presented by Clint Ramberg, Spider – Wind Access Director
There are several ways to closely examine a turbine blade. One is with a suspended access platform. It’s innovative wind access equipment which is rigged from a nacelle with the wire ropes and lets the crew ascend and descend along every inch of a blade or tower. As you’d expect, using one takes a little training.
For that part, Clint Ramberg with Spider will conduct several wind access training sessions at Wind Tech. “We’re setting up several segments of training over those two days and running about four to five different segments each day. These will cover the general orientation with some hands on parts, along with general system information,” he says.
We’ll structure things so if people attend all five segments, and they do not have to be sequential, they will receive a user training certificate for the Spider access equipment.
“We’ll have a schedule printed with class times so they can work around other sessions during the two days of training. As long as they get each segment signed off by the instructor as they teach them, they will be qualified as trained,” he says.
This is a hands-on session, says Ramberg. “We will start by going over the hoist by talking about the operator instructions for the hoists, and the different controls mounted on the hoist. We’ll show how to weave the wire ropes into the hoist and take them out again. Classes will cover how to control the descent of the platform and the emergency over-speed brake. Of course, technicians will learn how to attach the hoist to the platform, and make sure the wire ropes are fed in and operating properly.”
Ramberg says classes will include the pre-use inspection of the hoist. “Every time technicians start working on the hoist, at the beginning of each shift or each day of work, they’ll perform a function test to verify that everything is working properly,” he says.
Among the hoist sessions, one will show how to assemble and operate the platform, and one on how to perform the rigging, and the installation of the suspension equipment from inside of the nacelle. Another section talks about use and operation deployment of tag lines that stabilize the platform. And finally, a session will provide a general overview of the regulations that govern the use of such equipment in theU.S.along with a system wide overview.
WindTech 2012 will be held in Sweetwater, Texas, November 29 and 30. Register here:
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