Parahinge™ Folding Technology

Parahinge™ Folding Technology Eliminate Cranes

Most tall wind turbine towers require the use of a crane to raise the tower and set the turbine on the tower top. Crane rentals are expensive, and typically add $1000 - $3000 to the cost of an installed wind turbine. Additionally, if a turbine requires maintenance or repairs, a crane is often required to access the turbine. If a major component such as a generator fails, the crane, which can cost $1000 per day, may be required to remain on site for a few days to remove the old generator and install the new generator. There can be significant down time and loss of energy capture if a turbine component fails, because scheduling a crane rental can take days, and in some cases, weeks. Climbing a small wind turbine tower is dangerous and almost impossible in cold climates during winter. Many deaths have occurred from climbing wind turbine towers!

All of Parafold's towers allow the turbine to be quickly lowered to the ground for maintenance and repairs. Parafold's folding technology also provides for easy installation by significantly reducing the loads required to raise the tower. Parafold's Trifold Tower™ uses its Parahinge™ design, comprised of two hinges, one at the tower base and a second hinge partway up the tower. This double hinged design keeps all of the tower weight on the ground while the tower top is pulled toward the tower base. Once the lower half of the tower is vertical, it is anchored to the foundation. The base of the Trifold Tower™ provides stability during installation. The turbine is not required to be attached to the tower until after the lower half of the tower is secured, further increasing stability. After the lower half of the tower is secured to the foundation, it acts as a sturdy three legged crane for raising the turbine to the tower top. A lift hoist or come along can be attached to the top of the tower, which allows the nacelle, generator, and other components to be easily lifted to the tower top.

Parahinge™ technology further incorporates an offset lever for raising the upper half of the tower. Attached to the lever is a cable which can be pulled with a winch to raise the upper half of the tower after the turbine has been attached. For larger towers, pulleys can be attached to the tower to create a mechanical advantage and minimize loads. Once raised, the upper half of the tower is attached to the lower section with a latch, and the latch is engaged by an operator on the ground pulling a cable. The latch can be secured with a lock at the tower base.

The Trifold Tower™ has been designed to minimize weight on the upper half of the tower, allowing an operator to quickly lower the turbine to the ground for maintenance and repairs. The latch is unlocked by pulling a cable. The same winch and cable used to pull the lever and raise the tower are used to quickly and easily lower the turbine to the ground.

The Trifold Tower™ greatly reduces the loads required to raise a tower, often by more than 20 times, and significantly increases stability during installation. Loads decrease and stability increases as the tower is raised. This allows much taller towers to be installed without a crane, and allows turbines to be lowered to the ground on towers up to 160 feet. For most tall towers, Parahinge™ technology is the only option to install and service wind turbines without a crane.

Parafold™ Towers has patents pending for its Parahinge™ technology.