SE534330C2 - Vertical axle wind turbine - Google Patents

Abstract

12 SUMMARY INVENTIONS: intends to vertškašaxiaï vinékrafïaggrægaï with a wine fi iurbšn (2) with vertškaå turbšnaxeš (3). Ert tsrn (1) uppbär všncšturbšrzera (2) Ger: engænaratør (8) är anørdnafi vid ïarnets (1) nedræ ände. An aggragaiaxeš (4) färbšrader turbinaxæir: (3) with generator (S). According to the invention, aggregataxeir are: (4) at least tíšš sm sïörræ deå avträ. Inventions: refers to a axeškamçßanænt avsecšcš aii constitute rm sektšcmhas er: such aggregataxæš {ê} of wood. Furthermore, its procedure is concerned with the implementation of the use of a vândkraígtgregaï ash er using vÃndkrafïaggregaïei, img. 1;

Description

30 534 330 2 Conveniently, the unit shaft is made almost entirely of wood, possibly with the exception of certain fitting details and connecting elements.

Thanks to this choice of material, the unit shaft can be made considerably lighter and cheaper. Such a shaft of wood in itself requires a greater amount of material than of a shaft of steel, taking into account the difference in the properties of the materials. Thus, in the case of a hollow unit shaft, the wall thickness of a wooden shaft is several times greater than that of a steel shaft. However, since the density of the steel is about 15 times greater than that of the wood, the total weight of a wooden shaft is about one third of a corresponding steel shaft. For a wind power unit in the size 3 MW, this means a weight of about 15 tonnes and 40 tonnes respectively. Significant cost savings also lie in using the considerably cheaper construction material wood. The lower weight also facilitates the construction of the wind power unit, where it is a question of high altitudes. From an LCA perspective, the use of a wooden shaft also entails a great advantage with regard to the considerably lower energy required to produce wood compared to steel. In the case of large wind turbines, for similar reasons, the tower that carries the wind turbine is suitably made of wood. To then make the unit shaft of wood eliminates the problems with different coefficient of thermal expansion that would occur if the unit shaft were made of steel.

According to a preferred embodiment of the wind power unit, the unit shaft is hollow.

This further reduces its weight in comparison with a solid unit shaft or a unit shaft having a wooden casing and an internal core structure.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the unit shaft has a radial wall thickness in the range 20 - 100 mm. within that range is achieved for the storlekarest sizes and at the diameters it is a question of strength properties that are sufficient while keeping the thickness at a moderate level. Suitably the thickness is in the narrower range 30 ~ 80 mm.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the unit shaft is made of laminated wood boards or plywood boards.

This facilitates the manufacture of large tubular bodies.

In addition, good strength is achieved. According to a further preferred embodiment, the discs run in a spiral shape around the center axis of the unit axis.

It entails a favorable absorption of the shear forces in the shaft and also allows a rational manufacturing process.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the unit shaft comprises at least two layers of discs, which run in mutually opposite helical directions.

The power transmission capacity thus becomes direction-independent and more homogeneous compared with only one layer.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the wind power unit, the unit shaft has a circular cross-sectional contour with a diameter in the range 50 - 500 cm.

It is especially with relatively large units that it is a significant advantage to use wood instead of steel. For large units, it is a question of diameters in the said range, which is why the invention is of particular interest here. In most current sizes, a diameter in the range 120 - 250 cm should be relevant.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the unit shaft has a cross-sectional contour having at least three corners.

This facilitates the manufacture of the unit shaft by allowing it to be joined by sections which are spliced together by at least three portions in circumferential direction.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the corners of the contour are connected by straight lines forming a polygon.

This means that its sides are flat, which in some respects facilitates the manufacture of the sides and their joining. Suitably the polygon is regular and has three. four, five, six, siu or eight corners.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the corners of the contour are alternatively connected by arcuate sides.

