News and events – HWS Towers

«HWS will attend WindEnergy 2023 (Booth C2-A10), in Copenhagen DK, April 25th to 27 th» (HWS)

abril 3, 2023 por hwstowers

Looking forward to seeing you all at WindEnergy 2023, in Copenhagen DK, April 25th to 27 th!

Please feel free tu visit us on the HALL C2 – BOOTH A10, as part of the “Wind Energy Basque Country” group.

If you want to know a bit more about AirCLIMBER self-climbing crane, precast/prestressed concrete AirTOWERs up to 220 m Hub Height, the AirBASE precast foundations and other HWS CONCRETE TOWERS’ projects in which we are working on all over the world, please do not hesitate in contacting directly to arrange a meeting:

José-Manuel Sorazu, jmsorazu@hwstowers.com

Mariano Abadía, mabadia@hwstowers.com

We will be glad to assist you.

«HWS introduces two new AirTOWER innovative concepts, for WTG» (HWS)

enero 19, 2023 por hwstowers

With this we are authors of up to 4 versions and innovative concepts:

➜ v1 GAMESA G10 (2.005): HWS developed in 2.005 its first hybrid tower hired by GAMESA, for then innovative G10’ turbine: 120 m Huh Height (HH), divided in a 80 m of concrete and 40 m of steel.
➜ v2: A simplification of the above is todays’ most commonly used structural-scheme for an hybrid tower, which can reach 140 m HH in full-concrete or 165 m HH in its hybrid version.

Currently HWS continues to work on innovative concepts, introducing recently two new versions:

➜ v3 “aitstar” by IngZero (www.ingzero.com): Looking for the most cost-effective hybrid tower, with a reasonable height of 110 to 130 m HH. It includes simplifying and lowering the cost not only of the parts manufacturing, but also of simpler transport and easier assembly and construction in the field.
➜ v4 “SuperTALL”: Focused on to reach the maximum height —220 m HH or more…— with a full-concrete or hybrid tower. In addition to new structural concepts it requires a special crane, which has also been developed by HWS: the AirCRANE (https://lnkd.in/dhkgFntN).

«The HWS-AirBASE—a precast foundation for Wind Turbines: an TRUE INNOVATION in the wind Energy Sector» (HWS)

abril 3, 2023septiembre 7, 2022 por hwstowers

If you are looking for a TRUE INNOVATION, ….please think in HWS-AirBASE — a precast foundation for Wind Turbines:

It is the only true innovation in the field—since the P&H concept (USA, 1994)—because it is also a completely new structural scheme, which introduces multiple advantages:

Up to 35% COST reduction, depending on the WTG-Model (hub height, tower material, rotor diameter and power rated, which means more weight on top of the tower) and SOIL characteristics.
Up to 50% MATERIALS reduction (steel and concrete), while avoiding technical issues and long working time associated to assembly up to 100-150 t of rebar and pouring 700-1.000 m³ of concrete.
Up to 50% CO₂ EMISSIONS reduction, which is directly the amount of materials reduction, since transport and labour represent less than 10% of those emissions.

Several structural and geotechnical advantages:

The load transfer to the soil is much more efficient: in fact it is regular, improving any “gapping” issues.
Being a cross of bridge-girders, with only a small increase of length you will be able to resist much more momentum, which is the main load the Wind Turbine introduces, and must be resisted and transferred by the foundation.
Higher Stiffness, which is becoming an issue in the new WTG’ designs.

Being partially a precast parts, all advantages of precasting are obviously introduced:

Use of more resistant concretes.
Better quality control.
Better timetable/schedule control.
Possibility of longer lasting working time on the field in strong/rough weathers, both cold and hot.
Processes industrialization.
Serialization of the design foundation: it is possible to develop a catalogue of foundations for a particular WTG.

If you would like to know more about our project, we will be delighted to welcome you in our booth in n the WindEnergy Hamburg-DE fair, next September 27-30, Hall B2, booth B2.EG.410A.

