Adjustable Rotor Stand for Unbalanced Wind Turbine Servicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotor stands for wind turbines are not versatile enough to accommodate various rotor sizes and stabilize the rotor in a horizontal orientation when one or more rotor blades are removed, leading to potential damage and instability during servicing operations.
Innovation Solution
A rotor stand with an interface plate, radially extendible legs, and support shoes that can be adjusted to balance and stabilize the rotor, allowing securement of the rotor hub and distribution of forces symmetrically, even when blades are removed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rotor is supported on the ground through the rotor hub, then the rotor can be stabilized at ground level, but the rotor hub may be damaged due to direct contact with the ground
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rotor stand as an intermediary device between the rotor hub and the ground. The stand includes an interface plate that secures to the rotor hub and multiple legs with support shoes that contact the ground, thereby mediating the support function and preventing direct contact between the rotor hub and ground surface.
2Ease of repair
If one rotor blade is removed during servicing, then the rotor can be accessed for maintenance, but the rotor becomes unbalanced and tips in one direction causing strain on the rotor hub and fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically adjustable legs that can be extended or repositioned to compensate for the imbalance caused by removed rotor blades. The adjustability allows the stand to adapt to different rotor configurations (with one, two, or three blades), maintaining stability and preventing tipping by redistributing the support forces asymmetrically as needed.
3Productivity
If the entire rotor is lowered at once, then the servicing operation is more efficient and safer, but a robust lift system is required
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor stand is designed as a segmented structure with multiple independent legs that can be adjusted individually. This segmentation allows the stand to handle the entire rotor load in a single operation while distributing the forces through multiple contact points, reducing the requirement for an excessively robust lift system compared to lowering the entire rotor as one piece.
4Device complexity
If a fixed rotor stand design is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate various rotor sizes or stabilize the rotor when blades are removed
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor stand incorporates dynamically adjustable legs with extendible mechanisms that allow the stand to adapt to different rotor sizes and configurations. The legs can be extended or repositioned to maintain stability whether the rotor has one, two, or three blades attached, providing versatility without requiring multiple fixed designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The stand is designed as a universal support system that can accommodate various rotor sizes and blade configurations through its adjustable legs and interface plate. The same stand structure serves multiple functions: supporting balanced rotors with all blades attached, stabilizing unbalanced rotors with one or two blades, and adapting to different rotor diameters, thereby eliminating the need for multiple specialized stands.
Data Source
AI summary
A rotor stand for a wind turbine rotor includes: an interface plate configured to secure thereto a rotor hub of the wind turbine rotor; a plurality of legs connected to and extending radially outward from the interface plate, at least one of the legs radially extendible to permit changing a length of the extendible leg; and, a plurality of support shoes connected to the plurality of legs, the support shoes configured to support the rotor stand on a horizontal surface with the interface plate oriented substantially parallel to the horizontal surface.