Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/s

Wind Tower Technologies, LLC

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

Luis E Carbonell

James D Lockwood

Lon W Montgomery

Matthew J Chase

John Barry Sargeant

Lorenzo Ramirez

Donald Leroy Mills

An equipment tower includes a foundation, a cast-in-place concrete plinth extending vertically from the foundation, and a tower portion extending vertically from the plinth. The equipment tower is constructed at a site having a set of tower specific parameters, and at least one dimension of the plinth is selected based on a tower specific parameter. For example, a height of the plinth may be selected to achieve a desired elevation of the topmost surface of the plinth, so that two towers having identical tower segments will have a common equipment height in spite of variations in their respective foundation elevations due to variations in local ground level. Moreover, the cast-in-place plinth may be designed to include a door opening large enough to accommodate equipment to be installed within the tower.

Equipment tower having a concrete plinth

An equipment tower having a ladder formed of a plurality of ladder segments each joined to a respective tower segment by a pivotal connection prior to the tower segments being stacked during erection of the tower. The pivotal connection provides a degree of freedom of movement which facilitates the interconnection of adjoining ends of the ladder segments after stacking of the tower segments. Additional accommodation of as-built spacing of the adjacent ends of the ladder segments may be provided by a connecting segment. The pivotal connection may be a rod inserted through a rung of the ladder and supported by a support assembly attached to the tower segment.

Ladder installation for equipment tower

A support system for an electric generator having a spring bar connected between the stator frame and a vertical spring plate mounted on a foundation. The spring bar provides flexibility in the tangential direction to minimize the magnitude of torque loads transmitted to the foundation during short circuit operating conditions. The spring plate provides flexibility in the radial direction to minimize the magnitude of vibration loads transmitted to the foundation during normal operating conditions. The combination of a spring bar with a spring plate allows the support system designer to optimize the natural frequency of the support system in both the tangential and radial directions.

Spring mounting for an electric generator

A flexible, gas tight electrical coupling for a gas cooled electrodynamic system such as an electrical generator includes a first connector element that is in communication with a first combined coolant and electrical path and has a first passage defined therein for a coolant, a second connector element that is in communication with a second combined coolant and electrical path and has a second passage defined therein for the coolant, a flexible tube for communicating the first passage in the first connector element with the second passage in the second connector element, and an electrical connection for electrically connecting the first connector element to the second connector element. According to one aspect of the invention, the electrical connection is external to the flexible tube, resulting in cost savings and other advantages when compared to an internal electrical connection. According to a second aspect of the invention, an outside of the flexible tube is sealed to the first and second connector elements to effectively guard against leakage of the coolant.

Flexible gas tight electrical connection for generators

Apparatus for aligning the endplates with the core of an electrical generator. To accommodate for relative thermal expansion and contraction between the endplates, having differing coefficients of thermal expansion due to being made of a different material than the core and fingerplates, an endplate variable alignment pin is provided for associating the endplates with the remainder of the core structure. The endplate is able to radial expand or contract in relation to the fingerplate plates in a controlled manner. An eccentric pin is provided to compensate for misalignment between the endplate and the fingerplates at each end of the stator core structure. Radial guide blocks are secured to the fingerplates prior to stacking and bolting of the core, to eliminate the need for in situ welding in constricted areas after core construction.

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Deltona, FL, United States of America

Luis E Carbonell