COOLING PANEL ASSEMBLY FOR A WIND TURBINE TOWER AND A WIND TURBINE TOWER

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling panel assembly (2) for a wind turbine tower (1). It is arranged to be mounted on such a tower (1) on a section thereof as seen in the circumferential direction. The cooling panel assembly (2) includes at least one cooling panel (2a,2b). According to the invention, the cooling panel assembly (2) includes deflector means (6) mounted at the top of the at least one cooling panel (2a, 2b) such that the deflector means (6) shields the cooling panel assembly (2) from above. The deflector means (6) has substantially the same circumferential extension or more as the other parts of the cooling panel assembly (2). The invention also relates to a wind turbine tower (1) provided with at least one such cooling panel assembly (2).

Claims

1. A cooling panel assembly for a wind turbine tower, which cooling panel assembly is arranged to be mounted on such a tower and being dimensionally adapted to extend a section of the tower circumferential when mounted thereto, and which cooling panel assembly includes at least one cooling panel, characterized in that the cooling panel assembly includes deflector means mounted at the top of the at least one cooling panel such that the deflector means shields the cooling panel assembly from above, which deflector means has substantially the same circumferential extension or more as the other parts of the cooling panel assembly.

2. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the deflector means is inclined out from the tower in the downward direction.

3. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 2, wherein the inclination of the deflector means is in the range of 15? to 45? with respect to the horizontal, preferably in the range of 25? to 35?.

4. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 1, which includes a pair of substantially vertical cooling panels deviating from each other outwardly from the tower such that a V-shape is established, and wherein the deflector means includes two deflector panels, shielding a respective one of the cooling panels.

5. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 4, wherein the two deflector panels meet each other without any clearance between them.

6. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the deflector means is made of a plate material, such as a plate metal.

7. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the deflector means is made of one or more metal plates.

8. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein surfaces of the cooling panel assembly which are located below the deflector means and are mainly horizontal and face upwards are provided with bird obstacles.

9. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 8, wherein at least some of the bird obstacles are spikes.

10. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 8, wherein the bird obstacles have a height in the range of 10 to 100 cm, preferably in the range of 20 to 70 cm.

11. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 8, wherein the obstacles are mounted sufficiently close to each other to prevent the possibility for a seabird to roost on said surface.

12. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 11, wherein the distance between two neighbouring obstacles is in the range of 1 to 50 cm, preferably in the range of 2 to 20 cm.

13. A cooling panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein said deflector means has substantially the same circumferential extension or more as the other parts of the cooling panel assembly.

14. A wind turbine tower provided with at least one cooling panel assembly, characterized in that the cooling panel assembly is according to claim 1.

15. A wind turbine tower according to claim 14, wherein the tower is provided with three such cooling panel assembly which are distributed equidistant around the tower.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wind turbine tower according to the present invention.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottom portion of a wind turbine tower and illustrates a cooling panel assembly according to a first example of the present invention.

[0046] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a cooling panel assembly according to FIG. 2.

[0047] FIG. 4 is a schematic view from the left of the cooling panel assembly of FIG. 3.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a schematic view from above of the cooling panel assembly of FIG. 3

[0049] FIGS. 6 and 7 are views corresponding to those of FIGS. 4 and 5 but showing a second example of the invented cooling panel assembly.

[0050] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of parts of a cooling panel assembly according to a further example of the invention.

[0051] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a detail according to a still further example of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES

[0052] FIG. 1 shows a wind turbine 101 with a rotor 102 presenting a number of blades 103 and a hub 104 to which the blades are mounted. The wind turbine comprises a nacelle 105 provided at the top of a tower 1. The tower is supported by a foundation 109 arranged in the ground or on a sea platform. The nacelle 105 houses a generator 106 to which the rotor is connected via a gearbox 107. The gearbox 107 and the generator 106 heat during operation, and for this a cooling system including a heat exchanger 108 on the nacelle exterior is provided.

[0053] Inside the tower 1, close to the bottom of it, two heat generating components 110, 111 are provided in the form of an electric converter 111 and a transformer 110. A cooling circuit is provided for removing heat from the converter 111 and the transformer 110. The cooling circuit comprises a number of heat exchangers mounted to the tower. Each heat exchanger is constituted by a cooling panel assembly 2 and includes one or more cooling panels and a deflector panel means 6.

[0054] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a cooling panel assembly 2 according to the present invention. The cooling panel assembly 2 includes two separate cooling panels 2a, 2b. Each cooling panel is formed by a rectangular frame 5 with both sides of the rectangle being considerably larger than the thickness of the panel, i.e. the dimension perpendicular to the rectangle. Of course the shape may be other than rectangular. Within the frame 5 there is a packet of pipes for the heat exchanger circuit.

[0055] Each cooling panel 2a, 2b is vertically directed in the sense that its frame is parallel to a vertical plane. The two cooling panels 2a, 2b are positioned in a V-shape relative to each other, where they meet each other at a mounting structure 7 by which they are mounted to the tower 1. The angle between the cooling panels 2a, 2b is in the figure about 90?, but may be much larger or smaller than that. A bracket 4 supports the outer parts of the cooling panels 2a, 2b.

[0056] Attached to the upper end of the cooling panels 2a, 2b is a deflector panel means 6, consisting of two deflector panels 6a, 6b connected to a respective one of the cooling panels 2a, 2b. The deflector panels 6a, 6b extend obliquely from the respective cooling panel 2a, 2b upwardly towards the tower 1, to which they are attached

[0057] In FIG. 3 the cooling panel assembly 2 is shown from a side view tangentially to the tower. In FIG. 4 the assembly is shown in a side view from the outside in the radial direction of the tower. The edges of the deflection panels 6a, 6b that face each other are shaped and located so that they meet each other in order to avoid any clearance between them. In FIG. 5 the deflection panels 6a, 6b of the cooling panel assembly 2 are seen from above.

[0058] A slightly modified example is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, which are views corresponding to those of FIGS. 4 and 5. In this example there is a small clearance C between the deflector panels 6a, 6b.

[0059] The deflector panels 6a, 6b are made of thin metal plates. Each panel may be constituted by a single plate or by a plurality of plates attached together. Each deflector panel 6a, 6b may be planar or curved. The angle between a deflector panel and the horizontal is preferably in the range of 15? and 45?, i.e. somewhat smaller than in the example illustrated in FIG. 3. In case of a non-planar plate the angle is calculated related to a straight line from the upper end to the lower end of the deflector panel.

[0060] FIG. 8 illustrates a further example of the invention. In this figure the deflector panels are left out for the sake of better visibility. On the upper surface 9 of the bracket 4 between the two cooling panels 2a, 2b there is mounted a number of spikes 8 to prevent seabirds from roosting thereon. The spikes are about 10 cm high and the distance between them is about 25 cm. Similar spikes may be mounted on every surface of the cooling panels 2a, 2b and the mounting structure 7 that is facing upwards.

[0061] FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative example for the arrangement of spikes. The spikes 8a, 8b are mounted pairwise in a V-shaped relation. They are attached along a strip 10, which is to be bolted to the surface in question. In the illustrated example every second pair of spikes have a smaller angle in the V-shape than the other pairs.