Windmill

Details Windmill Windmill

2000-04-11

2001-05-15

Dougherty, Thomas M. (Department: 2834)

Prime-mover dynamo plants

Fluid-current motors

Wind

C290S00100C, C475S342000, C060S398000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06232673

ABSTRACT:

The present invention concerns a wind-power plant as recited in the preamble to claim
1
.
Ecology and the economy exert ever more stringent demands on contemporary wind-power plants. The economy requires that such plants be not only light in weight but also inexpensive to install, repair, and maintain. Off-shore in particular, the installation of a wind-power plant entails considerable expenditure, for on-board cranes and helicopters for example. Ecology on the other hand requires the minimalization of noise from off-shore. These objectives entail total separation of the individual components.
The transmission trains employed in known wind-power plants (European Published Patent 635 639) comprise rotor blades, a hub with a shaft and bearing set, a multiple-stage planetary gear, a mechanical brake, a coupling, and a generator. The blades are mounted on the hub and rotate the shaft. The shaft is accommodated in a large roller bearing connected to an azimuth bearing by way of a frame. The force of the wind against the rotor are accordingly transmitted to a mast. This bearing system requires interposing part of the shaft between the rotor and the transmission. The downstream roller bearing consists of a transmission section with a hollow input shaft that is connected to the rotor shaft by an overturned disk. The overall transmission is also mounted on the frame by way of a two-armed torque accommodating strut. The transmission's high-speed driveshaft is connected to the generator's high-speed shaft by way of a double linkage coupling. The latter shaft is also mounted on a frame in the machinery housing. A brake is installed between the generator and the transmission. This known wind-power plant occupies a lot of space and is accordingly restricted in capacity. Furthermore, is complicated to mount and dismount.
The object of the present invention is a wind-power plant that will be more compact and easier to install, repair, and maintain.
Combining the transmission and generator into a single drive-train module, along with the special connection between the module and rotor hub and the roller bearing, allows the components to be simply and rapidly mounted on the already installed rotor support. Furthermore, the drive-train module is not coupled to the rotor support. The forces, torques, and deformations exerted by the wind on the rotor hub, the roller bearing, and the rotor support will have no negative effects on the transmission or generator.
One embodiment of the present invention will now be specified with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein
FIG. 1
is a partly longitudinal-sectional and partly perspective view of a wind-power plant,
FIG. 2
is a larger-scale detail of the area X in
FIG. 1
,
FIG. 3
is a larger-scale detail of the area Y in
FIG. 1
,
FIG. 4
depicts the structure of the plant's mast head,
FIG. 5
illustrates the plant's rotor support, and
FIG. 6
is an overall view of the wind-power plant.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2653250 (1953-11-01), Romani
patent: 3792629 (1974-02-01), Applebury
patent: 4239977 (1980-12-01), Strutman
patent: 4440044 (1984-04-01), Heller
patent: 4871923 (1989-10-01), Scholz et al.
patent: 0037002A1 (1981-10-01), None
patent: 0388207A1 (1990-09-01), None
patent: 0635639A1 (1995-01-01), None
patent: 9119916 (1991-12-01), None
patent: 9521326 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 9611338 (1996-04-01), None

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