General Electric Company

Brent Hamilton Holloway

Ulrich Werner Neumann

Michael Royce Johnson

Gaylon Mitchell Pfeiffer

Kevin Thomas Costain

Forrest Christopher Hach

Stephanie Lohberg Willman

Raymond Francis Rose, Jr

Howard Lee Hansen, Jr

Gary Randall Barnes

Richard Arland Ohl, Jr

Michael Spitsbergen

Adam Sean Davis

Drake Joseph Viscome

Jeffrey Eric Bergman

Neils Christian Schmitt

Michael R Johnson

Michael Cade Foster

Richard Arland Ohl

Kevin Costain

Stephanie Willman

A system for enabling servicing of a rotor of a wind turbine has a rotor blade sling with at least one strap configured to be placed over the top of a rotor blade in a ten o'clock position or a two o'clock position. One or more rigid bars extend from the hub and out away from the hub, and the one or more rigid bars are coupled to the at least one strap. One or more support straps are coupled to the at least one strap, and the one or more support straps are configured to couple and support a rotor blade in a six o'clock position.

Method and system for servicing wind turbine rotor

A method for removing a rotor blade from a wind turbine may generally include installing a blade sock around an outer perimeter of the rotor blade, coupling a support cable to the blade root, lowering the rotor blade relative to the hub using the support cable, coupling at least one pulley cable between the rotor blade and a winch using at least one pulley, moving the pulley cable relative to the pulley to lower the rotor blade relative to the hub, applying a force through the blade sock as the pulley cable is moved relative to the pulley in order to control an orientation of the rotor blade and further lowering the rotor blade to a location on or adjacent to the support surface.

Methods and systems for removing and/or installing wind turbine rotor blades

In one aspect, a method for installing a blade sock onto a rotor blade of a wind turbine may generally include positioning the blade sock adjacent to a blade tip of the rotor blade, wherein the blade sock comprises a sock strap forming a closed-shape. In addition, the method may include moving the blade sock relative to the rotor blade such that the blade tip is received within the closed-shape formed by the sock strap and moving the blade sock spanwise along the rotor blade towards a blade root of the rotor blade until the blade sock is positioned at an intermediate location defined between the blade root and the blade tip, wherein the sock strap is configured to fit tightly around an outer perimeter of the rotor blade at the intermediate location.

A method for repairing or servicing a wye ring of a generator includes the steps of, dismantling the generator to gain access to the wye ring, determining a fault location in the wye ring; and attaching a patch to the wye ring in an area of the fault location. The patch provides an electrical path around the fault location so that the generator is repaired.

Method for repairing or servicing a wye ring

A method for enabling servicing of a wind turbine rotor includes coupling a support cable to the blade root, the support cable extends from the blade root to a hub of the wind turbine. A lowering step lowers a rotor blade relative to the hub using the support cable so the rotor blade is spaced apart from the hub by an initial vertical distance. An installing step installs a rotor blade sling on the rotor, the rotor blade sling supports the rotor blade. Other steps are used for coupling the rotor blade to the rotor blade sling, lowering the rotor blade such that the rotor blade is spaced apart from the hub by a distance greater than the initial vertical distance, de-coupling the support cable from the blade root, and interposing a rotor servicing fixture between the rotor blade and hub. The rotor servicing fixture is configured to transport a rotor part.

A rotor turning system includes a fixture plate configured for attachment to a gearbox, a locking mechanism configured for attachment to the fixture plate, and a reaction fixture configured for attachment to the locking mechanism. The rotor turning system is configured to permit rotation of the rotor only when rotational torque is applied to the locking mechanism, and this rotation is in only one rotational direction.

Rotor turning system and method

A method is provided for re-indexing a pitch bearing configured with a rotor blade of a wind turbine. A hoisting system is anchored within the rotor hub and includes a plurality of support elements connected to a drive system. The support elements are connected to the root flange of the rotor blade, and the rotor hub is rotated so that the rotor blade is in a vertical six o'clock position. The root flange is disconnected from the inner race such that the rotor blade is fully supported by the hoisting system. With the hoisting system, the rotor blade is lowered a predetermined distance from the hub and the pitch bearing is re-indexed to a position so as to engage a new set of pitch bearing teeth with a pitch drive that engages the pitch bearing.

Method for re-indexing a pitch bearing of a wind turbine

Portable cranes for wind turbines are provided. In one embodiment, a crane includes a boom, a support shaft connected to the boom, and a plurality of interchangeable mount assemblies. Each of the plurality of mount assemblies is removably connectable to the support shaft and mountable to a wind turbine component. The crane is mountable to at least two different wind turbine components. In another embodiment, a crane includes a boom, a support shaft connected to the boom, and means for mounting the crane to at least one uptower wind turbine component and at least one downtower wind turbine component.

Portable crane for use in wind turbines

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for lifting and/or removing a rotor blade to and from a wind turbine. In one embodiment, the system includes an up-tower pulley mounted on an up-tower location of the wind turbine, first and second ground winches, a pulley cable from the first ground winch over the up-tower pulley and attached to the rotor blade, a guide line attached between an up-tower location of the wind turbine and the second ground winch, a guide pulley mounted on the guide line, and a guide cable from the guide line over the guide pulley to the rotor blade. Thus, the guide pulley is configured to move along the guide line during lifting and removing of the rotor blade so that the guide cable can control an orientation of the rotor blade relative to the tower during lifting and removing of the rotor blade.

System and method for removing and/or installing a rotor blade of a wind turbine

An apparatus is provided having a sling or sock configured for contacting a wind turbine blade. A reinforcement member attached to the sling or sock. The reinforcement member configured to resist sling or sock collapse and maintain the sling or sock in an open configuration. A method is also provided for moving a wind turbine part, such as a rotor or blade. The method includes the step of attaching a sling or sock to the wind turbine part, where the sling includes a reinforcement member attached thereto.

Blade sling apparatus and method

A method for servicing a rotor of a generator includes the steps of, dismantling a non-drive end of the generator, removing insulation from portions of an existing Wye ring and existing connection lugs, removing portions of the existing Wye ring near the existing connection lugs, installing a replacement Wye ring in the generator, connecting the replacement Wye ring to the existing connection lugs, and insulating the replacement Wye ring and the existing connection lugs. The method is performed on the generator in-situ.

Growing community of inventors

Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

Brent Hamilton Holloway