General Electric Company

Other

Horton, Inc.

William Francis Gevers

Danian Zheng

Young Shin Kim

Stephen Bertram Johnson

Adam Daniel Minadeo

Scott Miller

Derek Savela

Roman Kolar

Constantine Xykis

Andreas Schubert

Balaji Haridasu

Ying Xia Cai

Nina Kristeva

Hueseyin Karaca

Robert Davis Pine

A pitch bearing assembly for a wind turbine may include an outer race and an inner race rotatable relative to the outer race. The inner race may define an inner circumference and may include a plurality of gear teeth around the inner circumference. The inner race may also include a circumferential flange extending at least partially around the inner circumference. In addition, the pitch bearing assembly may include a stiffener coupled to the circumferential flange.

Pitch bearing assembly with stiffener

A bolt connection assembly is provided that is particularly suited for connecting components of a lattice structure wind tower. The assembly includes a pin component having a head and a shaft, with the shaft having a textured friction-fit outer circumferential surface. The shaft further includes a threaded internal bore. A bolt component having a threaded shaft engages within the threaded internal bore. In an assembled state of the pin component and bolt component, the threaded shaft has a free length section that extends into the threaded internal bore for increased distribution of a specified pretension of the bolt component.

Bolt connection for a wind tower lattice structure

A tower base ring assembly is provided for securing a wind turbine tower to a foundation. A top ring is configured for securing to a wind turbine tower. A bottom ring has an open center and a plurality of radially oriented troughs spaced circumferentially about the open center, with each trough having an outer end. The top ring and the bottom ring are detachable from one another, and the tower base ring assembly is connectable to the foundation.

Wind turbine tower base assembly with detachable tower base rings

A tower base section, a tower adapter and a wind turbine having the tower base section and the tower adapter are provided. The tower base section includes a tubular side wall and a flange portion. The flange portion has an inner radius and an outer radius and is configured as a T-flange. The tubular side wall is located closer to the outer radius than to the inner radius. The adapter is arranged outside the tubular side wall and includes a bottom surface pressing from above on the flange portion.

Tower base section of a wind turbine, a wind turbine and a system for mounting a tower

A wind turbine has a nacelle mounted atop a tower, with a support system configured around a base portion of the tower. The support system includes a plurality of support fins spaced radially around the base portion. Each of the support fins has a continuous header member secured to the tower and a continuous face member extending radially outward and downward from the header member towards ground. The support fins include a web extending between the header member and face member. The support fins extend from the tower with a length and at an acute extension angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the tower so as to provide vertical and lateral support around the circumference of the tower.

Wind turbine with tower support system and associated method of construction

A wind turbine includes a nacelle with any manner of associated power generation equipment. The nacelle is mounted atop a tower having a base end configured for support on a ground level foundation. A tower support system provides support to the tower and includes an axially extending circumferential sleeve mounted around the tower at a location between the base end and the nacelle. A plurality of support legs are disposed around the sleeve, with each support leg having a first end rigidly affixed to the sleeve and an opposite foot end configured for mounting to a ground level footing. The support legs extend from the sleeve with a length and at an acute extension angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the tower so as to provide a designed degree of vertical and lateral support around the circumference of the tower.

Onshore wind turbine with tower support system

A guiding device for use with a fan-radiator cooling system wherein the fan is upstream from the radiator. The guiding device comprises a series of guide vanes in combination with at least one guide ring. When placed between the fan and the radiator, the device improves the heat transfer capacity of the cooling system by directing air flow through the radiator center, a region that typically suffers from reduced flow due to the air flow pattern in and around the fan hub. Furthermore, the guide vanes align the air flow from the fan so that it is generally parallel with the axis of the fan. The guiding device permits greater heat removal with a given fan and radiator without increasing the speed of the fan.

Growing community of inventors

Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

William Francis Gevers