General Electric Company

General Electric Renovables Espana, S.l.

John Carl Bell

Ulrich Werner Neumann

Christoph Lammen

Michael Royce Johnson

Gaylon Mitchell Pfeiffer

Theodore Steven Wilmot

Bart Jan Veldkamp

Brian William Manikas

Adam Sean Davis

Marc Cavallé

Christoph Graf

Jorge Velázquez Sanchez Toscano

Sebastian Freiheit

Daniel Lopez-Benedito

Adam Sean Philip David Davis

Jordi Escola Belarte

Lasse Vagtborg Nielsen

Adam Sean Phillip David Davis

The disclosure relates to methods and tools for handling a component, the tools () comprising a first clamp seat () for receiving a first surface of the component and a second clamp seat () for receiving a second surface of the component, the second surface being opposite to the first surface. The tool further comprises an actuator () for moving the first clamp seat to clamp the component between the first clamp seat and the second clamp seat with a predetermined clamping force, and an electric motor () for driving the actuator (). The tool () further comprises a control configured to determine currents in the electric motor and to control the electric motor to provide the predetermined clamping force based on the determined currents. Also methods for determining a desired current level in an electric motor driving an actuator for clamping a component and methods for controlling a clamping force in a tool are provided.

Clamping of components, particularly wind turbine blade tips

A rotor turning device for balancing a rotor secured atop a tower of a wind turbine during installation and/or repair of one or more rotor blades of the wind turbine includes a hydraulic drive mechanism for operably engaging with a brake disc of the wind turbine. The brake disc is positioned adjacent to a gearbox of the wind turbine. The rotor turning device also includes a mounting device for securing the rotor turning device adjacent to the brake disc of the wind turbine. Thus, when the hydraulic drive mechanism engages the brake disc, the rotor is rotated to a desired position so as to position one or more rotor blades of the wind turbine in a balanced configuration.

Rotor turning device for balancing a wind turbine rotor

The present disclosure is directed to a lift system for a rotor blade of a wind turbine. The lift system includes a lifting device having at least one cradle. The cradle has a profile that corresponds to at least one of the exterior surfaces of the rotor blade so as to support at least a portion of the rotor blade. Further, the lift system includes a positioning assembly having at least one distance sensor mounted to the hub and at least one visual sensor mounted to the lifting device. Thus, the distance sensor is configured to identify a distance from the hub to the lifting device and the visual sensor is configured to identify a position of the rotor blade in the cradle.

Positioning assembly for a wind turbine rotor blade lifting device

Growing community of inventors

Chesapeake, VA, United States of America

John Carl Bell