Methods and systems for removing and/or installing wind turbine rotor blades

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10465663-B2
Application number	US-201715486564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2017
Priority date	Feb 20, 2014
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A method for removing a rotor blade from a wind turbine may generally include installing a blade sock around an outer perimeter of the rotor blade, coupling a support cable to the blade root, lowering the rotor blade relative to the hub using the support cable, coupling at least one pulley cable between the rotor blade and a winch using at least one pulley, moving the pulley cable relative to the pulley to lower the rotor blade relative to the hub, applying a force through the blade sock as the pulley cable is moved relative to the pulley in order to control an orientation of the rotor blade and further lowering the rotor blade to a location on or adjacent to the support surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for lowering rotor blades relative to a hub of a wind turbine, the wind turbine including a rotor blade to be removed and at least one additional rotor blade, the system comprising:
at least one pulley cable coupled to the rotor blade to be removed;
at least one uptower pulley configured to receive the pulley cable;
at least one support assembly provided in operative association with the at least one additional rotor blade, the at least one support assembly comprising a support strap extending at least partially around the at least one additional rotor blade and being coupled to the at least one uptower pulley such that the at least one uptower pulley is suspended below the at least one additional rotor blade via the support strap,
wherein;
the at least one pulley cable is configured to be moved relative to the at least one uptower pulley to allow the rotor blade to be removed to be lowered relative to the hub; and
the at least one support assembly further comprises a rigid member coupled between the support strap and another portion of the wind turbine.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rigid member is configured to maintain a given spacing between the support strap and the hub of the wind turbine.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one support assembly further comprises a secondary strap configured to extend at least partially around the at least one additional rotor blade, the secondary strap being coupled to the rigid member to support the rigid member relative to the at least one additional rotor blade.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein a coupling device is provided at an outboard end of the rigid member, the coupling device configured to couple the rigid member to the support strap.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the support strap is configured to be received within the coupling device such that the support strap is movable relative to the rigid member by sliding the support strap through the coupling device.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one uptower pulley comprises a first uptower pulley and a second uptower pulley and the at least one additional rotor blade comprises a first additional rotor blade and a second additional rotor blade, the first uptower pulley being suspended relative to the first additional rotor blade via the at least one support assembly and the second uptower pulley being suspended relative to the second additional rotor blade via the at least one support assembly.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one pulley cable comprises a first pulley cable configured to be received by the first uptower pulley and a second pulley cable configured to be received by the second uptower pulley, the first and second pulley cables being coupled to the rotor blade.

8. A system for lowering rotor blades from an uptower location on a wind turbine, the system comprising:
a first blade pulley coupled to a blade root of the rotor blade;
a second blade pulley coupled to the blade root of the rotor blade;
an uptower pulley coupled to an uptower component of the wind turbine; and
a pulley cable wrapping around both the first and second blade pulleys and the uptower pulley, the pulley cable being configured to be moved relative to the first and second blade pulleys and the uptower pulley to lower the rotor blade relative to the uptower component of the wind turbine,
wherein the up-tower pulley is vertically aligned with at least one of the first blade pulley or the second blade pulley.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the uptower component comprises a hub of the wind turbine.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein an end of the at least one pulley cable is secured to the rotor blade or the uptower component.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one pulley cable extends from the first and second blade pulleys and the uptower pulley to a location at or adjacent to a support surface of the wind turbine.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first blade pulley is spaced apart laterally from the second blade pulley, the uptower pulley being vertically aligned with the first blade pulley.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a second uptower pulley spaced apart laterally from the uptower pulley.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second uptower pulley is laterally offset from the first and second blade pulleys such that the second uptower pulley is not vertically aligned with either the first blade pulley or the second blade pulley.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second uptower pulley is vertically aligned with the second blade pulley.

16. A system for lowering rotor blades from an uptower location on a wind turbine, the system comprising:
a first blade pulley coupled to a blade root of the rotor blade;
a second blade pulley coupled to the blade root of the rotor blade;
an uptower pulley coupled to an uptower component of the wind turbine; and
a pulley cable coupled to the first and second blade pulleys and the uptower pulley, the pulley cable being configured to be moved relative to the first and second blade pulleys and the uptower pulley to lower the rotor blade relative to the uptower component of the wind turbine,
wherein:
the up-tower pulley is vertically aligned with at least one of the first blade pulley or the second blade pulley; and
the first blade pulley is spaced apart laterally from the second blade pulley, the uptower pulley being vertically aligned with the first blade pulley.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a second uptower pulley spaced apart laterally from the uptower pulley.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the second uptower pulley is laterally offset from the first and second blade pulleys such that the second uptower pulley is not vertically aligned with either the first blade pulley or the second blade pulley.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the second uptower pulley is vertically aligned with the second blade pulley.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Holloway Brent Hamilton
• Neumann Ulrich Werner
• Pfeiffer Gaylon Mitchell
• Johnson Michael R
• Hach Forrest Christopher
• Costain Kevin

Classifications

• F03D80/50 Primary

  Maintenance or repair · CPC title

• F05B2230/61

  using auxiliary equipment for lifting or holding · CPC title

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title

• B66C1/66

  for engaging holes, recesses, or abutments on articles specially provided for facilitating handling thereof · CPC title

• F05B2230/70

  Disassembly methods · CPC title