General Electric Company

George Albert Goller

Raymond Joseph Stonitsch

Paul Stephen DiMascio

Jason Robert Parolini

Rebecca Evelyn Hefner

Daniel Anthony Nowak

Dale Robert Mashtare

Richard DiDomizio

Bill Damon Johnston, Jr

Colwyn Sayers

Ronald Ralph Cairo

Fulton Jose Lopez

Biao Fang

Ganjiang Feng

James Henry Madge

Junyoung Park

Conner Brooks Shane

Charudatta Subhash Mehendale

Raed Zuhair Hasan

Garth M Nelson

Shan Liu

Joseph J Jackson

Dennis William Cavanaugh

David Andrew Helmick

James Edward Cencula

Lawrence Keith Taliaferro, Jr

Daniel Yeuching Wei

Brian Victor Moore

Richard Didomizio

Kevin M Vandevoorde

Paul Stephen Dimascio

A crane system for a wind turbine is disclosed. The crane system includes a support structure, a movable structure, a slidable device, a first actuator unit, and a plurality of second actuator units. The slidable device includes a base, a retention component, and first, second, third, and fourth pairs of clamping arms. The base is coupled to the support structure. The retention component is coupled to either side of the base to define a channel between the retention component and the base. The first and second pairs of clamping arms are spaced apart and coupled to each other and to the base. The third and fourth pairs of clamping arms are disposed within the channel, spaced apart, and coupled to each other. The first actuator unit is coupled to the slidable device and each second actuator unit is coupled to the first, second, third, and fourth pairs of clamping arms.

Crane system and an associated method thereof

An integral ring gear and torque arm for a wind turbine gearbox and method of manufacturing same includes forming the ring gear and the associated gear housing as a single part using the same material, e.g., using a casting process. Further, the ring gear defines an inner circumferential surface having a plurality of gear teeth. Thus, the method also includes applying a coating material to the gear teeth of the ring gear via an additive manufacturing process, such as cold spraying, so as to increase a hardness of gear teeth.

Integral ring gear and torque arm for a wind turbine gearbox

Systems and methods for monitoring wind turbine loading are provided. In one embodiment, a system includes a main shaft, a bedplate, and a gearbox coupled to the main shaft and mounted to the bedplate. The gearbox includes an outer casing and a torque arm extending from the outer casing. The system further includes an isolation mount coupled to the torque arm, and a sensor configured to measure displacement of the torque arm. In another embodiment, a method includes operating the wind turbine, and detecting displacement of a torque arm of a gearbox of the wind turbine. The method further includes calculating a moment for a main shaft of the wind turbine based on the displacement of the torque arm.

System and method for monitoring wind turbine loading

Components and methods of processing such components from precipitation-strengthened alloys so that the components exhibit desirable grain sizes following a supersolvus heat treatment. The method includes consolidating a powder of the alloy to form a billet having an average grain size. The billet is then forged at a temperature below the solvus temperature to form a forging having an average grain size of not coarser than the grain size of the billet. The billet is then forged at a total strain of at least 5%, after which at least a portion of the forging is heat treated at a temperature below the solvus temperature to pin grains within the portion. The entire forging can then be heat treated at a temperature above the solvus temperature of the alloy without coarsening the grains in the portion.

Components formed by controlling grain size in forged precipitation-strengthened alloys

A method for operating a gasifier includes detecting a corrosive compound between a combustion chamber defined within the gasifier and an inner wall of a pressure vessel that at least partially surrounds the combustion chamber via a corrosion sensor and increasing the temperature of the inner wall of the pressure vessel to a temperature that is greater than a dew point of the corrosive compound via a heater that at least partially surrounds the pressure vessel. The method may also include adjusting a flow of at least one of a fuel, an oxidant and a diluent to the gasifier in response to the detection of the corrosive compound so as to modify the dew point of the corrosive compound.

Method for operating a gasifier

Improved methods and containers for forming billets using hot isostatic pressing are provided. The methods and containers have features that control the deformations of the container during the high temperatures and pressures experienced in such processing so that the loss or removal of material from the resulting billet can be optimized.

