Wind turbine rotor blade and method for installing a wind turbine rotor blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759074-B2
Application number	US-201214123443-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2012
Priority date	Jun 3, 2011
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

There is provided a wind power installation rotor blade having a rotor blade root, a rotor blade tip, a rotor blade leading edge, a rotor blade trailing edge, a pressure side and a suction side. The rotor blade further has a rotor blade outer casing with at least one opening in the pressure and/or suction side for receiving handling means for fitting or removing the rotor blade. The rotor blade also has at least one fixing unit for fixing the handling means which are introduced through the at least one opening. The fixing unit is arranged in the interior of the rotor blade outer casing between the pressure side and the suction side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind power installation rotor blade comprising:
a rotor blade root, a rotor blade tip, a rotor blade leading edge, a rotor blade trailing edge, a pressure side and a suction side;
a rotor blade outer casing having a plurality of openings located in at least one of the pressure side and the suction side;
a plurality of slings provided through the plurality of openings for fitting or removing the rotor blade to a wind power installation, wherein the plurality of slings include glass-fiber reinforced plastic or carbon-fiber reinforced plastic; and
a plurality of fixing units coupled to the plurality of slings, respectively, wherein the plurality of fixing units are arranged in an interior of the rotor blade outer casing between the pressure side and the suction side, each of the plurality of fixing units having opposing ends that include first and second reinforcing plates that couple the fixing units to the outer casing, wherein each of the plurality of fixing units include an opening, wherein the plurality of slings are fixed to the plurality of fixing units by bolts that are introduced into openings of the plurality of slings and the openings of the plurality of fixing units.

2. The rotor blade according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of openings in the rotor blade outer casing is three openings, each of the three openings being proximate a center of gravity of the rotor blade.

3. The rotor blade according to claim 1 further comprising a plug to close at least one opening of the plurality of openings after the rotor blade has been fitted to the wind power installation.

4. The rotor blade according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of fixing units is of a symmetrical configuration.

5. A method of fitting wind power installation rotor blades to a wind power installation, comprising:
providing ends of first slings through openings in an outer casing of a first rotor blade;
fixing the ends of the first slings to a plurality of fixing units, respectively, wherein the plurality of fixing units is located in an interior of the first rotor blade, wherein the plurality of fixing units comprise first and second reinforcing plates at opposing ends that couple the plurality of fixing units to the outer casing, wherein plurality of fixing units comprise bolts that extend through openings in the plurality of fixing unit and the ends of the first slings;
lifting the first rotor blade using the first slings and a first crane;
fitting the first rotor blade to a first rotor blade connection of a pod of the wind power installation; lowering the first rotor blade using the first crane and the first slings to a lowered position;
holding the first rotor blade in the lowered position using the first slings and the first crane;
providing ends of second slings through openings in an outer casing of a second rotor blade;
fixing the second slings to fixing units, respectively, the fixing units located in an interior of the second rotor blade;
lifting the second rotor blade using the second slings and a second crane; and
fitting the second rotor blade to a second rotor blade connection of the pod of the wind power installation, wherein the first rotor blade is held by the first slings and the first crane until the second rotor blade is fitted to the second rotor blade connection of the pod.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein fitting the first rotor blade to the first rotor blade connection comprises fitting the first rotor blade to the first rotor blade connection while the first rotor blade is in a horizontal position.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein lowering the first rotor blade by the first crane and the first slings includes causing the pod to be rotated.

8. An assembly comprising:
a rotor blade for a wind power installation, the rotor blade having a rotor blade body that includes a rotor blade root region, a rotor blade tip region, a rotor blade leading edge, a rotor blade trailing edge, a pressure side, and a suction side, at least one of the pressure side and the suction side having a plurality of openings;
a plurality of slings extending through the plurality of openings so that first portions of the plurality of slings are located in an interior of the rotor blade body and second portions of the plurality of slings are located outside of the rotor blade body, the second portions of the plurality of sling having ends configured to engage with a hook of a crane for lifting the rotor blade; and
a plurality of fixing units located in the interior of the rotor blade body, the plurality of fixing units being configured to fix the plurality of slings to the rotor blade body, the plurality of fixing units having reinforcing plates at first and second ends that fix the plurality of fixing units to the interior of the rotor blade body, the plurality of fixing units including openings and bolts, wherein the bolts extend through the openings of the plurality of fixing units and the plurality of openings in the plurality of slings, respectively, to fix the plurality of slings to the rotor blade body.

9. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the plurality of openings are located proximate a center of gravity of the rotor blade body.

10. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein each of the plurality of slings include an eye at an end of the first portion and each of the plurality of fixing units includes an opening, and wherein the plurality of fixing units further include fasteners configured to be placed through the eye of a respective one of the plurality of slings and through the opening of the respective fixing unit to fix the respective sling to the rotor blade body.

11. The assembly according to claim 9 further comprising a plug to close at least one opening of the plurality of openings when the plurality of slings are not extending therethrough.

12. The assembly according to claim 8 wherein the ends of the second portions of the plurality of slings includes eyes configured to receive the hook of the crane for lifting the rotor blade.

Assignees

• Hoffmann Alexander
• Wobben Properties Gmbh

Inventors

• Hoffmann Alexander

Classifications

• F03D13/10

  Assembly of wind motors; Arrangements for erecting wind motors · CPC title

• Y10T29/49336

  Blade making · CPC title

• Y02E10/728

  Onshore wind turbines · CPC title

• Y02B10/30

  Wind power · CPC title

• F05B2230/70

  Disassembly methods · CPC title