METHOD FOR INSTALLING A ROTOR BLADE ON A WIND TURBINE

Abstract

A method for installing a rotor blade on a wind turbine, the rotor blade comprising a blade root for fastening the rotor blade to a hub, a blade tip facing away from the blade root, and a longitudinal axis running from the blade root to the blade tip, and the method comprising the steps of: hoisting the rotor blade using a crane, recording measurement data relating to the position and/or orientation of the rotor blade using at least one measuring means during the hoisting, and transmitting the measurement data to at least one monitoring station for monitoring the hoisting and/or to at least one control facility for controlling the position and/or orientation of the rotor blade.

Claims

1. A method comprising: installing a component of a wind turbine on a wind turbine, wherein the component has a longitudinal axis, wherein installing comprises: hoisting the component using a crane, recording measurement data relating to at least one of a position and an orientation of the component during the hoisting, and transmitting the measurement data to at least one of: a monitoring station for monitoring the hoisting; and a control facility for controlling at least one of the position and the orientation of the component.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the component of the wind turbine is a rotor blade, and the rotor blade: has a blade root for fastening the rotor blade to a hub; and a blade tip facing away from the blade root; and the longitudinal axis extends from the blade root to the blade tip.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein recording measurement data comprises recording measurement data using at least one measuring means that is arranged on the component or in a vicinity of the component and records measurement data relating to at least one of: a height of the component, an inclination of the longitudinal axis, an orientation of the longitudinal axis in a horizontal plane, a rotary position of the component about the longitudinal axis, a temperature, wind speed or wind strength in a region of the measuring means, and wind direction in the region of the measuring means.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement data is recorded by at least one of the following: a first measuring sensor connected to a front fastening point of the component, a second measuring sensor connected to a rear fastening point of the component, a third measuring sensor connected to a blade tip of the rotor blade, and a fourth measuring sensor connected to a blade root of the rotor blade.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising evaluating the measuring data at the monitoring station and changing an orientation of the component based on the evaluation.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one guide rope is fastened to the front fastening point of the component or to the blade root and to the rear fastening point of the component or to the blade tip and is guided downwardly to a ground, and at least one of the inclination and orientation in the horizontal plane is set via at least one of these guide ropes on the basis of the transmitted and evaluated measurement data.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising illustrating in graph form at the monitoring station at least one of the position and the orientation of the component.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the measurement data to the crane, to the ground and to the control facility, and using a winch for influencing the orientation of the component.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the crane and the winch change at least one of position and orientation automatically based on the transmitted measurement data.

10. An installation arrangement for installing a component of a wind turbine on a wind turbine, wherein the component has a longitudinal axis and the installation arrangement comprises: a crane for lifting and hoisting the component, at least one transducer for recording measurement data relating to at least one of a position and an orientation of the component, wherein the transducer is configured to transmit the measurement data to at least one of a monitoring station and a control facility for controlling the position and/or orientation of the component.

11. The installation arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the component of the wind turbine is formed as a rotor blade and the rotor blade comprises: a blade root for fastening the rotor blade to a hub; a blade tip facing away from the blade root, and a longitudinal axis running from the blade root to the blade tip.

12. (canceled)

13. The installation arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the at least one transducer includes at least one of the following: an air pressure sensor coupled to the component and configured to detect a height position of the component; a first inclination sensor coupled to the component and configured to detect an inclination of a longitudinal axis of the component; a second inclination sensor coupled to the component and configured to detect a rotary position of the component about the longitudinal axis; a GPS receiver coupled to the component and configured to detect an orientation of the component in a horizontal plane; a first tensile force sensor coupled to the blade tip of the rotor blade; and a second tensile force sensor coupled to the blade root of the rotor blade.

14. The installation arrangement according to claim 10, comprising an evaluation apparatus for evaluating, presenting and forwarding the measurement data.

15. The installation arrangement according to claim 10, comprising a radio transmission facility for transmitting the measurement data from the rotor blade to a receiving facility.

16. The installation arrangement according to claim 10, comprising a satellite-assisted location and position display for displaying at least one of the location and position of the component.

17. An apparatus for displaying at least one of a location and a position of a component of a wind turbine, the apparatus comprising: a sensor configured to record at least one of a satellite-assisted location and position, wherein the sensor is configured to be fastened to the component; a display for displaying at least one of the location and the position of the component, and a transmission means for transmitting data related to at least one of the location and the position recorded from the component to the display apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth measuring sensors are tensile sensors.

