Pitch gear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10047721-B2
Application number	US-201113312135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2011
Priority date	Dec 8, 2010
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A system for a wind turbine rotor blade, the system includes a pitch system that has a pitch bearing and a wind turbine hub, the bearing being attached to the hub and being attachable to a wind turbine rotor blade, and also including a pitch gear coupled to the pitch system. The pitch gear includes a first discrete segment and one or more other discrete segments, each segment having a plurality of teeth for engaging with and actuator such as a pinion. At least the first segment is held in place by releasable fasteners and extends along the pitch gear by a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount that the first segment extends along the pitch gear is determined based on anticipated wear of the pitch gear.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for a wind turbine rotor blade, the system comprising:
a pitch system comprising a pitch bearing and a wind turbine hub, the pitch bearing being attached to the hub and being attachable to the wind turbine rotor blade; and
a pitch gear coupled to the pitch system, the pitch gear comprising a first discrete segment and one or more other discrete segments, each segment having a plurality of teeth for engaging with a pinion, wherein the pitch gear is unworn from prior use of the pitch gear in a wind turbine;
wherein the first discrete segment has a length extending along the pitch gear, the length corresponding to a portion of the pitch gear that will be subjected to higher wear than a remainder of the pitch gear, and
wherein at least the first segment is held in place by releasable fasteners.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the pitch gear is a ring gear having a circumference, and each segment abuts one or more other segments to form a continuous gear surface over at least a portion of the circumference of the pitch gear.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment of the gear extends along a smaller circumferential distance than the other segments.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment extends along the gear by an amount corresponding to at least a portion of an amount of pitch rotation required of the blade within an operational range.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment extends along the gear to cover a segment having an angle of between 20° and 60° or between 30° and 50° or between 30° and 35°.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the gear segments are coupled to the bearing or to the hub by removable fasteners.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first segment is comprised of a first material and the other segments are comprised of a different material and wherein the first material has a higher hardness than the material used for the other segments.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the pitch gear is coupled to the bearing by a flange; the flange, in use, being connected to the pitch bearing and being arranged to support the gear between the axis of rotation of the bearing and the bearing circumference.

9. A system for a wind turbine rotor blade, the system comprising:
a pitch system comprising a pitch bearing and a wind turbine hub, the pitch bearing being attached to the hub and being attachable to the wind turbine rotor blade; and
a pitch gear coupled to the pitch system, the pitch gear comprising a first discrete segment and one or more other discrete segments, each segment having a plurality of teeth for engaging with a pinion;
wherein at least the first segment is held in place by releasable fasteners and extends along the pitch gear by a predetermined amount;
wherein the pitch gear is coupled to the bearing by a flange, the flange, in use, being connected to the pitch bearing, being arranged to support the gear between the axis of rotation of the bearing and the bearing circumference, and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the bearing;
wherein the flange comprises a first portion and a second portion, and wherein, in use:
the first portion connects to the bearing and supports the second portion such that the distance between the second portion and the blade tip is smaller than the distance between the bearing and the blade tip, along the bearing axis of rotation; and
the second portion extends into a space between the circumference of the bearing and the axis of rotation of the pitch bearing.

10. The system according to claim 1 , the pitch gear being arranged to engage with two or more pinions such that each pinion may contact different first discrete segments, each first segment corresponding to blade pitch movements within an operational range of the blade.

11. The wind turbine rotor or the wind turbine comprising a system according to claim 1 .

12. A pitch sub assembly for a wind turbine rotor blade comprising:
a pitch bearing being attachable to a wind turbine hub and the wind turbine rotor blade; and
a pitch gear coupled to the pitch bearing, the pitch gear comprising a first discrete segment and one or more other discrete segments, each segment having a plurality of teeth for engaging with a pinion, wherein the pitch gear is unworn from prior use of the pitch gear in a wind turbine;
wherein the first discrete segment has a length extending along the pitch gear, the length corresponding to a predetermined high wear region of the pitch gear based on an anticipated operational range of the wind turbine and, in use, the pinion engages only with the first discrete segment when the wind turbine rotor blade is pitched within the anticipated operational range, and
wherein at least the first segment is held in place by releasable fasteners.

13. A method of manufacturing a system for a wind turbine, the method comprising:
providing a pitch bearing;
coupling the pitch bearing to a wind turbine hub;
providing a pitch gear, the pitch gear having a first discrete segment and at least one further discrete segment, each segment having a plurality of teeth for engaging with a pinion;
determining a portion of the pitch gear that will be subjected to higher wear than a remainder of the pitch gear;
forming the first discrete segment to have a length extending along the pitch gear corresponding to the portion of the pitch gear that will be subjected to higher wear than the remainder of the pitch gear; and
coupling the first segment and the at least one further discrete segment to the hub or pitch bearing, wherein at least the first discrete segment is coupled to the hub or pitch bearing using releasable fasteners.

14. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the pitch gear extends around less than an entire circumference of the blade.

Assignees

• Andersen Jesper Lykkegaard
• Bech Anton
• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Andersen Jesper Lykkegaard
• Bech Anton

Classifications

• F03D7/0224 Primary

  Adjusting blade pitch · CPC title

• F03D80/50 Primary

  Maintenance or repair · CPC title

• Y10T29/49316

  Impeller making · CPC title

• F05B2260/79

  Bearing, support or actuation arrangements therefor · CPC title

• Y02E10/721

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic