JPS6117267Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a braking device for a horizontal axis wind turbine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a braking device that applies a braking force from a braking drive source provided on a fixed frame to the output shaft of a horizontal shaft type wind turbine provided on a yawing frame capable of yawing.

2. Description of the Related Art Wind turbines have conventionally been used to convert wind energy existing in the natural world into motive power, and use the obtained motive power directly as a power source or as a means for converting it into other useful energy such as electric power.

Wind energy is proportional to the cube of the wind speed, and increases as the wind speed increases. Normally, the wind speed varies depending on the region, but in many cases it is low wind speed of 1 to 3 m/s or less, and it is said that wind speed of 10 to 15 m/s is generally required to effectively utilize wind energy. ing. Since the energy density of wind power is small, important factors include increasing the wind turbine's receiving area, being lightweight, and minimizing mechanical friction loss, and the design requires delicacy similar to that of an aircraft. ing.

The conversion efficiency is usually maximized at a rotation speed of a wind turbine blade that is proportional to the wind speed, and the shaft output is proportional to the square of the wind speed. Therefore, in an energy conversion system in which, for example, a generator is attached to the output shaft of a wind turbine blade, if the wind speed exceeds the upper limit of the design value,
There is a risk that the balance with the load will be lost, the rotational speed of the blades will rise rapidly, and damage such as damage to the blades due to centrifugal force vibrations will occur, which will have a serious impact on the functionality of the wind turbine. For this reason, in order to prevent over-rotation in strong winds, conventional means have been developed to change the angle of the blade in the direction of the wind direction in accordance with the increase in the number of blade rotations, or to detect the number of rotations of the blade and detect the detected rotation of the blade. Means are used to actuate the braking device depending on the number of brakes. The former is extremely inconvenient because the mechanism is complicated and it does not have a stop function at steady wind speed, making it impossible to stop the wind turbine when performing maintenance work. Regarding the latter, especially for horizontal axis wind turbines,
It is necessary to always keep the plane of rotation of the blade perpendicular to the wind direction, that is, to yaw, and against the horizontal axis, a braking mechanism consisting of a drum and a band as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,179,885, for example. , and if these are simply braked via a braking force transmission member such as a wire or rod attached to a fixed frame using the usual method disclosed herein, the braking force transmission member such as a wire or rod The parts may be twisted by the wind turbine's yawing, and depending on the wires and rods used, the yawing, which is important for wind turbines, may be restricted, making it impossible for the wind turbine to face the direction of the wind. be. For this reason, when a braking device is mounted on the yawing frame and an electromagnetic brake is used as the braking device, it is necessary to supply the necessary power for operation via a slip ring, brush, etc. When using pneumatically or hydraulically actuated brakes, it is also necessary to provide a yawable pipe joint.

In either case, the joint part connects the yawing part and the fixed part, so it has friction parts that constantly swing irregularly, such as the above-mentioned slip springs and brushes, and is used for long periods of time under harsh natural conditions. It is difficult to keep windmills operated in a climate-controlled environment in an accurate operating state at all times, and the drawback is that they lack durability and reliability.

The purpose of the present invention is to improve the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a braking device for horizontal shaft wind turbines that has a simple structure, excellent durability, and ensures reliable braking operation. be.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention consists of the following configuration.

That is, a yawing frame is mounted on a fixed frame having a braking force driving source so as to be able to yaw freely, a horizontal shaft type wind turbine equipped with an energy conversion means is provided on the yawing frame, and a control mechanism is installed on the horizontal output shaft of the horizontal shaft type wind turbine. In a braking device for a horizontal axis wind turbine that brakes the horizontal axis wind turbine through direct engagement, (a) a connecting rod is connected to the braking mechanism so as to be movable in the direction of the yawing center line of the wind turbine; ) A locking member for transmitting braking force is locked to the end of the connecting rod on the side that is not connected to the braking mechanism so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from it by a braking force drive source attached to the fixed frame, and (c) The locking member and the connecting rod are provided so as to be integrally rotatable in synchronization with the yawing of the wind turbine, at least when the locking member and the braking force drive source are separated from each other, and the horizontal shaft is formed by This is a braking device for type wind turbines.

The present invention will be explained in more detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view, partially cut away, of a horizontal shaft type wind turbine called a downwind type wind turbine, showing the case where the braking device according to the present invention is applied to a system for converting wind energy into electrical energy. be. In Fig. 1, 1 is the rotor blade of a windmill, which converts wind energy into rotational energy of the shaft.
The speed is increased to the appropriate rotation speed via the speed increaser 2,
The generator 5 is driven to convert wind energy into electrical energy. The converted electrical energy is taken out of the device via the slip ring 6. The rotor blades 1, speed increaser 2, output shaft 4, generator 5, etc. of the wind turbine are provided on a yawing frame 19, and the yawing frame 19 is connected to a fixed frame 20 via bearings 22.
It is rotatably mounted on the Reference numeral 7 denotes the center line of the yawing axis, and the wind turbine blade 1 swings around this center line as the center of rotation, so that the rotating surface of the blade always faces perpendicularly to the wind direction. 3 is a braking mechanism installed on the output shaft 4 of the wind turbine blade.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a braking force transmission joint that is rotatable when not braking and is capable of transmitting braking force when braking. In this embodiment, the braking mechanism 3 is a band brake consisting of a drum 8 and a band 9. A disc brake consisting of a disc and a shoe is also effective.

