Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
  • H02K7/00—Arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with dynamo-electric machines, e.g. structural association with mechanical driving motors or auxiliary dynamo-electric machines
  • H02K7/18—Structural association of electric generators with mechanical driving motors, e.g. with turbines
  • H02K7/1807—Rotary generators
  • H02K7/1823—Rotary generators structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
  • H02K7/183—Rotary generators structurally associated with turbines or similar engines wherein the turbine is a wind turbine
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03D—WIND MOTORS
  • F03D80/00—Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00
  • F03D80/70—Bearing or lubricating arrangements
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03D—WIND MOTORS
  • F03D3/00—Wind motors with rotation axis substantially perpendicular to the air flow entering the rotor 
  • F03D3/005—Wind motors with rotation axis substantially perpendicular to the air flow entering the rotor  the axis being vertical
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03D—WIND MOTORS
  • F03D9/00—Adaptations of wind motors for special use; Combinations of wind motors with apparatus driven thereby; Wind motors specially adapted for installation in particular locations
  • F03D9/20—Wind motors characterised by the driven apparatus
  • F03D9/25—Wind motors characterised by the driven apparatus the apparatus being an electrical generator
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
  • F05B2220/00—Application
  • F05B2220/70—Application in combination with
  • F05B2220/706—Application in combination with an electrical generator
  • F05B2220/7064—Application in combination with an electrical generator of the alternating current (A.C.) type
  • F05B2220/70642—Application in combination with an electrical generator of the alternating current (A.C.) type of the synchronous type
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
  • F05B2240/00—Components
  • F05B2240/20—Rotors
  • F05B2240/21—Rotors for wind turbines
  • F05B2240/211—Rotors for wind turbines with vertical axis
  • F05B2240/214—Rotors for wind turbines with vertical axis of the Musgrove or "H"-type
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
  • F05B2260/00—Function
  • F05B2260/90—Braking
  • F05B2260/902—Braking using frictional mechanical forces
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
  • Y02B10/00—Integration of renewable energy sources in buildings
  • Y02B10/30—Wind power
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/70—Wind energy
  • Y02E10/74—Wind turbines with rotation axis perpendicular to the wind direction

