Wind power plants and multi-rotor wind turbine systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697436-B2
Application number	US-201615780290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2016
Priority date	Dec 22, 2015
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A wind power plant includes a plurality of wind turbine systems arranged in rows and columns and includes a cable support system with at least one cable. The cable is coupled to the support structure above the first wind turbine and below the second wind turbine. The cable couples directly adjacent wind turbine system together. The cable may extend the entire length of at least one row or at least one column. A wind turbine system includes a plurality of wind turbines and a support structure including a tower and support arms. The cable support system that is coupled to the wind turbine system and that is configured to transfer loads on the wind turbine system to other wind turbine systems in the wind power plant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wind power plant, comprising:
a plurality of wind turbine systems, each including:
a first wind turbine;
a second wind turbine; and
a support structure that includes a tower, the first wind turbine and the second wind turbine being supported by the tower; and

a cable support system including a first cable that is coupled to at least two directly adjacent wind turbine systems at a coupling height that is below the first wind turbine and above the second wind turbine on each of the adjacent wind turbine systems, the coupling height on the at least two directly adjacent wind turbine systems being approximately the same,
wherein the cable support system is configured to transfer loads between the wind turbine systems along the first cable.

2. The wind power plant according to claim 1 , wherein the cable support system couples at least one wind turbine system to at least three other directly adjacent wind turbine systems.

3. The wind power plant according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wind turbine systems is arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and the cable support system couples at least one of the rows to each of the columns.

4. The wind power plant according to claim 3 , wherein the first cable extends the entire length of at least one row.

5. The wind power plant according to claim 4 , wherein the cable support system further includes a second cable that extends the entire length of at least one column.

6. The wind power plant according to claim 5 , wherein the cable support system further includes a third cable that is coupled to the at least two directly adjacent wind turbine systems at about the same coupling height as the first cable and is parallel to the first cable.

7. The wind power plant according to claim 1 , wherein the first wind turbine includes a plurality of turbine blades that define a sweep area and the first cable is coupled to the tower below the sweep area.

8. The wind power plant according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of wind turbine systems includes four wind turbines individually supported by four support arms each extending outwardly from the tower, and the first cable is coupled to each tower above one pair of support arms and below the other pair of support arms.

9. The wind power plant according to claim 1 , wherein the cable support system further includes an anchor and the first cable is coupled to the anchor at a coupling height that is below the coupling height of the first cable on the at least two directly adjacent wind turbine systems.

10. The wind power plant according to claim 1 , wherein the cable support system includes a clamping mechanism that is coupled to an outer surface of each tower, the clamping mechanism being frictionally engaged with the first cable with the first cable passing through the clamping system to another clamping mechanism on the directly adjacent wind turbine system.

11. The wind power plant according to claim 1 , wherein the cable support system includes a clamping mechanism that is coupled to an inner surface of each tower, each tower including openings through which the first cable passes, the clamping mechanism being frictionally engaged with the first cable with the first cable passing through the clamping system to another clamping mechanism on the directly adjacent wind turbine system.

12. A wind power plant, comprising:
A plurality of wind turbine systems, each wind turbine system comprising:
a first group of wind turbines;
a second group of wind turbines; and
a support structure that includes a tower, wherein the first group of wind turbines is attached to the tower at a first height and the second group of wind turbines is attached to the tower at a second height,
wherein only the first group of wind turbines and the second group of wind turbines are being supported by the tower; and

a cable support system that includes a first cable coupled to at least two directly adjacent wind turbine systems at a coupling height on the tower, the coupling height on the at least two directly adjacent wind turbine systems being below the first height and above the second height,
wherein the cable support system is configured to transfer loads on the wind turbine systems along the first cable.

13. The wind turbine system according to claim 12 , wherein the cable support system further includes a second cable that is coupled to the support structure at the load center on the tower.

14. The wind turbine system according to claim 13 , wherein the second cable is parallel to the first cable.

15. The wind turbine system according to claim 13 , wherein the second cable crosses the first cable.

16. The wind turbine system according to claim 13 , wherein the second wind turbine includes a plurality of turbine blades that define a sweep area and the first cable is above the sweep area.

17. A wind power plant, comprising:
a plurality of wind turbine systems, each including:
a first wind turbine;
a second wind turbine; and
a support structure that includes a tower, the first wind turbine and the second wind turbine being supported by the tower; and

a cable support system including a first cable and a second cable that straddle the tower and are both coupled to at least two directly adjacent wind turbine systems at a coupling height that is below the first wind turbine and above the second wind turbine on each of the adjacent wind turbine systems, the coupling height on the at least two directly adjacent wind turbine systems being approximately the same,
wherein the cable support system is configured to transfer loads between the wind turbine systems along the first cable and the second cable.

18. The wind power plant according to claim 17 , wherein the second cable is parallel to the first cable.

19. The wind power plant according to claim 17 , wherein the plurality of wind turbine systems is arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and the cable support system couples at least one of the rows to each of the columns.

20. The wind power plant according to claim 19 , wherein the first and second cables extend the entire length of at least one row.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Baun Torben Ladegaard
• Kudsk Henrik
• Neubauer Jesper Lykkegaard

Classifications

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title

• Y02E10/728

  Onshore wind turbines · CPC title

• E04H12/20

  Side-supporting means therefor, e.g. using guy ropes or struts · CPC title

• E04H12/24

  Cross arms · CPC title

• F05B2240/912

  on a tower · CPC title