19. The method according to claim 7 further comprising displaying boundary conditions that include at least one of wind strength, wind direction and temperature.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0070] The invention will now be described in greater detail hereinafter by way of example on the basis of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0071] FIG. 1 shows a wind turbine in a perspective view.

[0072] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of an installation arrangement for installing a rotor blade.

[0073] FIG. 3 shows a structure of used sensors of an installation arrangement together with a monitoring station and the communication therebetween.

[0074] FIG. 4 shows a possible type of presentation of orientation and position of a rotor blade on the basis of evaluated measurement data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] FIG. 1 shows a wind turbine 100 having a tower 102 and a nacelle 104. A rotor 106 having three rotor blades 108 and a spinner 110 is arranged on the nacelle 104. The rotor 106 is set in rotation by the wind during operation and thus drives a generator in the nacelle 104.

[0076] FIG. 2 schematically shows an installation apparatus 1 and illustrates a rotor blade 2 already lifted for installation on a rotor hub. The rotor blade hangs substantially horizontally, which is generally the desired orientation, not only in the shown embodiment. Here, the rotor blade has a blade root 4 and a blade tip 6, however these are both illustrated here merely schematically. In a central region 8 of the rotor blade 2, the rotor blade 2 is suspended at two fastening points 10 and hangs substantially from a crane rope 12.

[0077] A first guide rope 14 is arranged at the blade tip 6, and a second guide rope 16 is arranged at the blade root 4 in order to be able to guide in particular the orientation of the rotor blade 2 from the ground 18.

[0078] Each guide rope 14 and 16 has a force sensor 20 and 22 respectively. A tensile force between the first or second guide rope 14, 16 and the blade tip or blade root 6, 4 respectively can be recorded via the first or second force sensor 20, 22 respectively.

[0079] A sensor station 24 is arranged in the central region 8 of the rotor blade 2 and here forms a transducer. As measuring means, the sensor station comprises a GPS compass 26, an X-Y inclination sensor 28, and a height sensor 30, as shown in the structure of FIG. 3.

[0080] The GPS compass 26 can detect the orientation of the rotor blade 2 in a horizontal plane, i.e., can detect the orientation with respect to the four compass directions in order to show this clearly.

[0081] The X-Y inclination sensor 28 can detect the inclination of the rotor blade or its longitudinal axis and can likewise detect a rotation or a small angle of rotation of the rotor blade about its longitudinal axis. From the viewpoint of the inclination sensor 28, these are two rotational coordinates that in particular are arranged at right angles to one another. Together with the GPS compass 26, the angle of orientation of the rotor blade thus can be detected with respect in particular to three Cartesian coordinates. This also illustrates, in the display 50 according to FIG. 4, the orientation symbol 52, which represents these three axes of inclination or rotation x, y and z.

[0082] The sensor station 24 additionally has the task of receiving values from the two force sensors 20 and 22. The two force sensors 20 and 22 for this purpose each have a radio transmitter 21 and 23 respectively. FIG. 3 illustrates the structure for this, and FIG. 2 illustrates the distance existing between the force sensors 20 and 22 and the sensor station 24.

[0083] The sensor station 24 then transmits its data further to a ground station 32, which is arranged on the ground 18. The rotor blade 2 and therefore the sensor station 24 may be located for example at a height of 150 meters above the ground 18.

[0084] FIG. 3 illustrates an internal structure of the sensor station, which also has a radio transmitter 34. The radio transmitter 34, which on account of its function can also be referred to as a collective radio transmitter, obtains wired signals, in any case in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 3, from the GPS compass 26, the X-Y inclination sensor 28 and the height sensor 30. These three sensors may provide a plurality of data items to the radio transmitter 34, for example in each case via a signal in a range from 4 to 20 mA. The radio transmitters 21 and 23 in turn send their information to the radio transmitter 34. The radio transmitter 34 thus receives measurement data from five sensors, wherein at least the inclination sensor 28 sends data relating to two variables, specifically the inclination of the blade axis and the rotation of the rotor blade about the blade axis.

[0085] This data is thus received firstly in the radio transmitter 34 and where necessary is pre-processed, but in any case is transmitted via a further radio link to a monitoring station 32′. The monitoring station 32′ may correspond to the ground station 32 according to FIG. 2.

