Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Patente

The invention describes an apparatus (1) for moving a wind turbine gearbox (24) along a bedplate (22) of a wind turbine installation (2), comprising a pair of torque arm supports (10L, 10R), wherein each torque arm support (10L, 10R) is adapted for connection to the bedplate (22) and for installation about a torque arm (24L, 24R) of the gearbox (24); and a means (11) of effecting a displacement (Δ24) of the gearbox (24) relative to the torque arm supports (10L, 10R). The invention further describes a method of moving a wind turbine gearbox (24) along a bedplate (22) of a wind turbine installation (2), which method comprises providing such an apparatus (1) and actuating the displacement means (11) to effect a displacement (Δ24) of the gearbox (24) along the bedplate (22).

The invention describes a retention assembly (1) for installation on a rotary shaft (20), comprising a retaining ring (11), which retaining ring comprises an essentially cylindrical main body (111) dimensioned to fit about the rotary shaft and a number of flexible elements (113) extending axially from the main body, wherein each flexible element is dimensioned to clear the rotary shaft by a predefined gap (G) when mounting the retaining ring on the rotary shaft, and wherein each flexible element is adapted to bear an arrangement of inwardly-directed projections (12P) shaped to engage with the outer surface (20S) of the rotary shaft; and wherein the retention assembly further comprises a choking ring (13) adapted to exert an inwardly-directed radial force (13F) on the retaining ring during installation of the retention assembly to engage the projections of the flexible elements with the outer surface of the rotary shaft. The invention further describes a drivetrain comprising the inventive retaining assembly and a method of assembling such a drivetrain.

The invention describes an attitude adjustment assembly (1) for use in handling a load (20) freely suspended from a suspension point (30) of a lifting apparatus (3), comprising a torque generation apparatus (10) adapted to generate a turning moment about the vertical axis (Z); a means of attaching the torque generation apparatus (10) to the load (20); and a control unit (16) for controlling the torque generation apparatus (10) to effect a rotation (R_Z) of the freely-suspended load (20) about the vertical axis (Z) to bring the freely-suspended load (20) into a desired attitude during a load handling manoeuvre. The invention further describes a method of handling a freely-suspended load (20) using the claimed attitude adjustment assembly (1), and a method of assembling a wind turbine tower.

A lightning protection assembly for a rotor blade of a wind turbine is provided. The lightning protection assembly comprises at least a first prefabricated assembly comprising a first conductive element and a first connector element that is in electrical contact with or formed by the first conductive element and a second prefabricated assembly comprising a second conductive element and a connector element that is in electrical contact with or formed by the second conductive element. The first and second prefabricated assemblies are configured to form at least part of a shell of the rotor blade. The lightning protection assembly further comprises an electrical connection between the first connector element and the second connector element.

A method of servicing a component of a wind turbine is provided. The component is located in a space that is at least partly confined by a rotor blade of the wind turbine. The method comprises bringing the rotor blade into a vertical position pointing upwards by rotating a rotor hub of the wind turbine; transporting a crane through an opening in a separation wall between the hub and the space; positioning the crane on the separation wall; and servicing the component using the crane.

The invention relates to a method for repairing a wind turbine blade (1) comprising a composite material shell (11) with a root section (12), wherein the root section (12) comprises circumferentially distributed fixation elements (2) arranged within the composite material shell (11). The fixation elements (2) are adapted for a connection of the wind turbine blade (1) to a hub (101) of a wind turbine (10). The composite material shell (11) shows a laminate damage (18) around at least one of the fixation elements (2). The method comprising the steps: a) providing a repair patch (3) comprising a contact surface (32) and at least one recess (31); b) placing the repair patch (3) on a surface (14,15) of the composite material shell (11) with the fixation element (2) protruding at least partially into the recess (31) of the repair patch (3) and c) adhering the repair patch (3) to the surface (14,15) of the composite material shell (11) to restore force transmission between the at least one of the fixation elements (2) and the composite material shell (11) by providing a load path through the repair patch (3). Further, a repair patch (3) for use in the method and a wind turbine blade (1) are disclosed.

