EP-4739912-A1 - ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR MAIN SHAFT OF WIND TURBINE

Abstract

An adjustable support system for supporting and immobilizing a longitudinally extending main shaft in a nacelle of a wind turbine when a gearbox has been dismounted involves: a transverse beam rigidly mounted in the nacelle and extending over the main shaft; a saddle having an arcuate recess to engage with the main shaft from above the main shaft, the saddle movably connected to the transverse beam; a flexible strap that engages the main shaft from below the main shaft to support the main shaft from below; and, a transverse saddle adjuster connected to the saddle and configured to adjust transverse position of the saddle relative to the main shaft.

Inventors

• Aitken, Glen D.
• BOTER, Hubert
• GÓMEZ JIMÉNEZ, Jesús Alejandro

Assignees

• LiftWerx Solutions Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240702

Claims (16)

1. 1. An adjustable support system for supporting and immobilizing a longitudinally extending main shaft in a nacelle of a wind turbine when a gearbox has been dismounted from the main shaft, the support system comprising: a transverse beam rigidly mounted in the nacelle and extending over the main shaft; a saddle having an arcuate recess to engage with the main shaft from above the main shaft, the saddle movably connected to the transverse beam; a flexible strap that engages the main shaft from below the main shaft to support the main shaft from below; and, a transverse saddle adjuster connected to the saddle and configured to adjust transverse position of the saddle relative to the main shaft.
2. 2. The adjustable support of claim 1 , wherein the transverse saddle adjuster also stabilizes the saddle against sideloading to help prevent the main shaft from rotating about a vertical axis through a main bearing of the wind turbine.
3. 3. The adjustable support system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the transverse saddle adjuster comprises an actuator that applies a transversely directed force to the saddle.
4. 4. The adjustable support system of claim 3, wherein the actuator comprises a mechanical actuator.
5. 5. The adjustable support system of claim 4, wherein the mechanical actuator comprises a turnbuckle.
6. 6. The adjustable support system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the transverse saddle adjuster comprises at least two turnbuckles connecting the saddle to the nacelle from opposite sides of the saddle.
7. 7. The adjustable support system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the transverse saddle adjuster connects the saddle to a longitudinal beam situated above the main shaft.
8. 8. The adjustable support system of any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a vertical saddle adjuster connected to the transverse beam, the vertical saddle adjuster configured to translate the saddle vertically to immobilize the main shaft between the saddle and the flexible strap and/or change a tilt angle of the main shaft in the nacelle.
9. 9. The adjustable support system of claim 8, wherein the vertical saddle adjuster comprises a threaded rod threaded through a threaded aperture in the transverse beam whereby an end of the threaded rod engages the saddle as the threaded rod is turned to vertically translate the saddle.
10. 10. The adjustable support system of claim 9, wherein the saddle comprises a depression in which the threaded rod engages the saddle.
11. 11. The adjustable support system of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the saddle is movably connected to the transverse beam by rigging.
12. 12. The adjustable support system of any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the saddle is transversely movable along a transverse axis and rotatable about a vertical axis through the saddle to permit adjusting a position of the saddle in relation to the main shaft.
13. 13 The adjustable support system of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the flexible strap is connected to the transverse beam.
14. 14. The adjustable support system of claim 1 , wherein: the transverse beam is mounted to longitudinal beams mounted in the nacelle, the longitudinal beams situated above the main shaft and mounted on pillow blocks in the nacelle; the saddle is transversely movable along a transverse axis, vertically movable along a vertical axis through the saddle and rotatable about the vertical axis; the transverse saddle adjuster is connected to the saddle and at least one of the longitudinal beams; and, the flexible strap is connected to the transverse beam.
15. 15. The adjustable support system of claim 14, further comprising a vertical saddle adjuster connected to the transverse beam, the vertical saddle adjuster configured to translate the saddle vertically to immobilize the main shaft between the saddle and the flexible strap and/or change a tilt angle of the main shaft in the nacelle.
16. 16. The adjustable support system of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the arcuate recess has a depth sufficient to impede the main shaft from rolling out of the saddle when the main shaft experiences side loading.

