American Hoist & Derrick Company

Amclyde Engineered Products, Inc.

Other

National Oilwell Varco, L.p.

Amca International Corporation

Hydralift Amclyde, Inc.

Pierre Cornelius Delago

Wayne Robert Long

John C Lundell

Richard A Juelich

James A Carlson

Alan A Meyman

Frank M Monteiro

A wind turbine system erection apparatus may include a body portion having a window, a section handler secured to the body portion and extending through the window, the section handler adapted to pick, lift, axis-align, and set a mast section, and a movement mechanism secured to the body portion, the movement mechanism adapted to moveably reposition the body portion along the length of the mast of the wind turbine system. A method is also disclosed and may include positioning an erection apparatus near a base of a mast of the wind turbine system, the positioning including locating the erection apparatus substantially concentrically with the mast. The method may also include picking a mast section from near the base of the system with the erection apparatus, lifting the mast section along the length of the mast, and translating the mast section into the erection apparatus and into alignment with the mast.

Method and apparatus for wind turbine erection

The present invention, in one embodiment, is a system for receiving and delivering into a base the radial loads imposed on a crane where the crane has a center post operably connected to the base with a generally cylindrical outer bearing surface and the crane rotates in at least a partial circle around the axis of the center post. The system comprises three or more radial load rollers arranged in a linked sequence in an arc at the outer bearing surface of the center post. Each radial load roller includes an axle and an axis of rotation that is generally parallel to the axis of the center post. The system also comprises a means for anchoring a first radial load roller at one end of the arc and anchoring a second radial load roller at the other end of the arc. The system also comprises links connecting each roller between the first and the second radial rollers to its adjacent rollers to form a flexible chain of said rollers. Finally, the system comprises a means for tensioning the linked radial load rollers to draw each radial load roller into rolling contact with the outer bearing surface and to equalize substantially the radial forces exerted by the radial rollers on the outer bearing surface.

Crane radial support bearing

An apparatus for rotating a floating vessel such as a ship, around a cylindrical turret structure moored to the sea bottom. The vessel has a circumturret structure passing through the hull of the vessel and surrounding the turret structure. The apparatus comprises a hook roller assembly, a load roller assembly, a radial roller assembly, and a drive mechanism. The hook roller assembly prevents the turret structure from moving upward from the wave and current forces exerted on the floating vessel. The load roller assembly rotatably supports the turret structure on the circumturret structure. The plurality of radial roller assemblies mounted to the circumturret radially support the turret. The drive mechanism is used to rotate the vessel around the turret.

Apparatus for positioning a vessel

A drum winch is replaced with a traction winch module. The traction winch module is mounted on and supported by the existing mooring winch frame of the drum winch. The traction winch module includes a traction frame, a front traction drum, and a rear traction drum. A portion of the drive system from the drum winch may be retained and used to drive the traction winch module. In one embodiment, the traction winch module is designed to mount between pillow blocks from the existing mooring winch frame. In addition, the power train and load-sensing systems from the existing drum winch may be used with the converted traction winch to drive the drive shaft and to provide the converted traction winch with tension information, respectively.

Method and apparatus for winch upgrading

A radial roller assembly for passively providing radial support to a cylindrical turret to resist horizontal forces. The turret is moored to the sea bottom for rotation of a vessel around the turret, where the vessel includes a circumturret passing through the vessel and surrounding the turret. The radial roller assembly comprises an outer housing, which is connected to the circumturret and an inner support carriage, which is located within the outer housing. The inner support carriage has a wheel support assembly for supporting a wheel which has its outer bearing surface in contact with a circular radial support rail attached to the turret. There is a bearing structure interposed between the outer housing and the inner support carriage for slidably connecting the inner support carriage and the outer housing. The radial roller assembly further comprises a guide shaft, which is connected to the circumturret so that the guide shaft can be tilted slightly. The second end of the guide shaft is slidably connected to the inner support carriage. A plurality of springs having a bore for slidably receiving the guide shaft are placed on the guide shaft. The springs are located within the inner support carriage and the wheel support assembly.