A spar cap assembly for a rotor blade of a wind turbine is provided. The spar cap assembly (100) comprises a stack (50) of layers (51, 52, ...) of carbon fiber composite material, wherein the layers are stacked in a thickness direction (111) and wherein the stack (50) extends in a longitudinal direction (110), and further comprises a lightning conductor (40) of a lightning protection system extending along the stack of layers. At least one potential equalization assembly (120) configured to electrically connect the stack (50) of layers of carbon fiber composite material to the lightning conductor (40) provides an equipotential bonding (121) at an equipotential bonding position (122) in the longitudinal direction. Two or more longitudinal contact ranges are arranged in longitudinal direction (110) next to each other, wherein each longitudinal contact range (10, 20, ...) comprises at least a first sheet (11, 21, ...) of conductive material that is arranged on and in direct electrical contact with a layer (51, 52, ... ) of the stack (50) and that rests against the lightning conductor (40).

A method of operating a wind turbine, the method comprising determining a rotational speed of a main rotor of the wind turbine, determining a rotational direction of the main rotor, identifying a reverse overspeed condition when the rotational speed of the wind turbine rotor exceeds a predefined rotational speed limit and the rotational direction is reverse, and in particular, upon determining that the reverse overspeed condition persists for at least a threshold duration, initiating a mitigation action to reduce or halt the reversed rotational speed.

The invention relates to a method for producing a pre-impregnated reinforcement fabric for building a preform element, with the steps:- Building a layer arrangement from a reinforcement fabric layer (1) composed of weaved or stitched fibers (19) and a perforated polymer film layer (3) arranged in contact to the reinforcement fabric layer (1),- applying heat to the layer arrangement for providing at least a tacky surface of the polymer film layer (3) such that the polymer film layer surface (3) adheres to the contacted reinforcement fabric layer (1),- cooling the layer arrangement.

The present invention relates to a method of operating a wind farm (2) including a plural of wind turbines (3), the method including for at least a group of the wind turbines (3) to be uprated wind turbines (3u) adapted to produce power in an uprated zone (25u) being power above the design power of the wind turbines (3u), and wherein the method includes, if an under-frequency deviation event in the grid (9) is detected, then (120) to operate least one of the uprated wind turbines (3u) to produce power in the uprated zone (25u) and provide this as control power to stabilize the grid (9).The present invention further relates to a wind turbine or wind farm operated according to the method and a controller adapted to operate the method.

The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for predicting a vertical wind profile (WP) present at a wind turbine (1), where the method processes bending moment vectors (BV) at consecutive time points (t) derived from measurements, each bending vector (BV) comprising for one or more bending directions (d1, d2) a bending moment (bm1, bm2) for each blade (5) present at a predetermined location along the respective blade (5) at a respective time point (t), the method comprising the following steps: a) deriving from the plurality of bending moment vectors (BV) several spanwise load estimates (lesp) for each blade (5) and each bending direction (d1, d2), where each spanwise load estimate (lesp) is associated with a different horizontal portion (A1, A2, .., A6) of the circumferential area (CA) covered by the rotation of the blades (5),; b) feeding at least the spanwise load estimates (lesp) to one or more first trained machine learning models (MLa, MLb, MLc) each predicting an intermediate vertical wind profile (WPIa, WPIb, WPIc); c) deriving from the plurality of bending moment vectors (BV) several sectorwise load estimates (lese) for each blade (5) and each bending direction (d1, d2), where each sectorwise load estimate (lese) is associated with a different angular sector (AS) of the circumferential area (CA) covered by the rotation of the blades (5); d) feeding at least the sectorwise load estimates (lese) to one or more second trained machine learning models (MLa', MLb', MLc') each predicting a second intermediate vertical wind profile (WPIa', WPIb', WPIc'); e) feeding the first and second intermediate vertical wind profiles (WPIa, WPIb, WPIc, WPIa', WPIb', WPIc') as an input to a third trained machine learning model (MLe) predicting the vertical wind profile (WP) as an output.

It is described a method of individual pitch control of three rotor blades (4a,b,c) of a wind turbine (1), in particular for reducing loads, the method comprising: determining tilt moment (12) and yaw moment (15) acting on the wind turbine (1), in particular from load measurement signals (17a,b,c); determining at least one maximal amplitude (39,23,24) of a pitch angle offset based on the tilt moment (12) and the yaw moment (15), the maximal amplitude (39,23,24) of a pitch angle offset being in particular prioritized for the reduction of loading in a selected moment direction; deriving individual amplitudes (26a,b,c) of pitch angle offsets for the three blades (4a,b,c), the amplitudes being restricted to be not greater than the maximal amplitude (39,23,24) of a pitch angle offset.

