KR20110114430A - Lubricating oil heating mechanism, gear mechanism, and wind power generating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The lubricating oil heating mechanism includes a tank for storing lubricating oil, a lubricating oil pump, a heater provided inside the tank, and a rectifying plate at least partially covering the heater above. The tank is provided with a suction port for sucking the lubricant oil from the tank with a lubricant pump. The rectifying plate is provided so that the heated lubricating oil convections toward the suction port.

Description

Lubricant heating mechanism, gear mechanism, and wind power generation equipment {LUBRICATING OIL HEATING MECHANISM, GEAR MECHANISM, AND WIND POWER GENERATING APPARATUS}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a lubricating oil heating mechanism, a gear mechanism, and a wind power generator using the same, and more particularly, to a heating mechanism for heating lubricating oil when the apparatus is started in an extreme environment.

If wind turbines and other equipment are used in extreme environments, there is a need to heat the lubricant. In extreme environments, the viscosity of the lubricating oil becomes high, but when the viscosity of the lubricating oil becomes too high, the load on the circulating pump of the lubricating oil increases, which may cause a failure of the circulating pump. Here, when the temperature of lubricating oil is low, lubricating oil is heated by a heater. For example, US Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0191060 A1 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for providing a heater in a discharge pipe for discharging lubricating oil from a gearbox to a pump.

One problem is that it takes time to reheat the lubricating oil in the equipment tank when the operation of the equipment is stopped under extreme conditions. In the apparatus used in an extreme environment, a heater is provided in a lubricating oil tank, and lubricating oil is heated. However, if the lubricating oil accumulated in the apparatus tank is cooled by the operation of the apparatus is stopped under the extreme environment, the viscosity of the lubricating oil is increased. The cooled and highly viscous lubricant hardly convections, and the lubricant immediately above the heater convections and quickly heats up, but convection does not occur on the side or the bottom of the heater, and the lubricant on the side or the bottom of the heater is difficult to heat. .

In particular, such a problem is significant when a suction port for drawing out lubricating oil from the device tank to the lubricating oil pump is located on the side of the heater due to the device layout. Since the lubricating oil near the suction port is not heated, it takes time to restart the lubricating oil pump.

US Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0191060 A1

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a lubricating oil heating mechanism capable of shortening the time required for restarting a lubricating oil pump after the lubricating oil in the equipment tank is cooled, and a wind power generator using the same.

In one aspect of the present invention, a lubricating oil heating mechanism includes a tank for storing lubricating oil, a lubricating oil pump, a heater provided in the tank and heating the lubricating oil, and a rectifying plate at least partially covering the heater. Doing. The tank is provided with a suction port for sucking the lubricant oil from the tank to the lubricant pump. The rectifying plate is provided so that the heated lubricating oil convections toward the suction port.

In the case where the lubricating oil heating mechanism further includes a gear, the rectifying plate is preferably provided to cover the lower side of the gear, and preferably functions as an oil pan for holding lubricating oil in the vicinity of the gear.

It is preferable that the rectifying plate is provided away from the side wall of the tank in which the suction port is provided.

In another aspect of the present invention, the lubricating oil heating mechanism includes a tank for storing lubricating oil, a lubricating oil pump, and a heater provided in the tank and heating the lubricating oil.

The tank is provided with the suction port which draws out lubricating oil from a tank with a lubricating oil pump in the side of a heater. In the lubricating oil heating mechanism, the lubricating oil located near the suction port is heated earlier than the lubricating oil near the upper portion of the heater of the lubricating oil liquid surface.

In still another aspect of the present invention, the gear mechanism includes a tank portion for storing lubricating oil, a gear, an oil pan for holding the lubricating oil near the gear, and an inside of the tank portion for covering the lower portion of the gear. And a heater for heating the lubricating oil. The tank portion is provided with a suction port for sucking the lubricant oil from the tank portion with the lubricant pump. The oil pan at least partially covers the upper side of the heater and functions as a rectifying plate that allows the heated lubricating oil to convection toward the suction port.