Kindly reserve your time slot so we will able to attend you better. Please do it writing to jmsorazu@hwstowers.com

«CENER met the self-climbing AirCRANE demonstrator, March 18th» (HWS)

marzo 28, 2022 por hwstowers

ENG: On 18 March, Mr. Pablo Ayesa, General Director, and Mr. Antonio Ugarte, Director of the Wind Energy Department, both members of the CENER (Spain´s National Renewable Energy Centre, https://www.cener.com/en/) met, at the workshops of the company KEYTECH (www.keytech.es) located in Lecumberri (Navarre), the demonstrator of the self-climbing AirCRANE, development granted by the European Commission, under «Horizon 2020-SME Instrument», No 804858 (Link to CORDIS: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/804858).

Also in attendance were Mr. Juanjo Etxalar and Mr. Telmo Sexmilo, representatives of CLAVE (https:/clave.capital) of Pamplona (Navarre), which manages the participation of the Basque industrial conglomerate MONDRAGON CORPORATION (https:/www.mondragon-corporation.com) in HWS, and that they will shortly expand its participation in HWS, together with INNVIERTE (https://www.cdti.es), to start the worldwide marketing of the developed solution.

In this way HWS Concrete Towers S.L. strengthens and guarantees its future.”

_______________________________________

ES: “El pasado 18 de Marzo, D. Pablo Ayesa, Director General, y D. Antonio Ugarte, Dtor. Departamento de Energía eólica, ambos de CENER (Centro Nacional de Energías Renovables, https://www.cener.com) conocieron en los talleres de la empresa KEYTECH (www.keytech.es) localizados en Lecumberri (Navarra) el demostrador de la grúa auto-trepante AirCRANE, desarrollado con ayuda de la Comisión Europea, Programa «Horizon 2020-SME Instrument», nº 804858 (Link a CORDIS: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/804858).

También asistieron D. Juanjo Etxalar y D. Telmo Sexmilo, representantes de CLAVE (https://clave.capital) de Pamplona (Navarra), quienes gestionan la participación del conglomerado industrial vasco CORPORACION MONDRAGON (https://www.mondragon-corporation.com) en HWS, y que van a ampliar en breve su participación en HWS, junto con INNVIERTE (https://www.cdti.es), para iniciar la comercialización mundial de la solución desarrollada.

De esta forma HWS Concrete Towers S.L. refuerza y garantiza su futuro.

«How much does the Wind Energy learn from Wind Sailing (…and viceversa) ?» (HWS)

enero 15, 2022enero 4, 2022 por hwstowers

As along last decade, completely new wind boats like Americans Cup AC75 monohull vessels (*) are appearing, completely new concepts with an exceptional efficiency which allows to fly over the sea near to 100 Km/h, or even surpassing (∼104 Km) with a Windsurf (**).

(*) The newest American’s Cup AC75 are 75 feet (22.86m) keel-less yachts, which rise out of the water on hydrofoils and glide across the surface to reach speeds in excess of 50 knots (93 Km/h).

The Challenger yacht “Luna Rossa” had maxed out at 53,4 knots (99 Km/h), (…) and Team New Zealand’s “Te Rehutai” is rumoured to be even faster.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/09/sport/americas-cup-yachts-speeds-sailing-spt-intl/index.html

(**) On Thursday, November 18, 2021, in Namibia, Mr. Bjorn Dunkerbeck (the famous Dutch & Canarian 52-year-old famous windsurfer) broke that speed barrier, hitting 103,67 Km/h over a two-second time gap, and holding an average speed of 101,00 Km/h kilometers per hour over a 100-meter stretch of water.

Source: https://www.surfertoday.com/windsurfing/bjorn-dunkerbeck-hits-windsurf-top-speed-of-103-67-kmh
YouTube video, showing windsurf “flying” at near 104 Km/h: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt3DQNUJXkc
YouTube video: Topspeed of 102,35 km/h at Luderitzspeedchallenge 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XcRpbVb_gk

«Certification of AirBASE Concept Design, awarded for the new generation (≥ 5.x MW) wind turbines» (HWS)

septiembre 14, 2021 por hwstowers

TÜV SÜD has Certified the DESIGN BASIS and CONCEPT DESIGN EVALUATION of HWS´ AirBASE foundation for onshore wind turbine generators (WTG).