This increases the torsional rigidity of the shaft compared to the alternative with straight lines. The contour takes the form of a deformed polygon. Preferably, it is designed as a corresponding regular polygon in which all the arc lines have the same shape and length. The arcuate shape is suitably circular. The curvature of the arches is suitably such that convex oxygen surfaces are formed.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the unit shaft is composed of a plurality of vertically distributed sections.

(JG 15 20 30 534 330 4 Since a unit shaft of the type in question has a considerable length and since it is often suitable to manufacture the unit shaft industrially in a place other than where the wind power unit is built, it is advantageous from a transport point of view to deliver the unit shaft in such sections. in manageable lengths, which also facilitates on-site construction.

According to a further preferred embodiment, each section has a length in the range 5 - 30 m.

Thus, these have a length that is optimally adapted for both transport and the work of building up the unit. Normally, lengths of 15 - 20 m should be the most suitable.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the sections are connected to each other by connecting means of steel.

It makes it easier to splice the sections together with each other in a simple manner and with sufficient strength.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the unit shaft is mounted in the tower in at least two axially spaced places, the unit shaft in these places having a circumferential lining of steel.

This avoids abrasion of the wood at the storage locations.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the unit shaft is mounted in at least two axially spaced support devices, each support device comprising at least three support components which abut against the unit shaft and which are connected to the inside of the tower.

The support devices replace the need for conventional bearings which are costly and also entail complications due to the high height when bearing breakage or other defects must be remedied. The support devices are considerably cheaper than conventional bearings and lead to an improved operating economy thanks to which service and repair of any defects is facilitated. In addition, they can be made with relatively low weight. The support devices can also be designed so that they provide lower wear against the unit shaft than conventional bearings, which is an advantage if you do not have a steel cladding of the shaft at the storage points.

According to a further preferred embodiment, each support component comprises two roller bodies arranged on a support element which is pivotable about a vertical axis between the two roller bodies. vi 20 30 534 330 5 This results in low friction and low wear. The boogie-like design creates a good centering of the unit axle between the support grain components and contributes to the support device gaining a desired fl flexibility that allows some lateral movement of the shaft without reducing storage stability. .

The set-up object is further achieved in accordance with the invention in that a shaft component of the type specified in the introduction has the special feature that it is at least for the most part made of wood.

Suitably the shaft component has a length in the range of 5 -30 meters and a diameter, or equivalent dimension, in the range of 50 - 500 m.

According to preferred embodiments of the invented shaft component, it is designed to form a section of a wind power unit according to the present invention, especially in accordance with any of the preferred embodiments thereof.

From the second aspect of the invention, the object set out is achieved in that a method of the kind indicated in the introduction comprises the special measure that the unit shaft is manufactured mainly of wood.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invented method, the unit shaft is spliced together by a plurality of vertically distributed sections.

According to further preferred embodiments of the method, it is used to provide a wind power unit in accordance with the present invention. especially in accordance with any of the preferred embodiments thereof.

From the third aspect of the invention, the object set is achieved by using a wind power unit in accordance with the present invention, in particular in accordance with any of the preferred embodiments thereof, for supplying energy to an electrical network.

The invented shaft grain component. the invented method and the invented use entail advantages of the same kind as for the invented wind power unit and the preferred embodiments thereof, and which have been described above.

The preferred embodiments of the invention are set out in the dependent claims. It is to be understood that further preferred embodiments may, of course, consist of any conceivable combinations of the above embodiments and of all conceivable combinations thereof with individual or combined features as will be apparent from the following description of embodiments.

The invention is explained in more detail by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings Fig. 1 is a side view of a wind power unit according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the unit shaft of the wind power unit according to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a section of the unit shaft in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the section of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side view corresponding to that of fig. Fig. 4 according to an alternative embodiment example. Fig. 6 is a section through a detail of the section in fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a cross-section of a support device for storing the unit shaft of a wind power unit according to fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a section along the line Vlll - Vlll in fig. 7.

Figs. 9 and 10 are sections corresponding to that in fi g. 8 and illustrates two alternative embodiments of the support device.

Figs. 11 - 14 illustrate the contour of the unit shaft in some alternative embodiments.

