Wind turbine service or construction method and apparatus

{
  "publication_number": "US2020018287A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Wind turbine service or construction method and apparatus",
  "abstract": "Method of lifting a wind turbine part (58) at a wind turbine site (1, 2), the method includes: providing a lifting apparatus (60) and a wind turbine part (58) to be lifted; providing a shield (40); providing manipulation equipment (45) associated with said shield (40); and suspending said part (58) from said lifting apparatus (60); moving said part (58) by means of said lifting apparatus (68); the method further including holding said shield (40) proximate and upwind of said part (58) being lifted by means of said manipulation equipment (45). The shield (40) may be held proximate the part (58) being lifted such that it acts to reduce the ambient wind force incident on the part (58). Preferably the method may be implemented such that wind speed conditions (w) at the part (58) being lifted are lower than ambient wind conditions (W) at said site (1, 2). A kite-flying apparatus includes a power kite (40) and associated manipulation equipment (45), including cables (42, 44) at least one steering winch (28, 29), the winch being received in a winching module (26) including a ballast receiving fitment and a winch control system.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method of lifting a wind turbine part at a wind turbine site, the method including: providing a lifting apparatus and a wind turbine part to be lifted; providing a shield; providing manipulation equipment associated with said shield; and suspending said part from said lifting apparatus; moving said part by means of said lifting apparatus; the method further including holding said shield aloft, proximate and upwind of said part being lifted, by means of said manipulation equipment. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said shield is held at a minimum distance from said part equal to or less than three times a maximum dimension of said shield. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said shield is held proximate said part such that it acts to reduce the ambient wind force incident on said part, wherein preferably said method being implemented such that wind speed conditions at said part being lifted are lower than ambient wind conditions at said site. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said shield is movably held in relation to said part being lifted; preferably wherein said method includes moving said shield to follow a movement of a part being lifted, thereby to maintain it in a position proximate said part being lifted concurrently with a movement of said part being lifted. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said shield is an aerodynamic body; preferably wherein said shield is rigid or semi-rigid or non-rigid or preferably a kite or power kite; the method preferably including using one or two or three or more said shields simultaneously. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said shield is collapsible, preferably wherein said shield may be collapsed by operating a control wire associated with said shield. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said shield is held aloft using one or more tethered control wire. 8. The method of claim 7, further including providing a winch associated with one or more or each control wire. 9. The method of claim 8, said method further including controlling a spatial position of said shield by operating one or more said winch. 10. The method of claim 7, wherein said one or more control wire includes one or more power cable and one or more brake cable, preferably wherein said one or more power cable is associated with a steering winch while said one or more brake cable is associated with a brake winch. 11. The method of claim 10, including steering said shield by means of one or more steering winch and one or more brake winch. 12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said winch is comprised in a winch module, said winch module comprising ballast or capable of receiving ballasting material. 13. The method according to claim 8, further including a shield flying control system configured to actuate one or more said winch and configured to control the flight of said shield proximate to said part being lifted; preferably wherein said control system is comprised in said winch module. 14. The method according to claim 12 wherein said winch module is received on a mobile transport unit or stationary and supported on the ground or suspended from a second lifting apparatus. 15. The method according to claim 1, carried out in connection with a wind turbine construction operation where said lifting apparatus is a crane; or carried out in connection with a wind turbine service operation where said lifting apparatus is a nacelle crane or nacelle winch. 16. The method according to claim 1, carried out by means of an automatic control system configured for manipulating said shield; preferably further including providing a position transponder at one or both a part being lifted and at a shield, said position transponder providing current positional information of one or both a part being lifted and a shield to said control system. 17. The method according to claim 1, further including providing said shield with a wireless position-indicator; preferably further including providing said part with a wireless position-indicator. 18. A kite-flying apparatus including a power kite and associated manipulation equipment, said manipulation equipment comprising a set of kite steering cables, a set of kite brake cables, at least one steering winch associated with said power cables and at least one brake winch associated with said brake cables; said power winch and said brake winch being received in a winching module; said winching module including a ballast receiving fitment and being associated with a winch control system; said kite flying apparatus preferably being received on a mobile support unit; said control system preferably including control software configured for flying said kite at a wind turbine construction or service site; preferably, the apparatus being configured for and capable of carrying out the method according to claim 1. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said control system is configured to receive input indicative of local wind speed and to selectively initiate deployment of said kite when local wind speed is above a nominal limit wind speed and/or to automatically initiate kite collapse and retraction when local wind speed is below said nominal limit wind speed, and/or to automatically initiate kite collapse and retraction when local wind speed is at or above a second maximum limit wind speed, greater than said nominal limit wind speed. 20. The apparatus according to claim 18, said kite further comprising a wireless position-indicator. 21. A method of shielding a wind turbine part at a wind turbine site, the method including: providing a shield; providing manipulation equipment associated with said shield; and the method further including holding said shield, proximate and upwind of said part, said shield being held aloft by means of said manipulation equipment; wherein said part is a wind turbine rotor blade or a wind turbine nacelle; and wherein said method is performed during a servicing operation at a wind turbine rotor blade or nacelle; or wherein said method is performed during a rotation operation of a rotor blade at a wind turbine rotor."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention provides a method and apparatus for construction or servicing operations at a wind turbine generator.\n\nIt is known to assemble a wind turbine generator by attaching rotor blades to a rotor hub at a wind turbine nacelle atop a tower. According to US2006/0147308, this may be achieved by lifting and fitting the blades one by one using an appropriately dimensioned crane. The use of a crane for installing other wind turbine elements is also known. For example, EP2604568 relates to lifting a nacelle to a tower top; WO2008/089763 relates to the use of a crane to lift a rotor to an installed nacelle. Moreover, lifting operations in relation to a wind turbine may also be carried out for servicing purposes. For example, it is known e.g. from EP1677006, to lift wind turbine components into or out from an installed nacelle using lifting gear. At the relevant operating heights of the wind turbine nacelle and crane, wind speeds can be elevated. After all, this forms the very reason for siting the turbine at the relevant location: namely sites are chosen for their reliable wind, and thereby for effective wind power generation. For practical and safety reasons, turbine construction using craning methods for blade attachment require low wind conditions. Also lifting operations in relation to other wind turbine elements or components preferably require low or moderate wind conditions. Among the various wind turbine elements or components to be lifted, the blades, being aerodynamically shaped and of particularly large dimensions, can be the most sensitive to wind conditions.",
  "cpc": [
    "F03D 13/10",
    "B64C 31/06",
    "B66C 23/185",
    "F03D 13/40",
    "F03D 5/00",
    "F03D 80/50",
    "F05B 2230/61",
    "F05B 2230/6102",
    "Y02E 10/70",
    "Y02E 10/72",
    "Y02E 10/727",
    "Y02P 70/50"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "F03D 13/10",
    "F03D 13/40"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "VESTAS WIND SYS AS"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "FYNBO PETER",
    "KASTRUP MICHAEL",
    "AMERY Marcus"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2017-12-13",
  "publication_date": "2020-01-16",
  "priority_date": "2016-12-21",
  "application_number": "US-201716471900-A",
  "family_id": "60702277"
}