Concentric metal and cementitious wind turbine tower structure and method of manufacturing same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsNorman Arnold Turnquist, Gregory Edward Cooper
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tower structure of a wind turbine includes a plurality of tower sections stacked atop each other in an end-to-end configuration along a vertical axis to form the tower structure of the wind turbine at a wind turbine site. Each of the tower sections is formed of at least one first tubular portion and at least one second tubular portion. Further, the first and second tubular portions of each of the plurality of tower sections are concentric with each other. Moreover, the first tubular portion is formed at least in part, of a cementitious material and the second tubular portion is formed of a perforated material having a plurality of holes.
Claims15
A tower structure of a wind turbine, the tower structure comprising:
- at least one tower section extending from a foundation along a vertical axis to form the tower structure of the wind turbine at a wind turbine site,
- the at least one tower section formed of at least one first tubular portion and a plurality of second tubular portions, the first tubular portion and the plurality of second tubular portions of the at least one tower section being concentric with each other, the first tubular portion formed at least in part, of a cementitious material, the plurality of second tubular portions formed of a perforated material comprising a plurality of holes, the plurality of holes being adjacent to and contacting the first tubular portion such that the at least one tower section comprises the first tubular portion being sandwiched between two second tubular portions of the plurality of second tubular portions.
A method for manufacturing a tower structure of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- forming a plurality of tower sections each having at least one first tubular portion formed of a cementitious material and a plurality of second tubular portions formed of a perforated material comprising a plurality of holes, the first tubular portion and the plurality of second tubular portions being concentric with each other, the plurality of holes being adjacent to and contacting the first tubular portion such that at least one tower section of the plurality of tower sections comprises the first tubular portion being sandwiched between two second tubular portions of the plurality of second tubular portions;
- and
- stacking the plurality of tower sections in an end-to-end configuration along a vertical axis to form the tower structure of the wind turbine at a wind turbine site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.