The band 9 has one end fixed to a yawing frame 19 and the other end connected to a member 11 by a connecting rod 10. The sliding member 11 is the yawing frame 1
It has a keyway 21 that engages with a key 12 fixed to the yawing frame 19, and when the two are engaged, it rotates about the center line 7 of the yawing axis in synchronization with the yawing of the wind turbine, but it is different from the yawing frame 19. It is rotatable and movable in the axial direction of the yawing center axis 7. The locking member 14 is connected to the sliding member 11 via the connecting rod 13,
A braking member 15 attached to the free end of a cylinder shaft 18 of a braking hydraulic cylinder 17 that is a braking drive source.
It is in contact with and is locked in a manner that allows it to be moved away.

In this embodiment, a spring 16 inserted between the yawing frame 19 and the sliding member 11 is used to prevent the braking member 15 from coming into contact with the locking member 14 with a force that would hinder the yawing of the wind turbine when not braking. This maintains an appropriate distance between the locking member 14 and the locking member 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking member 1
4 and the braking member 15 form a braking force transmission joint.

The braking hydraulic cylinder 17, which is a braking force drive source, moves the cylinder shaft 18 in the direction of arrow R by a hydraulic circuit (not shown). This cylinder shaft 1
8, the brake member 15 coupled to the cylinder shaft pulls the locking member 14 in the direction of arrow R, overcoming the spring force, and as the brake member 15 moves, the locking member 14 moves. As a result, the braking force generated by the braking hydraulic cylinder 17 is applied to the braking member 15, the locking member 14, the connecting rod 13, and the member 1.
1. The rotation of the wind turbine blade is slowed down or stopped by the frictional force transmitted to the band 9 via the connecting rod 10 and between the band 9 and the drum 8.

As a means for generating braking force, means using pneumatic pressure or electromagnetic force can be used instead of a hydraulic cylinder. Furthermore, the braking member 1 is manually operated.
It is also possible to use a mechanism that moves the unit 5 in the direction of the arrow R, and it is also possible to add a hand brake that is used in combination with the above-mentioned hydraulic cylinder or the like.

Further, in this embodiment, a means for moving the brake member in the direction of arrow R is shown as a means for transmitting the braking force, but when the brake is not applied, the locking member 14 and the brake member 15 are not in contact with each other, and the locking member 14 is The structure is not particularly limited as long as it is rotatable and functions as a joint in which both can engage during braking to transmit braking force.

As described above, the braking device according to the present invention has a structure in which the braking force transmission joint is composed of a member that slides along the center line of the yawing axis and two members that move along the center line. It is characterized by being extremely simple and having no parts that constantly rotate and slide.

Since the members constituting the joint are structured to move in a straight line, there is no mechanical loss such as braking force.

Further, since the braking force drive source is provided in the fixed frame, there is no need to use a complicated joint as a power transmission means for driving the drive source.

By combining it with elements that use fluids such as hydraulic pressure and pneumatic pressure, the braking force can be adjusted as desired and operation can be performed reliably.

Since the structure is simple and there are few moving parts, if weather-resistant materials are selected, there will be less damage due to deformation, corrosion, etc., and durability can be improved.

By using the braking device according to the present invention, the reliability of the braking device of the horizontal axis wind turbine blade output shaft can be significantly improved, and as a result, the safety and stability of the wind turbine are increased, and the wind turbine blade It is no longer necessary to make the wind turbine stronger than necessary, improving the performance of the wind turbine.
It has excellent effects and simplifies operation and promotes cost reduction.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional front view showing an embodiment of the device according to the present invention applied to a horizontal axis type wind turbine. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. 1: Wind turbine rotor blade, 2: Speed increaser, 3: Braking mechanism, 4: Wind turbine blade output shaft, 5: Generator, 6: Slipper ring, 7: Yawing center line, 8: Drum, 9: Band, 10, 13: connecting rod, 11: sliding member, 12: key, 14: locking member, 15: braking member, 16: spring, 17: hydraulic cylinder, 1
8: Cylinder axis, 19: Yawing frame,
20: Fixed frame, 21: Keyway, 22: Bearing, R: Arrow.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A yawing frame is mounted on a fixed frame having a braking force driving source so as to be able to freely yawing, a horizontal axis wind turbine equipped with an energy conversion means is provided on the yawing frame, and the horizontal axis wind turbine is horizontal. In a braking device for a horizontal axis wind turbine that brakes the horizontal axis wind turbine by directly engaging a control mechanism with the output shaft, (a) the braking mechanism includes a connecting rod movable in the direction of the yawing center line of the wind turbine; (b) A locking member for transmitting braking force is locked to the end of the connecting rod on the side not connected to the braking mechanism so as to be able to be contacted and separated by a braking force drive source attached to the fixed frame. (c) And, the locking member and the connecting rod are provided so as to be rotatable integrally in synchronization with the yawing of the wind turbine, at least when the locking member and the braking force drive source are separated from each other. A braking device for horizontal axis wind turbines.