152 meters of altitude hit the world's first 16 megawatt offshore wind turbine, achieving these breakthroughs → Wind power | Unit | High altitude hit the world
Piercing needles and wires in the air at a height of 100 meters
The world's first 16 MW wind turbine was recently installed at the offshore wind farm in Pingtan, Fujian. Yesterday, the main engine compartment of the 16 MW wind turbine was lifted in place. Today, the key step in unit installation is the offshore installation of ultra long blades with a length of 123 meters, which is also the longest installation stage of wind turbine blades in China. Starting from 7am this morning, the first blade of the fan began to be lifted. Currently, after a morning of installation, the first blade has been smoothly docked. We will review the installation process of the blade with a needle thread in the air at a height of 100 meters through a short video.
Direct attack from a height of 152 meters! The installation of the first blade is about to be completed
How is the latest progress now? We will immediately go to the site to take a look. We can see that there is already a blade in mid air, inside the fan hub. The staff are tightening the bolts at the connection between the blade and the hub. CCTV reporter Wang Shiyu from the main station also followed the operation team to the 152 meter high fan compartment, and we will immediately connect her.
Journalist's Visit: The Baihetan makes maritime operations "as smooth as walking on the ground"
![152 meters of altitude hit the world's first 16 megawatt offshore wind turbine, achieving these breakthroughs → Wind power | Unit | High altitude hit the world](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/e732bed9d5c2e3af2658080b7317e996.jpg)
The installation of 123 meter ultra long wind turbine blades at high altitude is quite difficult, and the impact of wind and waves on the sea has brought greater difficulties to the installation operation. How to ensure that offshore installation operations can be as smooth as on land? The installation of the platform "Baihetan" is indispensable.
CCTV reporter Zhang Congjing: I am currently at the Fujian offshore wind farm of Three Gorges Group, and the big guy next to me is the installation platform for the 16 MW offshore wind turbine - the Baihetan. It is one of the most advanced wind power installation platforms independently developed in China. There are 120 meters of "long legs" below and 130 meters of "giant arms" above, which can lift more than 1300 family cars. The deck area is equivalent to 10 basketball courts, and it can stand still in huge waves.
As the latest generation of wind turbine installation ship independently developed in China, it is equipped with a stable and high-precision ship dynamic positioning system, which can overcome the influence of complex sea conditions such as wind, waves, and currents, and accurately locate the installation position of the wind turbine.
Afterwards, it will transform into a "Optimus Prime" and stand on the sea surface, relying on four "legs" firmly embedded in the 70 meter deep seabed. It can be lifted up without being disturbed by waves, completing millimeter level high-precision lifting.
CCTV reporter Zhang Congjing: The large crane next to me is the most crucial equipment for installing offshore wind turbines. It has a lifting capacity of 2000 tons and can lift up to 170 meters above the sea surface. It firmly grasps the wind turbine components like an "arm" and uses "building blocks" to complete high-altitude assembly.
![152 meters of altitude hit the world's first 16 megawatt offshore wind turbine, achieving these breakthroughs → Wind power | Unit | High altitude hit the world](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/c1ba5ef7fe954ae7f39f6531028ef224.jpg)
Before 2020, there was no wind power installation vessel in China that could meet the requirements of water depth exceeding 40 meters and wind turbine hub center height exceeding 130 meters. In order to promote the development of offshore wind power from nearshore to offshore, China has built the first domestic installation vessel "Baihetan" to meet the installation needs of offshore wind turbines. It is the largest comprehensive exploration and testing platform in China. As of the end of 2022, there are 54 active wind power installation vessels in China, which can basically meet the installation needs of offshore wind turbines during the 14th Five Year Plan period.
Breakthrough in localization of offshore wind turbine bearings
The core key components of this 16 MW wind turbine have all achieved 100% localization, and its main shaft bearings have put an end to the history of China's inability to research and manufacture the main bearings of ultra large capacity offshore wind turbines. Let's take a look at the bearing manufacturers with the reporter.
At a bearing enterprise located in Luoyang, Henan, grinder Yin Shuangyang is operating a high-precision grinder to process and produce the main bearings of wind turbines. The bearing with a diameter of 3.2 meters is a big guy, and Yin Shuangyang wants to stand it steadily on the workbench like an embroidery needle, with an error of no more than 0.01 millimeters, which means the error cannot exceed the tip of the embroidery needle.
Yin Shuangyang, the director of the grinding workshop of Luoyang LYC Bearing Co., Ltd.: For oversized spindle bearings, the main processing difficulties lie in the large product size, thin mold wall, and easy deformation. So in grinding, having one more blade and one less blade can result in an error of about 0.2% of a millimeter. In processing, we not only need to be decisive, but also need to control it precisely like embroidery to ensure product quality.
![152 meters of altitude hit the world's first 16 megawatt offshore wind turbine, achieving these breakthroughs → Wind power | Unit | High altitude hit the world](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/7ddf73ed1ef95c7a85047571466a2655.jpg)
Spindle bearings are the core components of wind turbines. Once the main shaft bearings of offshore wind turbines fail, the impeller will not be able to rotate, and the unit will become iron lumps. Most ultra large capacity offshore wind turbines are located in offshore areas, and once repaired or replaced, it is almost equivalent to reconstruction. Therefore, reliability is a common challenge faced by all offshore wind turbine spindle bearings. In the industry, the service life of offshore wind turbine spindle bearings is generally 20 years. Through product design and innovative manufacturing processes, Luoyang has extended the service life of 16 MW offshore wind turbines to 25 years.
Yu Haibo, General Manager of Luoyang LYC Bearing Co., Ltd.: The successful development of the 16 MW platform wind turbine main shaft bearing of Luoyang Axis has broken the record for the development of high-power wind turbine main bearings in China, and is an important turning point for the development of high-power wind turbine main shaft bearings in China from following to running.