Patents Assigned to Alstom Renewable Technologies
  • Patent number: 11022087
    Abstract: The double-regulated turbine comprises a spherical hub, adapted to rotate around a first rotation axis, and blades, which are each able to be swivelled relative to the hub around a second rotation axis, transversal to the first rotation axis, by respective coupling flanges that are mounted fixedly on the spherical hub and that include each an attachment surface for a corresponding blade. The attachment surface of the coupling flanges includes a flat portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Alstom Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Hai Trieu Phan
  • Patent number: 10704527
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for modifying the geometry of at least one part of a turbine, which can include a shell assembly that includes an outer shell that is shaped to modify the shape of a pre-existing element of a turbine. The outer shell of the shell assembly can be composed of a fiber-reinforced polymeric material and can at least partially define an inner cavity. The outer shell can be bonded to a structure to modify the geometrical shape of that structure. Thereafter, a polymer casting can be injected into the inner cavity via at least one injection port attached to the shell assembly. In some embodiments, one or more stiffeners and/or a core can be positioned within the inner cavity to help improve the bonding of the polymer casting to the shell and/or improve a structural property of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Alstom Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Sebastien Beaulieu, Michel Sabourin
  • Patent number: 9909565
    Abstract: Wind turbine rotational system having several drives and a central control system (CCS), each drive comprising a motor, an electronic converter and an actuator. The CCS sends speed and torque setpoints to the electronic converters which drive the motors according to said setpoints. Operation of the system comprises: designating a drive as master and the other drives as slaves; designating, for each slave, one of the drives as reference drive; the CCS determining master speed and torque setpoints, and sending them to the master; the CCS obtaining real torque of the master; CCS obtaining real speed of each reference drive; and the CCS sending to each slave a slave speed setpoint equal to the master speed setpoint, and a slave torque setpoint equal to the real torque of the master plus a variable offset based on a difference between the master speed setpoint and the real speed of its reference drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Pedro Palomares Rentero
  • Patent number: 9909561
    Abstract: A rotor assembly for a wind turbine comprises a hub, a blade provided with a blade root portion and a strengthener for the blade root portion. The strengthener comprises a supporting part that strengthens the blade root portion and the supporting part comprises a supporting portion to temporarily support the blade. The supporting portion is made in one piece with the supporting part. The rotor assembly also comprises a number of first fasteners and second fasteners to fasten the blade root portion to the hub. The second fasteners are adapted to fasten the supporting part of the strengthener to the blade root portion when the latter is not fastened to the hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Isaac Gil Mollà, Ricardo Lázaro
  • Patent number: 9909558
    Abstract: Methods for installing blades of a wind turbine are provided. The method comprises: providing a blade holder, wherein the blade holder comprises a connection element adapted to be attached to a mounting surfaces and a lifting equipment attachment, the blade holder being provided with a steering mechanism. Then, the blade holder is attached to the blade. The blade holder is hoisted with the blade towards the rotor hub with lifting equipment. The blade holder is attached to the mounting surface of the hub using the connection element. The rotor hub is rotated using the weight of the blade holder and the blade to a first desired position for mounting the blade to the rotor hub. The blade holder is detached from the hub. Then, the blade may be mounted to the rotor hub. A wind turbine blade holder for holding a blade and for use in lifting the blade is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Isaac Gil Mollà
  • Patent number: 9909449
    Abstract: Wind turbine comprising a rotor having a hub carrying one or more blades, an air intake and a nacelle, the hub being rotatably mounted on a frame and the frame extending forward into the hub, wherein an air flow passage is provided between an inside portion of the hub and the nacelle via at least one first opening to the hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Sebastian Valero Lafuente, Javier Bescos
  • Patent number: 9909274
    Abstract: At least one handling device is provided having at least one floating member with first and second mutually opposite portions between which a transitional surface at least partially extends defining an interior. The device has an offshore part receiving portion therein to at least partially receive the offshore part. The floating member is simply installed in the offshore part so that it at least partially surrounds its outer surface. The offshore part thus floats on the water for being transported to an intended destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Miguel Lanca Coelho, Borja Aguiló
  • Patent number: 9890763
    Abstract: Counterweight system for a wind turbine comprising a hub mounted to a nacelle such that the hub is rotatable around a rotation axis with respect to the nacelle. The counterweight system comprises: a mechanical unit comprising a fixed part and a rotatable part, the fixed part being mountable to the hub in such a way that the rotatable part is rotatable with respect to the hub substantially around the rotation axis of the hub; a drive unit for causing rotation of the rotatable part; a beam coupled to the rotatable part at a first point of the beam in such a way that the beam is arranged substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis of the hub; and a counterweight mass coupled to the beam at a second point of the beam. A method of mounting a blade to a hub by using said counterweight system is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Santiago Canedo Pardo, Javier Bescos
  • Patent number: 9890766
    Abstract: Pitch drive system for a wind turbine comprising a motor, a drive pinion operationally connected with the motor and a gear arranged to mesh with the drive pinion, wherein a first plate is provided on one side of the drive pinion, the first plate comprising one or more channels adapted to provide a lubricant to a tooth of the drive pinion that is in meshing engagement with teeth of the gear. The disclosure further relates to a wind turbine rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Pierre Pasquet, Javier Checa Caballero, Daniel García I Erill
  • Patent number: 9885343
    Abstract: A blade for a wind turbine comprises a substantially hollow shell which comprises an opening which extends along at least part of the length of the blade, and a servicing unit displaceable along the blade shell, at least partly arranged inside the shell and comprising an arm adapted to project out of the shell through the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Jaume Betran Palomas, Jorge Menasanch De Tobaruela
