KR101475480B1 - Height adjustable wind power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

A variable height wind turbine and a method for adjusting the height of a tower are disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the variable height wind turbine includes a ring shaped bearing having a screw groove on the inner surface thereof, which corresponds to screw thread formed on the outer circumference of a wind turbine tower, and saw tooth at intervals on the outer surface thereof; and a driving motor rotating a gear engaged with the saw tooth. The bearing can be combined to the lower part of the wind turbine tower by a screw.

Description

Height adjustable wind power generator < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The present invention relates to a height variable wind turbine and a tower height adjustment method.

Wind power generation, which has been attracting attention as a next generation power source, is growing in size and marketability around the world. Generally, wind power generation is a power generation system that uses wind turbines to convert wind into electric energy. Wind power plays a major role as a next generation power source as it occupies a larger portion in the power grid.

Wind turbines are becoming larger and larger due to the increase in capacity. As a result, a large crane or a helicopter more than the height of the generator is required for the maintenance work, which causes the maintenance cost to increase.

In particular, in the case of offshore wind turbines, which are currently in the spotlight, there is a problem that maintenance is more difficult than maintenance on land due to the characteristics of the sea.

In wind power generation, not only wind intensity but also wind direction are very important factors. In addition to these factors, the influence of winds at high altitudes is also one of the factors affecting power generation.

1 is a view showing the height of an appropriate wind generator tower according to the influence of wind according to altitude.

Referring to FIG. 1, turbulent flow occurs due to obstruction of the wind by a building or tree having an H-height, and it can be confirmed that the height at which the wind can be received optimally depending on the installation position is different .

In general, a wind turbine generator is installed in a space that is not disturbed by building structures or features in generating electricity. However, when considering the best power generation, consideration should be given to the effect of wind, something to do.

In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to expect the best power generation if there is a blade in a part where cold air and hot air meet and vortex occurs.

However, as disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0040747, existing wind turbines tend to focus on adjusting the direction of the blades through yaw control.

The above-described background technology is technical information that the inventor holds for the derivation of the present invention or acquired in the process of deriving the present invention, and can not necessarily be a known technology disclosed to the general public prior to the filing of the present invention.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0040747

The present invention relates to a height variable type wind power generator and a tower height adjusting method capable of adjusting a height of a tower in accordance with an altitude of an optimum power generation amount while performing a yaw control function using a plurality of motors provided outside the tower, will be.

The present invention is applicable to marine applications because it can work with a small crane instead of a large crane by lowering the height of the tower to the maximum at the time of maintenance. It is possible to use a height variable wind turbine and tower height adjustment method .

Other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bearing having a screw groove corresponding to a screw thread in the outer circumferential surface of a lower end of a wind turbine tower and having teeth formed at a predetermined interval on an outer surface thereof; And a drive motor for rotating the gear engaged with the teeth, wherein the bearing is screwed to the lower end of the wind power generator tower.

The tower base portion may further include a receiving space capable of receiving a portion of the lower end of the tower to a predetermined depth. The tower base portion may be provided with a driving motor fixedly installed therein and rotatably supporting the bearing.

Further comprising a control unit for calculating an expected height of the maximum power generation amount based on the altitude-specific wind speed information and controlling the operation of the drive motor so that the wind power generator tower reaches the maximum power generation expected height, The bearing rotates and the wind turbine tower can be rotated in the vertical direction by the rotation of the bearing.

The control unit may determine the direction of the nacelle based on altitude-dependent direction information and determine the number of rotations of the driving motor in accordance with the rotation angle of the wind turbine tower so that the nacelle is directed in a determined direction.

The rotational speed of the driving motor may be determined according to a gear ratio between the gear of the driving motor and the teeth of the bearing.

A plurality of driving motors are installed radially around the wind turbine tower, and they can be individually controlled.

