GENERATOR FOR A WIND POWER INSTALLATION FOR GENERATING ELECTRICAL ENERGY FROM KINETIC ENERGY, WIND POWER INSTALLATION, AND USE OF A PLURALITY OF VORTEX GENERATORS FOR ARRANGEMENT ON AN OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE PORTION OF A GENERATOR FOR A WIND POWER INSTALLATION

Abstract

A generator for a wind power installation for generating electrical energy from kinetic energy comprises an outer peripheral surface portion, the outer peripheral surface portion having: an incident-flow surface portion against which wind flows in an incident-flow direction in the installed state of the generator, the incident-flow surface portion extending along an axial direction and orthogonally thereto along a peripheral direction, and a cooling surface portion, designed for cooling the generator and disposed downstream of the incident-flow surface portion in the installed state in the incident-flow direction, the cooling surface portion extending along an axial direction and orthogonally thereto along a peripheral direction, wherein one or more vortex generators for passive cooling of the generator are arranged in a region of the outer peripheral surface portion, in particular in a region of the incident-flow surface portion and/or in a region of the cooling surface portion.

Claims

1. A generator for a wind power installation for generating electrical energy from kinetic energy, the generator comprising an outer peripheral surface portion, the outer peripheral surface portion having: an incident-flow surface portion against which wind flows in an incident-flow direction in the installed state of the generator, the incident-flow surface portion extending along an axial direction and orthogonally thereto along a peripheral direction, and a cooling surface portion designed for cooling the generator and disposed downstream of the incident-flow surface portion in the installed state in the incident-flow direction, the cooling surface portion extending along the axial direction and orthogonally thereto along the peripheral direction, wherein one or more vortex generators for passive cooling of the generator are arranged in a region of the outer peripheral surface portion.

2. The generator according to preceding claim 1, wherein one or more vortex generators for passive cooling of the generator are arranged on the incident-flow surface portion and/or on the cooling surface portion.

3. The generator according to claim 1, wherein: the cooling surface portion is offset inwards in a radial direction with respect to the incident-flow surface portion, or the cooling surface portion and the incident-flow surface portion are not offset from each other in the radial direction.

4. The generator according to claim 1, having an air guide unit which is arranged in the region of the incident-flow surface portion and/or in the region of the cooling surface portion, the air guide unit being designed to deflect the wind in the direction of the cooling surface portion, in a radial direction inwards towards the cooling surface portion.

5. The generator according to claim 4, wherein the one or more vortex generators are arranged on the air guide unit.

6. The generator according to claim 4, wherein the one or more vortex generators are arranged upstream of the air guide unit in the incident-flow direction.

7. The generator according to claim 4, wherein the one or more vortex generators are arranged downstream of the air guide unit in the incident-flow direction.

8. The generator according to claim 4, wherein the air guide unit is arranged in the region of a transition from the incident-flow surface portion and the cooling surface portion.

9. The generator according to claim 4, wherein: the air guide unit has a main direction of extent in the peripheral direction, and/or the air guide unit has at least one guide element, wherein: the at least one guide element has a deflecting portion which is designed to deflect the wind in the direction of the cooling surface portion for air cooling of the generator, and/or wherein the deflecting portion is formed by a curved and/or bent guide element, and/or a plurality of guide elements are arranged offset to each other in the radial direction and/or in the axial direction.

10. The generator according to claim 1, wherein the vortex generators are arranged spaced apart in the axial direction and/or in the peripheral direction.

11. The generator according to claim 1, wherein the vortex generators are arranged evenly distributed on the incident-flow surface portion and/or the cooling surface portion.

12. A wind power installation comprising a generator according to claim 1.

13. A method, comprising: using a plurality of vortex generators in a region of an outer peripheral surface portion of a generator for a wind power installation.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein using the plurality of vortex generators includes using the vortex generators in a region of an incident flow surface portion of the outer peripheral surface portion of the generator.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein using the plurality of vortex generators includes using the vortex generators in a region of a cooling surface portion of the outer peripheral surface portion of the generator.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein using the plurality of vortex generators includes using the vortex generators on an air guide unit of the outer peripheral surface portion of the generator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] Further advantages, features and details will become apparent from the following description and from the drawings.

[0072] FIG. 1 shows a schematic, three-dimensional view of a wind power installation.

[0073] FIG. 2 shows a schematic, three-dimensional sectional view of a generator.

[0074] FIG. 3 shows a schematic, three-dimensional sectional view of a further generator based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

[0075] FIG. 4 shows a schematic, three-dimensional sectional view of a further generator based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

[0076] FIGS. 5a and 5b show a schematic, three-dimensional sectional view and a detailed view of a further generator.

[0077] FIGS. 6a and 6b show schematic, three-dimensional detailed views of arrangements and configurations of vortex generators on a generator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] In the figures, like or substantially functionally like elements are provided with the same reference signs. General descriptions refer generally to all embodiments unless differences are explicitly stated.

[0079] The explanation of the embodiments on the basis of examples with reference to the figures is fundamentally schematic and the elements explained in the respective figure may be exaggerated therein for better illustration and other elements may be simplified. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a wind power installation as such schematically, and therefore the generator is not visible in detail.

[0080] FIG. 1 shows a schematic, three-dimensional view of a wind power installation 100. The wind power installation 100 has a tower 102 and a nacelle 104 on the tower 102. The tower 102 may consist here of tower segments arranged next to one another. An aerodynamic rotor 106 having three rotor blades 108 and a spinner 110 is provided on the nacelle 104. The aerodynamic rotor 106 is caused to rotate by the wind W during operation of the wind power installation 100 and thus also rotates an electrodynamic rotor of a generator 1, which is coupled directly or indirectly to the aerodynamic rotor 106. The generator 1 is arranged in the nacelle 104 and generates electrical energy.