  • Patent number: 9882443
    Abstract: A direct-drive wind turbine comprises a wind turbine rotor and a generator mounted on a frame. The wind turbine rotor comprises a hub carrying blades and the generator comprises a generator stator comprising a track structure and a stator surface connected to the track structure, wherein the stator surface has coil windings, and carriages connected one after the other and adapted to run on the track structure, wherein the carriages carry an electrically magnetically active material facing the stator surface such that when the carriages run along the track structure a magnetic field is generated across an air gap provided between the carriages active materials and the stator coil windings, wherein one or more carriages are directly coupled to the wind turbine rotor by rigid connectors such that rotation of the wind turbine rotor causes displacement of the carriages along the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Pere Cortada Acosta
  • Patent number: 9874198
    Abstract: Method of operating a wind turbine having a tower, a rotor with a plurality of blades arranged on the tower, one or more pitch systems for pitching the blades, a system for determining an instantaneous representative wind speed, and a system for determining a distance between a blade and the tower. The method comprises determining the instantaneous representative wind speed, and determining the distance between the tower and one of the blades when said blade is in the shadow of the tower. The method further comprises determining a tower distance pitch adjustment depending on the determined distance between the tower and the blade in the shadow of the tower and on the determined instantaneous representative wind speed. The method still further comprises the one or more pitch systems applying the determined tower distance pitch adjustment to at least the next blade to be in the shadow of the tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Marc Canal Vila
  • Patent number: 9869579
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a measuring device for measuring vibrations of a rotor and to a method for measuring the vibrations of a rotor. Disclosed is a measuring device for measuring vibrations of a rotor of an electric machine having a guiding rod with a plate at one end of the guiding rod, the plate to abut at the rotor in operation, an actuator for inducing a shock to the rotor via the guiding rod and via the plate, and a monitor device for measuring the vibrations at the rotor caused by the induced shock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Michel Wehbe Spiridon
  • Patent number: 9825507
    Abstract: It comprises a rotor and a stator that they both may be formed of a single piece or they may be formed of a number of sectors. The generator further comprises at least one active module unit as an independent unit from both the rotor and the stator. The active module unit includes at least one permanent magnet, a magnet support structure attached thereto, a first attaching mechanism to removably attach the magnet support structure to the rotor or the stator, at least one coil module comprising at least one coil winding and a magnetic core, and a second attaching mechanism to removably attach the coil module to the other of the rotor or the stator. The coil module is spaced apart from the permanent magnet a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: César Muñiz Casais
  • Patent number: 9803619
    Abstract: Wind turbine blade comprising a shape modifiable airfoil section that extends both chordwise and spanwise and has a not modified default shape, a conduit that extends from the inside of the blade towards the outside of the blade, and an outer part comprising a flow regulator that is located at the shape modifiable airfoil section and blocks the conduit when the shape modifiable airfoil section presents its default shape, and does not block the conduit when the shape modifiable airfoil section presents a modified shape. In the latter situation the conduit is opened to the outside of the blade and a device for exchanging a fluid between the inside and the outside of the blade is thus defined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Jaume Betran Palomas
  • Patent number: 9797375
    Abstract: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a blade pitch system for a wind turbine, comprising at least one multi winding motor comprising a main independent set of control windings and at least one auxiliary independent set of control windings; and at least a main independent power electronic converter for controlling the main independent set of control windings, and an auxiliary independent power electronic converter for controlling the auxiliary independent set of control windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventor: Pedro Palomares Rentero
  • Patent number: 9790916
    Abstract: Wind turbine comprising a hub carrying a plurality of blades, the hub being rotatably mounted on a frame, the frame extending forward into the hub, wherein the frame comprises a manhole arranged in an upper side of the portion of the frame extending forward into the hub and the frame being dimensioned such that an average-size adult human can move around through it at least up to the manhole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Sebastian Valero Lafuente
  • Patent number: 9790918
    Abstract: It comprises bushings in at least a first circumferential row in a blade portion and suitable for receiving studs in a hub portion. Bushings comprise an elongated body with lateral faces, lateral faces inclined to each other and major and minor faces into which the lateral faces converge. The connector assembly allows an efficient releasable connection of blade root and hub in a wind turbine rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Luca Feigl
  • Patent number: 9793766
    Abstract: It comprises stator segments forming a stator structure and a transverse structure connected to the stator structure and arranged between at least two stator segments. The transverse structure may have reinforcing ribs extending therealong and a handling device at longitudinally opposite portions of the transverse structure. A wind turbine generator comprising a rotor and said stator assembly and a wind turbine comprising such a generator are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Pere Cortada Acosta
  • Patent number: 9790926
    Abstract: Counterweight systems for a wind turbine comprising a hub mounted to a nacelle such that the hub is rotatable around a rotation axis with respect to the nacelle, the hub comprising a blade root region configured to receive a root of a blade and having a pitch system configured to rotate the blade around a pitch axis. The counterweight system comprises a beam mountable to the blade root region at a first point of the beam and a counterweight mass coupled to the beam at a second point of the beam, such that, when the beam is mounted to the blade root region, the beam is arranged substantially perpendicular to the pitch axis and the pitch system can cause the counterweight mass to rotate around the pitch axis. Methods are also provided of mounting one or more blades to a wind turbine hub by using such counterweight systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Santiago Canedo Pardo