Patents Assigned to Senvion SE
  • Patent number: 9745961
    Abstract: Method for operating an offshore wind farm with at least one wind turbine system and a navigation device, which is operated in a normal mode, wherein a hazard signal is received by a receiving device, the received hazard signal is supplied to a control device that switches the navigation device from the normal mode to a an emergency lighting mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventor: Peter Quell
  • Patent number: 9702338
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for manufacturing a fiber composite component (3, 4, 5), which is connected to an attachment element (22), for a rotor blade (2) of a wind turbine (1), wherein the fiber composite component (3, 4, 5) is or will be manufactured from at least one fiber material (15, 21) and at least one matrix material, wherein the attachment element (22) is provided with a first region (221) arranged outside of the fiber composite component (3, 4, 5) and a second region (222) integrated into the fiber composite component (3, 4, 5), comprising a manufacturing mold (11) for the fiber composite component (3, 4, 5) with a recess (12), wherein the recess (12) has a first region (121) for receiving the first region (221) of the attachment element (22), and a retention device (13), by means of which fluid matrix material is or will be retained from the first region (121) of the recess (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignees: Senvion SE, Carbon Rotec GMBH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Tilman Richers, Lenz Simon Zeller, Kai Danekas
  • Patent number: 9678161
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to checking a rotational speed relay of a wind turbine. The wind turbine comprises a rotational speed sensor for the rotational speed of a shaft. The rotational speed sensor outputs a rotational speed signal, which is fed to a signal input of the rotational speed relay. According to disclosure, the rotational speed signal fed to the rotational speed relay is first inactivated. Then a signal generator is activated, which produces a check signal equivalent to the rotational speed signal. The check signal is fed to the signal input of the rotational speed relay. The signal generator is operated with a check signal that is beyond a rotational speed limit, and a check is performed to determine if the rotational speed relay generates a switch-off command. This allows the functional capability of the rotational speed relay to be checked reliably and at low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventor: Soenke Bolln
  • Patent number: 9670904
    Abstract: A hydraulic actuation device (1) for a brake device of a wind turbine including a hydraulic control line (10), which runs from a hydraulic system circuit (P) of a wind turbine to at least one brake cylinder (2) of a brake device. At least one restrictor (13) is arranged in the control line (10). At least one branch line (14) includes a pressure regulating member (15) that branches off from the control line (10) upstream of the restrictor (13) in the pressure build-up direction, bypassing the restrictor (13), and leads back into the control line (10) downstream of the restrictor (13). The pressure regulating member (15) open when the pressure present on the output side is low, but closes when the pressure at the pressure regulating member (15) on the output side of the pressure regulating member (15) exceeds a preset closing pressure (PS).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Senvion SE
    Inventor: Karsten Warfen
  • Patent number: 9663939
    Abstract: An openwork load-bearing structure for a wind turbine, in particular a lattice-tower structure for a wind turbine, in particular a foundation structure for a wind turbine, in particular for anchoring an offshore wind turbine in the ground via driven foundation piles, wherein the openwork load-bearing structure has primary structures, via which loads which occur in the load-bearing structure as a result of the wind turbine are dissipated, and secondary structures, which perform functional, rather than load-dissipating, tasks, wherein the secondary structures are arranged on the primary structures and are connected integrally thereto, and wherein the integral connection between the primary and the secondary structures is in the form of a connecting layer arranged therebetween. Also, a method for producing a lattice-tower structure for a wind turbine, in particular a foundation structure for a wind turbine, in particular for anchoring an offshore wind turbine in the ground via foundation piles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Senvion SE
    Inventor: Marc Seidel
  • Patent number: 9638167
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for performing an oil change on a wind power plant, comprising the steps of rotating the rotor (3) to a maintenance position, subsequently draining the oil out of a first variable-speed gearbox (6), filling the first variable-speed gearbox (6) with fresh oil, draining the oil out of a second variable-speed gearbox (6?) that is oriented differently than the first gearbox, and filling the second drive device (6?) with fresh oil. The variable-speed gearboxes each comprise a sump (63) having a first outlet opening (65) and a mirrored sump (64) on the opposite end of the housing thereof having a second outlet opening (66). Thus, the rotor (3) does not need to be rotated further during the oil change. The oil change can be performed simultaneously on several or all variable-speed gearboxes, reducing time and personnel expenses. The invention further relates to a correspondingly designed drive device and to an oil changing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventors: Hanno Schnetgoeke, André Tubbesing
  • Patent number: 9634860
    Abstract: In the method according to the invention for communicating between installations, which are organized in an order according to a sortable feature, for example installation numbers, in a wind farm, in which information transmitted by an installation in the form of a message is received by all other installations in the wind farm, a cyclically recurring, temporal transmission interval is set up. A point in time in the transmission interval at which the installation can transmit a message is assigned to each installation on the basis of the position thereof in the order, wherein points in time are organized from the start of the transmission interval, starting from the installation number at the first position in the order, in accordance with the position in the order. The start of the transmission interval is synchronized in all installations using a message from the installation at the first position in the order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventor: Lars Stille
