Patents Assigned to Alstom
  • Back-up energy storage with in-rush current limiting for wind turbine pitch drive
    Patent number: 9793756
    Abstract: A wind turbine pitch drive system comprises an electric grid for supplying electrical power, a motor for driving a pitch actuator, an electronic converter for controlling the motor and a back-up energy storage unit for supplying electrical power. The electronic converter comprises a DC-link capacitor bank. The system furthermore comprises a switching device for selectively connecting the DC-capacitor bank link to the back-up energy storage unit, and a frequency generator for controlling the switching device. Also disclosed is a method for protecting a component of the electronic converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Pedro Palomares Rentero, Alejandro Rujas, Héctor Ortiz De Landazuri
  • Counterweighting a wind turbine hub
    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
  • Wind turbine
    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
  • Wind turbine blade connector assembly
    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
  • Air-conditioning device for a railway vehicle having at least two carriages
    Patent number: 9776645
    Abstract: An air-conditioning device has a duct that emits a flow of conditioned air and at least one circulation circuit intended for fitting out a carriage. The circulation circuit includes an air inlet through which passes an incoming airflow from the duct; at least one conduit for distributing air towards a compartment room, extending between an upstream end and a downstream end, both intended to be laid out in the carriage; a conduit for transferring conditioned air towards another adjacent air circulation circuit, which fits out a carriage adjacent to the first; and means for distributing conditioned air from the air inlet, and distributing the incoming airflow among the distribution and transfer conduits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Huu-Thi Do, Etienne Varin
  • Method for reducing oscillations in offshore wind turbines
    Patent number: 9777711
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of reducing oscillations in an offshore wind turbine comprising one or more thrusters, the method comprising determining an oscillation of the offshore wind turbine and operating the one or more thrusters such that the oscillation is reduced. The invention further relates to an offshore wind turbine comprising one or more underwater thrusters, oscillation determination system for determining an oscillation of the wind turbine and a control system for operating the underwater thrusters in response to signals received from the oscillation determination system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Michele Rossetti
  • Method of extracting a jacket of a gas insulated substation (GIS) under a metal casing
    Patent number: 9780539
    Abstract: The invention relates to a removable stabilizer for a spacer casing (24a-24f) of an electrical installation of the GIS type (20), the spacer casing (24a-24f) comprising a first opening (33) as well as a conductor (30b) provided with a bore (34), the removable stabilizer (29) comprising a plug (29a) configured to be introduced via the first opening (33) into the spacer casing (24a-24f), the plug being designed to penetrate into the bore (34) of the conductor (30b) so as to block said conductor (30b) against moving in translation after said spacer casing (24a-24f) has been put to atmospheric pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD.
    Inventors: Heinz Gerber, Robert Lüscher
  • METHOD FOR STABILIZING THE ROTATION SPEED OF A HYDRAULIC MACHINE WITH S-CHARACTERISTICS AND INSTALLATION FOR CONVERTING HYDRAULIC ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    Publication number: 20170268477
    Abstract: A method for stabilizing the rotation speed of a machine with S-characteristics is provided. The method includes calculating a target net head and a target opening to affect guide vanes of the machine, the target net head and the target opening being calculated so that the torque exerted by water flow on the turbine is null and that the machine rotates at a target rotation speed; determining a real net head to which the machine is subjected; comparing the target net head with the real net head; and adjusting the opening of the guide vanes so as to converge towards the target opening and reduce a height difference between the target net head and the real net head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Quentin Alloin, Nicolas PERRISSIN-FABERT, RENAUD GUILLAUME
  • Electric motor with outer radiator and two separate cooling circuits
    Patent number: 9768667
    Abstract: A motor includes a frame defining an internal volume in which are housed a rotor and a stator; at least one cooling circuit, which includes a primary inlet and a primary outlet in fluidic communication with the outside of the frame; at least one cooling device outside the frame, which includes a secondary air inlet and a secondary air outlet, and a conduit; at least one secondary cooling circuit, separate from the primary circuit, crossing the rotor and in fluidic communication with the secondary inlet and the secondary outlet of the cooling device. The secondary cooling circuit is crossed by a channel of the primary cooling circuit supplying the stator with the gas fluid from the outside of the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
    Inventors: Andry Randria, Bruno Raguin
  • Very high-voltage DC line voltage sensor
    Patent number: 9766272
    Abstract: The invention provides a voltage sensor for a very high-voltage direct current line comprising two voltage divider stages connected in series, the sensor being characterized in that a first voltage divider stage (E1) that divides the very high voltage to an intermediate voltage is constituted by at least two elementary voltage divider stages (Em) connected in series and distributed in a composite insulator (I), each elementary stage (Em) comprising a resistor Re in parallel with a capacitor Ce, the second voltage divider stage (E2) that delivers the intermediate voltage being constituted by electronic components comprising capacitors and/or interchangeable resistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventors: Denis Chatrefou, Jean-François Mironneau, Vincent Troubat
  • Protection system and method for an electrical variable speed doubly fed induction machine
    Patent number: 9768609
    Abstract: A protection system for an electrical variable speed doubly fed induction machine having a stator and a rotor, comprising: instrument transformers capable of measuring low frequency signals from the rotor and stator, in particular low frequency signals in the range of 0.1 Hz to 6 Hz; a protection relay which is configured to receive measurement values from the instrument transformers and to sample said measurements values at a constant sampling rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventors: Graeme Lloyd, Li Zou, Chang An
  • LOTUS EFFECT WASHING MACHINE
    Publication number: 20170259790
