A couple pics from a wind farm project, next to where Im working.
It's amazing the crane can reach that high, I think I'll pass!
theres a video of that process somewhere on Youtube...pretty sweet
I keep wondering, what sort of base are these things on? There must be some dirt moved for them.....anyone been involved in it or know anything about it?
Where is that project at? I've been to the Ellensburg farm and seen the one by Bickleton from a distance but both of those are in desert areas. There's too much grass in those photos. Great shots of the crane. Thanks!
Greywynd, I have posted some imformation with photos here: Post no: 23. Rn'R.
This is just south of Arlington, Oregon on Highway 19. We are digging a new cell at the landfill just up the road. Jason
Dang...I'd seen the first of that thread, and the end (oops!) but had missed teh wind farm stuff. Those towers look identical to the ones they are putting up here in some areas of Ontario. Any idea the size of the hole for the base? Hard to tell from the pictures, nothing really to tell the scale. Looks big, understandably, just curious as to how big.
The hole is about 50 - 60 feet across and 7 - 8 feet deep. I think the concrete footing was about 40 feet diameter and nearly 6 feet thick. These footings took about 200 cubic meters of concrete and they were for 1.5 megawatt generators. The bigger generators would have larger footings. After they poured all of the bases, they actually went and dug around them again and poured another meter width of concrete right around the base. I am not quite sure why, but they must have been a bit nervous about something. If you Google Wind Tower Footings, or Wind Tower Foundations, there is quite a bit of imformation on the dimensions of various wind towers. Nice shots of the crane, JTL, they had a 400 ton crane at the windfarm here, but I didn't get to see it. Rn'R.
Saw a lot of wind farm machinery going up this summer. Passed by this farm as construction was getting settled in.
Wind Farm Foundations Okay Fellas, This is my first attempt at posting pics. Hope it works!
Here are a few picts taken earlier this year while i was on a wind farm job.
all leading up to this....
Wow! Thanks for the foundation pics Farm Boy. I would have never thought the bases would be that big. I just assumed they would dig a hole strait down, put a basket in and fill it with concrete. The pics make more sence though. Spread the wieght out over a larger base, a bigger area to absorb the rotation mass. Pretty interesting! Jason
They are huge! I wonder how many yards of concrete total? One thing that surprises me is the cold joints between the base footing and dome shaped base, then again with the connection for the column. I'd think it would be stronger if it were poured as a unit, or at least with keyways.
I imagine that would be a pretty tricky pick for the crane operator too, since they generally only build those things where it's, ya know... windy .
I took my pics on a Sunday. I was taking the girl friend out to show her around my job and to peek around the wind farm. The week before the wind blew like mad for 3 days. The safety dude I was talking to said they can only pick when the winds blowing less than 10mph. Kinda like making hay when the sun shines!! Jason
The footings for the towers here took approximately 300 cubic yards of concrete to support 1.5 megawatt generators. I would imagine that the 2 and 3 megawatt generators would have even larger footings. Rn'R.
I know that the ones that will soon be going up in Southwest Wisconsin are calling for 450 cubic yards of concrete per tower. Talking right now one area is looking at 35 to 47 towers. When work starts I'll be sure to have pics, just hope right now our company is able to secure the rock and concrete for the project. Trbo
The crane in the first few photos of this post looks like the "new" Kobelco SL6000 from Buckner Heavylift. That should be the same crane that was on display at ConExpo earlier this year. Hey EZ Trbo, when and where is that wind farm going up? What's the name? - Chris
SW part of the state, bout 20 mins or so from Platteville. Construction starts this spring. Don't remember the name of the company, I know my dad has talked with the company and engineers a number of times him self, dealing with any of the highway issues that might arise. Trbo
Most of the towers around here got between 450-500 yards of concrete, pull up to the hole flip it to unload hold the throttle wide open, and go back for more. There was alot of overtime when they put up wind turbines in this area.
It was a big Kobelco, but I couldnt get close enough to see what the number was. Bigge Crane had a bunch of smaller cranes on site, but dont know if the big one was theirs. D.H. Blattner is the prime out at the site. Jason
i know they have temporarily changed some interstate on/off ramps off of I-155 to accomodate the blades here in illinois. the back of the blade has a driver similar to a ladder truck, only a skosh longer...... visited with some guys who have signed contracts= they felt forced, but got good money, hard to farm around access roads & towers i'm sure once we get these up all over the greenies will fire up that: -they disturb some endangered birds migratory pattern -cause vibrations to nearby wetlands hindering frog mating patterns -high voltage lines causing asbestos like symptoms in local school children -by slowing the air current, air is stagnate, increasing global warming more than cow farts -etc etc etc...
bugga, and I only thought we had greenies like that over here.:Banghead:Banghead The local mums and dads will complain that little johnny can't fly his kite any more as it keeps getting caught in the blades and flings him into the air.
There supposedly were some greenies (or whatever) here, complaining that the wind towers, which are built close to the coast, would upset the surf and they wouldn't be able to surf any more. One of the wag engineers working at the site was telling people in the local town, that they had made a mistake and installed all of the blades backwards and the turbines were actually sucking the power back out of the grid. He had a few people in, they reckon. Rn'R.
Thats funny!! I dont understand these people. All they ever talk about is renewable this, sustainable that. They scream bloody murder when someone mentions coal, they want to tear out all the dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers. Someone builds a wind farm and they throw a fit that it might upset a bird route! What the hell do they want us do, sit around in Adobe huts riding a stationary bicycle powering one of those little 'dont run me over' generators. Without power, how do they plan on charging the batteries in thier little electric powerd POS death trap cars? ointhead So, please, everyone, do me a favor. Smack the next hippie you see!! If they want to save the planet, I'll save em a seat!! Jason
yup they do that around here to .... it as be perposed for around here like of the coast off cape cod or in long island sound but people think the birds are gonna fly in to them or the fish will be confused, i dont get it people are for it as long as it not in there back yard :Banghead
The latest green stupidity is the mayor of Seattle forbidding the street crews from using salt on all the snow and ice we got in the recent winter storm. He says it kills the salmon and eats up the bridges. The problem with that is Seattle sits of the shore of Puget Sound which the last time I checked had nothing but salt water in it. We get maybe one of two snow storms a year and this idiot puts his environmentalist image in front of public safety. Go figure?
haha, sounds similar to our great guvna, he said that shouldnt start plowing snow in chicago till it stopped snowing.... i think they are rethinking that idea. but he's got a few other irons in the fire right at the moment......
I'm not sure how many of you have actually seen the inner workings of one of these generators. Pretty impressive.
more pictures