In still another aspect of the present invention, a wind power generator includes a main shaft rotatably provided to support a windmill rotor, a speed increaser coupled to an input shaft, and a generator coupled to an output shaft of the speed increaser. Equipped. The speed reducer includes a housing having a tank portion for storing lubricating oil, a gear provided inside the housing, an oil pan provided to cover the lower side of the gear, and holding a lubricating oil in the vicinity of the gear, and a heater provided in the tank portion. have. The housing is provided with a suction port for sucking the lubricant oil from the tank portion with the lubricant pump. The oil pan at least partially covers the upper side of the heater and functions as a rectifying plate to allow the lubricating oil to convection toward the suction port.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the lubricating oil circulation system provided with the lubricating oil heating mechanism of one Embodiment of this invention.
Fig. 2A is a diagram showing the behavior of heated lubricating oil inside the equipment tank when a rectifying plate is provided;
Fig. 2B is a diagram showing the behavior of heated lubricating oil inside the equipment tank when no rectifying plate is provided;
3 is a side view showing a wind turbine generator according to one embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a top view showing an internal structure of a nacelle of a wind power generator according to one embodiment;
5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a speed increaser in one embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of the speed increaser tank part of FIG. 5; FIG.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of the increaser tank part of FIG. 5. FIG.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a lubricating oil circulation system 10 provided with a lubricating oil heating mechanism of an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the lubricating oil circulation system 10 is equipped with the apparatus tank 1, the lubricating oil pump 2, and the auxiliary | assistant device 3. As shown in FIG. The device tank 1 is a tank provided in a device (for example, a gearbox) or the like to store lubricating oil. The lubricating oil pump 2 draws out the lubricating oil of the equipment tank 1 from the suction port 6, and sends it to the assisting device 3. The brace 3 is equipped with a lubricating oil filter, a lubricating oil cooler, etc., and performs necessary processing with respect to a lubricating oil, and sends it to an apparatus. Lubricating oil used in each part of the apparatus is recovered to the apparatus tank 1. In order to prevent cooling of the lubricating oil in the piping connecting the equipment tank 1, the lubricating oil pump 2, and the auxiliary device 3, it is preferable that heaters (not shown) are provided in these piping.

Inside the equipment tank 1, the heater 4 for heating lubricating oil is provided. This heater 4 is for heating the lubricating oil when the temperature of the lubricating oil in the apparatus tank 1 is low. When the operation of the apparatus is stopped in the extreme state and the temperature of the lubricant drops, the viscosity of the lubricant increases. If the viscosity of the lubricating oil is excessively high, the lubricating oil pump 2 cannot be operated. Here, at the time of restarting of the apparatus, after the lubricating oil is sufficiently heated by the heater 4, the lubricating oil pump 2 is started.

Here, in this embodiment, the rectifying plate 5 for controlling the convection of the lubricating oil is provided above the heater 4. The rectifying plate 5 has a shape and a position to allow the lubricating oil to convex toward the suction port 6. Such a rectifying plate 5 contributes to efficiently heating the lubricating oil of the site | part required for starting, and to restart the lubricating oil pump 2 quickly. When starting the lubricating oil pump 2, it is not necessary to heat the whole lubricating oil, and only the lubricating oil in the vicinity of the suction port 6 is actually required for heating. Here, in this embodiment, by providing the rectifying plate 5, the lubricating oil in the vicinity of the suction port 6 is heated rapidly, and the lubricating oil pump 2 can be started quickly. Below, the function of the rectifying plate 5 is demonstrated in detail.

2A and 2B are views for explaining the function of the rectifying plate 5. FIG. 2A shows the state of heating of lubricating oil when there is a rectifying plate 5, and FIG. 2B shows the state of heating of lubricating oil when there is no rectifying plate 5. In FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the thick hatching shows the part of the lubricating oil heated and the viscosity became low, and the soft hatching showed the part of the lubricating oil with high viscosity at low temperature.

As shown in FIG. 2B, when there is no rectifying plate 5, the heated lubricating oil convections only above the heater 4. For this reason, although the lubricating oil above the heater 4 heats quickly, the lubricating oil of the heater 4 side does not heat considerably. Therefore, when the intake port 6 is located on the side of the heater 4, it takes time until the lubricating oil in the vicinity of the intake port 6 is heated, and also takes time when the lubricating oil pump 2 can be started.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, since the convection of the heated lubricating oil can be directed to the draft port 6 by the rectifying plate 5, the lubricating oil near the draft port 6 is quick. Is heated. More specifically, the lubricating oil near the suction port 6 is heated earlier than the lubricating oil near the upper part of the heater 4 of the lubricating oil liquid surface. Since the lubricating oil near the suction port 6 is heated rapidly, the lubricating oil pump 2 can be started quickly.

