Cable interface for a wind power facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10533539-B2
Application number	US-201615738647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2016
Priority date	Jul 3, 2015
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

A cable interface system (20) for connecting internal cabling of a wind power facility (10), the cable interface system (20) comprising: a tower interface (32) associated with a tower (14) of the wind power facility (10), the tower interface comprising a support structure (80, 90) that is arranged to support a set of tower cables (36) in a fixed configuration; a nacelle interface (30) associated with a nacelle (18) of the wind power facility (10), the nacelle interface comprising a support structure (40) that is arranged to support a set of nacelle cables (34) in a fixed configuration; wherein the tower interface (32) is dockable with the nacelle interface (30) so that each tower cable (36) generally aligns with and can be joined to a corresponding nacelle cable (34).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind power facility, comprising:
a tower having a set of tower cables therein, each tower cable having a tower cable portion;
a nacelle mounted on the tower, the nacelle having a set of nacelle cables extending therefrom, each nacelle cable having a nacelle cable portion; and
a cable interface including:
a tower interface having a tower support structure supporting the tower cable portions in a fixed configuration; and
a nacelle interface having a nacelle support structure for supporting the nacelle cable portions in a fixed configuration, the nacelle support structure including a plurality of terminals;

wherein each terminal non-removably couples one nacelle cable portion to a corresponding tower cable portion, and
wherein each terminal prohibits rotation between ends of each nacelle cable portion and corresponding ends of each tower cable portion.

2. The wind power facility of claim 1 , wherein each terminal is selected from a group of compression or mechanical connectors.

3. The wind power facility of claim 1 , comprising a winch.

4. The wind power facility of claim 3 , wherein the winch is integral with the nacelle interface.

5. The wind power facility of claim 1 , wherein the tower interface comprises a coupling arranged to couple to a winch so that the winch can raise the tower interface to dock with the nacelle interface.

6. The wind power facility of claim 1 , wherein the support structure of the tower interface comprises a set of apertures, each aperture being arranged to receive a respective one or more tower cables of the set.

7. The wind power facility of claim 6 , wherein each aperture comprises a lock arranged to secure the respective one or more tower cables within the aperture such that an end of the or each tower cable is exposed for connection to a corresponding nacelle cable.

8. The wind power facility of claim 7 , wherein the exposed ends of the tower cables are crimped or swaged.

9. The wind power facility of claim 1 , wherein the nacelle interface and the tower interface comprise complementary docking formations arranged to engage with each other for docking of the tower interface with the nacelle interface.

10. The wind power facility of claim 9 , comprising a docking formation lock that is arranged to prevent disengagement of the docking formations.

11. The wind power facility of claim 1 , wherein the support structure of the nacelle interface and/or the tower interface is arranged to support cables that are undivided between the tower and the nacelle of the wind power facility.

12. A method for connecting a set of tower cables to a set of nacelle cables extending from a nacelle mounted on a tower of a wind power facility, each tower cable having a tower cable portion and each nacelle cable having a nacelle cable portion, the method comprising:
providing a nacelle interface with a nacelle support structure coupled to the nacelle, the nacelle support structure including a plurality of terminals;
providing tower interface with a tower support structure;
non-removably coupling each nacelle cable portion to a respective one of the plurality of terminals;
raising the tower interface up the tower of the wind power facility, the tower support structure supporting the tower cable portions;
docking the tower interface with the nacelle interface; and
non-removably coupling each tower cable portion to the corresponding one of the plurality of terminals coupled to the nacelle cable portion;
wherein each terminal prohibits rotation between ends of each nacelle cable portion and corresponding ends of each tower cable portion.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Nielsen Thomas Ingemann
• Rytter Frederik

Classifications

• F03D80/85 Primary

  Cabling · CPC title

• F03D13/20

  Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors · CPC title

• F03D80/00

  Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00 · CPC title

• F05B2230/60

  Assembly methods · CPC title

• F05B2260/30

  Retaining components in desired mutual position · CPC title