The height variable type wind power generator is a marine wind power generator in which a cable connected to a fixing file fixed to a bottom plate of the tower is connected and the inside of the accommodation space is empty and buoyancy can be provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adjusting a tower height of a variable height wind turbine including a bearing screwed into a spiral-shaped tower on an outer circumferential surface thereof, and a drive motor gear- (a) receiving the altitude-dependent wind speed information from the control unit; (b) calculating a maximum power generation expected height based on the altitude wind speed information; (c) comparing the current height of the tower with the expected height of the maximum power generation amount to determine whether or not the power generation efficiency is improved when the height is adjusted; And (d) generating and outputting a driving signal for operating the driving motor according to the rising / falling height of the tower corresponding to the difference between the current tower height and the maximum power generation expected height only when the power generation efficiency is expected to be improved There is provided a method of adjusting the height of a tower of a height variable wind power generator.

In the step (d), the controller may determine the number of revolutions of the driving motor in consideration of the rotation angle at which the direction of the nacelle is maximized based on the wind direction information at the maximum power generation expected height.

The number of revolutions can be determined by the gear ratio of the drive motor and the bearing.

The step (c) may determine whether the power generation efficiency is improved in consideration of the power of the driving motor consumed for height adjustment, the power generation efficiency at the maximum power generation amount expected height, and the power generation efficiency at the current height.

Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of motors provided on the outside of the tower can be used to control the yaw control function, and the height of the tower can be adjusted according to the altitude of the optimum power generation amount, thereby improving the power generation efficiency.

In addition, it is possible to work with a small crane instead of a large crane by lowering the height of the tower to the maximum at the time of maintenance, and it is applicable to the marine use, and the maintenance cost is reduced and safe operation is possible.

FIG. 1 is a view showing the height of an appropriate wind power generator tower according to the influence of wind according to altitude; FIG.
2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a height variable type wind turbine according to an embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig. 2,
4 is a view illustrating the concept of the height adjustment of the tower,
5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a height variable type wind power generator according to another embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting a height of a height variable type wind turbine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

Also, the terms " part, "" module," and the like, which are described in the specification, mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

It is to be understood that the components of the embodiments described with reference to the drawings are not limited to the embodiments and may be embodied in other embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is to be understood that although the description is omitted, multiple embodiments may be implemented again in one integrated embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a height variable type wind turbine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG.

The height variable type wind power generator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a land type wind power generator in which the height of the tower can be adjusted by driving the driving motor disposed outside the tower, .

In addition, a yaw control function for switching the direction of the nacelle along the direction of the wind through rotation of the tower itself can also be performed.

2 to 4, a tower 110, a tower base 120, a receiving space 122, a bearing 130, a screw groove 131, a tooth 132 driving motor 140, 141 and a gear 142 are shown.

The height variable type wind turbine generator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention performs power generation by converting rotational energy of a blade rotating by the wind into electric energy from a generator inside the nacelle. At this time, the nacelle is installed at the top of the tower 110, and the vertical position of the blade, which is most influenced by the wind, can be determined by the height of the tower 110.

On the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the tower 110, a screw thread is wound.

The bearing 130 is formed in a ring shape having a predetermined height and has a screw groove 131 wound on the inner surface of the bearing 130 in a helical shape corresponding to the thread formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the tower 110, ) In a threaded manner.

Accordingly, when the bearing 130 rotates, the tower 110 also rotates and moves in the vertical direction.

The teeth 130 of the driving motor 140 are engaged with the teeth 142 of the driving motor 140 having the vertical rotation axis 141. The teeth 142 of the driving motor 140, The rotational force of the bearing 130 can be transmitted to the bearing 130.

The plurality of drive motors 140 may be arranged radially along the outer circumferential surface of the tower 110 and have a vertical axis of rotation parallel to the tower 110. Each of the drive motors 140 has a gear 142 meshing with the teeth formed on the outer surface of the bearing 130.

A plurality of drive motors 140 are fixed and an accommodating space 122 in which a lower end of the tower 110 can be inserted by a predetermined depth into the ground surface 120 is rotatably supported on the tower base 120 for rotatably supporting the bearing 130 Respectively. The tower 110 can be lowered by the depth of the receiving space 122 and the tower 110 has the lowest height when the tower 110 is maximally accommodated in the receiving space 122.

