Granted Patent B2

US 8,997,350 · App. 11/791,235 · Granted Apr 7, 2015

Abstract

Claims (38)

1. An apparatus for mounting and/or dismantling a component having a root area and a tip area of a wind turbine having a tower head, the apparatus comprises at least one guide means tensioned between the tower head and the ground, on which guide means at least one holding apparatus is arranged that holds at least a partial load of the weight of the component during a transport of the component between the ground and the wind turbine, and wherein a loading cable runs from at least one loading apparatus to the root area and the length of loading cable can be varied between the loading apparatus and the root area and wherein at least one loading apparatus is arranged in an area of the tower head and is adapted to hold at least one further partial load of the component during a transport of the component between the ground and the wind turbine and in that at least one holding cable runs from the holding apparatus to the tip area, and wherein a length of the holding cable can be varied between the holding apparatus and the component, wherein the positions of the root area and the tip area are controllable by the respective holding cable and loading cable such that at least in the ground area the component is moved vertically with respect to the ground given a substantially parallel alignment of a longitudinal direction of the component to the ground and the component is then rotated about a transversal axis and positioned vertically under the tower head.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the component is a rotor blade.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the holding apparatus is arranged substantially fixed on the guide means during the mounting/dismantling of the component.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide means is obliquely tensioned between the tower head and the ground.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide means comprises a guide cable.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one loading apparatus comprises a loading cable deflection roller for the loading cable and that one end of the loading cable is reeved into a loading cable winch.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein exactly two loading apparatuses are provided.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one loading apparatus is fastened to webs arranged between adjacent flanges of a rotor hub.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein fastening points for the at least one holding cable are provided at a distance from a rotor blade root of the rotor blade to be mounted/dismantled.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a minimal distance between the wind turbine and the holding apparatus corresponds at least to approximately 10% of the height of a tower of the wind turbine.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the minimal distance between the wind turbine and the holding apparatus corresponds at least to one half the length of a rotor blade of the wind turbine.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the holding apparatus comprises a holding cable deflection roller for the holding cable and wherein one end of the holding cable is reeved into a holding cable winch.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , which further comprises a control apparatus for controlling roll-on or roll-off speed of the cable winch.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the component to be mounted/dismantled is a rotor blade, and the rotor blade comprises fastening points for an end of at least one loading cable and/or of the at least one holding cable.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein at least one fastening point for the at least one loading cable is provided on a rotor blade root of the rotor blade to be mounted.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the fastening points are integrated into an outer wall of the rotor blade.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein rotor blades mounted on the wind turbine comprise fastening points for a connecting cable to which a loading cable deflection roller is fastened, and wherein the fastening points can be reached by a maintenance person located on a roof of a machine housing at a vertical position of the mounted rotor blade.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the fastening points are arranged on a collar placed over the root area of the mounted rotor blade.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the fastening points are integrated into an outer wall of the rotor blade.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein integrated fastening points of rotor blades that are mounted and integrated fastening points of a rotor blade to be mounted/dismantled have the same construction.

21. A wind energy turbine with a tower and a tower head and at least one fastening means on a tower head for a guide means of an apparatus for mounting and/or dismantling a component having a root area and a tip area of a wind turbine with a tower head, the apparatus comprises at least one guide means that can be tensioned between the tower head and the ground, on which at least one holding apparatus can be arranged that carries at least a partial load of a weight of the component during a transport of the component between the ground and the wind turbine, and wherein a loading cable runs from at least one loading apparatus to the root area and a length of the loading cable can be varied between the loading apparatus and the root area and wherein the at least one loading apparatus is arranged in an area of the tower head and is adapted to hold at least one further partial load of the component during a transport of the component between the ground and the wind turbine and in which at least one holding cable runs from the holding apparatus to the tip area whose length can be varied between the holding apparatus and the component wherein the positions of the root area and the tip area are controllable by the respective holding cable and loading cable such that at least in a ground area the component is moved vertically with respect to the ground given a substantially parallel alignment of a longitudinal direction of the component to the ground and the component is then rotated about a transversal axis and positioned vertically under the tower head.

22. The wind energy turbine according to claim 21 , wherein at least one rotor blade comprises integrated fastening points for fastening loading cables and/or connecting cables for loading apparatuses.

23. A process for mounting and/or dismantling a component having a root area and a tip area from a wind energy turbine having a tower and a tower head, the apparatus comprises at least one guide means is tensioned between the tower head and the ground, and on which guide means a holding apparatus is arranged, that is adapted to hold a partial load of the weight of the component during a transport of the component between the ground and the wind turbine, and wherein a loading cable runs from at least one loading apparatus to the root area and a length of the loading cable can be varied between the at least one loading apparatus and the root area, comprising the steps of

fastening the component to a holding cable, that runs from the holding apparatus to the tip area and the holding cable has a length that varies between the holding apparatus and the component,

controlling the positions of the root area and the tip area by the respective holding cable and loading cable,

moving the component substantially vertical with respect to the ground in an area of the ground given a substantially parallel alignment of a longitudinal direction of the component to the ground,

rotating the component about a transversal axis, and

positioning the component vertically under the tower head.

24. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the component is a rotor blade.

25. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the holding apparatus is fixed to the guide means.

26. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the component is first raised during the mounting with a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the ground, is then rotated about an axis running transversely to the longitudinal axis, and is then raised up to the tower head.

27. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the component is rotated until its longitudinal axis is substantially vertical to the ground.

28. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the component is raised vertically to a maximal height aligned substantially parallel to the ground.

29. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the rotor blade is first separated from a rotor hub, the rotor blade is rotated about a transverse axis at maximal height until the longitudinal axis is arranged substantially parallel to the ground and the rotor blade is then lowered substantially vertically to the ground.

30. The process according to claim 23 , wherein the wind energy turbine further comprises a manufactured guide cable that is brought into a machine housing with a holding cable deflection roller and holding cable reeved in it, wherein one end of the guide cable is fastened to at least one fastening point located on an axis of rotation of the rotor and that the rest of the manufactured guide cable is let down to the ground, and wherein the guide cable is tensioned and anchored.

31. The process according to claim 23 , wherein a guide cable is tensioned with a holding cable winch and wherein the holding cable winch is then used to roll up and/or roll out the holding cable.

32. A process for replacing a rotor blade bearing without a crane, on a rotor blade of a wind energy turbine having a tower, a tower head, a rotor hub, and a rotor blade, comprising the steps of dismantling a rotor blade bearing from the rotor hub, dismantling the rotor blade according to claim 23 from the wind turbine, replacing a dismantled first rotor blade support with a second rotor blade support, and mounting the rotor blade with said second rotor blade support onto the rotor hub.

33. The process according to claim 32 , wherein the first rotor blade support is replaced by the second rotor blade support on the ground.

Assignments (9)