An arrangement for installation and/or transport of a plurality of towers and a method for mitigating a wind-induced vibrations on towers during the installation of wind turbines. An arrangement for installation and/or transport of a plurality of towers comprising at least one permeable membrane and a plurality of towers is provided. The permeable membrane is securely fixed to at least a pair of towers. Furthermore, a method for mitigating wind-induced vibrations, e.g. aeroelastic phenomena, on towers during installation and/or transport is provided. The method comprising the steps of arranging a plurality of towers side by side, thereby forming a tower group, positioning a permeable membrane to a first tower and a second tower of the group of towers, such that the permeable membrane is fixedly secured to an upper portion of the first and second towers, such that the permeable membrane extends therebetween the first and the second tower.

A method for dynamically controlling power derating in an electrical component involves obtaining the coolant inlet temperature of the component and an electrical load parameter. A dynamic temperature threshold for power derating is determined, varying as a function of the electrical load parameter. The measured coolant inlet temperature is compared to this dynamic temperature threshold, and the active and/or reactive power output of the electrical component is adjusted based on the dynamic temperature threshold.

The invention relates to a wind turbine gearbox (7), for transmitting torque from a rotor (4) to a generator (9), comprising a gearbox axis (15) and two planet stages (12, 13, 14), a first planet stage (12,13) and a second planet stage (13,14), wherein the planet carrier (20, 120, 220, 320) of the second planet stage (13,14)comprises a main body part (22, 222, 322) and a sun wheel shaft part (23, 223, 323) connected to each other. The sun wheel shaft part (23, 223, 323) is meshing with the planet wheels (40, 140, 240, 340) of the first planet stage (12,13). According to the invention, the main body part (22, 222, 322) and the sun wheel shaft part (23, 223, 323) of the planet carrier (20, 120, 220, 320) are joint by a rigid connection (21).

The invention relates to a wind turbine gearbox (7) for transmitting torque from a rotor (4) to a generator (9) comprising at least one gearbox stage with a low speed shaft and a high speed shaft, and an adjustment means (100). According to the invention, the adjustment means (100) is arranged inside the wind turbine gearbox (7) and configured to shift a vibrational mode (M1, M2, M3) of at least one gearbox component.

An inspection method (300), system (10) and kit (16) for inspecting the interior of a wind turbine tower, comprising installing one or more cameras on an external periphery of an existing wind tower lift, with the cameras directed towards the tower's interior. The wind tower lift is then actuated to traverse a travel path within the tower. During this traverse, the cameras capture images of the interior components, which are analyzed to detect any abnormal conditions within the wind turbine tower's components.

It is described a method and arrangement of determining a resistance (R) of at least one multi-phase stator winding set (7) of an electrical generator (4), in particular permanent magnet generator, the method comprising: operating the generator (4) by performing closed loop current control (11) including to receive a reference stator winding current (12) and an actual stator winding current (13, 13'), in particular respective d-component and q-component in a rotor fixed dq-frame; supplying, for a selected time interval (t0-t1), to the current control, a modified actual stator winding current (13') being different from the actual stator winding current (13) by a current modification quantity (34, 15); determining the resistance (R) of the stator winding set (7) based on at least one component of an actual stator winding current (i_alpha_dc) or the current modification quantity (i_dc) and at least one component of a stator winding voltage (u_alpha).

The invention relates to an electric generator (7) for a wind turbine (1), comprising a stator (11), a rotor (10), which is rotatably mounted with respect to the stator (11), and an air cooling system (32) for guiding an airflow flowing along an airpath (33) which extends through the electric generator (7), wherein the stator (11) comprises at least one structural component (21) having a hollow cross sectional profile and at least one first opening (39) and at least one second opening (40), wherein each of the openings (39, 40) leads into a hollow interior of the respective structural component (21), wherein the at least one first opening (39) is arranged on or fluidly communicates with a first location of the airpath (33), wherein the at least one second opening (40) is arranged on or fluidly communicates with a second location of the airpath (33), wherein within the at least one first opening (39) and/or within the at least one second opening (40) at least one sealing device (38) is arranged which prevents the airflow from flowing through the interior.