A control unit (not shown) controls the operation of the plurality of drive motors 140. Information (altitude-specific wind speed information, wind direction information, and the like) of the current wind from the sensor (not shown) provided in the height variable type wind power generator 100 or the external system is obtained and the height of the tower 110 And generates and outputs a driving signal for rotating the plurality of driving motors 140 in the forward or reverse direction so as to raise or lower the tower 110 to a corresponding height.

In addition, the control unit determines the direction of the nacelle based on the wind direction information, calculates the rotation angle of the tower 110 so that the nacelle of the tower 110 is directed to the determined direction, and then rotates the plurality of drive motors 140 A driving signal can be generated and output.

The number of revolutions of the driving motor 140 may be determined according to the gear ratio between the gear of the driving motor 140 and the teeth of the bearing 130. [ For example, when the gear ratio of the bearing 130 and the driving motor 140 is n: 1, when the tower 110 is rotated 180 degrees, the bearing 130 must be rotated by 1/2, ) By n / 2.

In the present embodiment, by mounting a plurality of driving motors 140, the tower 110 can be moved to an optimum height within a short time, and redundancy can be achieved when a part of the driving motors 140 fails.

The plurality of driving motors 140 can be individually controlled and only the driving motor 140 corresponding to the minimum number is driven when it is not necessary to adjust the height of the tower quickly or only the direction adjustment of the nacelle (yaw control function) And a larger number of driving motors 140 are driven when rapid adjustment is required.

The height variable type wind turbine generator 100 according to the present embodiment is configured such that when the driving motor 140 around the tower 110 is driven, the bearing 130 rotates about the tower 110, The tower 110 is moved up or down while rotating according to the rotation of the bearing 130.

As shown in Fig. 4 (a), a case where the lower end portion of the tower is partially accommodated in the receiving space of the tower base portion is assumed as a reference height. In this case, by rotating the drive motor in the forward direction, the bearing is rotated in the opposite direction to lower the height of the tower (refer to FIG. 4 (b)) or by rotating the drive motor in the reverse direction, (See Fig. 4 (c)). Here, the rise / fall of the tower along the direction of rotation of the drive motor may be reversed.

5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a height variable type wind turbine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The height variable type wind power generator 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention is an offshore wind power generator, and the principle and structure of the tower height adjustment are substantially the same as those of the onshore wind power generator shown in FIG. 2, .

That is, the tower 210, the bearing 230, and the drive motor 240 of FIG. 5 correspond to the tower 110, the bearing 130, and the drive motor 140 of FIG.

The tower base part 220 of the offshore wind turbine generator is provided with a receiving space 222 for receiving the lower end of the tower 210. The inside of the receiving space 222 is empty, It provides buoyancy to float.

A cable 260 connected to a fixing file fixed to the bottom plate is connected to the tower base 220 so that the tower base 220 can be fixed at a predetermined position.

A plurality of driving motors 240 are fixed to the upper portion of the tower base 220 and a fixing plate 250 for rotatably supporting the bearings 230 is installed. Through holes can be formed.

Therefore, even in the marine wind power generator, the bearing 230 is rotated by the operation of the driving motor 240, so that the tower 210 can be raised or lowered relative to the tower base portion 220, 210 can be adjusted.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting a height of a height variable type wind turbine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Each step of Fig. 6 can be performed in the control section of the above-described variable-height wind turbine generator.

The control unit receives the altitude-specific wind speed information from a sensor or an external system (for example, a weather / wind speed survey system installed in a weather center or a wind farm) (step S310).

The height of the nacelle at which the maximum power generation is expected, that is, the height of the tower, is calculated by analyzing the received wind velocity information (step S320).

It is determined whether or not the power generation efficiency is improved at the height adjustment to the tower height at which the maximum power generation amount is expected compared with the current tower height (step S330).

If it is determined that the power generation efficiency will not be improved, the process returns to step S310 without performing the height adjustment.

This is related to the power consumption of the drive motor around the tower being operated for height adjustment. If height adjustment is performed but the power generation efficiency is not improved, since the power loss of the drive motor consumed for the height adjustment is generated, the height adjustment can be performed only when the power generation efficiency is expected to be higher than the power consumption amount of the drive motor have.

