The present disclosure is directed to crane assemblies and methods for servicing and installing wind turbines and components thereof.
Recently, wind turbines have received increased attention as environmentally safe and relatively inexpensive alternative energy sources. With this growing interest, considerable efforts have been made to develop wind turbines that are reliable and efficient.
Generally, a wind turbine includes a rotor having multiple blades. The rotor is mounted to a housing or nacelle, which is positioned on top of a truss or tubular tower. Utility grade wind turbines (i.e., wind turbines designed to provide electrical power to a utility grid) can have large rotors (e.g., 30 or more meters in length). In addition, the wind turbines are typically mounted on towers that are at least 60 meters in height. Blades on these rotors transform wind energy into a rotational torque or force that drives one or more generators that may be rotationally coupled to the rotor through a gearbox. The gearbox steps up the inherently low rotational speed of the turbine rotor for the generator to efficiently convert mechanical energy to electrical energy, which is fed into a utility grid. In order to provide the efficient conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy, the wind turbine utilizes a variety of wind turbine components that are too heavy and/or awkward to manually carry, such as shafts, gearing components, pitch drives, generator components and other components within the wind turbine.
Components in the wind turbine typically have to be installed, serviced or replaced using mobile land-based cranes and/or manually carrying components to remove and/or replace components. Wind turbine components may be huge or awkward to handle, precluding manual transportation of the components. Further, wind turbines may be installed on uneven terrain and/or on very high towers (e.g., towers that are at least 60 meters in height) that are inaccessible to mobile land-based cranes. In addition, operation of mobile land-based cranes is expensive.
Therefore, what is needed is an inexpensive method and apparatus for installing, servicing or replacing components in wind turbines that is portable, lightweight and/or is capable of operation at the operating heights of wind turbines and in the various terrains in which wind turbines may be installed.
One aspect of the present disclosure includes a portable crane assembly for servicing a wind turbine. The crane assembly includes a first primary support member and a second primary support member being rotatably attached to one another. The first primary support member is configured to attach to a wind turbine component. The second primary support is coaxially rotatable with respect to the first primary support member. The crane assembly further includes a boom member pivotably attached to an end of the second primary support member. The portable crane assembly is disassemblable into components that can be manually carried.
Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a wind turbine servicing system having a first crane assembly and a second crane assembly arranged and disposed on a wind turbine. The first crane assembly includes a first primary support member and a second primary support member being rotatably attached to one another. The first primary support member is configured to attach to a wind turbine component. The second primary support is coaxially rotatable with respect to the first primary support member. The crane assembly further includes a boom member pivotably attached to an end of the second primary support member. The first and second crane assemblies are disassemblable into components that can be manually carried. The second crane assembly is arranged and disposed to permit manipulation of components within the wind turbine.
Still another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for servicing a wind turbing. The method includes assembling a first crane assembly on a wind turbine. The first crane assembly includes a first primary support member and a second primary support member being rotatably attached to one another. The first primary support member is configured to attach to a wind turbine component. The second primary support is coaxially rotatable with respect to the first primary support member. The crane assembly further includes a boom member pivotably attached to an end of the second primary support member. The first crane assembly is disassemblable into components that can be manually carried. A service load is lifted from the ground with the first crane assembly and providing the component to a hatch of the wind turbine. The service load is then positioned in a desired position.
An advantage of an embodiment of the present disclosure is that wind turbine components may be transported to and from a wind turbine safely and easily.
Another advantage of an embodiment of the present disclosure is the crane assembly is portable and may disassemble into components easily carried by installers and/or servicers.
Another advantage of an embodiment of the present disclosure is that the components may be transported to and from the wind turbine, even when the wind turbine is installed on rugged terrain or when installed offshore.
Another advantage of an embodiment of the present disclosure is the crane assembly is easily assembled onto existing wind turbines with few, if any, modifications required of current wind turbines.
Still another advantage of an embodiment of the present disclosure is that the lift and drop operation may be accomplished without requirement of full exposure of service personnel on top of nacelle hatch, which provides increase personnel safety.
Still another advantage of an embodiment of the present disclosure is that heavy and/or larger service tools may be brought up to the nacelle by easily attaching a lifting basket or other structure to the winch/lifting rope.
Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to represent the same parts.
