US 11,686,290 B2
Lifting device for a wind turbine rotor blade
Ulrich Werner Neumann, Simpsonville, SC (US); Molly Christine Stieber, Schenectady, NY (US); Emily Jacob Palmer, Chicago, IL (US); Joseph Lawrence Chacon, Greenville, SC (US); and Ravi Chandra Kamarajugadda, Bangalore (IN)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Jul. 30, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/943,430.
Prior Publication US 2022/0034302 A1, Feb. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. F03D 13/10 (2016.01); B66C 1/10 (2006.01); B66C 13/06 (2006.01); B66C 13/08 (2006.01); B66C 13/16 (2006.01)
CPC F03D 13/10 (2016.05) [B66C 1/108 (2013.01); B66C 13/06 (2013.01); B66C 13/08 (2013.01); B66C 13/16 (2013.01); F05B 2230/61 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A lift system for a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the lift system comprising:
a lifting device comprising a structural frame body having a root end and a tip end, the root end supporting a root cradle, the tip end supporting a tip cradle, the root and tip cradles each comprising a profile that corresponds to at least one exterior surface of the rotor blade so as to receive and support at least a portion of the rotor blade, wherein, when the rotor blade is installed in the lifting device and lifted uptower, the rotor blade experiences an asymmetric loading; and,
a variable airflow assembly coupled to the tip end of the lifting device, the variable airflow assembly comprising at least one surface mounted to a frame member, the at least one surface moveable between a plurality of positions having varying resistances so as to counteract the asymmetric loading, the plurality of positions comprising, at least, a first position and a second position,
wherein the first position is an open position in which the at least one surface is rotated away from a plane of the frame member to allow airflow through the frame member, and wherein the second position is a closed position in which the at least one surface is generally parallel and in line with the plane of the frame member to limit the airflow through the frame member;
wherein the variable airflow assembly is moveably coupled to the tip end of the lifting device such that the variable airflow assembly can be moved to a hidden position with respect to the structural frame body to minimize an impact of the variable airflow assembly after the rotor blade has been installed uptower.