Patent Application
20120146337
Embodiments of the invention relate to wind turbines. Modern wind turbines are commonly used to supply electricity into the electrical grid. Wind turbines of this kind generally comprise a rotor with a rotor hub and a plurality of blades. The rotor is set into rotation under the influence of the wind on the blades. The rotation of the rotor shaft either directly drives the generator rotor (“directly driven”) or through the use of a gearbox.
Gearboxes form one of the most maintenance-intensive components of the wind turbine. They need to be inspected regularly and do not always fulfill their expected service life; the gearbox or some of its parts sometimes need to be replaced prematurely. This is due to the high loads and fluctuating loads to which a gearbox is subjected. Particularly, the bending loads on the blades, which may be transmitted through the rotor shaft to the gearbox are damaging.
Direct drive wind turbines do not suffer from the problems related to the gearbox. However, since there is no speed increase, the generator shaft rotates very slowly. As a consequence, a large and expensive generator is generally needed to be able to generate electricity in an effective way. Additionally, when bending loads and movements (and corresponding deformations) are transmitted through the rotor shaft to the generator, it may not be possible to maintain a constant air gap between generator rotor and generator stator. Moreover, high bending loads could even cause structural damage to parts of the generator, e.g. its bearings. Replacement or repair of such generator parts may be very expensive due to the size and related cost of the generator.
Also in the case of more integrated direct drive wind turbine designs, which lack a rotor shaft and which have a direct coupling between the hub or its blades and the generator's rotor (as described in, for example, DE 10255745), the bending moments and deformations are directly transmitted from the hub to the rotor and/or the stator, making it more difficult to minimize air gap variations.
In offshore applications (both near-shore and far offshore), maintenance costs form an important part of the operating cost of a wind turbine. Therefore, in these kinds of applications, a direct drive configuration is often chosen so as to avoid the maintenance cost related to a gearbox. However, this does not resolve the aforementioned problems relating to the transmission of bending loads, associated deformations to the generator, and variations in the generator air gap.
The cause of the transmission of the bending loads and deformations from the blades and hub to the generator lies in the wind turbine configuration. In most conventional wind turbines, the rotor hub is mounted on one end of the rotor shaft. The rotor shaft is rotatably mounted in a support structure within the nacelle on top of the wind turbine tower. The rotor thus forms an overhanging structure which transmits torque, but additionally transmits cyclical bending loads due to the loads on the blades and the weight of the hub and blades. These bending loads are transmitted to the generator (in the case of direct drive turbines) causing air gap variations.
In order to solve this problem, it is known from e.g. ES 2 163 362 to provide a wind turbine tower with a forward extending frame. The rotor hub with its plurality of blades is mounted upon the frame and can rotate; the rotor hub is coupled to a rotor shaft located within the frame. Such a wind turbine has been schematically indicated in
With this kind of configuration comprising a hub mounted on a frame, the loads due to the weight of hub and blades are transmitted more directly via the frame to the tower, whereas the rotor shaft transmits mainly torque to the gearbox (and/or generator), thus substantially avoiding undesired deformations in the drive train. This represents a major improvement with respect to other prior art wind turbines, but the transmission of bending loads from the blades to the rotor shaft, (and through the rotor shaft to the gearbox) cannot be avoided entirely.
There thus still exists a need for a direct drive wind turbine, wherein the transfer of bending loads and movements from the rotor hub to the generator can substantially be reduced.
Embodiments of the invention are defined by the claims below, not this summary. A high-level overview of various aspects of the invention are provided here for that reason, to provide an overview of the disclosure, and to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described in the Detailed-Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In a first aspect, the invention provides a wind turbine comprising a hub carrying one or more blades, a generator, and a shaft operatively coupled with the hub through a first coupling, wherein in operation, the rotor of the generator is directly driven by the shaft, and wherein the hub is rotatably mounted on a frame, the shaft is provided at least partially internally of the frame, and wherein the coupling between the shaft and the hub is adapted to transmit the torque about the hub's rotational axis from the hub to the shaft while substantially limiting the transmission of other loads, and wherein the generator is arranged in such a way that the torque about the shaft's rotational axis is transmitted from the shaft to the rotor of the generator while substantially limiting the transmission of other loads from the shaft to the generator.