The shape and position of the rectifying plate 5 can be variously changed. For example, in FIG. 2A, the rectifying plate 5 has a shape and a position that completely covers the upper side of the heater 4, but the rectifying plate 5 needs to completely cover the upper side of the heater 4. none. However, in order to accelerate the heating of the lubricating oil in the vicinity of the air outlet 6, it is preferable that the rectifying plate 5 completely covers the upper side of the heater 4.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2A, the rectifying plate 5 is preferably provided slightly spaced from the side wall on which the outlet port 6 of the equipment tank 1 is provided. This is to suppress the extent to which the circulation of the lubricating oil after the start of the lubricating oil pump 2 can be prevented. If the rectifying plate 5 is directly attached to the side wall of the apparatus tank 1, the lubricating oil returned from the upper side of the apparatus tank 1 may prevent the return to the suction port 61. As shown in FIG. 2A, by providing the rectifying plate 5 slightly spaced from the side wall of the device tank 1, the degree of preventing the circulation of the lubricating oil can be suppressed.

It is particularly preferable that the structure of the lubricating oil heating mechanism is applied to various mechanical apparatuses of the wind turbine generator used in the cold districts, in particular to the gearbox. Hereinafter, the structure of the speed increaser to which the lubricating oil heating mechanism of this invention is applied is demonstrated.

3 is a side view illustrating the configuration of the wind power generator 11 in one embodiment of the present invention. The wind turbine generator 11 is rotatably mounted with respect to the nacelle 13 and the nacelle 13 installed on the top of the tower 12, the tower 12 installed upright in the base 12a. The rotor head 14 and the windmill vane 15 attached to the rotor head 14 are provided. The rotor head 14 and the windmill vane 15 form a windmill rotor.

As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the main shaft 16 is coupled to the rotor head 14, and the main shaft 16 is rotatably supported by the main bearing 16a. The other end of the main shaft 16 is connected to the input shaft of the speed increaser 17. The output shaft of the speed increaser 17 is coupled to the rotor of the generator 18. When the rotor head 14 is rotated by the wind, the rotation is increased by the speed increaser 17 to be transmitted to the rotor of the generator 18, and the generator 18 is driven. As a result, electric power is obtained from the generator 18.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the speed increaser 17 in the present embodiment. The speed increaser 17 is provided with the planetary gear mechanism 17a, the gear speed increasing mechanism 17b, and the housing 19 which accommodates them. The planetary gear mechanism 17a includes an input shaft 21, a sun gear 22, a plurality of planetary gears 23 (only one is shown), an internal gear 24, and a plurality of planetary pins. 25 (only one is shown) and the sun shaft 26 are provided. The input shaft 21 has an insertion hole 21a into which the main shaft 16 is inserted, and by inserting the main shaft 16 into the insertion hole 21a to fasten the shrink fit 21b, The main shaft 16 is connected to the input shaft 21. The shrink pit portion 21b is an annular mechanical element whose inner diameter can be reduced by a driving force from the outside, and is configured to be fastened by a bolt or hydraulic pressure provided in the shrink pit portion 21b, for example. It is. The input shaft 21 is rotatably supported by the bearing 27 provided in the housing 19. The input shaft 21 also functions as a carrier for supporting the planetary gear 23 in the planetary gear mechanism 17a. The planetary gear 23 is located between the sun gear 22 and the inner gear 24 and is connected to the input shaft 21 by a planetary pin 25 inserted into the planetary gear 23. The sun shaft 26 is coupled to the sun gear 22 and used as the output shaft of the planetary gear mechanism 17a. When the input shaft 21 is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to the sun gear 22 via the planetary gear 23, and the sun shaft 26 connected to the sun gear 22 is accelerated and rotated.

The gear speed increasing mechanism 17b includes a first rotating shaft 31 joined to the sun shaft 26, a first spur gear 32 joined to the first rotating shaft 31, and a second spur gear 33. , The second rotating shaft 34 joined to the second spur gear 33, the third spur gear 35 joined to the second rotating shaft 34, the fourth spur gear 36 and the fourth spur gear An output shaft 37 joined to the 35 is provided. The first rotary shaft 31, the second rotary shaft 34, and the output shaft 37 are rotatably supported by bearings 38, 39, 40 provided in the housing 19, respectively. In addition, the first spur gear 32 and the second spur gear 33 are meshed with each other, and the third spur gear 35 and the fourth spur gear 36 are meshed with each other. In the gear increase mechanism 17b having such a structure, when the sun shaft 26 is rotated, the rotation is performed by the first spur gear 32, the second spur gear 33, the third spur gear 35 and the fourth spur. The output shaft 37 which is transmitted to the gear 36 and connected to the fourth spur gear 36 is increased and rotated. That is, in the whole speed increaser 17, when the input shaft 21 rotates, the rotation will be speeded up by the planetary gear mechanism 17a and the gear speed increasing mechanism 17b, and will be output from the output shaft 37. FIG.