If it is determined that the power generation efficiency is to be improved, the flow proceeds to step S340. In step S340, the controller calculates a difference between a height at which the maximum power generation is expected and a current tower height, determines a rising or falling height of the tower, and then generates and outputs a driving signal for operating the driving motor.

In this case, considering the wind direction at the corresponding altitude, the driving motor may be operated by further considering the rotation angle to allow the direction of the nacelle to maximize the wind. In this case, the number of rotations of the drive motor can be determined in consideration of the gear ratio of the drive motor and the bearing.

Further, in the operation of the drive motor, the redundant drive motor may be operated when a failure occurs in some drive motors, and the failed drive motor may be moved away from the bearings to reduce the rotational loss of the bearings.

According to the embodiments, the tower itself can rotate to replace the existing yaw control function, so that the equipment used for yaw control in the nacelle can be omitted, and the height of the tower can be adjusted to meet the height at which the optimum power generation is expected Thereby improving power generation efficiency.

In maintenance, the tower height can be reduced to the maximum to enable the small and medium sized crane to be used instead of the large crane, thereby reducing the maintenance cost and ensuring safe operation. Especially, it can be a great advantage in offshore wind turbine that is going to be maintenance work on the sea.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the following claims And changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

100, 200: height variable type wind power generator 110, 210: tower
120, 220: tower base part 122, 222: accommodation space
130, 230: bearings 140, 240: drive motor
142, 242: gear 250: fixed plate
260: Cable

Claims (11)

A bearing on the inner surface of which a thread groove corresponding to a spiral thread formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the wind power generator tower is formed and teeth are formed on the outer surface at predetermined intervals; And
And a drive motor for rotating the gear engaged with the teeth,
Wherein the bearing is threadedly coupled to a lower end of the wind turbine tower. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a tower base portion fixedly installed with the drive motor and rotatably supporting the bearing,
Wherein the tower base portion is provided with a receiving space capable of receiving a portion of the lower end of the tower up to a predetermined depth. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a control unit for calculating an expected height of the maximum power generation amount based on the altitude-specific wind speed information and controlling the operation of the drive motor so that the wind power generator tower reaches the maximum power generation expected height,
Wherein the bearing is rotated by an operation of the drive motor and the wind turbine tower is rotated by the rotation of the bearing to move in a vertical direction. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the controller determines the direction of the nacelle based on altitude-dependent direction information and determines the number of rotations of the drive motor in accordance with the rotation angle of the wind turbine tower so that the nacelle is directed in a determined direction. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the rotational speed of the drive motor is determined by a gear ratio between a gear of the drive motor and a tooth of the bearing. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the drive motor is installed radially around the wind turbine tower and is individually controllable. 3. The method of claim 2,
The height variable type wind power generator is a marine wind power generator,
Wherein the tower base portion is connected to a cable connected to a fixed file fixed to the bottom plate and the inside of the accommodation space is empty to provide buoyancy. A method of adjusting a tower height of a height variable wind turbine including a bearing screwed to a tower formed in a spiral shape on an outer circumferential surface thereof and a drive motor gear-coupled to an outer surface of the bearing,
(a) receiving the altitude-dependent wind speed information from the control unit;
(b) calculating a maximum power generation expected height based on the altitude wind speed information;
(c) comparing the current height of the tower with the expected height of the maximum power generation amount to determine whether or not the power generation efficiency is improved when the height is adjusted;
(d) generating and outputting a driving signal for operating the driving motor according to the rising / falling height of the tower corresponding to the difference between the current tower height and the maximum power generation expected height only when the power generation efficiency is expected to be improved Wherein the height of the height adjustable wind power generator is adjustable. 9. The method of claim 8,
In the step (d)
Wherein the controller determines the number of revolutions of the driving motor in consideration of a rotation angle at which the direction of the nacelle is maximized based on the wind direction information at the maximum power generation expected height. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the number of revolutions is determined by a gear ratio of the drive motor and the bearing. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the step (c) includes the step of determining whether the power generation efficiency is improved in consideration of the power of the driving motor consumed for height adjustment, the power generation efficiency at the maximum power generation amount expected height, and the power generation efficiency at the current height How to adjust the tower height.

Images