The design evaluation has included the review of a real case scenario for one of the existing biggest wind turbines in the market, a 5.7 MW with a 150 m high steel tower.

The Certification process started last November 2020 and has lasted for around 6 months. Within the project, TÜV SÜD has performed a profound analysis of a new design methodology required to assess this innovative WTG support system. The technical validation included the review of the geotechnical and structural design, as well as the details of the construction process. The design was proved to comply with IEC21400-22:2010 and other applicable standards like Eurocode 2, Eurocode 3, Eurocode 7, and EIC61400-6.

The work required around 1,750 hours of engineering and the development of near 50 advanced finite element models, among which some general and local models of the soil-structure interaction were analysed. These models were performed in collaboration with the Spanish structural engineering firm INGZERO (www.ingzero.com).

This Certification is a major milestone for the commercialization of the AirBASE and paves the way for the market launch worldwide. In fact, it already created a lot of interest and traction among the key players of the wind sector.

To finalise the development process that started in December 2018 with the patent of the technology, HWS expects to build a pilot in Q1-2022.

About AirBASE technology

AirBASE concept disrupts current structural wind foundation systems by transferring the loads to the soil through four independent supports, which are connected to two/four precast posttensioned girders placed in a cross-shape. This way, the load transfer from structure to soil is optimized, which can become important as the wind turbine size increases.

The AirBASE foundation can be used for any wind turbine, with unlimited rated power, for any wind tower, made in steel or concrete, and any soil conditions.

The bigger the turbine, the higher the cost-effectiveness of the AirBASE.

Its main advantage is the cost reduction: savings can reach up to 35% in certain markets. Other advantages are the industrialization and standardization of the product, which reduces the risk of projects by enhancing the quality control process and reducing construction time and on-site resources.

«HWS-AirCRANE 30 t finalizada, con la ayuda de la Comision Europea, programa Horizon 2020-SME Instrument Fase 2, nº 804858»

septiembre 13, 2021enero 14, 2021 por hwstowers

«HWS is proud to present the self-climbing AirCRANE»

septiembre 13, 2021diciembre 18, 2020 por hwstowers

After 3 years of work HWS has finished the demonstrator of the self-climbing AirCRANE, a 30 t net-lifting capacity unit. Once the technology/concept has been tested and validated, HWS is confident in scaling it up to 250 t or down to 5-10 t (for construction).

In this type of cranes two concept should be distinguished:

How it climbs.
How it anchors to the structure.

In the case of the AirCRANE:

➜ The climbing process is mechanical, based on three innovative devices which moves along the main girder. This innovative concept introduces the possibility to climb along vertical surfaces with trunk transitions, irregularities, inclined walls, etc.

➜ The anchoring system is conducted by means of a pair of spikes that are inserted into some cavities left in the tower. A reliable anchoring can be assured relying mainly in gravity force.

In all climbing systems, both processes are innovative, and hence, patented. In AirCRANE: WO2019002654 and ES201930707.

Find more information in this self-explanatory video:

This project (from March 1^st, 2018,to October 31^st, 2020) has been developed with the support of the European Commission under the grant program “Horizon 2020-SME-Instrument Phase 2, no. 804858” (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/804858).

The first AirCRANE unit has been manufactured in KEYTECH (AMOND GROUP) (https://www.keytech.es/) (http://amond-group.com) facility, located in Lecumberri, SPAIN.

We would be happy to show it to interested professionals of the wind energy sector.

«HWS releases the new WEB-Page»

diciembre 18, 2020diciembre 7, 2020 por hhHWStowersUU

«Concrete Towers for Wind Turbines and Structural Damping» (HWS)

noviembre 27, 2020septiembre 28, 2020 por hhHWStowersUU

The wind market is demanding higher wind turbines, and even though engineers are doing a great job optimizing current steel towers, we are about to reach the limit of this technology.

As an example, this video shows a slender wind turbine vibrating at its second bending mode excited probably by high wind velocities.

How much is this phenomenon affecting the fatigue life of the system?
Have we reached the boundaries of steel tower designs?

Hybrid or full-concrete towers could avoid these vibrations thanks to their higher structural damping. Could an ancient material—like concrete—be the solution?