatic winch operation to stop / restart the water injection pumps and traction of the caisson during an installation of a caisson. By utilizing this technology, remote controlled installation of the caisson becomes possible, and the workers' safety is secured. In addition, the automatic winch operation system in this technology continues its operation until the caisson being installed touches the existing caisson. Furthermore, this technology will progress automatic immersion of a caisson, and then, this will help to develop the caisson installation technology without requiring workers' experiences and skills.
4. Installation Record
Hosojima Port construction work, September 2016 - September 2017 Applicant: Toyo Construction Co., Ltd Technology Developer: Naoyuki Kato E-Mail：katou-naoyuki@toyo-const.co.jp TEL : +81-3-6361-5450
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