Wind turbine with auxiliary units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12331718-B2
Application number	US-202218561337-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2022
Priority date	May 26, 2021
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

A wind turbine comprising, a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor for harvesting wind energy by rotation of the rotor about a rotor axis extending in a vertical center plane. The nacelle comprises a main unit and two auxiliary units each housing a first and a second operative component. To obtain a combination of reuse of components and a good weight distribution, the first operative components in the first and second auxiliary units have the same distance to the center plane and the second operative components in the first and second auxiliary units have different distances to the center plane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine comprising, a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor for harvesting wind energy by rotation of the rotor about a rotor axis extending in a vertical center plane, the nacelle comprising:
a main unit housing a rotor-supporting assembly forming a load path from the rotor to the tower, and
a first auxiliary unit attached to main unit on a first side of the center plane, and
a second auxiliary unit attached to the main unit on a second side of the center plane, the second side being opposite the first side of the center plane,
wherein each of the first and second auxiliary units houses a first operative component and a second operative component, the first operative component and the second operative component being parts of a power conversion assembly,
wherein the first operative component and the second operative component in the first auxiliary unit are respectively the same as the first operative component and the second operative component in the second auxiliary unit,
wherein the first operative component in the first auxiliary unit and the first operative component in the second auxiliary unit have the same distance to the vertical center plane, and
wherein the second operative component in the first auxiliary unit and the second operative component in the second auxiliary unit have different distances to the vertical center plane.

2. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second auxiliary units have substantially the same dimensions, the first operative component in the first and second auxiliary units is arranged in mirrored position across the vertical center plane, and the second operative component is arranged in substantially the same position within the first and second auxiliary units.

3. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the first operative component in the first and second auxiliary units is attached directly to the rotor-supporting assembly to define a load path from each of the first operative components through the rotor-supporting assembly to the tower.

4. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the second operative component is attached indirectly to the rotor-supporting assembly in each of the first and second auxiliary units, the indirect attachment defining a load path from the second operative component through the respective auxiliary unit to the rotor-supporting assembly and from the rotor-supporting assembly to the tower.

5. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the main unit is rotational about a yaw axis extending in a vertical transverse plane perpendicular to the vertical center plane, and wherein the first operative component in each of the first and second auxiliary units is attached to the rotor-supporting assembly with a center of gravity of the first operative component located in the transverse plane or at a distance from the transverse plane which is smaller than a radial dimension of the tower.

6. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the first auxiliary unit and the second auxiliary unit have a first center of gravity and a second center of gravity, respectively, wherein a distance from the rotor to the first center of gravity is larger than a distance from the rotor to a center of gravity of the first operative component in the first auxiliary unit, and wherein a distance from the rotor to the second center of gravity is larger than a distance from the rotor to a center of gravity of the first operative component in the second auxiliary unit.

7. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second auxiliary units have first and second longitudinal auxiliary walls extending parallel with the vertical center plane with the first and second operative components therebetween, wherein the first longitudinal auxiliary wall of each of the first and second auxiliary units extends along an outer surface of the main unit, and wherein the first operative component is placed at the first longitudinal auxiliary wall of each of the first and second auxiliary units.

8. The wind turbine according to claim 7 , wherein the first and second longitudinal auxiliary walls of each of the first and second auxiliary units are joined by a third transverse auxiliary wall and a fourth transverse auxiliary wall extending perpendicular to the vertical center plane on opposite sides of the first and second operative components, the third transverse auxiliary wall being closer to the rotor than the fourth transverse auxiliary wall, and the first operative component or the second operative component in each of the first and second auxiliary units being placed the same distance from the fourth transverse auxiliary wall.

9. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the first operative component is heavier than the second operative component.

10. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein one of the first and second operative components is a transformer, a converter, a battery, or a fuel cell.

11. The wind turbine according to claim 10 , wherein the first operative component is a transformer, and the second operative component is a converter.

12. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein the main unit comprises first and second conductor structures in mirrored position across the vertical center plane and configured for respectively connecting the first and second operative components in the first and second auxiliary units with a component in the main unit.

13. The wind turbine according to claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second auxiliary units comprises an auxiliary conductor structure with conductors arranged for connection with one of the first and second conductor structures in the main unit, and wherein the auxiliary conductor structure in the first auxiliary unit is different from the auxiliary conductor structure in the second auxiliary unit.

14. The wind turbine according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second auxiliary units comprises a connection structure with conductors for electrical connection of the first operative component, the connection structures comprising a conductor layout in mirrored position across the vertical center plane.

15. A method of making a wind turbine according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
assembling the first and the second auxiliary units at a first manufacturing site,
attaching the second operative component inside each of the first and second auxiliary units while the first and second auxiliary units are at the first manufacturing site,
transporting the first and second auxiliary units to a second manufacturing site;
inserting the first operative component into each of the first and second auxiliary units while the first and second auxiliary units are at the second manufacturing site; and
attaching the first operative component of each of the first and second auxiliary units to the rotor-supporting assembly.

16. The method according to claim 15 , where the second manufacturing site is where nacelle is mounted on the tower.

17. The method according to claim 16 , where the first operative component is inserted into each of the first and second auxiliary units after the nacelle is mounted on the tower.

18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the step of inserting the first operative component into each of the first and second auxiliary units is after a step of attaching the first and second auxiliary units to the main unit.

19. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the step of inserting the first opera

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Baun Torben Ladegaard
• Demtröder Jens

Classifications

• F05B2230/60

  Assembly methods · CPC title

• F03D80/881

  within nacelles · CPC title

• Y02E10/76

  Power conversion electric or electronic aspects · CPC title

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title

• F05B2240/14

  Casings, housings, nacelles, gondels or the like, protecting or supporting assemblies there within · CPC title