Huge wind turbines with extremely long blades extract all the energy from the wind, but have you ever imagined how they are built? Manufacturing process with such heavy-load and huge components requires nonstandard solutions to be moved safely and securely both inside and outside the production site.
Customization is the key feature in material handling for wind energy sector where Morello provides solutions with its customizable industrial transport trolleys. Our solutions are based on some fundamental aspects of material handling including physical place available for transportation, total safety, traction technology, technical support and environmental issues.
India and France are among the top 7 countries in the world for installed wind power capacity and Morello is proud to have supplied heavy duty industrial trolleys for handling wind turbine components for projects in these two important markets. Wind power capacity has increased significantly over the past decade and new wind farms are continuously developing.
We provide 2 cases for manufacturers of blades and gearboxes for wind turbines that effectively illustrate Morello solutions in wind energy sector.
1. Handling longest wind turbine in the world
Famous global manufacturer of large wind turbine blades based in France challenged us with handling of longest wind turbine in the world! 108 meter-long blade weighing 80 tons was perfectly handled by a combination of customized self-propelled trolleys designed by Morello.
Moving so large and overload structure clearly required two synchronized heavy duty industrial trolleys to support each end of the blade considering length and weight of the blade. The biggest challenge was flexible and non-rigid structure of the blade. This was the first case in history when wind turbine blade was transported with two synchronized modular transfer carriages without using a rigid structure to support the blade. Our customized self-propelled trolleys had to move both inside and outside the plant and the customer required a lifting mechanism on the trolleys. To load paddles onto a ship, our trolleys also required enough power to travel to the port and along the dock.
Morello project involved built two fully customized and synchronized SPMTs (Self-Propelled Modular Trolleys). First goal was communication between trolleys using own Wi-Fi network to synchronize the speed, acceleration, braking and steering positions of each individual wheel. Our brand-new software program perfectly managed synchronization of movement as there was no rigid structure between the two trolleys with operation distance of 80 meters. Hydraulic suspensions for each shaft line and modern electric motors were installed with battery-powered drive and steering for completely green and ecological solution featuring also lower energy consumption and extremely low maintenance costs without giving up performance and productivity.
2. Handling wind turbine gearboxes in India
Leading manufacturer pioneering production of wind turbine gearboxes and transmissions asked Morello for solution to move extremely heavy products. We provided relatively small, customized industrial transport trolley to handle gearboxes of 100 tons. Gearbox had to be placed on a steel structure of trolley not larger than 4 x 2.7 meters and (pallet). No bridge crane or suspended load for greater safety and design for both indoor and outdoor handling. Moving a 108-ton gearbox with a trolley of this size required careful machine design featuring also operator recognition and registration upon client’s request.
Collaborating with Wind Power Technology Business Unit we designed super compact, omnidirectional, self-loading industrial truck for heavy loads, designed to carry a total load of 108 tons. Radio-controlled trolley features omnidirectional steering with independent steering and electric motor on each wheel. Our customized solution was provided with hydraulic suspensions to work on imperfect flooring and a lifting loading surface. High-precision brushless electric motors do not require maintenance while advanced diagnostic system and IoT technology ensure remote assistance.
Wind energy sector remains one of the most exciting for manufacturers of material handling equipment. The impact of Morello customization expertise is particularly visible in this sector while clear energy trends open big future for our ideas and projects.