General Electric Company

Ge Aviation Systems Limited

General Electric Renovables Espana, S.l.

Biju Nanukuttan

Aaron Alpheus Yarbrough

Christopher Daniel Caruso

Charles Erklin Seeley

Stefan Herr

Wendy Wen-Ling Lin

Daniel Alan Hynum

Dhanesh Chandrashekar Pathuvoth

Sujan Kumar Pal

Jing Wang

Srikanth Samudrala

EswaraRao V S J Anjuri

Vigneshwaran Venugopalan

Avichandra Yallapalli

Andreas Herrig

Jamie Thomas Livingston

Adam Daniel Minadeo

Sumit Bose

Scott Gabell Riddell

Wouter Haans

Roger Drobietz

Afroz Akhtar

Benoit Philippe Petitjean

Yaru Najem Mendez Hernandez

Richard Hardison

Thierry Pascal Maeder

Vijaykumar Muppayya Hiremath

Jaikumar Loganathan

Stefan Kern

Matthew G Gann

Willem Jan Bakhuis

James Adaickalasamy

Narasimhamurthy Raju Nadampalli

Frank Hinken

Santhosha Yelwal Srikanta

Hariharan Sundaram

Seongkyu Lee

Karthick Prabhu

Rakesh Adoor

Prasad Punna

Theodosia Kourkoutsaki

Suneel Basavaraj Karesangannavar

EswaraRao Vsj Anjuri

Chickballapur Venkatakrishnappa Raghunandan

Manjunath Basavanneppa Sampagavi

Wenguang Pan

Ganesh Neogi

Shalu Asarikandy

Pranesh Attikodige Chandrashekhara

Rajanikanth Reddy Dasari

Mohan Kumar Lakshminarayana

Abhijit Shivashankar

Sagar Vidya Meesala

Srinath Bonala

Eswararao Vsj Anjuri

Systems and techniques to facilitate intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle traffic management via an infrastructure network are presented. In an example, a traffic management system can include a data collection component, a flight path component, and a communication component. The data collection component receives navigation data and parameter data associated with an unmanned aerial vehicle. The navigation data is associated with a starting point and destination for the unmanned aerial vehicle. The parameter data is indicative of information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle. The flight path component generates flight path data for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the navigation data, the parameter data and infrastructure network data received from an intelligent sensor node network. The communication component transmits the flight path data to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle traffic management via an infrastructure network

A system for repairing dents in a wind turbine tower section may generally include a dent repair tool having a tool hub and a plurality of arms configured to extend radially outwardly from the tool hub towards an inner surface of the tower section. The tool may also include a linear actuator configured to linearly actuate a plunger of the actuator arm relative to the tool hub such that the plunger applies a radially outward force against the inner surface of the tower section at or adjacent to a location of a dent formed in the tower section. In addition, the system may include a load sensor configured to provide an indication of a load associated with the radially outward force applied against the inner surface of the tower section by the plunger and a controller configured to monitor the load based on signals received from the load sensor.

System and method for repairing dents in wind turbine tower sections and a related dent repair tool

The present disclosure is directed to a rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having a blade root section and a rigid ring insert. The rotor blade has pressure and suction sides extending between leading and trailing edges. The blade root section includes an end face configured to attach the rotor blade assembly to a hub. Further, the blade root section includes a span-wise end portion defined by inner and outer circumferential components separated by a radial gap. The radial gap includes a first laminate material embedded between the inner and outer circumferential components at a first span-wise depth and a second laminate material embedded between the inner and outer circumferential components at a second span-wise depth. Thus, the rigid ring insert is disposed in the radial gap and embedded between the first and second laminate materials.

Ring insert for a wind turbine rotor blade

A connection assembly for a tower of a wind turbine is provided. The connection assembly includes a first tower section segment having an inner surface spaced apart from an outer surface. A second tower section segment is positioned adjacent to the first tower section segment and includes an inner surface spaced apart from an outer surface. The first tower section segment and the second tower section segment define a vertically extending gap therebetween. A connector plate includes a first connector plate portion, a second connector plate portion spaced apart from the first connector plate portion, and a third connector plate portion positioned between the first connector plate portion and the second connector plate portion. The first connector plate portion couples to the first tower section segment. The second connector plate portion couples to the second tower section segment. The third connector plate portion extends through the vertically extending gap.

Connection assembly for wind turbine tower

A method for controlling a wind farm includes: receiving temperature data associated with a plurality of locations along a sound path between the wind farm and a sound immission point from one or more sensors; estimating a propagation characteristic of the sound path based at least in part on the temperature data; predicting a noise level at the sound immission point based at least in part on the propagation characteristic; determining a control signal for one or more wind turbines in the wind farm based at least in part on the noise level; and using the control signal to control the one or more wind turbines.