    Abstract: This washing machine for a railway vehicle includes a water texturing system, mixing water with particles able to produce textured water having super-hydrophoby properties making it possible to implement a lotus cleaning effect on the surface on which the textured water flows; a textured water spraying system, fed by the water texturing system and using at least one appropriate spraying device to spray the textured water on a surface of the railway vehicle to be cleaned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Applicant: Alstom Transport Technologies
    Inventor: Jorge PEREIRA
  • Wind turbine rotor
    Patent number: 9759197
    Abstract: The invention relates to a wind turbine rotor comprising a hub, a plurality of blades, and at least one pitch mechanism for rotating at least one of the blades, each pitch mechanism comprising a partial ring gear, a pitch bearing, a pinion that is arranged to mesh with the partial or complete ring gear and a pitch motor arranged for driving said pinion, wherein the pitch bearing is mounted between the hub and a blade, and the ring gear is mounted on the hub or on the blade. The invention further relates to a method of repairing a partial or complete ring gear in a wind turbine rotor, the ring gear comprising a plurality of segments, the method comprising detaching at least a segment of the ring gear and attaching the ring gear in a modified configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Pierre Pasquet
  • Sealing assembly
    Patent number: 9759329
    Abstract: It comprises a first member with a plate attached and substantially covering at least one portion of a second member (20), both members being rotatable relative to each other and defining a tortuous way, and it further comprises a brush sealing attached to the first member and resting on a siding plate in the second member such that an inner gap formed between said first and second members is sealed. A flexible member may be provided between the brush sealing and the first member for joining them in a flexible way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Sebastian Valero Lafuente, Jesús Lorita, Javier Bescos
  • Wind turbine blade
    Patent number: 9759191
    Abstract: Wind turbine blade comprising at least one deformable trailing edge section having a plurality of actuators consecutively arranged substantially downstream from one another and a control system for controlling the actuators, wherein a downstream end of one actuator is connected by a substantially rigid link with an upstream end of the next actuator and the plurality of actuators comprises an upper actuator being mounted above a chord line of the blade section and a lower actuator being mounted below a chord line of the blade section. Wind turbines comprising such a blade and methods of controlling loads on a wind turbine blade are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Jaume Betran Palomas
  • Method of operating a wind farm
    Patent number: 9760069
    Abstract: Method of operating a wind farm comprising a plurality of wind turbines, each of the turbines having a plurality of blades, the method comprising determining a possible wake situation at a first wind turbine caused by a second wind turbine, the second wind turbine being located upstream of the first wind turbine, and individually adapting the blades of the second wind turbine such that a wake generated by the second wind turbine is deflected away from the first wind turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Jaume Betran Palomas
  • Cantilever for supporting a catenary to supply energy to a vehicle
    Patent number: 9751428
    Abstract: A cantilever supports a catenary to supply energy to a vehicle. The cantilever includes a cross-member adapted to be attached to a support structure, the cross-member extending along a longitudinal axis (X-X), and at least one attachment connected to the cross-member. The cross-member includes an outer surface, the outer surface including at least a first side having a non-circular shape in a section plane (II-II) that is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (X-X). The attachment includes at least one collar encircling the cross-member, and the collar includes at least one contact face in contact with the at least first side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Leonardo Formenti, Andrea Perego
  • Systems and methods for testing wayside units
    Patent number: 9751545
    Abstract: A system includes a communication module and an analysis module. The communication module is configured to be operably connectable to a wayside unit of a transportation network and to transmit a simulation message to the wayside unit. The simulation message simulates at least one of a request or command from at least one transportation network element corresponding to a wayside action to be performed by the wayside unit. The simulation message is configured to elicit a wayside message from the wayside unit upon receipt of the simulation message. The analysis module is configured to obtain the wayside message and to provide a display corresponding to the wayside message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Michael Steffen, II, Jeffrey Fries, Aric Albert Weingartner, Jesse Herlocker
  • Method of operating a wind turbine
    Patent number: 9739265
    Abstract: Method of operating a wind turbine comprising a plurality of blades rotatable along their longitudinal axes using a pitch mechanism, and comprising one or more movable trailing edge surfaces. The method includes predicting, at a first moment in time, a high load for one or more of the blades at a second moment in time. The method further comprises actuating on one or more of the movable trailing edge surfaces of these blades such that the trailing edge surfaces have a wider range of control to counteract the predicted high loads before the second moment in time, and simultaneously pitching the blades such as not to negatively affect the operation of the wind turbine. The method furthermore comprises, at the second moment in time, actuating the one or more movable trailing edge surfaces of the at least one or more blades to counteract the high loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Jaume Betran Palomas
  • Method of operating a wind turbine
    Patent number: 9739264
    Abstract: Method of operating a wind turbine in response to a wind speed, the wind turbine having at least a rotor with a plurality of blades and a generator comprising a generator rotor and a generator stator, the method comprising, at wind speeds above a first wind speed, increasing the pitch angle of the blades and reducing the rotor speed with increasing wind speed, said first wind speed being superior to the nominal wind speed; wherein at a second wind speed, the speed of the generator rotor is equal to the synchronous generator rotor speed, said second wind speed being superior to said first wind speed; and wherein at wind speeds superior to said second wind speed, the speed of the generator rotor is lower than the synchronous generator rotor speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Jon Boyra Eizaguirre