Radial support assembly for an apparatus for positioning a vessel

An apparatus for increasing the available hook raising and lowering distance is attached to a crane or other lifting structure having a boom and at least one lifting tackle utilizing at least one lifting line connected to a prime mover. The apparatus utilizes a support means attached to the crane boom substantially at the connection point of an existing upper tackle. A fixed, lower gripper platform is suspended from the support means and has at least one linear winch grip mounted thereon. A movable, upper gripper platform is connected to at least one lifting line associated with the lifting tackle. The upper gripper platform has at least one linear winch grip mounted thereon. The upper gripper platform is also adapted to reciprocate between the lower gripper platform and the upper tackle in response to the prime mover drawing in or paying out the lifting line. At least one extended load line for attachment to a load passes through the linear winch grips on the lower and upper gripper platforms. Take up reels or other such means take up and let out the extended load line. A control means connected to the linear winch grips mounted on the upper and lower platforms causes these grips to individually and selectively release or grip the extended load line.

Deepwater extended hook travel attachment

A self-erecting traveling crane having a machinery platform rotatably mounted with respect to a carbody utilizes a concentric support ring, a boom foot carrier pivotably mounted to the platform and rolling on the support ring, and a counterweight carrier with trailing counterweight pivotably mounted to the platform and rolling on the ring. A mast and boom are mounted near a forward end of the boom foot carrier. To change location for use, the crane can be rigged to move in forward or rearward direction carrying its support ring. A travel strut is pivotably mounted to an inner end of the boom foot carrier. A boom foot carrier tension pendant extends from the top of the travel strut to an outer end portion of the boom foot carrier. A live boom suspension linkage connects the points of the mast and the boom. Boom suspension pendants extend from the mast point to the trailing counterweight. A gantry is mounted on the machinery platform over a platform counterweight. A live boom foot carrier suspension linkage connects from the top of the gantry to the top of the travel strut. The live linkage of this boom foot carrier suspension linkage connects also to a mast suspension pendant which is connected to the mast point. This linkage is used to raise the mast and the travel strut before the live boom suspension linkage is used to raise the boom. The carriers are each provided with hooks to lift the support ring. To rig for travel, the boom is lowered to cause the counterweight carrier to lift the rear of the support ring off of the ground. The boom is then raised and the live linkage of the boom foot carrier is shortened causing the boom foot carrier tension pendant to raise the front end of the support ring off of the ground.

Self-erecting mobile crane

In a crane having an upper works rotatably supported on a lower works by an anti-friction bearing, a quick removal assembly structure includes an upper mounting ring affixed to the lowermost portion of the upper works and having teeth extending radially outwardly from the axis of the ring, a lower mounting ring mounted to the uppermost portion of the lower works and having teeth extending axially outwardly along a circle concentric with the center of that ring. The teeth of the upper and lower mounting rings fit snugly together when the upper works is assembled to the lower works, and radially outwardly opening horizontal slots in each tooth combine to define a horizontal retaining ring groove which is concentric with the rings. A retaining ring constituted as four retaining ring segments is of configuration to fit into the retaining ring groove, and when so fitted, prevents relative movement between the upper and lower mounting rings. Each end of each retaining ring segment integrally supports an end bracket, and a nut and bolt assembly is supported in each pair of adjacent end brackets. Shortening the effective length of each nut and bolt assembly causes the end brackets to move towards each other and firmly into the horizontal retaining ring groove. Retaining ring segment release means includes removable bolts threadably and horizontally mounted through provided openings in each of the retaining ring segments. Rotation of these bolts in inward direction forces the retaining ring segments out of the retaining ring groove. Retaining ring support arms extend outwardly from the teeth of one of the mounting rings to support the retaining ring segments when they are out of the retaining ring groove.

Swing bearing quick removal system

A heave motion compensation appartus is used to move a load from a supply ship in heavy seas to a platform on an oil rig. A main load line extending down from a point of a crane boom mounted on the oil rig is driven by a pair of hydraulic main hoist drum motors. One of the motors is a variable displacement swash-plate type motor. The motors are driven through a hydrostatic transmission by a pair of variable displacement hydraulic pumps. A signal line running over the boom point is attached to the supply vessel and maintained taut. Sensor and control means reading movement of the signal line with respect to the first platform is used to control the displacement of one of the main hoist pumps to cause an outer end of the main hoist line to move up and down with the supply vessel. The other pump is controlled to raise and lower the outer end of the main load line. The main load line is attached to the load. A signal is generated by the sensor and control means to indicate upward movement of the outer end of the main load line, and this signal is used to generate a signal representative of the rate of change of the speed of the outer load line and the load attached thereto. On demand by the operator, the control means determines when the supply vessel is moving up with respect to the oil rig and the rate of change of velocity is zero. The control means then moves the variable displacement main hoist drum motor and the two variable displacement main hoist pumps to maximum displacement to cause the main load line to pick the load from the supply vessel.

Growing community of inventors

Afton, MN, United States of America

Pierre Cornelius Delago