Air-Cooled Oil Tank, and Wind Turbine Comprising an Air-Cooled Oil Tank

Abstract

Air-cooled oil tank comprising a plurality of pipes which are designed to conduct cooling air therethrough, have substantially the same diameter and extend through the oil tank, characterized by a second pipe which is designed to conduct cooling air therethrough and extends through the oil tank and within the diameter of which a fan is arranged, the diameter of the second pipe being greater than the diameter of the first pipes.

Claims

1. An air-cooled oil tank comprising: a multiplicity of first pipelines, which permeate the oil tank and are designed for conducting cooling air, having an essentially identical diameter, and a second pipeline, which permeates the oil tank and is designed for conducting cooling air, in the diameter of which a fan is arranged, wherein the diameter of the second pipeline is greater that the diameter of the first pipelines.

2. The oil tank according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive motor of the fan is a hydraulic motor.

3. The oil tank of claim 1, characterized in that the passage surface of all first pipelines corresponds to the passage surface of the second pipeline.

4. The oil tank of claim 1, characterized in that the first pipelines have inner ribs.

5. The oil tank of claim 1, characterized in that the first pipelines and the second pipeline are arranged in a parallel manner.

6. A wind energy system with an air-cooled oil tank, characterized in that the air-cooled oil tank has a multiplicity of first pipelines, which permeate the oil tank and are designed for conducting cooling air, having an essentially identical diameter, and a second pipeline, which permeates the oil tank and is designed for conducting cooling air, the diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the first pipe lines, wherein the first pipelines are communicatingly connected to a first cooling-air circuit, and the second pipeline is communicatingly connected to a second cooling-air circuit.

7. The wind energy system according to claim 6, characterized in that the generator of the wind energy system is arranged in the second cooling-air circuit.

8. The wind energy system according to claim 6, characterized in that the first cooling-air circuit and the second cooling-air circuit are designed so as to be closed.

9. The wind energy system according to claim 6, characterized in that the second cooling-air circuit merges with the first cooling-air circuit downstream of the generator.

10. The wind energy system according to claim 7, characterized in that the first cooling-air circuit and the second cooling-air circuit are designed so as to be closed.

11. The wind energy system according to claim 7, characterized in that the second cooling-air circuit merges with the first cooling-air circuit downstream of the generator.

12. The wind energy system according to claim 8, characterized in that the second cooling-air circuit merges with the first cooling-air circuit downstream of the generator.

13. The oil tank of claim 2, characterized in that the passage surface of all first pipelines corresponds to the passage surface of the second pipeline.

14. The oil tank of claim 2, characterized in that the first pipelines have inner ribs.

15. The oil tank of claim 2, characterized in that the first pipelines and the second pipeline are arranged in a parallel manner.

16. The oil tank of claim 3, characterized in that the first pipelines have inner ribs.

17. The oil tank of claim 3, characterized in that the first pipelines and the second pipeline are arranged in a parallel manner.

18. The oil tank of claim 4, characterized in that the first pipelines and the second pipeline are arranged in a parallel manner.

Description

[0033] In the following, the invention shall be described in more detail using an embodiment with a particularly preferable design shown in the attached drawings.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a perspective cutaway view of a wind energy system designed according to the invention;

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the air-cooled oil tank according to the invention; and

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the air-cooled oil tank.

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a perspective cutaway view of a section of a wind energy system designed according to the invention. The wind energy system 100 hasas is knowna tower and an enclosed energy converter arranged on the tower. The energy converter consists of a rotor mounted in a rotor bearing, a transmission 80, and a generator 90 (not depicted in detail).

[0038] In the depicted example, the air-cooled oil tank 10 is arranged between the tower and the end carriage of the wind energy system 100 andwith the exception of a closable manholeoccupies the entire tower diameter in the area of the end carriage. The upper side of the oil tank 10 forms a horizontal surface.

[0039] The oil tank 10 has a multiplicity of first pipelines 20 which permeate the oil tank 10 vertically, and a second pipeline 30. It can be clearly seen that the first pipelines 20 have a smaller diameter than the second pipeline 30. In the second pipeline 30, a fan 40 is arranged which is preferably speed-controlled on the basis of the temperature of the generator 90. The drive motor of the fan 40 can particularly preferably be designed as a hydraulic motor, and so the oil stored in the oil tank 10 can also be used for driving the fan 40.

[0040] In the interior of the end carriage of the wind energy system 100, a first cooling-air circuit A and a second cooling-air circuit B are formed. The first cooling-air circuit A is communicatingly connected to the multiplicity of the first pipelines 20 of the oil tank 10, while the second cooling-air circuit B is communicatingly connected mainly to the second pipeline 30.

[0041] Since the (air-cooled) generator 90 is preferably arranged in the second cooling-air circuit B, the generator 90 is preferably cooled on the basis of the power of the fan 40 arranged in the second pipeline 30.

[0042] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with its particularly preferred design, the second cooling-air circuit B merges with the first cooling-air circuit downstream of the generator 90, whereupon the exhaust air is cooled in an air/air cooler arranged on the outside on the end carriage or on the tower and fed again to the underside of the oil tank 10.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the air-cooled oil tank according to the invention. From this view, it becomes apparent that the oil tank 10 essentially extends in one plane, wherein the pipelines 20, 30 permeate the oil tank 10 from the bottom to the top, and the return flow 50 of the lubricating oil lines runs in the plane of the oil tank 10.

[0044] The multiplicity of the first pipelines 20 can be clearly seen, and the overall passage surface corresponds approximately to the passage surface of the second pipeline 30. On the left side of the drawing, oil pumps 60 and filter devices 70 for cleaning the oil are arranged. In particular, the oil pumps 60 are arranged in the oil tank 10 opposite of the return flow 50, and so the oil flowing back into the oil tank 10 is forcibly guided past the pipelines 20 and cooled. The side view of the air-cooled oil tank 10 from FIG. 3 shows that the arrangement of these means on the oil tank 10 has no interfering effect on the cooling of the oil.

[0045] In particular, it can be seen that the oil tank is designed in its cross-section as a rectangular trapezoid, wherein the pipelines 20, 30, which run obliquely to the upper surface of the oil tank 10, lead vertically to the lower surface of the oil tank 10.