  • Patent number: 9631502
    Abstract: A fastening element (12) for arrangement in a receptacle of a rotor blade connection (17) of a rotor blade (5). The receptacle is formed on the rotor hub-side end of the, preferably flange-free, rotor blade (5). The fastening element (12) is arranged in the receptacle between an inner fastening side and an outer fastening side of the rotor blade (5) and the fastening element (12) introduced into the receptacle (10) is connected to the inner fastening side and the outer fastening side of the rotor blade (5). The fastening element (12) is formed tapered in the longitudinal extension thereof. The fastening element (12) has a connector (15) transverse, particularly perpendicular, to the longitudinal extension for a lightning protection conductor (18) of the rotor blade (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Senvion SE
    Inventors: Lenz Simon Zeller, Markus Werner
  • Patent number: 9587365
    Abstract: A composite structure for a pile foundation for anchoring a tower structure (e.g., an offshore wind turbine) in ground, which includes a hollow pile introduced into the ground at an erection site of the tower structure and a corner post which is connected to the tower structure and which, on a connection side, is arranged within the pile. The pile and the corner post are fixedly bonded to one another in a bonding region by a cured bonding material. At least one bonding means for transmitting shear forces is fixedly arranged on the pile and/or on the corner post in the bonding region. The bonding means has at least one aperture which is filled with the bonding material or, together with the corner post or pile, forms the aperture that is filled with the bonding material. The aperture encloses the bonding material by an angular range of 90° or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Senvion SE
    Inventor: Marc Seidel
  • Patent number: 9581139
    Abstract: A wind turbine having a rotor, a generator driven by the rotor, a converter, a control device having an input for a control signal for reactive power output and a controller for the converter, the controller determining a reactive power target value for the wind turbine and correcting the output reactive power in dependence on the voltage present at the wind turbine, and an additional module for the controller having separate small and large signal paths and interacting with the controller such that the small signal path has an additional storage element in comparison with the large signal path, which additional storage element stores state values of the small signal path for the past. Thus, small voltage changes can be reacted to more slowly and while taking into account past values, whereas large changes can be reacted to quickly, in particular in the event of a network short circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventors: Jens Fortmann, Vincenz Dinkhauser
  • Patent number: 9574315
    Abstract: A method for anchoring a foundation structure (3) in a seabed (1) that includes introducing a receiving structure (6) into the seabed, lowering a support post (5) of the foundation structure (3) into the receiving structure (6), producing a connection between the receiving structure (6) and foundation structure (3) by filling the receiving structure (6) with a curable filling compound (7), and curing the curable filling compound (7), wherein the support post (5) is fixed in the receiving structure (6) prior to filling the receiving structure (6) with the curable filling compound (7). Also disclosed is a foundation structure (3) for an offshore wind turbine, for anchoring in a seabed (1), which includes at least one support post (5) to be introduced into a receiving structure (6), which has fixing elements (11, 20) for temporarily fixing in the receiving structure (6) before grouting is carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Senvion SE
    Inventors: Marc Seidel, Albrecht Victor
  • Patent number: 9567975
    Abstract: A method for operating a wind turbine (10). The wind turbine (10) is operated with variable rotational speed between predeterminable minimum and maximum rotational speeds. A characteristic variable (51) of an oscillation of the wind turbine (10) is detected. The wind turbine (10) includes a tower (14) and a rotor (13). An open-loop or closed-loop control device (36, 50) provides open-loop control or closed-loop control of the rotational speed of the rotor (13) between a minimum rotational speed and a maximum rotational speed during a power-supplying operation of the wind turbine. A sensor (40) detects a characteristic variable (51) of an oscillation of the wind turbine (10) and the minimum rotational speed is changed depending on the characteristic value (51) of the oscillation. The minimum rotational speed is altered depending on the characteristic variable (51) of the oscillation by the open-loop or closed-loop control device (36, 50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Senvion SE
    Inventors: Marco Hansen, Karsten Warfen
  • Patent number: 9556854
    Abstract: The invention relates to a mobile rotary drive for a wind rotor of a wind power plant having a frame comprising a drive wheel for driving a segment of a rotor shaft of the wind power plant and a drive set which drives the drive wheel in rotation as a drive pinion, wherein the drive wheel is a friction wheel and interacts with a pressing device in such a way that the pressing device generates a force which presses the friction wheel onto the segment with the result that the friction wheel can apply a drive torque to the segment through friction, wherein a torque support for supporting an opposing torque to the drive torque generated by the friction wheel is also provided. Thanks to the friction wheel drive, there is no need for specific pre-equipping of the wind power plant. The invention makes available a mobile rotary drive which can be transported from one wind power plant to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventor: Christian Goettsche
