General Electric Company

Ge Infrastructure Technology, LLC

Santiago Murcia

Ulrich Werner Neumann

Michael Royce Johnson

Gregory Clarence Thomas

Ameet Shridhar Deshpande

John Joseph Mihok

Stephanie Lohberg Willman

Paul Howard Davidson

Don Conrad Johnson

Adam Sean Davis

Michael James Rizzo

Kathleen Lynne Bentzel

Ashley Simone Wilford

Joshua Adam Klinghagen

Dean Thomas Roney

A method for preventing a pitch bearing failure of a pitch system of a wind turbine includes monitoring, via at least one sensor, one or more electrical signals of a pitch motor of a pitch drive mechanism of the pitch system that drives a pitch bearing of the pitch system. The method also includes analyzing, via the controller, the one or more electrical signals of the pitch motor so as to remove noise and amplify outliers. Moreover, the method includes estimating bearing friction of the pitch bearing using the analyzed one or more electrical signals of the pitch motor. As such, the method includes implementing, via the controller, a control action when the estimated bearing friction of the pitch bearing indicates an anomaly in the pitch bearing.

System and method for preventing pitch bearing failures in a wind turbine using pitch motor signals

A method for detaching or installing a rotor blade from or to a hub of a wind turbine includes positioning the rotor blade toward a ground location between a three o'clock position and a nine o'clock position. The method also includes mounting a mechanical arm to an uptower location of the wind turbine. Further, the mechanical arm includes a torqueing tool at a distal end thereof. Thus, the method also includes removing or installing, via the torqueing tool, each of the plurality of hub fasteners so as to detach or attach the rotor blade from or to the hub.

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

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Greenville, SC, United States of America

Santiago Murcia