The present invention relates to a method to control wake in a wind farm (2) comprising plural of wind turbines (3), where the method includes;- providing a free wind at the wind farm (2), where the free wind includes a free wind direction (10),- using the free wind direction (10) to identify at least one waked wind turbine (3b, 3c) and a waking wind turbine (3a, 3b) waking the waked wind turbine (3b, 3c),- for a period of time measure or register multiple sampling parameters at the waked wind turbine (3b, 3c) covering a range of wind directions (10),- calculate a relation factor (40) based on a relation between the sampling parameters of the waked wind turbine (3b, 3c) and similar sampling parameters of a second wind turbine (3),- use the relation factor (40) to identify a wake position (30, 30new),- control a waking wind turbine (3a, 3b) of the waked wind turbine (3b, 3c) based on a correction related to the identified wake position (30, 30new).The invention further relates to a controller to perform the method, and a wind turbine or wind farm being controlled accordingly.

A damping device for a rotor blade of a wind turbine is provided. The damping device (10) is configured to damp vibrations of the rotor blade (100) in a non-operating condition of the rotor blade when mounted to the rotor blade (100). The damping device (10) comprises a body (15) configured to be mounted to the rotor blade (100). The body (15) has a first protruding section (41) configured to protrude from a pressure side (104) of the rotor blade and/or has a second protruding section (42) that is configured to protrude from a suction side (103) of the rotor blade. The body (15) is made of a plastic material and is at least partially enclosed in a shell (16). A rigidity, hardness, and/or a density of a material of the shell (16) is higher than a rigidity, hardness, and/or a density, respectively, of the material of the body (15).

The present invention relates to a method to control a renewable power plant (2) having a rated plant power being a maximal power generation of first power devices (3) and second power devices (4) of the renewable power plant (2), and where the power plant (2) is adapted to feed generated power to an electrical distribution grid (7) having a grid capacity, where the grid capacity is limited relative to the rated plant power, and wherein the control includes a for at least the first power devices (3) to be operated by basic FRT schedules at the detection of an event in the electrical distribution grid (7), and where the method includes to replace the basic FRT schedules with updated FRT schedules under given event conditions (deviation) where updated FRT schedules is updated within a maximum time distance to the detection of the event. The present invention further relates to a controller operating the method, and a renewable power plant being controlled accordingly.

An arrangement (1) and associated methods (400), for treating bearing systems during storage and/or transport, the arrangement (1) comprising two or more drive trains (2) or groups (10, 11) of drive trains (2), wherein each drive train (2) includes a generator (6), a rotatable element/s, a bearing system supporting the rotatable element/s, and a means for transmitting torque to the rotatable element/s upon receiving a power signal (8), the arrangement (1) comprising a power management system (3) that controls the power signal to the a means for transmitting torque, ensuring that each drive train or group of drive trains has at least one active rotation interval that is distinct from the rotation intervals of other drive trains or groups.

A tool 100 intended for positioning bolts is provided. The tool comprises a frame with a distal portion 1a and proximal portion 1b, a shaft a shaft (2) rotatably mounted on the proximal portion (1a) of the frame (1), moving means (3) operatively connected to the shaft (2) to facilitate rotation of said shaft (2) and a holding element (4) fixedly mounted on the shaft (2), configured to secure a plurality of bolts to be inserted I the holes of a tower flange (210).Furthermore, an installation arrangement is provided and a method for positioning bolts, the steps of the method being providing the tool (100), placing the plurality of bolts within the holding element (4), positioning the shaft (2) and the holding element (4) and inserting the bolts into corresponding holes of the tower flange (210).

The invention describes a cable pulling arrangement (1) for use in the installation of power cables (5) in a wind turbine tower (2), comprising a transport unit (11) adapted to transport a winch assembly (12) between levels (22, 28) of the tower (2); a docking assembly (14) adapted to dock the transport unit (11) to the tower (2); and a cable guide (13) adapted to guide a winch wire (122) between levels (22, 28) of the tower (2) during a cable pulling procedure. The invention further describes a method of performing a cable pulling procedure using such a cable pulling arrangement (1).

It is described a method of determining rotor position related information of an electrical machine (6), the method comprising: at a first rotor position, performing a HFI-method to obtain a first measurement signal set (16); at a second rotor position, performing a HFI-method to obtain a second measurement signal set (17); and deriving a corrected rotor position (θ_real1, θ_real2) and/or a rotor position error (err_6f) based on the first measurement signal set (16) and the second measurement signal set (17).

