1. A lifting unit for lifting a rotor of a wind power installation, comprising
a first sling adapted to loop around a region of a rotor blade on the rotor of the wind power installation, wherein the region is proximate a root of the rotor blade;
a transverse strut;
first and second struts;
first and second hinge units, wherein the first and second struts extend between the first and second hinge units and the transverse strut; and
a second sling having first and second sling portions and a third strut, wherein the first ends of the first and second sling portions are fixed to the first and second hinge units, wherein the second sling is adapted to be arranged around a stub of the rotor blade.
2. The lifting unit according to claim 1 wherein the transverse strut is of such a length that the first and second hinge units do not come into contact with the rotor blade or the rotor of the wind power installation.
3. The lifting unit according to claim 1 wherein the first and second hinge units have a first, a second and a third end, wherein the second sling is coupled to the third end, the first sling is coupled to the second end and the first and second struts are coupled to the first end, wherein the third end is rotatably coupled to the second end.
4. The lifting unit according to claim 1, wherein the rotor blade is a first rotor blade, the lifting unit further comprising:
a third sling configured to hold a first portion of a second rotor blade;
a third hinge unit coupled to the first sling;
a fourth hinge unit coupled to the first sling;
a second transverse strut;
a third strut coupled to the third hinge unit and the second transverse strut;
a fourth strut coupled to the fourth hinge unit and the second transverse strut; and
a fourth sling configured to hold a second portion of the second rotor blade and coupled to the third hinge unit and fourth hinge unit.
5. The lifting unit according to claim 4, wherein the first rotor blade and the second rotor blade are connected to a rotor of a wind power installation.
6. The lifting unit according to claim 4, wherein the first and second rotor blades have a rotor blade stub, a portion of the second sling being proximate the first rotor blade stub and a portion of the fourth sling being proximate the second rotor blade stud.
7. The lifting unit according to claim 4, wherein the second sling has first and second sling portions and a first struts, and the first ends of the first and second sling portions are coupled to the first and second hinge units, and wherein the fourth sling has third and fourth sling portions and a second struts, and the first ends of the third and fourth sling portions are coupled to the third and fourth hinge units.
8. A lifting unit comprising:
a first sling portion configured to hold a first portion of a rotor blade;
a first hinge unit coupled to a first end of the first sling portion;
a second hinge unit coupled to a second end of the first sling portion;
a transverse strut;
a second sling portion coupled at one end to the first hinge unit and at the other end to the transverse strut;
a third sling portion coupled at one end to the second hinge unit and the other end to the transverse strut; and
a fourth sling portion configured to hold a second portion of the rotor blade, the fourth sling portion coupled at one end to the first hinge unit and at the other end to the second hinge unit.
9. The lifting unit according to claim 8, wherein the rotor blade is connected to a rotor of a wind power installation.
10. The lifting unit according to claim 8, wherein the traverse strut is a first traverse strut, wherein the fourth sling portion includes a second traverse strut, the rotor blade having a rotor blade stub proximate the second traverse strut.
11. The lifting unit according to claim 8, wherein the first and second hinge units each include a first element and a second element, the second element being rotatably coupled to the first element.
12. The lifting unit according to claim 11, wherein the second elements of the first and second hinge units include respective first and second ends, the first end of the second element of the first hinge unit is coupled to the one end of the fourth sling portion and the second end of second element of the first hinge unit is rotatably coupled to the first element of the first hinge unit, and the first end of the second element of the second hinge unit is coupled to the other end of the fourth sling portion and the second end of the second element of the second hinge unit is rotatably coupled to the first element of the second hinge unit.
13. A method comprising:
connecting a rotor blade to a rotor;
arranging a first sling around a first portion of the rotor blade;
coupling the first sling to first and second hinge units;
arranging a second sling around a second portion of the rotor blade;
coupling the second sling to the first and second hinge units such that the second sling is rotatable relative to the first sling;
connecting the first sling to a crane hook; and
lifting the rotor blade.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first portion of the rotor blade is along a width of the rotor blade, and wherein the second portion of the rotor blade is along a portion of a length of the rotor blade.
