Wind turbine transformer system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11852124-B2
Application number	US-202017624871-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2020
Priority date	Jul 22, 2019
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

Provided is a wind turbine, including: plural transformers, including a first transformer and at least one second transformer, the transformers being connectable to at least one generator, in particular via at least one converter, wherein the transformers are arranged within an inside of the wind turbine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine, comprising:
plural transformers, comprising a first transformer and at least one second transformer, the transformers being connectable to at least one generator, wherein the transformers are arranged within an inside of the wind turbine;
a wind turbine nacelle and a wind turbine tower, wherein the transformers are arranged within the wind turbine nacelle and/or the wind turbine tower, wherein at least two of the transformers are arranged within the nacelle, wherein a transformer center of mass of each of the transformers lies within an annular region between a first cylinder and a second cylinder, each having as cylinder axis a longitudinal axis of the tower, the first cylinder having a radius of between 1.8 and 1.6 times a tower radius at a vertical position of a respective transformer center of mass, and the second cylinder having a radius of between 1.0 and 1.2 times the tower radius at a vertical position of a respective transformer center of mass.

2. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one second transformer comprises one or more transformers.

3. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one converter, wherein the transformers are connectable to the at least one generator by the at least one converter.

4. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein all of the transformers are arranged within the nacelle.

5. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the transformer centers of mass of at least an even number of transformers being mirror symmetrically arranged have substantially a same vertical position.

6. The wind turbine according to claim 5 , wherein at least two of the transformers are arranged within the nacelle such that a transformers center of mass of the combination of the two transformers lies within a cylindrical region around a longitudinal axis of the tower, the cylindrical region having a radius of between 0.0 and 0.2 times a tower radius at the vertical position of the transformers center of mass.

7. The wind turbine according to claim 6 , wherein the two transformers have similar or same construction and/or shape and/or type and are arranged within the nacelle substantially mirror symmetrically to a vertical plane lying in a rotation axis of a rotation shaft at which plural rotor blades are mounted.

8. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the two transformers, and/or all transformers, are spaced apart laterally by a distance between 0.7 and 1.3 times a tower diameter at a connection to the nacelle.

9. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein one of the transformers is arranged in a back portion of the nacelle, such that a transformer center of the mass of the one transformer lies in a vertical plane lying in a rotation axis of a rotation shaft at which plural rotor blades are mounted.

10. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , each transformer comprising:
a magnetic core comprising soft ferromagnetic material,
the magnetic core comprising for each electrical phase of plural phases a magnetic core leg;
each transformer comprising for each electrical phase of plural phases:
a primary coil and a secondary coil arranged around one of the magnetic core legs such that the primary coil and the secondary coil are inductively coupled to each other;
the magnetic core of each transformer further comprising and/or integrally forming:
a first connector core connecting first ends of all magnetic core legs of this transformer;
a second connector core connecting second ends of all magnetic core legs of this transformer.

11. The wind turbine according to claim 10 , each transformer comprising:
a casing enclosing the magnetic core and all primary coils and all secondary coils for all phases.

12. The wind turbine according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a filling fluid within the casing.

13. The wind turbine according to claim 10 , wherein the plural phases comprises three phases.

14. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a breaker system for reversibly connecting the transformers to a utility grid, the breaker system comprising one of more multi-phase switch gears.

15. The wind turbine according to claim 14 ,
wherein each secondary coil of each transformer is connected to an input terminal of at least one switch gear and wherein output terminals of all switch gears are connected to each other and connected to the utility grid, or
wherein all secondary coils of all transformers are connected to each other and are connected to an input terminal of exactly one switch gear, an output terminal of which is connected to the utility grid.

16. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more converters, arranged within the nacelle;
wherein each of the converters is either connected to exactly one of the transformers or each of the converters is connected to more than one of the transformers;
at least one generator connected to the one or more converters.

17. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the transformer centers of mass of all the transformers have substantially a same vertical position.

18. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the transformer centers of mass of the transformers have substantially a same vertical position, and wherein the same vertical position is below the axis of the rotation shaft and/or below the rotation shaft.

Assignees

• Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy As

Inventors

• Gaard Jesper
• Munk-Hansen Thorkil

Classifications

• F03D80/82 Primary

  of electrical components · CPC title

• F03D13/20

  Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors · CPC title

• H01F27/28

  Coils; Windings; Conductive connections · CPC title

• H01F27/402

  Association of measuring or protective means · CPC title

• H02K7/1838

  Generators mounted in a nacelle or similar structure of a horizontal axis wind turbine · CPC title