Description

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR MAIN SHAFT OF WIND TURBINE Cross-reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of United States provisional patent application USSN 63/512,103 filed July 6, 2023, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference. Field This application relates to wind turbines, in particular to accessories for use in supporting a main shaft of a wind turbine during replacement or maintenance of a gearbox. Background Wind turbines comprise a tall tower at the top of which is mounted a rotor having rotor blades and a hub to which the rotor blades are mounted. The hub is mounted at one end of a main shaft, which extends generally horizontally from the hub into a nacelle of the wind turbine. The other end of the main shaft is mounted in a gearbox in the nacelle, with the gearbox connected to a generator. Wind is caught by the rotor blades to turn the hub, which in turn rotates the main shaft, which drives the gears to drive the generator to generate electricity. The main shaft, gearbox and generator are located in the nacelle atop the tower, the nacelle essentially being a compartment in which to house turbine components. To efficiently repair or replace a gearbox, it is necessary to dismount the gearbox from the end of the main shaft and lower the gearbox to the ground. After repair, or if replacement is desired, a gearbox is raised back up to the nacelle and remounted on the end of the main shaft. However, the gearbox also anchors the end of the main shaft, so when the gearbox is initially dismounted, the weight of the rotor at the other end of the main shaft would cause the main shaft to tilt, which can cause the entire rotor to fall to the ground, or at least cause damage to the main shaft, nacelle and/or the rotor. To prevent tilting of the main shaft, one of two strategies is employed. In a first and more elaborate strategy, the rotor is removed from the main shaft before the gearbox is dismounted from the main shaft, and the rotor is lowered to the ground. This requires a large crane and considerable time. In a second strategy, to avoid having to remove the rotor, a ‘main shaft fixture’ is raised up to the nacelle and used to hold the main shaft down prior to dismounting the gearbox. Various main shaft fixtures are known in the art, but generally suffer from one or more problems including being complex to install, being difficult to use including not being simple to properly seat on the main shaft, being useable on only one type of wind turbine and/or only being able to support the main shaft without immobilizing rotation of the main shaft, among others. Despite recent advances, there remains a need in the art for a main shaft fixture that solves one or more of the problems with existing main shaft fixtures. An adjustable support system for supporting and immobilizing a longitudinally extending main shaft in a nacelle of a wind turbine when a gearbox has been dismounted from the main shaft comprises: a transverse beam rigidly mounted in the nacelle and extending over the main shaft; a saddle having an arcuate recess to engage with the main shaft from above the main shaft, the saddle movably connected to the transverse beam; a flexible strap that engages the main shaft from below the main shaft to support the main shaft from below; and, a transverse saddle adjuster connected to the saddle and configured to adjust transverse position of the saddle relative to the main shaft. The adjustable support system is relatively simple to install. Adjustability of the support system permits proper engagement of the saddle with the main shaft so that the main shaft is well-secured and prevented from tipping. The same support system can also be used to tilt the main shaft, for example by about 0.5-1° to facilitate removal and/or reinstallation of a main bearing, the gearbox and the like. The transverse beam is rigidly mounted in the nacelle and extends over the main shaft. The transverse beam may be mounted at any convenient and sufficiently supportive location in the nacelle that permits the transverse beam to extend transversely across the nacelle above the main shaft. In some embodiments, the transverse beam is mounted to longitudinal beams mounted in the nacelle. In some embodiments, the longitudinal beams are situated above the main shaft and mounted on pillow blocks in the nacelle. The longitudinal beams may also be mounted on a main bearing or a bed plate in the nacelle. In some embodiments, the transverse beam comprises mounting flanges to assist with mounting the transverse beam in the nacelle, for example by using pinned connections involving pins inserted through at least one aperture in a mounting flange and at least one corresponding aperture in the structure to which the transverse beam is being mounted. The transverse beam may further comprise connection structures to which other components of the adjustable support system may be connected. The con