[0086] The monitoring station 32′, as shown in FIG. 3, in turn contains a radio transmitter 36, which can be referred to as a ground radio transmitter 36 and which primarily receives data transmitted by radio from the radio transmitter 34 of the sensor station 24. However, the ground radio transmitter 36 of the monitoring station 32′ may also transmit signals back to the sensor station 24, such as fault signals, should there be any problems with the radio transmission, or other protocol data.

[0087] In the monitoring station 32′ there is then a further transmission of the data in a wired manner to an input-output module 38, which can introduce a further processing and distribution of the data. The data or a selection of the data can be transmitted to a control panel 42 via an SPS module 40, specifically a module having a memory-programmable control system. In addition, the data or some of said data may be transmitted to a network module 44. The network module 44, in particular as a wireless network module, can construct a wireless network and transmit to further terminal equipment, such as a laptop, surface equipment or other equipment.

[0088] The structure according to FIG. 3 advantageously uses three transmission types, specifically a wired transmission 46, a transmission by WLAN 47 and a transmission by radio 48, i.e., wirelessly, but different from transmission via known WLAN technology. The transmission by WLAN 47 is used in particular for transmission to the terminal equipment 49 illustrated symbolically.

[0089] The display 50 in FIG. 4, besides the orientation symbol 52, also shows a wind turbine symbol 54, which in particular shows the height to be reached, in this example 136 meters. Besides the wind turbine symbol 54, two bar charts 56 and 58, which illustrate the recorded force of the first and second force sensor 20, 22 according to 2, in both cases in the form of a bar, each also output a measurement value as a number.

[0090] A status display and next to this the possibility to calibrate the sensors, which is indicated by the calibration field 60, are located above the wind turbine symbol 54.

[0091] A calibration may be considered in particular for an air pressure sensor that incidentally also additionally can be received as a further measuring means in the sensor station 24 or can be connected thereto, in particular in order to compensate for weather-induced air pressure fluctuations. A calibration or a comparison may then be performed when the rotor blade has not yet been raised and is still located substantially on the ground. This calibration or comparison may also be performed with respect to the height position of the site of installation, or may be made necessary as a result thereof.

[0092] The specific values of the orientation of the three coordinates x, y and z are illustrated individually below the orientation symbol 52 by corresponding diagrams, which provide both an analogue and a digital presentation with accurate specification of the respective angle. These are the Z-angle display, which shows the orientation of the longitudinal axis in a horizontal plane, the X-angle display 64, which shows the inclination of the rotor blade or the inclination of the longitudinal axis of the rotor blade, and the Y-angle display 66, which shows an angle of rotation of the rotor blade about its own axis.

[0093] An assembly aid for the rotor blade mounting is thus proposed. It is thus possible to lift and to mount a rotor blade even with an obstructed view. A rotor blade location and position display is also available for this and is formed on the basis of measurement data.

[0094] All three angles of rotation of the rotor blade are thus determined using a satellite compass and an X-Y inclination sensor, specifically in particular all three possible Cartesian angles of rotation. The height, i.e., the vertical location of the rotor blade, is determined using an air pressure sensor. Forces in the guide ropes can be tracked by means of force transducers, which may also be referred to as measuring clips. The sensors that are connected in a wired manner to a radio transmitter 34 in the sensor station 24 can forward their information to this radio transmitter 34 or collective radio transmitter 34, for example via a measurement signal from 4 to 20 mA. In addition, the sensor station 24 for example may also contain an air pressure sensor. The values thereof can be used directly as air pressure values or can also be used to specify the height.

[0095] The force transducers 20 and 22 of the guide ropes 14 and 16 respectively send their values by means of radio transmission to the sensor station 24. From there, all measurement values, in the case of FIG. 3 the 6 measurement values or 6 measurement signals, are sent using a further radio transmitter to the ground station 32 or monitoring station 32′. There, the measurement values are evaluated in a memory-programmable control system and are displayed on a control panel.

[0096] The data is sent on from the ground station 32 or monitoring station 32′ via WLAN and an FTP server, which is illustrated by the WLAN transmission module 47. It is then possible to display the same image as on the control panel 42 of the ground station 32 or the monitoring station 32′, for example using a laptop or other WLAN-capable device, in particular using a normal Internet browser. Further ground staff can thus also follow the course of the installation process.