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«CENER met the self-climbing AirCRANE demonstrator, March 18th» (HWS)
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)
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)
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 is proud to present the self-climbing AirCRANE»
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 1st, 2018,to October 31st, 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.