Patent ID: 9523282
Filing Date: 2016-12-20
CPC Classification: F01D,F03D,F05B,Y02E

Claim Text:
1. A method for starting-up a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a rotor comprising at least one rotor blade, said method comprising: rotating the at least one rotor blade towards a main operating position using a pitch drive system comprising a pitch bearing supporting the at least one rotor blade, and a pitch-driving pinion meshing with the pitch bearing; activating a pump to feed a lubricant to a lubrication pinion meshing with one of the pitch bearing or the pitch-driving pinion before the at least one rotor blade reaches the main operating position so that the lubricant is selectively transferred to at least one of a load portion of the pitch bearing or a load portion of the pitch-driving pinion; defining a pitch-value angular range of the at least one rotor blade corresponding to the load portion of the pitch bearing or the pitch-driving pinion; wherein activation of the pump is started at a first pre-defined pitch angle prior to the at least one rotor blade reaching the pitch-value angular range, and maintaining pitch of the at least one rotor blade at substantially the first pre-defined pitch angle for a time sufficient for the lubricant to reach the lubrication pinion; and thereafter, pitching of the at least one rotor blade to a second pre-defined pitch angle that corresponds to an upper value of the pitch-value range, wherein a pitch difference between the first and second pre-defined pitch angles is computed to allow lubricant delivered to the lubrication pinion to transfer to the load portion of the pitch bearing or the pitch-driving pinion.