NEG Micon

June 2000 to July 2004.
Sector:
Renewable energy.(Renewables). Onshore and offshore Wind Turbine Hubs. (Electric and hydraulic pitching.)

Overview:
Delivered: 1/ Electrical pitching Hub internal layout designs. 2/ Bespoke handling equipment for turbine maintenance – a ‘first of a kind’ specialised portable hub crane including load calcs. 3/ Solving adverse Ergonomics for entering very large hubs and entering through front nose of hubs.

Electric pitching hub, approx 1 MW

Hydraulic pitching hub, approx. 1 MW.

Worked with: 
Pro-E CAD design, detail drawings, and Bills of Materials, change control + configuration.
Order placement, bid evaluation, expediting and progressing deliverables.
Authoring procedures for FAT tests / Hub ‘First Build’ instructions.
Hub castings up to 16 tonnes (3 MW) with M36 bolts for 10 tonne blades.
Anti-Vibration Mounts (AVMs) for eqpt at risk from hub flex.
Organising 3 workshop staff to do prototype builds.
A sense of scale - small hubs are generally nose entry.
A sense of scale - large hubs are generally flange face entry.
Full details of this role:
    • Used Pro/E 3D CAD for design & drafting of hub castings up to 16 tons (2-3 Mwatts) & associated design layout of Turbine Blade bolted joints up to M36.
    • Design of mounting systems for the blade pitching & safety shut down equipment on “Active Stall” & “Pitch Regulated” turbine configurations.
    • Involved mostly with Electrical blade pitching technology & partial involvement with Hydraulic blade pitching technologies.
  •  
    • Attended internal design reviews regularly & responsible for workshop build team (3 people) during the build of two types of prototype hub.
    • Responsible for evaluation of hub servicing & access ergonomics for turbines fitted with reduced cost spinners, or no spinner. Evaluation done by designing a wooden mock up for trials that quickly proved the viability of the proposed solution to the ergonomic challenges.
  • Created Power-point slides of 3D CAD work, & authored procedures & assembly instructions for equipment such as portable hub crane FAT test doc, etc. Used SAP & Concorde MRP systems for part numbers, and parts list, drgs + change notes, and used Microsoft Excel to track orders and deliveries.
    Was offered permanent employment upon purchase by Vestas.
A sense of scale - Foreground hub = 3mW, and background hub = 1mW (approx.)
  • Innovation of specialised ‘First of a Kind’ lifting equipment & winch items for use within the turbine Hub & Nacelle. Lifting equipment used for changing 10 ton blades to negate hiring expensive offshore ‘Jack-up’ cranes. Structural design & calcs of manually portable service crane for the 250 kg motor gearboxes & controller boxes. Worked with specs for winch crane equipment, flooring, anti-vibration mounts, & Hatches.
Hub operable equipment winch - workshop evaluation.
Hub operable winch - Design phase of this manually portable crane unit.
Other images associated with this role:
Inside a hub. (Blade and pitch controller box not shown. (A flex mount in yellow near the vertical blade pitch motor.)
Blade pitch controller box and pitch bearing are shown in theis view.
Blade lowering winch concept investigation design.
3mW hub with all blades shown. (Looking from the mount flange end.)
A sense of scale - A 3mW hub with blades.
Assembly drawing - one of a number of sheets
Part of a Bill of Material list
3mW hub looking from the nose end.
A sense of scale - A 3mW hub offshoe turbine.
A small hub - 900kW approx.
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