GENERATOR OF A WIND TURBINE

Abstract

The present application relates to a generator comprising: a stator, a rotor, in particular having a rotor band, and a heat pipe assembly which is thermally connected to the rotor in order to conduct heat which is generated by the rotor, in particular during operation of the generator.

Claims

1. A generator of a wind turbine, comprising: a stator, a rotor, and a heat pipe assembly thermally connected to the rotor to conduct heat generated by the rotor during operation of the generator.

2. The generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotor has a rotor band, wherein the heat pipe assembly is fastened axially to the rotor band such that equalization of a temperature at the rotor bandoccurs.

3. The generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein heat pipe assembly is fastened radially on the rotor.

4. The generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein.sub.-―the heat pipe assembly includes at least one hollow conductor configured to conduct a fluid.

5. The generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein.sub.-―the heat pipe assembly includes at least one hollow conductor that is a pipeand is made from metal.

6. The generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein.sub.-―the heat pipe assembly includes a plurality of hollow metal conductors.

7. The generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein.sub.-―the heat pipe assembly has an evaporator, a condenser, and a section connecting the evaporator to the condenser.

8. The generator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the evaporator includes a hollow conductor configured to conduct at least one fluid.

9. The generator as claimed in claim 7, wherein_ the evaporator includes a plurality of hollow conductors, and wherein the heat pipe assembly includes a plurality of evaporators that are arranged, spaced apart relative to one another, on the rotor.

10. The generator as claimed in claim 1, comprising a gap monitoring system configured to detect a gap clearance between the stator and the rotor.

11. A wind turbine comprising a generator as claimed in claim 1.

12. The generator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rotor has a rotor band, wherein the heat pipe assembly is fastened radially on the rotor proximate to or on the rotor band to cause a local reduction in a temperature at the rotor band.

13. The generator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fluid is water.

14. The generator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the metal includes copper or aluminum.

15. The generator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the evaporator is arranged on a first side at the rotor, and the condenser is arranged on a second side at the rotor, wherein the second side is opposite the first side.

16. The generator as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first side has a higher temperature than the second side during operation of the generator.

17. The generator as claimed in claim 8, wherein the hollow conductor is made from a material that includes copper or aluminum, wherein the at least one fluid includes water.

18. The generator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the gap monitoring system is an air gap measuring system or a generator gap monitoring system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] The present invention is now explained in detail below by way of example and with the aid of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings.

[0061] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a wind turbine according to an embodiment.

[0062] FIG. 2A shows a first schematic view of a generator of a wind turbine according to an embodiment.

[0063] FIG. 2B shows a second schematic view of a generator of a wind turbine according to an embodiment.

[0064] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a pole shoe core of a generator of a wind turbine according to a further embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a wind turbine 100.

[0066] The wind turbine 100 has a tower 102 and a nacelle 104. An aerodynamic rotor 106 with three rotor blades 108 and a spinner 110 is arranged on the nacelle 104. The rotor 106 is set in rotational movement during operation by the wind and consequently drives a generator, described above or below, in the nacelle 104.

[0067] FIG. 2A shows a first schematic view of a portion of a generator 150 of a wind turbine, in particular as shown in FIG. 1, according to an embodiment, in particular in a radial cross-section.

[0068] The generator 200 essentially comprises a stator 210, having a longitudinal axis L, and a rotor 220, rotating about the longitudinal axis of the stator.

[0069] An air gap 230 is arranged between the stator 210 and the rotor 220.

[0070] In addition, the generator has a side A which is associated with the drive, the so-called drive side, and a side M which is associated with the machine, the so-called machine side.

[0071] The generator 200 is in addition designed as an internal rotor, i.e., the rotor 220 rotates inside the stator 210 and the longitudinal axis.

[0072] The rotor 220 has a rotor support structure, the rotor band 222, and a rotor winding 224 which are arranged on the rotor support structure.

[0073] In addition, a pole shoe or pole shoe core 225 is preferably provided which is fastened to the rotor band 222 by means of screws, the pole shoe fastening screws, and is provided to guide magnetic field lines of the rotor winding 224.

