Wind turbine with a brake dust collector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10415549-B2
Application number	US-201615237670-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2016
Priority date	Sep 15, 2015
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A wind turbine including a generator with a stator and a rotor, a cooling arrangement, a wind turbine brake including a brake disk and a caliper with brake pads is provided. An air duct with a filter is located near the brake pads of the caliper. During the operation of the cooling arrangement, a part of the air flow is guided via the brake pads. The brake dust produced by the brake pads during operation of the brake will be reduced by the filter of the air duct.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine comprising:
a generator with a stator and a rotor for producing electrical power,
a cooling arrangement generating a cooling air flow to cool at least parts of the generator during operation of the cooling arrangement, wherein the cooling arrangement comprises a heat exchanger resulting in a closed air flow circuit,
a wind turbine brake comprising a brake disc and at least one brake caliper with at least one brake pad, wherein a part of the cooling air flow streams over the at least one brake pad,
an air duct which is located downstream in relation to the at least one brake pad, wherein the air duct collects the brake dust caused by the at least one brake pad during operation of the wind turbine brake,
wherein the air duct includes a filter,
wherein the filter significantly reduces the amount of brake dust in the stream of the part of cooling air flow.

2. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling arrangement comprises at least one fan, wherein the at least one fan is able to produce the cooling air flow.

3. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling arrangement comprises at least one fan, which is located at the stator.

4. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the dust-collecting-capacity of the filter is at least as high as the volume of the brake-dust being created by the least one brake pad of the brake caliper.

5. The wind turbine according claim 1 , wherein the part of the cooling air flow is heated by the generator.

6. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the part of the cooling air flow is delivered by fans and not yet heated by the generator.

7. A wind turbine comprising:
a generator with a stator and a rotor for producing electrical power,
a cooler generating a cooling air flow to cool at least parts of the generator during operation of the cooler,
a wind turbine brake comprising a brake disc and at least one brake caliper with at least one brake pad, wherein a part of the cooling air flow streams over the at least one brake pad,
an air duct which is located downstream in relation to the at least one brake pad, wherein the air duct collects the brake dust caused by the at least one brake pad during operation of the wind turbine brake,
wherein the air duct includes a filter,
wherein the filter significantly reduces the amount of brake dust in the stream of the part of cooling air flow,

wherein the air duct comprises a valve which enables or disables the air flow through the air duct, wherein the valve is at least open in operation of the wind turbine brake and preferably closed in non-braking operation.

8. A method to collect brake dust of a wind turbine brake, conducted by a wind turbine, according to claim 1 , wherein the part of the cooling air flow having the brake dust created by the at least one brake pad will flow through the air duct and be filtered by the filter of the air duct during operation of the cooling arrangement.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein a filter bag comprising the brake dust is replaced or emptied, or the brake dust is sucked out of the filter bag by a vacuum cleaner when the at least one brake pad is replaced.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the power of fans of the cooling arrangement producing the flow of the part of the cooling air flow comprising the brake dust is increased to a maximum value during operation of the wind turbine brake.

Assignees

• Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy As
• Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A S

Inventors

• Airoldi Giovanni
• Hansen Kim Granly
• Soerensen Peter Hessellund

Classifications

• F03D80/00

  Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00 · CPC title

• F05B2220/7066

  via a direct connection, i.e. a gearless transmission · CPC title

• F05B2260/902

  using frictional mechanical forces · CPC title

• F05B2260/63

  Preventing clogging or obstruction of flow paths by dirt, dust, or foreign particles · CPC title

• F05B2260/20

  Heat transfer, e.g. cooling · CPC title