In this aspect of the invention, the coupling between the shaft and the hub is adapted to transmit the torque about the hub's rotational axis from the hub to the shaft while limiting the transmission of other loads (e.g. bending moments, transversal and axial loads). It should be understood that the coupling cannot avoid the transmission of these other loads completely. However, the coupling may be relatively flexible with respect to these other loads, so that they are transmitted through different load paths (particularly through the frame). Also the arrangement of the generator should be understood in the same way: although the transmission of other loads (bending moments, transversal and axial loads) cannot be completely avoided, their transmission will be substantially limited.
With this configuration, potentially damaging bending loads and deformations to which the hub is inevitably subjected may be avoided in the generator. The connection between the hub and the generator through the shaft is relatively stiff with respect to torsion but flexible with respect to bending loads and movements. These loads are thereby transmitted directly from the hub to the frame to the tower.
In some embodiments, the shaft is connected to the generator rotor through a non-rigid second coupling, and the second coupling is adapted to transmit torque about the shaft's rotational axis from the shaft to the generator while substantially limiting the transmission of other loads. Optionally, the second coupling comprises circular splines. Another option is that the second coupling comprises a center piece from which a plurality of spokes extend substantially radially, the center piece being mounted on the shaft, and flexible elements are arranged to connect the spokes to the generator rotor. Yet a further option is that the second coupling comprises a center piece mounted on the shaft, the center piece comprising a substantially circular disc, the circular disc being connected to the generator rotor through a plurality of circumferentially arranged axial bolts, wherein the bolts are arranged within the circular disc with a plurality of flexible bushings.
In other embodiments, the shaft is rigidly connected to the generator rotor, and the generator stator is supported by and flexibly connected to a fixed structure through a third coupling. The third coupling may e.g. be connected to a part of the frame, a flange connected to the frame or another suitable component. In this sense, a “fixed” structure is to be understood as a non-rotating structure that is fixed with respect to the nacelle, such as the nacelle itself, or the frame upon which the hub is mounted. It will be clear that strictly speaking, these components are not completely “fixed”, since they may rotate with respect to the tower with the help of a yaw mechanism.
Preferably, this third coupling will be relatively stiff with respect to torsion, but flexible with respect to other loads (so that these loads are not transferred from the stator to the frame).
In some embodiments, one or more bearings are provided within the frame to support the shaft.
In some embodiments, the first coupling comprises a center piece from which a plurality of spokes extends radially, the center piece being mounted on the shaft, and the hub is provided with a plurality of circumferentially arranged axial protrusions, and flexible elements are arranged to connect the spokes to the protrusions. In other embodiments, the first coupling comprises a center piece mounted on the shaft, the center piece comprising a substantially circular disc, the circular disc being connected to the hub through a plurality of circumferentially arranged axial bolts, wherein the bolts are arranged within the circular disc with a plurality of flexible bushings. Within the scope of the invention, even further embodiments of the first coupling may be used, comprising e.g. suitably arranged elastic or visco-elastic elements, or yet other types of elements that yield to bending loads etc.
In some embodiments, the before-mentioned center piece may be mounted on the shaft with a shrink disc. In other embodiments however, the center piece may be welded, bolted or connected through other suitable means.
In some embodiments, the generator rotor is arranged radially outside of the generator stator. In other embodiments, the generator stator is arranged radially outside of the generator rotor. Within the scope of the invention, even other embodiments are possible, e.g. configurations wherein the generator rotor and stator are axially arranged with respect to each other.
In some embodiments of the invention, the shaft comprises a front part and a rear part connected with each other. The front part and the rear part of the shaft are preferably rigidly connected with each other. The division of the shaft in a front part and rear part can make the installation process easier. It may furthermore facilitate the manufacturing of the shaft. On the other hand, the use of one integral shaft may lead to a lower total weight of the shaft.
In some embodiments of the invention, the frame comprises a front part and a rear part, wherein the hub is rotatably mounted on the front part, and the rear part of the frame is rotatably mounted on a tower. The hub is thus able to rotate around its rotational axis and the rear part of the frame is able to rotate about the tower's axis. Within the scope of the invention, the frame may be formed of one integral part or may comprise two or more separate parts. In one embodiment, the frame comprises three parts: a front part carrying the hub, a middle part rotatably mounted on the wind turbine tower and a rear part carrying the generator. The frame comprising a plurality of separate parts may have advantages for the installation of the wind turbine.
The frame may furthermore be of any suitable shape and configuration: the frame may e.g. have a circular, elliptical, rectangular or other cross-section. The frame may be a forged component but may also be formed by e.g. a plurality of beams or a suitable truss structure.