  • Patent number: 9515594
    Abstract: A wind turbine comprises a wind rotor, a generator driven by the wind rotor, a converter, wherein the generator and the converter generate electrical energy output via a connecting line with an inductively acting line reactor to a grid, and an overvoltage protection device comprising a plurality of different active modules, which are designed in such a way that they each effect, in different ways, a reduction in the voltage at the output of the converter, a switching matrix, which connects and disconnects the different active modules, and a selector comprising an overvoltage classifier, which is designed to select a predetermined stage depending on the overvoltage and to actuate the switching matrix in such a way that successive ones of the active modules are disconnected, wherein the overvoltage classifier defines a plurality of overvoltage ranges by virtue of in each case the selector setting different switching groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventors: Heinz-Hermann Letas, Steffen Pingel
  • Patent number: 9506454
    Abstract: A wind energy installation having a wind rotor, a generator which is driven thereby and interacts with a converter in order to produce electrical power, rotation-speed regulation and converter control which interacts therewith, wherein the rotation-speed regulation outputs a nominal rotation speed signal (nref). Furthermore, additional regulation is provided, which has an input for an additional power and is designed to produce a rotation speed change signal therefrom, taking account of a rotator inertia moment, and to output this as an output signal, which is added to the nominal rotation speed signal via a logic element. Kinetic energy is taken from the wind rotor in a controlled manner by reducing the rotation speed and is converted by the generator to additional electrical energy. This allows primary regulation power to be made available deliberately by rotation speed variation, to be precise even in unsteady wind conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventors: Thomas Krueger, Jens Geisler, Stefan Schrader
  • Patent number: 9416767
    Abstract: A method for handling a wind powerplant's rotor hub or to handle a wind powerplant's rotor using a hoist, in particular for erecting a wind powerplant or for assembling or disassembling a rotor to and from such a powerplant, in particular a hub or a rotor being configured by means of one assembly side to the wind powerplant's tower, the hub or rotor being raised or held by the hoist. In the raised state, the hub is tilted by a tilting mechanism acting on it out of the initial, raised position by a predetermined angle of tilting, or the rotor is tilted by a tilting mechanism acting on the rotor blade roots of the rotor through a predetermined angle of tilting. A mechanism to handle a wind powerplant's rotor hub of a wind powerplant's rotor, in particular for assembling or dismantling a rotor to or from its wind powerplant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventors: Alf Trede, Oliver Heinecke, Carsten Eusterbarkey
  • Patent number: 9416772
    Abstract: A wind power plant is characterized in that a measurement device (18) is provided for the determination of the load on an electric motor (13, 14), wherein the control device (16, 17) reduces the load on the motor (13, 14) by reducing the rotational speed of the rotor (11), by changing the blade angle of the at least one rotor blade (12, 12?) and/or by reducing the output of the wind power plant (10) when a preselectable first load limit of the electric motor (13, 14) is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventors: Jens Altemark, Heinz-Hermann Letas, Eckart Hopp, Thomas Kruger
  • Patent number: 9397599
    Abstract: A harmonic predictor for a wind farm comprising at least two wind turbines, each having a generator with a converter for generating electrical energy. The harmonic predictor determines the harmonic component expected from the wind farm in order to limit the harmonic component to a harmonic limit. The harmonic predictor comprises a calculation module, an iteration module and a summing module. The calculation module calculates a complex mean value over at least one period of the harmonic component of one of the wind turbines and determines a first equivalent vector therefrom. The iteration module successively connects the calculation module to at least one other of the wind turbines to form at least one second equivalent vector. The summing module sums the equivalent vectors to form a total vector and compares the total vector with the harmonic limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Senvion SE
    Inventor: Heinz-Hermann Letas
  • Patent number: 9366229
    Abstract: A wind power plant, including a generator driven by a rotor in order to generate electrical power and a controller that includes a pitch module for adjusting a pitch angle of blades of the rotor. The controller has an input for a required power reserve and determines a target pitch angle depending on an operating point of the wind power plant. A secondary pitch controller is also provided, which includes a detector for available power and a dynamic offset module. Input signals for the available reserve power determined by the detector, the required reserve power and the generated electrical power are applied to the dynamic offset module, which is designed to determine a value for a pitch angle offset. An activation element varies the target pitch angle by the pitch angle offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Senvion SE
    Inventor: Thomas Krueger
  • Patent number: 9366330
    Abstract: A gearbox supporting device of a wind turbine with a rotor, a substantially horizontally oriented rotor shaft, a gearbox and a main frame. The gearbox supporting device includes at least one rolling bearing arranged between a rotor hub and the gearbox and at least two supports on the gearbox. The supports each have at least one central supporting body, at least one frame and a plurality of flat elastomer bodies that are or can be clamped between the frame and the supporting body. At least two of the supports are fixed bearings for absorbing at least 50% of the rotor thrust acting in the axial direction of the rotor shaft during the operation of the wind turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: SENVION SE
    Inventor: Alf Trede