An oil pan 41 is provided to cover the lower side of the second spur gear 33. The oil pan 41 maintains an appropriate amount of lubricating oil on the lower side of the second spur gear 33, thereby reducing the stirring loss of the lubricating oil when the second spur gear 33 rotates. Have

Inside the housing 19, a space is provided below the oil pan 41, and this space functions as the tank part 19a which stores lubricating oil (refer FIG. 6, FIG. 7). The tank portion 19a is provided with a heater 42 for heating the lubricating oil. The tank portion 19a is further provided with a suction port 43 at a position on the heater 42 side, and the lubricant oil accumulated in the tank portion 19a is sucked out of the suction port 43 by a lubricating oil pump, thereby lubricating oil pump. And return to the interior of the housing 19 through the brace. As a structure of the lubricating oil circulation system which circulates lubricating oil, the structure shown in FIG. 1 is used.

In the structure of the speed increaser 17 shown in FIGS. 5-7, the oil pan 41 also functions as a convection rectifying plate of heated lubricating oil. That is, the presence of the oil pan 41 causes the convection of the heated lubricating oil to face the draft port 43, so that the lubricating oil near the draft port 43 is quickly heated. For this reason, it becomes possible to quickly start the lubricating oil pump connected to the suction port 43.

In addition, although the structure which combines the oil pan 41 provided below the 2nd spur gear 33 of the speed increaser 17 with the rectifying plate which controls the convection of lubricating oil is shown, the oil provided below the gear is shown. The structure which uses a fan as a rectifying plate is also applicable to other gear mechanisms. It is also possible to provide a rectifying plate for controlling convection of the lubricating oil separately from the oil pan 41.

Claims (6)

A tank for storing lubricant,
With lubricant pump,
A heater provided inside the tank and heating the lubricating oil;
And a rectifying plate at least partially covering the upper side of the heater,
The tank is provided with a suction port for sucking the lubricant oil from the tank to the lubricant pump.
The rectifying plate is provided such that the heated lubricating oil convections toward the suction port.
Lubricant heating apparatus. The method of claim 1,
More gears,
The rectifying plate is provided so as to cover the lower side of the gear, and functions as an oil pan that holds the lubricant oil in the vicinity of the gear.
Lubricant heating apparatus. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The air outlet is provided on the side wall of the tank,
The rectifying plate is provided spaced apart from the side wall
Lubricant heating apparatus. A tank for storing lubricant,
With lubricant pump,
It is provided inside the tank, and provided with a heater for heating the lubricating oil,
The tank is provided with a suction port for sucking the lubricating oil from the tank to the lubricating oil pump on the side of the heater,
Lubricating oil located near the suction port is heated earlier than lubricating oil near the upper portion of the heater of the lubricating oil liquid surface.
Lubricant heating apparatus. A tank portion for storing lubricant,
With gears,
An oil pan provided to cover the lower side of the gear and holding the lubricating oil near the gear;
It is provided inside the tank part, and has a heater for heating the lubricating oil,
The tank portion is provided with a suction port for sucking the lubricant oil from the tank portion with a lubricant pump.
The oil pan at least partially covers the upper side of the heater, and functions as a rectifying plate for causing the heated lubricant oil to convection toward the outlet.
Gear mechanism. Spindle provided rotatably supporting the windmill rotor,
An speed reducer having an input shaft coupled to the main shaft,
It is provided with a generator coupled to the output shaft of the speed increaser,
The decelerator,
A housing having a tank portion for storing lubricant,
A gear provided inside the housing,
An oil pan provided to cover the lower side of the gear and holding the lubricating oil near the gear;
It is provided with a heater provided in the tank portion,
The housing is provided with a suction port for sucking the lubricant oil from the tank portion with a lubricant pump.
The oil pan functions as a rectifying plate which at least partially covers the upper side of the heater and allows the lubricant oil to convection toward the suction port.
Wind power generation device.

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