[0074] The heat pipe assembly 240 is arranged below the rotor support structure 222, i.e., on that side of the rotor 220 which faces away from the air gap, essentially over the whole axial length of the rotor 220, in particular of the rotor band 222.

[0075] The heat pipe assembly 240 is here fastened axially to the rotor 220 such that equalization of the temperature at the rotor 220, in particular at the rotor band 222, occurs.

[0076] In a preferred embodiment, the heat pipe assembly 240 is formed from a plurality of heat pipes 241 which run axially along the rotor 220, spaced apart from one another.

[0077] The heat pipe 241 has an evaporator 241ʹ, a condenser 241ʺ, and a section 241ʹʹʹ connecting the evaporator 241' and the condenser 241ʺ.

[0078] The evaporator 241ʹ is arranged on the drive side A and the condenser 241ʺ is arranged on the machine side M.

[0079] The temperature T of the rotor band 222 plotted against the length 1 of the rotor band 222 is correspondingly depicted below the generator.

[0080] The drive side A here has a temperature of up to approximately 110° C. and the machine side M here has a temperature of up to approximately 90° C. The drive side A is thus warmer than the machine side M. Consequently, the evaporator 241ʹ is also arranged at the warmer drive side A and the condenser 241" at the colder machine side.

[0081] FIG. 2B shows a second schematic view of a generator 200, in particular as shown in FIG. 2A, of a wind turbine, in particular as shown in FIG. 1, in a further view.

[0082] The generator 200 comprises a stator 210 and a rotor 220.

[0083] The rotor 220 has a rotor band 222 with a pole shoe core 225 fastened thereto which is formed from a plurality of pole shoes. The pole shoe core 225 is fastened to the rotor band, for example, by means of pole shoe fastening screws.

[0084] A heat pipe 241, which is part of a heat pipe assembly, is arranged on the rotor band 222, on that side of the rotor 222 which faces away from the air gap.

[0085] The heat pipe 241 is essentially flat and preferably formed from copper and is configured to conduct water as a cooling medium.

[0086] In a preferred embodiment, the heat pipe is designed as a flat copper hollow pipe which has a copper wire mesh inside which is configured to generate a capillary effect for the cooling medium.

[0087] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a pole shoe core 225 of a generator 200, in particular as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, of a wind turbine, in particular as shown in FIG. 1, according to a further embodiment.

[0088] The pole shoe core 225 is made from a highly permeable material, for example iron, and is configured to guide the magnetic field lines of the rotor windings in a defined form, in particular to allow them to pass outside and to distribute them.

[0089] The pole shoe core 225 is fastened to the rotor band by means of pole shoe fastening screws 226.

[0090] Isolated pole shoe fastening screws, in particular of the drive side A, are replaced by heat pipes 241.

[0091] The heat pipes 241 therefore run along the rotor and effect a reduction in a local temperature at the rotor or a local reduction in the temperature at the rotor, in particular the rotor band.

[0092] The proposed heat pipe assembly can therefore be used in particular by being fitted subsequently and contributes to homogenizing the temperature of the support structure of the generator.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0093] 100 wind turbine [0094] 102 tower of a wind turbine [0095] 104 nacelle of a wind turbine [0096] 106 aerodynamic rotor of a wind turbine [0097] 108 rotor blades of a wind turbine [0098] 110 spinner of a wind turbine [0099] 200 generator of a wind turbine [0100] 210 stator of the generator [0101] 220 rotor of the generator [0102] 222 rotor band of the rotor [0103] 224 rotor windings of the rotor [0104] 225 pole shoe core of the rotor [0105] 226 pole shoe fastening screws of the pole shoe core [0106] 230 air gap between stator and rotor [0107] 240 heat pipe assembly [0108] 241 heat pipe [0109] 241ʹ evaporator [0110] 241ʺ condenser [0111] 241ʹʹʹ connecting section [0112] A drive side [0113] M machine side [0114] L longitudinal axis of the stator [0115] T temperature [0116] 1 length