In some embodiments of the invention, the shaft is a “traditional” solid shaft. In preferred embodiments of the invention however, the shaft may be a tubular hollow shaft. Due to the reduced loads in the shaft, the shaft may be made more lightweight. Instead of a conventional solid shaft, a tubular hollow shaft may be employed in some embodiments of the invention.
Particular embodiments of the invention will be described in the following, only by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
a-3c schematically illustrate some embodiments of couplings between a hub and a rotor shaft which may be used in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
a and 11b schematically illustrate a spherical spline connection which may be used in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
The subject matter of select embodiments of the invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. But the description itself is not intended to necessarily limit the scope of claims. Rather, the claimed subject matter might be embodied in other ways to include different components, steps, or combinations thereof similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.
Hub 10 is connected to shaft 30 through coupling element 40. Coupling element 40 is designed such that it transmits torque from the rotor hub 10 to shaft 30, while substantially limiting the transfer of other loads. It will be clear that coupling element 40 may take various suitable forms.
In a first embodiment of
Another solution is shown in
A further option is shown in
The flexible elements shown in the couplings 40a, 40b and 40c may take many suitable forms. They may be e.g. elastic or visco-elastic. They may be made from e.g. elastomers or from both elastomers and metals. In some embodiments, the stiffness (or flexibility, or elasticity) of the flexible elements may be adjustable. In preferred embodiments, they may be pre-loaded. The most important aspect of the flexible elements is that due to their arrangement and their properties, they yield in a certain extent to all loads, but securely transmit the torque from the hub.
With further reference to
Generator rotor 62 is mounted on frame 20c through suitable bearings 65. The generator stator 64 is radially arranged outside the generator rotor 62. Generator housing 61 is provided for protection from weather influences. Due to the first and second flexible couplings, the transfer of any load other than torque from the hub to the generator is substantially avoided. Since bending loads and accompanying deformations are not transferred, the air gap between generator rotor and stator can be maintained relatively stably.
A further embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated in
Yet a further embodiment is shown in
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
Such a flexible coupling is not provided in the embodiment of
A preferred example of such a coupling 90 which may be used in the invention is shown in
The combination of the first coupling between hub and shaft and the third coupling between generator stator and frame ensures that air gap variations can be minimized.
In this embodiment, bearing 35 was provided at the junction between frame middle part 20b and frame rear part 20c. In other embodiments, bearing 35 may be placed at a different position.
a and 11b very schematically illustrate another way of a non-rigid coupling between the rotor shaft 30 and the generator rotor 62, which transmits the torque from the shaft to the generator rotor but substantially limits the transfer of other loads. The connection shown uses splines 33 provided on rotor shaft 30 and mating splines 63 provided on the generator rotor. Radially extending splines 33 are shaped like circular segment. Mating splines 63 have a shape that is complementary to splines 33, such that splines 33 fit in them.
When subjected to bending loads, the splines 33 would slide relative to splines 63. When subjected to torque, the loads are transferred directly through splines 33 and 63. Thus, also using this kind of connection one can ensure that torque from the rotor shaft is transferred while substantially limiting the transfer of other loads.
Although in the embodiments shown in the figures, rotor shaft 30 was depicted as a hollow tubular shaft, in other embodiments of the invention, the shaft may be a solid shaft.
And although in the embodiments shown in the figures, the frame 20 was depicted as comprising three separate parts, in other embodiments of the invention, the frame may be unitary or may comprise two or four or more different parts. Within the scope of the invention, the frame may furthermore take a different shape and structure.
The invention is moreover not limited in any way to the kind of bearings used to mount the hub on the frame or to mount the generator on the frame. Suitable fluid bearings, particularly hydrodynamic or hydrostatic bearings, may be employed. Alternatively, suitable rolling element bearings, such as roller bearings, double-tapered roller bearings, or ball bearings may also be used. The bearings may further be purely radial bearings or radial and axial bearings.
The invention is furthermore not limited in any way to the kind of generator employed in the wind turbine. Any suitable kind of synchronous or asynchronous generator may be used. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the generator rotor is provided with permanent magnets.
Although this invention has been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described before, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10158262.5 | Mar 2010 | EP | regional |
This application claims priority to PCT Application No. PCT/EP2011/050704 entitled “Wind Turbine”, filed Jan. 19, 2011 which claims priority to European Patent Application No. 10158262.5 entitled “Wind Turbine” filed Mar. 29, 2010 the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2011/050704 | 1/19/2011 | WO | 00 | 1/26/2012 |