Definitions

• a vertical axis wind turbine comprising: a tower; a generator, comprising a rotor and a stator; and a bearing assembly.
• the bearing assembly is coupled to the tower, and is adapted to support a substantially vertical main mast of the wind turbine.
• the bearing assembly is also adapted to resist axial loads, radial loads and moment loads from the main mast.
• the stator of the generator is coupled to the bearing assembly, and the rotor of the generator is adapted to be coupled to the substantially vertical main mast by means of the bearing assembly.
• the ratio of the distance from the mid plane of the bearing to the mid plane of the generator rotor to the length of the main mast is less than 0.1.
• Wind turbines of the present invention find application as onshore wind turbines for use on land as well as offshore wind turbines, either bottom mounted or floating.
• wind turbines according to the invention may be floating wind turbines for offshore use.
• the bearing assembly comprises an inner support structure, an outer support structure and at least one bearing.
• the rolling elements of the or each bearing are preferably rollers because they are able to withstand higher loads.
• the rolling elements may be balls.
• Other types of bearings such as magnetic bearings may also be utilised.
• the inner support structure of the bearing assembly is preferably coupled to the rotor of the generator, and the outer support structure of the bearing is preferably coupled to the generator stator.
• the inner support structure is also preferably coupled to the main mast.
• a method of installing a vertical axis wind turbine comprises, in an off-site location, assembling a bearing assembly having a guide shaft as described herein, coupling the stator of the generator to the bearing assembly, coupling the rotor of the generator to the guide shaft of the bearing assembly, and aligning the guide shaft within the bearing assembly such that the axis of rotation of the rotor is substantially coincident with the geometrical axis of the stator.
• any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention, in any appropriate combination.
• method aspects may be applied to apparatus aspects, and vice versa.
• any, some and/or all features in one aspect can be applied to any, some and/or all features in any other aspect, in any appropriate combination. It should also be appreciated that particular combinations of the various features described and defined in any aspects of the invention can be implemented and/or supplied and/or used independently.
• Figure 2 shows a cross-section of a tower comprising a bearing assembly and generator
• the slewing bearing 110 comprises an inner ring and an outer ring with three sets of roller bearings, the outer ring comprises two portions.
• the first portion being a ring portion housing the first set of roller bearings.
• the second portion is a corresponding ring portion housing the second set of roller bearings.
• the third set of roller bearings are housed between the first and second ring portions.
• the two portions of the outer ring enable the inner ring to be positioned within the outer ring and with two of the three sets of roller bearings acting on two opposed bearing surfaces.
• the outer surface is between the two opposed surfaces.
• the distance X is minimised.
• the distance X is the distance from the mid plane of the slewing bearing 1 10 to the mid plane of the generator rotor 114.
• the length Y is the length of the main mast 104 from the mounting point at the slewing bearing 1 10 to the top of the main mast.
• the ratio of the distance X to the length Y is less than 0.1 ; i.e. the distance X is less than 10% of the overall length of the main mast.
• the wheel shaft 212 may be integrally formed with the guide shaft 210, and the outer portion of the wheel shaft is bolted to the inner ring 200 of the slewing bearing 110.
• the wheel shaft 212 is provided with a plurality of spokes to reduce the weight of the overall bearing assembly.
• the guide shaft 210 is also adapted to receive the rotor 216 of the generator.
• the rotor 216 is slidably mounted on the guide shaft, and, when in an operational position, abuts the wheel shaft 212.
• the rotor is held in the operational position by retaining means such as retaining bolts, or the like.
• the retaining means are removed, and the rotor slides along the guide shaft to allow access to both the rotor and the stator. This allows maintenance of the generator without the requirement to disassemble the entire wind turbine.
• the stator 222 of the generator is coupled to the outer support structure 224 of the slewing bearing.
• the mounting means in the form of the outer support structure 224 couples the generator stator 222 to the tower 102, the outer ring 202 of the slewing bearing to the tower 102, and the brake callipers 220 to the tower 102.
• the stator 222 is suspended from the outer support structure. Therefore, the outer ring 202 of the slewing bearing, the stator 222 of the generator and the brake callipers 220 are all coupled together via a coupling member: the outer support structure 224.
• the outer support structure 224 is directly connected to the tower 102.
• the generator stator is directly connected to the outer ring of the bearing assembly through the outer support structure of the slewing bearing, and the generator rotor is directly connected to the inner ring of the bearing assembly via the guide shaft and wheel shaft that constitutes the inner support structure of the slewing bearing. Therefore, any deflection, or displacement, in the guide shaft caused by loads on the main mast are transmitted to the outer support structure of the bearing assembly. As the generator stator is directly connected to the outer support structure, any deflection in the outer support structure also deflects the generator stator.
• the deflections, and displacements, of the generator stator and generator rotor are coupled together, and are independent of the deflections of the tower.
• This enables the tower to be less stiff than for conventional VAWTs where the generator stator and bearings are each spaced apart and coupled separately to the tower; in this conventional arrangement, the deflections, and displacement, of the stator and rotor are independent from each other, and thus can be large.
• Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a tower comprising an alternative slewing bearing assembly and generator.
• the brake disc 300 and the brake callipers 302 are provided below the generator.
• the brake callipers 302 are provided on the inner surface of the tower 102.
• the brake disc is directly coupled to the bottom of the guide shaft 210.
• the other components are arranged as described above.
• the brake disc is mounted to the guide shaft in the off-site factory location, and then installed on the wind turbine tower together with the bearing assembly.
• the brake callipers are installed within the tower before the bearing assembly is installed, but are engaged with the brake disc after installation.
• the brake disc is inserted into the tower before being attached to the guide shaft, and before the bearing assembly is connected to the tower.
• the bearing assembly is connected to the tower, and then the brake disc is connected to the guide shaft.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Sustainable Energy (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Wind Motors (AREA)

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Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (1)

• 2012
  • 2012-02-08 GB GB1202199.4A patent/GB2499219A/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2013
  • 2013-02-07 WO PCT/EP2013/052444 patent/WO2013117652A1/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (4)

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