Description of working examples F lg. 1 illustrates in a schematic side view a wind power unit according to the invention. The wind turbine 2 is of so-called. The rotor type with a vertical turbine shaft 3 connected to vertical turbine blades 6 via struts 5. The turbine shaft 3 is rotatably connected to the unit shaft 4, which drives the generator 8 arranged on a foundation 7 arranged on the ground. web.

The turbine is supported by a tower 1 in which the unit shaft 4 and turbine shaft 3 are axially and radially bearing. The tower 1 is composed of a number of tower sections 11a - 11e, in the example shown five pieces. The assumed tower sections can be fl yours or fewer depending on the size of the unit. At the upper end of the upper tower section 11a, a stretcher structure 19 is arranged for supporting the wind turbine 2.

The support structure 19 is attached to the tower section 11a. The tower in the example shown is slightly tapered upwards and thus has a pyramid shape or a cone shape. It should be understood, however, that the invention is suitable even when the tower has a constant width.

The unit tax 4 is mainly made of wood and is hollow.

The unit shaft 4 is shown separately in fig. 2. It is composed of five sections 4a - 4e which are fastened end to end against each other with connecting elements adapted for the purpose. The upper end of the upper section 4a is provided with connecting elements for connection to the turbine shaft and the lower end of the lower section 4a is provided with connecting elements for connection to the rotor shaft of the generator. l fi g. 3 shows a section 4a of the unit axis in section. The length of such a section is suitably about 20 m. The diameter is about 2 m for a unit of 3 MW and the wall thickness of the wood material is about 25 mm.

Fig. 4 illustrates the structure of the section. The wooden material consists of plywood boards. As can be seen, the shaft is wound of strip-shaped ptywood 10 wound in a spiral around the center axis.

In the example in Fig. 5, the wooden wall of the unit shaft has two layers of plywood 10,12 wound in a spiral in the opposite direction of winding. According to another (not illustrated) example, the wall has two plywood layers wound in a spiral in the same direction, but with the joints between the winding turns axially offset corresponding to half the bandwidth so that the winding overlaps. The wall may alternatively consist of more than two layers.

For connecting the shaft diodes da - 4e to each other, it is suitable to provide steel dry binding means. Fig. 6 shows an example of how one can be designed. It consists here of a bushing 24 arranged on the inside of the section and extends a few dm inwards. At the outer end, the bushing 24 has an outwardly directed radial shaft 25 provided with holes 26 so that it can be connected with a bolted connection to a similar bushing at an adjacent section.

Along the unit axis 4 are arranged a number of support devices for its radial storage. These are placed with equally large axial distances of about 5 - 10 meters. each support device abuts against the unit shaft 4 and is mounted in the tower. Fig. 7 is a section through the unit axis 4 across the axis direction and illustrates an example of how the support device 13 can be designed. The support device shown consists of three support components 15 evenly distributed circumferentially around the unit shaft 4. each support component 15 has two roller bodies 16 designed as wheels and which abut against the unit shaft 4. The wheels 16 are mounted on a support element 17. The support element 17 is pivotable about a suspension shaft 18 in a holder 19 which is attached via a talirik spring 20 to a support beam 21. The leaf spring 20 presses the support component 15 with a certain prestressing force against the unit shaft 4, suitably in the order of 1 kN. The support beam 20 is anchored to the tower 1.

The support devices 13 may be axially located in the middle of the joints or anywhere along the sections.

Fig. 8 is a section along the line VIII-VIII in fi g. 3 and shows one of the wheels 16 abutting against the unit shaft 4 at a joint. In the example shown, the two sections da and 4b are joined together by a special joint 22 between the bushings 24 at the end of each section. The bushings 24 are in this example arranged on the outside of each section. The joint piece 22 is a steel ring which on its outside has a groove 23 which forms a roller path for the wheels 16 on the support device. l tig. 9 illustrates an alternative where the support device is axially located somewhere between the ends of a section 4a. The housing 16 of the support device abuts directly against the wood material in the shaft section 4a.