[0081] FIGS. 2 to 4 show various preferred embodiments of a generator 1. The generators 1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 are suitable for use in wind power installations 100 such as the one schematically shown in FIG. 1. These generators 1 are designed to generate electrical energy from kinetic energy of the wind W.

[0082] The generators 1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 comprise an outer peripheral surface portion 2, which has an incident-flow surface portion 10 and a cooling surface portion 20. The incident-flow surface portion 10 in this case is that surface portion of the generator 1 which the wind W flows against in an incident-flow direction in the installed state of the generator. It is provided that the incident-flow surface portion 10 extends along an axial direction A and orthogonally to the axial direction A in a peripheral direction U. The cooling surface portion 20 is arranged downstream of the incident-flow surface portion 10 in the installed state in the incident flow direction. The cooling surface portion 20, similarly to the incident-flow surface portion 10, extends along the axial direction A and orthogonally to the axial direction A in the peripheral direction U. The various embodiments of the generator 1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 are characterized by the fact that one or more vortex generators 40 are arranged on the incident-flow surface portion 10 and/or on the cooling surface portion 20.

[0083] In the preferred embodiments of the generator 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it is provided that the cooling surface portion 20 is arranged offset inwards in a radial direction R relative to the incident-flow surface portion 10. Since the cooling surface portion 20 is set back inwards relative to the incident-flow surface portion 10, the transition from the incident-flow surface portion 10 to the cooling surface portion 20 is stepped.

[0084] It is further provided that the generators 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 comprise an air guide unit 30. The air guide unit 30 is arranged in the region of the transition from the incident-flow surface portion 10 to the cooling surface portion 20. The air guide unit 30 is designed here in such a way that the air guide unit 30 deflects the wind W in the direction of the inwardly offset cooling surface portion 20. For this purpose, the air guide unit 30 has a main direction of extent in the peripheral direction U, so that the wind W is guided uniformly over the outer peripheral surface portion 2 of the generator 1 for cooling same. In the two preferred embodiments, it is provided that the air guide unit 30 is formed as a guide element and has a deflecting portion which is designed to deflect the wind W towards the cooling surface portion 20 for air cooling of the generator 1. The deflecting portion of the air guide unit 30 designed as a guide element is bent for this purpose.

[0085] The embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 differ substantially by the arrangement of the vortex generators 40. In the embodiment of the generator 1 shown in FIG. 2, the vortex generators 40 are arranged on the cooling surface portion 20 downstream of the air guide unit 30 in the incident-flow direction of the wind W. By contrast, in the embodiment of the generator 1 shown in FIG. 3, the vortex generators 40 are arranged on the incident-flow surface portion 10 upstream of the air guide unit 30 in the incident-flow direction of the wind W.

[0086] FIG. 4 shows a further preferred embodiment of a generator 1 having an outer peripheral surface portion 2. In this embodiment, it is provided that the cooling surface portion 20 and the incident-flow surface portion 10 are not offset from each other in a radial direction R. This means that the cooling surface portion 20 and the incident-flow surface portion 10 extend within the same plane. This means that the cooling surface portion 20 and the incident-flow surface portion 10 extend within the same plane. Furthermore, in this embodiment of the generator 1, no air guide unit 30 is provided to divert the wind W to the cooling surface portion 20 for cooling the generator. In this embodiment, the cooling of the generator 1 is generated solely by the vortex generators 40 arranged on the cooling surface portion 20.

[0087] FIGS. 5a and 5b show a schematic, three-dimensional sectional view and detailed view of a further preferred embodiment of a generator 1. Here, it is provided that the cooling surface portion 20 has cooling fins 21 for cooling the generator 1. It can be seen that the cooling fins have a main direction of extent in the axial direction A, and adjacent cooling fins 21 are spaced apart in the peripheral direction so that they form a gap 22 for cooling the generator 1. It can be seen that vortex generators 40 are arranged on the cooling fins 21 and extend into the gap 22 between adjacent cooling fins 21 in the peripheral direction U. Such an arrangement of the vortex generators 40 causes a swirling of the wind W, which improves the heat dissipation and thus the cooling of the generator 1. In this preferred embodiment, this cooling effect is achieved in a special way by the double-row arrangement of the vortex generators 40 in the radial direction R.

[0088] FIGS. 6a and 6b show schematic, three-dimensional detailed views of further preferred arrangements and designs of vortex generators 40 on a generator 1 in a gap 22 formed by cooling fins 21 arranged adjacently to each other in the peripheral direction U. In these two embodiments, the vortex generators are integrally formed on the laminations of the generator laminated core. It can be seen here that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7a the vortex generators 40 are rectangular in shape. In this embodiment, it is provided that the vortex generators are arranged in four rows in the radial direction, the size of the vortex generators varying depending on the row. Furthermore, in this embodiment it is provided that the vortex generators 40 of the individual rows are arranged offset to each other in the axial direction A. The embodiment shown in FIG. 6b comprises an arrangement of vortex generators 40 in two rows in the radial direction R, the vortex generators 40 of the inner row being rectangular and the vortex generators 40 of the outer row being triangular.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0089] 1 generator

[0090] 2 outer peripheral surface portion

[0091] 10 incident-flow surface portion

[0092] 20 cooling surface portion

[0093] 21 cooling fins

[0094] 22 gap

[0095] 30 air guide unit

[0096] 31 air guide element

[0097] 40 vortex generators

[0098] 100 wind power installation

[0099] A axial direction

[0100] R radial direction

[0101] U peripheral direction

[0102] W wind

[0103] Aspects of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.