The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the disclosure is shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
The present disclosure is related to a portable wind turbine servicing system including at least one crane assembly for use with a wind turbine that is easily assembled, portable, disassembles into lightweight easily transported components, and is capable of transporting various wind turbine components both to and from the wind turbine. As utilized herein, the “load” and “service load” include any component, device, or other load that may be lifted by the system of the present disclosure. As utilized herein, the “ground”, from which service loads may be lifted or dropped, is not limited to dry ground and may include any surface or water condition onto which the wind turbine may be mounted. For example, the ground may be terrain, water (e.g. ocean or lake surface) or any other location onto which a wind turbine may be installed. Embodiments according to the disclosure can be adapted to cranes for multi megawatt turbines of rating 2.5 MW and higher on land and/or offshore installations.
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As shown in
The drive train of the wind turbine 100 includes a main rotor shaft 116 (also referred to as a “low speed shaft”) connected to hub 110 via main bearing 130 and (in some configurations), at an opposite end of shaft 116 to a gear box 118. Gear box 118, in some configurations, utilizes a dual path geometry to drive an enclosed high-speed shaft. In other configurations, main rotor shaft 116 is coupled directly to generator 120. The high-speed shaft (not shown in
The individual components within nacelle 102, as discussed above, may require servicing and/or replacement from time to time, either as a part of a regular maintenance schedule or due to malfunction or damage. The present disclosure includes installing a crane assembly 300 extending through hatch 331 to install/remove and lower/raise components from the ground to the wind turbine 100.
The first primary support member 301 is attached to the wind turbine by attachment plate 311. Attachment plate 311 is configured to mate, attach or otherwise fasten to a component of the wind turbine 100. While not so limited, the attachment plate 311 may attach to or replace existing components, and utilize existing fastening locations. In one embodiment, the attachment plate 311 may be attached to existing footplates of main bearing 130.
The first and second primary support members 301, 303 are additionally supported by secondary support members 307. The secondary support members 307 may be a bar, wire, cable, rope, chain, strap or any other elongated device capable of supporting the first and second primary support members 301, 303. Secondary support members 307 are affixed to the first primary support member 301 by collar 309. Collar 309 attaches to first primary support member 301 and support member 307 in any suitable manner and provides support. The support member 307 attaches to wind turbine 100 by secondary support fasteners 313 and secondary support clamps 315. While not so limited, the secondary support fasteners 313 may fasten to existing lifting eyes 513 (see e.g.
Boom member 304 is pivotably attached to an end of the second primary support member 303. A boom actuator 317 is attached to second primary support member 303 and boom member 304. Boom actuator 317 may include a hydraulic drive or piston, electrically driven actuator or other device capable of pivoting boom member 304 to desired angles with respect to the first and second primary support members 301, 303. The boom actuator 317 is attached to boom member 304 by boom support 319. However, the disclosure is not so limited and may include other arrangements, including direct attachment of the boom actuator 317 to the boom member 304.
Boom member 304 is additionally support by secondary boom supports 321. The secondary boom supports 321 may be a bar, wire, cable, rope, chain, strap or any other elongated device capable of supporting the boom member 304. Boom member extension 323 extends from boom member 304 and provides additional length for lifting. Like boom member 304, the boom member extension 323 is support by secondary boom supports 321. The boom member extension 323 may be actuatable by any suitable method, including by electric or hydraulic drives or by hand. In one embodiment, the boom member extension 323 may be actuated by hand and retained in position by a pin or other fastener.
A lift member 305 is disposed at an end of boom member 304. The lift member 305 may include a winch, lift, chain drive or any other lifting mechanism that is capable of being supported by boom member 304 and lifting wind turbine components. Line 306 extends from lift member 305 and is attachable to turbine components that require lifting. Line 306 may be a wire, cable, rope, chain or any other elongated device for lifting. In addition, the lift member 305 provides a length of line 306 sufficiently long to lower wind turbine components to the ground from above hub 110 of the wind turbine 100. The position of lift member 305 is not limited to the end of boom member 304 and may be disposed in any location that permits lifting of components. For example, lift member 305 may be mounted on second primary support member 303 and line 306 may be guided by pulleys or other structures to the end of boom member 304. In other embodiments, the lift member 305 may utilize auxiliary components, such as spring loaded coiling drums or similar devices for line management and deployment. First crane assembly 300 provides 360° rotation about the axis passing through the first and second primary support members 301, 303.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/083,485, filed Jul. 24, 2008, which Application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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