Device and method for hot isostatic pressing

A method of separating a powder mixture is disclosed. A first magnetic field is applied to the powder mixture which may contains a non-magnetic metal powder and a contaminant powder. A field strength of the first magnetic field magnetizes the non-magnetic metal powder and leaves the contaminant powder non-magnetized. A second magnetic field is applied to the powder mixture to separate the magnetized metal powder from the non-magnetized contaminant powder.

Separating a powder mixture

Various turbine component preforms are disclosed having near-net shape features. In one embodiment, a turbine casing preform is disclosed. The turbine casing preform includes an as-cast body comprising a partially cylindrical wall section of a turbine casing, the wall section having an inner surface and an outer surface. The turbine casing preform also includes a circumferentially-extending vane slot formed in the wall section on the inner surface. In another embodiment, a turbine nozzle diaphragm preform is disclosed. The turbine nozzle diaphragm preform includes an as-cast body comprising a partially-cylindrical wall section of a turbine nozzle diaphragm having an inner surface and an outer surface. The turbine nozzle diaphragm preform also includes an as-cast, circumferentially-extending seal member projecting from one of the outer surface or inner surface.

Cast turbine casing and nozzle diaphragm preforms

A crack-resistant member for preventing crack propagation, a method of preventing crack propagation, and method of assembly a tower are provided. The crack-resistant member includes at least one insert attached to at least one removed portion at a predetermined location along a girth weld and adjacent a heat affected zone of the tower. The at least one insert is positioned perpendicular to a weld direction and intersecting the girth weld. The at least one insert prevents crack propagation in the girth weld of the tower.

Crack resistant member and tower

Crack-resistant member, a method of preventing crack propagation, and a method of assembling a tower

A casting process for producing metal alloy castings, facecoats and apparatuses suitable for carrying out the process, and castings produced by the process. The casting process entails the use of a mold having a cavity with a continuous aluminum-containing solid facecoat on its surface. A molten quantity of a metal alloy is introduced into the mold cavity so that the molten alloy contacts the solid facecoat. The mold is then allowed to cool to solidify the molten alloy and form a cast product. During the casting process, aluminum in the solid facecoat diffuses into the cast product to form an aluminum-containing surface region at the casting surface. Following removal of the cast product from the mold, an alumina-containing scale grows on the casting surface as a result of oxidation of the casting surface region.

Casting process, materials and apparatus, and castings produced therewith

Method of controlling grain size in forged precipitation-strengthened alloys and components formed thereby

A alloy and a process of forming a alloy are disclosed. The alloy has a predetermined grain boundary morphology. The alloy includes by weight greater than about 0.06 percent carbon, up to about 0.0015 percent sulfur, less than about 16 percent chromium, between about 39 percent and about 44 percent nickel, between about 2.5 percent and about 3.3 percent niobium, between about 1.4 percent and about 2 percent titanium, up to about 0.5 percent aluminum, up to about 0.006 percent boron, up to about 0.3 percent copper, up to about 0.006 percent nitrogen, and greater than about 0.5 percent molybdenum.

Alloy

A method for assembling a nozzle is provided. The method includes providing an injection tube that includes an outlet that is configured to discharge fuel therefrom. A face plate is also provided that extends about the injection tube such that the face plate substantially circumscribes the outlet. A cooling chamber is defined within the injection tube and configured to channel cooling fluid adjacent to the face plate. At least one surface defining the cooling chamber is configured to disrupt a flow of the cooling fluid flowing through the cooling chamber.

Nozzles for use with gasifiers and methods of assembling the same

An improved container and method for forming billets using hot isostatic pressing is provided. The method and container allows for adjusting the volume of the container so as to obtain a billet of the desired shape based on selected powder charge for the container. In addition, the corner of the container can be adjusted to allow for elimination of edge effects and further shape control in the resulting billet.

Growing community of inventors

Greenville, SC, United States of America

George Albert Goller