Stabilization assembly (1) for stabilizing a load (L) suspended from a crane hook (32) of a service crane (3) during vertical displacement of the load (L) between an upper position (P1) and a lower position (P0), comprising a tagline arrangement comprising a tagline (11, 11A, 11B) adapted for connection to the crane hook (32) and a tagline winch (10, 10A, 10B) arranged at a lateral offset from the lower position (P0); and a control arrangement (12) configured to determine a lateral force (F<w>) acting on the load (L) during vertical displacement of the load (L), to compute a tagline tension (F<11>, F<11A>, F<11B>) on the basis of the determined lateral force (F<w>), and to control a tagline winch (10, 10A, 10B) accordingly.

The present invention relates to a system (100) for handling a power cable (60) of a wind turbine comprising a cable support arrangement (20) adapted to support a portion of the power cable (60) and at least one guiding arrangement (10) being fixedly connectable or connected to at least one structure (51) within a wind turbine tower (50) and adapted to guide the cable support arrangement (20) along a linear track (12) provided by at least one guide rail (11). Furthermore, a wind turbine comprising the system (100) is disclosed.The disclosed system (100) for handling a power cable (60) is advantageous for improved operational safety, requires less installation space within the wind turbine tower (50) and provides improved operational flexibility.

A method of controlling the operation of a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine (100) comprises a wind turbine rotor (120) with one or more rotor blades (121, 122, 123) and a control system (10) that operates at least one load reduction pitch control function (40) configured to adjust a blade pitch angle to reduce a blade load. The method comprises monitoring an operating parameter of the wind turbine (100), generating, by the load reduction pitch control function (40), a pitch adjustment output (62) based on the monitored operating parameter (61), and determining, based on the monitored operating parameter (61) and/or the pitch adjustment output (62), if a predetermined criterion is fulfilled. If the predetermined criterion is fulfilled, a power output of the wind turbine (100) and/or a rotational speed of the rotor (120) of the wind turbine (100) is curtailed.

A method of controlling the operation of a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine (100) comprises a wind turbine rotor (120) with one or more rotor blades and a control system (10) that operates at least one load reduction pitch control function (40, 50) configured to adjust a blade pitch angle to reduce a blade load. The method comprises monitoring an operating parameter of the wind turbine (100) using a blade load signal; generating, by the load reduction pitch control function (40, 50), a pitch adjustment output based on the monitored operating parameter; and determining if the operating parameter and/or the pitch adjustment output fulfills a predetermined criterion. If the predetermined criterion is fulfilled, an actual pitch adjustment is applied to one or more of the rotor blades (121, 122, 123). The operating parameter and/or the pitch adjustment output is further filtered by a filter (43, 53) having a low pass response.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a leading edge protection device (1) for a leading edge (2) of a wind turbine rotor blade (3). The method comprises providing a thermoplastic polyurethane material (4), processing the thermoplastic polyurethane material (4) by providing heat to the thermoplastic polyurethane material (4) and bringing the thermoplastic polyurethane material (4) into a predetermined shape to form the leading edge protection device (1) and further processing the leading edge protection device (1) by a surface treatment. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a wind turbine rotor blade (3) with a reinforced leading edge (2) and to a wind turbine rotor blade (3).

It is described a method of damping a vibration (15) of one or more rotor blades (5) of a wind turbine (1), the rotor blades being coupled to a rotor (3a) of a wind turbine generator (3), during an operation mode different from a power production mode, the vibration in particular including an edgewise vibration (14) out of a rotor plane (15), the method comprising: monitoring a characteristic (17), in particular including magnitude and/or phase and/or frequency, of the vibration (14); determining a torque reference (21, Tref) based on the characteristic of the vibration which is suitable for damping the vibration; generating a torque by the generator (3) according to the torque reference (21, Tref).

It is provided a method of exciting a vibration (14, 27, 28) of a wind turbine (1) having a wind turbine generator (3) including a rotor, in particular during an operation mode different from a power production mode, the method comprising, in particular in a repeated manner: monitoring an actual characteristic (17), in particular including magnitude and/or phase and/or frequency, of the vibration (14, 27, 28); determining a torque reference (21, Tref) based at least on a desired characteristic (29) of the vibration, the torque reference being suitable for exciting the vibration; generating a torque by the generator (3) according to the torque reference (21, Tref) for exciting the vibration (14, 27, 28).