System and method for controlling the operation of wind turbines

The present disclosure is directed to a pitch assembly for coupling a rotor blade to a hub of a wind turbine. In one embodiment, the pitch assembly includes a first pitch bearing having a first outer race and a first inner race rotatable relative to the first outer race via a first set of rolling elements, a second pitch bearing having a second outer race and a second inner race rotatable relative to the second outer race via a second set of rolling elements, and at least one spacer configured axially between and contacting the first and second pitch bearings. Further, at least a portion of the first pitch bearing and at least a portion of the second pitch bearing are axially aligned between the rotatable hub and the rotor blade in a generally span-wise direction.

Pitch assembly for a wind turbine rotor blade

The present invention is directed to a rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade extending from a blade root to a blade tip. The rotor blade has a pressure side surface and a suction side surface. The pressure side surface and the suction side surface each extend between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The assembly also includes a blade root extension configured to attach to one of the pressure side surface or the suction side surface of the rotor blade adjacent to the blade root. The blade root extension includes at least one blade fence and at least one airflow modifying element. The blade fence extends between a proximal end and a distal end in a chord-wise direction. The proximal end is configured to attach to the rotor blade such that the distal end remains free and spaced apart from the rotor blade. The airflow modifying element is configured at the proximal end of the blade fence. As such, the blade root extension is configured to improve aerodynamic performance of the rotor blade.

Rotor blade fence for a wind turbine

A spacer assembly for a bearing of a wind turbine and/or a bearing assembly for a wind turbine is provided. The bearing assembly includes an outer race, an inner race rotatable relative to the outer race, a plurality of roller elements positioned between the inner and outer race, and a plurality of load-bearing spacers configured between the roller elements. Each of the spacers includes a spacer portion and an extension portion. Thus, each of the spacers is arranged to contact adjacent spacers within the bearing assembly via the extension portion such that the extension portions of the spacers are configured to transfer loads experienced by the bearing assembly rather than the loads passing through the roller elements.

Spacer assembly for a bearing

A system for operating a turbine includes a rotating component and a non-rotating component separated from the rotating component by a clearance. A first actuator is connected to the non-rotating component, and the first actuator comprises a shape-memory alloy. A method for operating a turbine includes sensing a parameter reflective of a clearance between a non-rotating component and a rotating component and generating a parameter signal reflective of the clearance. The method further includes generating a control signal to at least one actuator based on the parameter signal and moving at least a portion of the non-rotating component relative to the rotating component to change the clearance.

Clearance control for a turbine

A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine includes a rotor blade having a pressure side member, a suction side member, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. An electrically conductive band extends longitudinally on either or both of the pressure side member and suction side member along the trailing edge. A plurality of electrically conductive noise reduction features extend from the trailing edge and are configured as individual lightning strike receptors. The noise reduction features are configured in conductive communication with the conductive band.

Integrated lightning receptor system and trailing edge noise reducer for a wind turbine rotor blade

An active flow control system for use with a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine includes at least one blade. The active flow control system includes an air distribution system at least partially defined within said at least one blade. The air distribution system includes at least one aperture defined through the at least one blade. An aperture control system is in operational control communication with the air distribution system. The aperture control system includes an actuator at least partially positioned within the at least one blade and configured to control a flow of air discharged through the at least one aperture.

Aperture control system for use with a flow control system

An air distribution system for use with a wind turbine. The wind turbine includes a nacelle that is coupled to a tower and a rotor that is rotatably coupled to the nacelle with a rotor shaft. The rotor includes at least one rotor blade that is coupled to a hub. The air distribution system includes a conduit that is defined within the rotor shaft. The conduit provides flow communication between the nacelle and the rotor. An air-flow control assembly is coupled in flow communication with the conduit. The air-flow control assembly is configured to selectively channel air from the nacelle to the rotor and from the nacelle to ambient air.

System and method of distributing air within a wind turbine

A method of manipulating a boundary layer across a wind turbine rotor blade. The method includes coupling at least one vortex generator to the rotor blade. The vortex generator includes at least one sidewall that extends outwardly a radial distance from an outer surface of the rotor blade. The vortex generator is selectively positionable between a first position and a second position. A control system calculates a condition of the boundary layer. The vortex generator is positioned at one of the first position and the second position based on the calculated condition of the boundary layer for moving the vortex generator between the first position and the second position.

Vortex generator assembly for use with a wind turbine rotor blade and method for assembling a wind turbine rotor blade

A rotor blade for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade includes a root, a tip, and a body extending from the root, the body including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The rotor blade further includes a winglet extending between the body and the tip, the winglet including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The winglet further includes a transition section and defines a height, a sweep angle, an outboard cant angle, and a twist angle. The sweep angle, the outboard cant angle, and the twist angle change continuously throughout the transition section.

Winglet for wind turbine rotor blade

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Bengaluru, India

Biju Nanukuttan