15. The method according to claim 13, wherein arranging a second sling around a second portion of the rotor blade comprises wherein arranging a second sling around a stub of the rotor blade.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of cooling a metal strip traveling through a cooling section in a continuous heat treatment line, wherein the method consists in projecting a refrigerant medium into the cooling section (4) onto a surface of the strip (1) to be cooled, the medium being constituted by a phase-change substance that passes into the gaseous phase at a temperature that is lower than the temperature of the strip (1) and without oxidizing said strip so that energy is exchanged within an endothermic process by a change in the phase of said phase-change substance, wherein the refrigerant medium is a fluid, in particular in the form of fine droplets, presenting a normal boiling temperature that is higher than the temperature of the outside ambient medium, the endothermic process taking place with said refrigerant medium evaporating at the surface of the strip (1) to be cooled and wherein the normal sublimation temperature of the refrigerant medium is equal or inferior up to 5 K to the temperature of the outside ambient medium, so that said refrigerant medium can be recondensed at a pressure equal to atmospheric pressure.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the phase-change substance comprising pentane.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant medium is in solid form, in particular in the form of flakes, presenting a triple point that is higher than the temperature of the outside ambient medium, the endothermic process taking place with said refrigerant medium subliming at the surface of the strips (1) to be cooled.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the sublimed refrigerant solid is recovered downstream from the cooling section (4) so as to be recirculated, being subjected to a condensation and separation process at the end of which an incondensable fraction is isolated, said fraction being controlled to adjust the condensation temperature of the refrigerant solid in order to minimize energy consumption.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the normal boiling temperature of the refrigerant medium is equal or inferior up to 5 K to the temperature of the outside ambient medium, so that said refrigerant medium can be recondensed at a pressure equal to atmospheric pressure.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaporated refrigerant fluid is recovered downstream from the cooling section (4) so as to be recirculated, being subjected to a condensation and separation process at the end of which an incondensable fraction is isolated, said fraction being controlled to adjust the condensation temperature of the refrigerant fluid in order to minimize energy consumption.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant fluid comprises at least 80% by volume of the phase-change fluid.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the refrigerant fluid is pentane in the pure state.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the refrigerant fluid is a pentanehexane mixture at a ratio of 8020 by molar percentage.
10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the atmosphere in the cooling section (4) is isolated from the outside ambient medium, in particular at an inlet and an outlet for the strip (1) to be cooled, thereby enabling the refrigerant medium to be under continuous control during the endothermic process.
11. The method according to claim 4, wherein the mass flow rate of the refrigerant medium projected onto the surface of the strip (1) is controlled so as to remain below a predetermined limit so as to ensure that all of the refrigerant medium is involved in the change of phase.
12. An installation for cooling a metal strip traveling through a cooling section in a continuous heat treatment line, wherein the installation comprises:
a cooling section (4) comprising a cooling box (5) having the strip (1) for cooling passing therethrough in leaktight manner, said box being fitted internally with nozzles (7) arranged to project the refrigerant medium onto both faces of said strip, the medium being composed by a phase-change substance that passes into the gaseous phase at a temperature that is lower than the temperature of the strip (1) and without oxidizing said strip so that energy is exchanged within an endothermic process by a change in the phase of said phase-change substance;
a condenser (13) connected downstream from the cooling box (5) via a blower (10);
a cylinder (16) forming a tank and a separator, connected downstream from the condenser (13); and
a recirculation pump (22) connected downstream from the tank and separator cylinder (16) via a safety valve (20), and connected to the upstream end of the cooling box (5), wherein the normal sublimation temperature of the refrigerant medium is equal or inferior up to 5 K to the temperature of the outside ambient medium, so that said refrigerant medium can be recondensed at a pressure equal to atmospheric pressure.
13. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the nozzles (7) of the cooling box (5) are arranged with segmentation so as to be able to track a predetermined cooling slope as a function of the travel speed of the strip.
14. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the cooling box (5) has an upstream section (5.1) free from nozzles (7) and a downstream section (5.2) fitted with nozzles (7), upstream and downstream being relative to the travel direction (50) of the strip (1), said upstream section (5.1) being fitted with a sensor (34) for measuring the temperature of the strip (1) entering into said box.
15. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the cooling box (5) is fitted at the inlet and the outlet for the strip (1) with leaktight through airlocks (8, 9).
16. An installation according to claim 12, including sensors (32, 33) for measuring the temperature of the strip (1) upstream from the inlet to and downstream from the outlet from the cooling box (5), said sensors serving to regulate the flow rate of the recirculation pump (22) as a function of the travel speed of said strip, which travel speed is measured by an associated sensor (31) outside said cooling box.
17. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the tank and separator cylinder (16) is fitted internally with a refrigerating coil (17) operating at a temperature that is lower than the condensation temperature of the refrigerant medium used in order to finish off the condensation and separation processes between the liquid phase of the refrigerant medium and the incondensable gases inside said cylinder.
18. The installation according to claim 17, wherein the tank and separator cylinder (16) is fitted with a vent (18) enabling the incondensable gases to be extracted.