Another alternative is illustrated in fi g. 10. In this example, section 4a is provided with a short piece of steel lining 27 on its outside. The steel cladding 27 constitutes a roller conveyor for the wheels 16 of the support device.

Figs. 11 to 14 illustrate some alternative cross-sectional shapes for the circular shape of the unit shaft and the sections of which it is composed. In Fig. 11, the cross section has the contour of a regular triangle and in fig. 12 of a regular hexagon. Fig. 13 shows an example where the cross section is a deformed regular triangle where the sides of the triangle are replaced by outwardly curved circular lines. Fig. 14 shows an example where the cross section is a deformed square where the sides of the square are replaced by inwardly curved circular lines.

For cross-sectional contours that deviate from the circle, special arrangements must of course be made for the radial bearing of the unit shaft. such as e.g. to install a circular running track at the storage sites.

Claims (7)

534 330 CLAIMS 1. Vertical shaft Wind power unit comprising a wind turbine (2) with vertical turbine shaft (3), a tower (1) supporting the wind turbine (2), a generator (8) at the lower end of the tower (1) and a unit shaft (4 ) connecting the turbine shaft (3) to the generator (8), characterized in that the unit shaft (4) is at least for the most part made of wood, is hollow with a radial wall thickness in the range 20-100 mm, is made of sheets (10, 11) of laminated wood or plywood boards and is composed of a number of vertically distributed sections (4a - 4e), each section (4a - 4e) having a length in the range 5 - 30 m. Wind power unit according to Claim 1, characterized in that the discs (10, 11) run in a spiral shape around the central axis of the unit shaft. Wind power unit according to Claim 2, characterized in that the unit shaft (4) comprises at least two layers of discs (10, 11) which run in mutually opposite spiral directions. Wind power unit according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the unit shaft (4) has a circular transverse contour with a diameter in the range from 50 to 500 cm. Wind power unit according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the unit shaft has a cross-sectional contour which has at least three corners. Wind power unit according to Claim 5, characterized in that the corners of the contour are connected by straight lines forming a polygon. Wind power unit according to Claim 5, characterized in that the corners of the contour are connected by arcuate lines. Wind power unit according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the sections (4a - 4e) are connected by steel connecting means (24). Wind power unit according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the unit shaft (4) is mounted in the tower (1) in at least two axially spaced places and in that the unit shaft (4) has a circumferential steel cladding (27) at these places. ). Wind power unit according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the unit shaft (4) is mounted in at least two axially spaced support devices (13), each support device (13) comprising at least three support components (15) which abut against the unit shaft (4) and which are connected to the inside of the tower (1). Wind power unit according to claim 10, characterized in that each support component (15) comprises two roller bodies (16) arranged on a support element (17), which support element (17) is pivotable about a vertical axis between the two roller bodies (16). Shaft component (4a - 4e) which is intended to form a section of a unit shaft (4) which connects a turbine shaft (3) to a generator (8) in a vertical shaft wind power unit, characterizes! in that the section (4a - 4e) is at least for the most part made of wood, is hollow with a radial wall thickness in the range 20 - 100 mm and has a length in the range 5 - 30 mm. Shaft component (4a - 4e) according to claim 12, characterized in that the shaft component (4a - 4e) is designed to form a section of the unit shaft (4) of a wind power unit according to any one of claims 1 - 11. Method of constructing a wind power unit with a wind turbine with a vertical turbine shaft, a tower supporting the wind turbine, a generator at the lower end of the tower and a unit shaft connecting the turbine shaft with the generator, characterized in that the unit shaft is made mainly of wood, hollow with a radial wall thickness in the range 20 - 100 mm and are joined together by a plurality of vertically distributed sections, each having a length in the range of 5 - 30 m and each section being joined by sheets of laminated wood or plywood. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that the method is applied for producing a wind power unit according to any one of claims 1 - 11. Use of a wind power unit according to any one of claims 1 - 11 for supplying energy to an electrical network.