Nacelle for a wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12435703-B2
Application number	US-202218707199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2022
Priority date	Nov 16, 2021
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

The invention relates to a wind turbine nacelle ( 2 ) configured for mounting on a wind turbine tower ( 3 ) and housing a rotor-supporting assembly supporting a rotor, the nacelle further housing a power conversion assembly, the nacelle comprising: —a main unit ( 20, 101 ) arranged to be connected to the wind turbine tower ( 3 ) and housing the rotor-supporting assembly, and—at least one auxiliary unit ( 21, 22, 102 ) housing an operative component ( 34, 35, 104 ) forming part of the power conversion assembly, wherein the main unit ( 20, 101 ) and the auxiliary unit ( 21, 22, 102 ) are separate units configured to be connected by a unit fixation structure at an interface, and wherein the at least one auxiliary unit has a first height in an assembled configuration and a second height in a transportation configuration, the first height being higher than the second height.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine nacelle configured for mounting on a wind turbine tower and housing a rotor-supporting assembly supporting a rotor, the nacelle further housing a power conversion assembly, the nacelle comprising:
a main unit arranged to be connected to the wind turbine tower and housing the rotor-supporting assembly, and
at least one auxiliary unit housing an operative component forming part of the power conversion assembly, the at least one auxiliary unit including a roof part
wherein the main unit and the auxiliary unit are separate units configured to be connected by a unit fixation structure at an interface, and
wherein the at least one auxiliary unit has a first height defined by a greatest height of the roof part in an assembled configuration and a second height defined by a greatest height of the roof part in a transportation configuration, the first height being higher than the second height.

2. The nacelle according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one auxiliary unit in the transportation configuration has the size and shape of a shipping freight container having structural specifications as provided by the ISO standard, ISO 668:2013 for series 1 freight containers.

3. The nacelle according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one auxiliary unit comprises
a bottom face,
four side faces together defining a space, each of said four side faces having an upper part defining in combination a top perimeter; and
the roof part,
wherein the roof part in the transportation configuration is connected to at least part of said top perimeter in order to cover at least part of said space.

4. The nacelle according to claim 3 , wherein, in the assembled configuration, a roof extension frame is mounted between said top perimeter and said bottom face; said roof extension frame being dismounted in the transportation configuration.

5. The nacelle according to claim 3 , wherein, in the transportation configuration, a roof extension frame is positioned inside the auxiliary unit in separate extension plates.

6. The nacelle according to claim 3 , wherein the roof part comprises a first roof section and a second roof section, and the second roof section is permanently fixed to said top perimeter and first roof section is releasably connected to the top perimeter, preferably the first roof section covers at least the first section.

7. The nacelle according to claim 1 , wherein, in the assembled configuration, a roof extension frame is mounted between said top perimeter and said roof part; said roof extension frame being dismounted in the transportation configuration.

8. The nacelle according to claim 7 , wherein said roof extension frame comprises at least two side extension plates and two end extension plates, and where at least two of these extension plates are welded or bolted together.

9. The nacelle according to claim 8 , wherein each of said side extension plates comprises at least two segments, such as at least three segments.

10. The nacelle according to claim 7 , wherein said roof extension frame has a height of at least 20 cm, such as at least 40 cm or at least 60 cm.

11. The nacelle according to claim 1 , wherein said nacelle comprises a main unit and at least two auxiliary units.

12. The nacelle according to claim 1 , wherein the main unit and the at least one auxiliary unit are arranged side by side in a direction away from a rotational axis defined by the rotor-supporting assembly.

13. The nacelle according to claim 1 , wherein the operative component is at least one of a power conversion assembly, a transformer, or a converter.

14. The nacelle according to claim 1 , wherein the roof part of the at least one auxiliary unit has a first section having a first height (h 1 ) and a second section having a second height (h 2 ), and the first height (h 1 ) being higher than the second height (h 2 ).

15. The nacelle according to claim 14 , wherein the first section is between 25% to 75% of the surface area of the auxiliary unit.

16. The nacelle according to claim 14 , wherein the auxiliary unit has a transport configuration and an assembled configuration, and in the transport configuration the height of both the first and the second sections are the second height (h 2 ).

17. The nacelle according to claim 14 , wherein the first roof section comprises at least two roof sub-sections separated by the second roof section.

18. The nacelle according to claim 14 , wherein the first height (h 1 ) is higher than the second height (h 2 ) by at least 20 cm, such as at least 40 cm or at least 60 cm.

19. The nacelle according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the volume defined by the difference between the transport configuration and the assembled configuration is housing an air-conditioning unit, such as a heating, a cooling, a dehumidifying, a desalination unit, or a unit combining two or more of these functions.

20. An installation method for the wind turbine nacelle according to claim 1 , the method comprising the steps of:
providing a main unit,
providing at least one auxiliary unit,
shifting the configuration of said at least one auxiliary unit between a transportation configuration and an assembled configuration, and
connecting the at least one auxiliary unit to the main unit.

21. The installation method according to claim 20 , wherein said step of connecting the at least one auxiliary unit to the main unit is after said step of shifting the configuration.

22. The installation method according to claim 20 , wherein said step of connecting the at least one auxiliary unit to the main unit is performed on-site.

23. The installation method according to claim 20 , further comprising the step of moving extension plates of a roof extension frame into or out from the at least one auxiliary unit.

24. A wind turbine nacelle configured for mounting on a wind turbine tower and housing a rotor-supporting assembly supporting a rotor, the nacelle further housing a power conversion assembly, the nacelle comprising:
a main unit arranged to be connected to the wind turbine tower and housing the rotor-supporting assembly, and
at least one auxiliary unit housing an operative component forming part of the power conversion assembly, the at least one auxiliary unit including a bottom face, four side faces, and a roof part that together define an interior space,
wherein the main unit and the auxiliary unit are separate units configured to be connected by a unit fixation structure at an interface, and
wherein the at least one auxiliary unit has a first height defined by a greatest height of the roof part in an assembled configuration and a second height defined by a greatest height of the roof part in a transportation configuration, the first height being higher than the second height to increase the interior space.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Nissen Christian Fløe
• Lausten René

Classifications

• F05B2240/142

  in the form of a standard ISO container · CPC title

• F03D13/122

  of auxiliary arrangements inside tower or nacelle, e.g. generators or transmission · CPC title

• F03D13/116

  of nacelles · CPC title

• F03D13/403

  for transporting or storing nacelles · CPC title

• F03D80/881

  within nacelles · CPC title