A simulation-based planning system for wind turbine construction

Wind turbine construction is a challenging undertaking due to the need to lift heavy loads to high locations in conditions of high and variable wind speeds. These conditions create great risks to contractors during the turbine assembly process. This paper presents a simulation-based system to aid in the construction planning of wind turbines. The system is composed of three main components; 1) A wind speed forecasting module based on artificial neural networks, 2) A series of discrete event simulation models that act as a test bed for different turbine construction methods and resource utilizations, and 3) A rule-based system that relates prevalent wind speed to the impact on lifting activity durations. Actual wind speed data from the Zafarana wind farm in Egypt is used and turbine construction productivity and resource utilization is compared for two common turbine construction methods.