The present invention relates to an application device (1) for applying a release agent to an inner surface (2) of a mold (3) for casting a wind turbine rotor blade, comprising an application module (4) for applying the release agent to the inner surface (2) of the mold (3). The application device (1) comprises a transport module (5) for moving the application device (1) along the mold (3) and a positioning module (6) arranged at the transport module (5) for holding the application module (4) and for positioning the application module (4) relatively to the mold (3).

The invention describes a wind direction estimator (1) for a wind turbine (2), comprising a means of receiving wind direction measurements (250) from a wind direction sensor (25) of a wind turbine (2) during operation of the wind turbine (2); an N-dimensional compensation function (10) configured to receive N input values (101, ..., 10N, 26m, 240) and to output a wind direction offset (100) on the basis of the N received input values (101, ..., 10N, 26m, 240), wherein N is at least 2 and wherein each input value (101, ..., 10N, 26m, 240) relates to an operational variable of the wind turbine (2); and a means of adding a computed wind direction offset (100) to a received wind direction measurement (250) to obtain a wind direction estimate (Dest). The invention further describes a method of estimating a wind direction (Dtrue) .

The invention describes a wind turbine drive train (7) for transmitting torque from a wind rotor (4) to a generator (9) comprising a rotor shaft (6) supported in a rotor front bearing (25) and a rotor rear bearing (26). The rotor front bearing (25) and the rotor rear bearing (26) are pretensioned against each other. A gearbox (8) is connected to the rotor shaft (6), and a gearbox support (31) fixed to a gearbox housing (30). The gearbox support (31) is configured to be connected to pretension means (42) configured to pretension the rotor shaft (6) in an axial direction of the rotor shaft (6) .The invention further describes a wind turbine for use in reinstating preload in a bearing of such a wind turbine drive rain (7); and a method of reinstating a preload force in a bearing of a wind turbine drive train (7).

The invention relates to a method of controlling a wind farm comprising a plural of wind turbines (3) each formed with blades (6), wherein the method includes calculating a control of at least one wind turbine (3) inducing a pulsed offset from a base setting including a wake offset input and a at least one further factor related input, e.g. based on a fatigue related factor and / or a power quality related factor. The invention further relates to a Wind turbine operated according to the method. The invention further relates to a controller adapted to operate the method.

The invention describes a method of controlling a wind turbine (2), which method comprises deducing the presence of ice accretion (3) on the rotor blades (20); and subsequently, in a first stage (S1), effecting an increase in rotor speed (ω) by adjusting a power reference (Pref) of the wind turbine (2); and subsequently, in a second stage (S2), continually adjusting the rotor blade pitch angle (β) on the basis of the observed output power (P_obs) to maximise the output power (P_obs). The invention further describes a wind turbine (2) comprising a means of observing the output power (P_obs) of the wind turbine (2); and a wind turbine controller (22) adapted to apply the claimed method.

The invention relates to a clamping device (31) for being used as a mechanical interface between an electric generator segment (15) and a transporting means which is adapted to transport the segment (15), wherein the clamping device (31) comprises a connection component (24) and two clamping components (26, 30), wherein the connection component (24) is adapted to be arranged in a through hole (22) of the segment (15), wherein the clamping components (26, 30) are attachable with each other by the connection component (24) being arranged in the through hole (22) such that a part of the segment (15) being arranged on the through hole (22) is clamped between the clamping components (26, 30), wherein at least one of the clamping components (26, 30) is connected to or comprises a connection means (34) being connectable to a connection means of the transporting means.

The invention describes a protector (1) for use in preventing corrosion on the surfaces of a hole (2H) formed in a component (2), comprising a carrier (10) bearing a supply of a volatile corrosion inhibitor, which carrier (10) is shaped to fit inside the hole (2H); a magnetic cover (11) dimensioned to extend beyond the circumference of the hole (2H); and a means of attaching the carrier (10) to the magnetic cover (11). The invention further describes a method of handling a component (2) comprising an arrangement of holes (2H) using a set of such protectors (1) to prevent corrosion in the holes (2H) during storage and/or transport of the component (2).