Portable crane for use in wind turbines
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsBrent Hamilton Holloway, Adam S. Davis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Portable cranes for wind turbines are provided. In one embodiment, a crane includes a boom, a support shaft connected to the boom, and a plurality of interchangeable mount assemblies. Each of the plurality of mount assemblies is removably connectable to the support shaft and mountable to a wind turbine component. The crane is mountable to at least two different wind turbine components. In another embodiment, a crane includes a boom, a support shaft connected to the boom, and means for mounting the crane to at least one uptower wind turbine component and at least one downtower wind turbine component.
Claims19
A portable crane for a wind turbine, the crane comprising:
- a boom;
- a support shaft connected to the boom;
- and
- a plurality of interchangeable mount assemblies, each of the plurality of mount assemblies removably connectable to the support shaft and mountable to a wind turbine component,
- wherein the crane is mountable to at least two different wind turbine components.
A portable crane for a wind turbine, the crane comprising:
- a boom;
- a support shaft connected to the boom;
- and
- means for mounting the crane to at least one uptower wind turbine component and at least one downtower wind turbine component.
A wind turbine, comprising:
- a tower defining an uptower portion and a downtower portion of the wind turbine;
- a door defined in the downtower portion;
- a nacelle mounted to the tower and disposed in the uptower portion;
- a rotor coupled to the nacelle, the rotor comprising a hub and a plurality of rotor blades;
- a bedplate disposed within the nacelle;
- a gearbox mounted to the bedplate;
- and
- a portable crane mountable to at least two different wind turbine components, the portable crane comprising:
- a boom;
- a support shaft connected to the boom;
- and
- a plurality of interchangeable mount assemblies, each of the plurality of mount assemblies removably connectable to the support shaft and mountable to a wind turbine component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.