Prime-mover dynamo plants – Fluid-current motors – Wind
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-23
2002-11-19
Ponomarenko, Nicholas (Department: 2834)
Prime-mover dynamo plants
Fluid-current motors
Wind
C290S054000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06483199
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wind power generating device having a cooling structure.
2. Description of Related Art
In a general wind power generating device, it is required to maintain the reliability of the device by efficiently dissipating heat generated in an electric power generator of the device to the outside and by decreasing temperature of the generator (or internal temperature of the device) to a prescribed allowable temperature or below. Therefore, in a conventional wind power generating device with a closed generator, an air blower is attached to a horizontal shaft to which a plurality of blades receiving wind power are fixed, outside air is supplied into the wind power generating device through an air supplying opening by using the air blower, and the generator functioning as a heat generating unit is cooled.
A conventional wind power generating device having the above-described cooling structure will be described below as an example.
FIG. 30
is a sectional view showing a structure of a conventional wind power generating device disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application S58-65977 (1983), and
FIG. 31
is an enlarged sectional view showing principal components of a cooling structure of the conventional wind power generating device shown in FIG.
30
. In FIG.
30
and
FIG. 31
, referential numeral
1
denotes a pole which is vertically arranged in an elevated spot, a wind-strong spot of an island or a cape, an offshore spot with high wind activity or a coastal spot with high wind activity for example. A nacelle
2
is fixed to a top portion of the pole
1
. An electric power generator described later is arranged in the nacelle
2
. A hub
4
is arranged in a front space (that is, a windward-side space) of the nacelle
2
. A plurality of blades
3
are fixed to the hub
4
and extend in a radial direction of the hub
3
. The hub
4
is attached to a top portion of a horizontal shaft
6
which functions as a rotational shaft rotating a rotor (not shown) of a closed type generator
5
. A step-up gear
7
and a brake
8
are attached to the horizontal shaft
6
. The step-up gear
7
accelerates a rotational speed of the blades
3
and transmits the rotational motion of the blades
3
to the rotor. The brake
8
stops the rotation of the horizontal shaft
6
. Also, an air blower
9
is attached to a top portion of the horizontal shaft
6
. The air blower
9
forcibly ventilates the nacelle
2
to cool the closed type generator
5
. An air supplying opening
10
is arranged in a bottom portion of the nacelle
2
placed in the neighborhood of the closed type generator
5
, and outside air is supplied in the nacelle
2
through the air supplying opening
10
. Also, an exhaust vent
11
is arranged in both a ceiling portion and another bottom portion of the nacelle
2
placed in the neighborhood of the air blower
9
, and heat generated in the closed type generator
5
is dissipated to the outside through the exhaust vents
11
. As shown in
FIG. 31
, each exhaust vent
11
is formed in a labyrinth structure, and a heat flow H is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust vents
11
.
Because the conventional wind power generating device has the above-described cooling structure, air placed in the nacelle
2
is forcibly ventilated by using the air blower
9
attached to the horizontal shaft
6
. Therefore, heat generated in the closed type generator
5
is dissipated to the outside, and this cooling structure can prevent the performance of the conventional wind power generating device from deteriorating due to the heat remaining in the nacelle
2
. Also, because the air supplying opening
10
and the exhaust vents
11
have the above-described structure, the intrusion of rain or snow into the nacelle
2
can be prevented when rain or snow falls. Therefore, it is generally said that the structure of the air supplying opening
10
and the exhaust vents
11
can prevent the units placed in the nacelle
2
from being corroded.
There has been increasing demand in recent years for wind power generation due to the fact that large amounts of clean energy can be obtained by wind power generation. Therefore, this demand for wind power generation has lead to demand for wind power generation with a high output power, a high efficiency and a superior maintenance performance.
However, because the conventional wind power generating device has the above-described cooling structure, a part of the driving power obtained from the wind power in the blades
3
is consumed by the air blower. Therefore, there is a problem that an energy generation efficiency is lowered in the conventional wind power generating device.
Also, in the conventional wind power generating device having the above-described cooling structure, even though the structure of the air supplying opening
10
and exhaust vents
11
is skillfully designed, it is difficult to remove water and/or salt contained in the outside air, and the outside air containing water and/or salt is undesirably supplied into the nacelle
2
. Therefore, it is difficult to completely prevent the units placed in the nacelle
2
from being corroded by the water and/or salt contained in the outside air, and there is a problem that corrosion treatment is required for the units other than the closed type generator
5
.
In addition, in the conventional wind power generating device having the above-described cooling structure, in cases where a filter is arranged in the air supplying opening
10
to remove water and/or salt from the outside air supplied into the nacelle
2
, maintenance working such as filter exchange is additionally required. Also, because each exhaust vent
11
is formed in the labyrinth structure, there is another problem that the structure of the nacelle
2
is complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide, with due consideration to the problems of the conventional wind power generating device having the above-described cooling structure, a wind power generating device with a simple cooling structure in which an inside temperature is reliably maintained to a value equal to or lower than a standard value.
The object is achieved by the provision of a wind power generating device comprising a horizontal shaft arranged on a top portion of a pole vertically arranged so as to be directed to a windward side, a generator having both a rotor fixed on a leeward side of the horizontal shaft and a stator arranged on the outside of the rotor, a blade which is fixed to the horizontal shaft on the windward side of the horizontal shaft and is rotated by a wind power, and a cylindrical frame which separates the stator of the generator from outside air and has a heat dissipating function to dissipate heat, which is generated in the generator according to the rotation of the rotor of the generator, to the wind which gives a rotational force to the rotor through the blade.
In the above configuration, the heat generated in the generator is transferred to the cylindrical frame by conduction. Also, wind in the outside air, which has already given a rotational force to the rotor through the blade, collides with the cylindrical frame and flows along the cylindrical frame, and heat is dissipated from the cylindrical frame to the outside air.
Accordingly, a heat dissipating performance of the heat generated in the generator to outside air can be improved. Therefore, a temperature of units and the generator arranged in the wind power generating device can be reliably maintained to a value equal to or lower than a standard value.
Also, the wind power generating device does not have an air supplying opening, an exhaust vent or an air blower used in the prior art. The wind power generating device having the simple structure can be manufactured.
Also, because the heat generated in the generator is dissipated to the outside air which has already given a rotational force to the rotor through the blade, the driving power obtained from the wind power i
Ikeda Yuji
Kotoh Satoru
Nagatani Ryoji
Umemoto Toshiyuki
Leydig , Voit & Mayer, Ltd.
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Ponomarenko Nicholas
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