Method for Monitoring the Temperature of a Generator of a Wind Turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025250965-A1
Application number	US-202519045091-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 4, 2025
Priority date	Feb 5, 2024
Publication date	Aug 7, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method is provided for monitoring the temperature of an electric generator of a wind turbine, wherein the generator has a stator, a rotor and a temperature monitoring unit. The temperature monitoring unit has a passive control element on the rotor and a receiving unit on the stator. A change in temperature on the rotor leads to a mechanical or optical change in the passive control element. The mechanical or optical change in the passive control element is acquired by the receiving unit on the stator.

First claim

1 . A method for monitoring a temperature of an electric generator of a wind turbine, wherein the generator has a stator, a rotor and a temperature monitoring unit, wherein the temperature monitoring unit has a passive control element on the rotor and a receiving unit on the stator, the method comprising:
detecting, by the receiving unit, a mechanical or optical change in the passive control element, wherein the mechanical or optical change is triggered based on a change in a temperature of the rotor; determining that the mechanical or optical change in the passive control element exceeds a threshold; and generating a warning sign indicative of the mechanical or optical change in the passive control element, wherein the passive control element has a movable pin, the movable ping having an associated length that changes as a function of the temperature of the rotor, and the movable pin comes into contact with a contact surface of the receiving unit when the temperature of the rotor exceeds the threshold.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the movable pin has a magnetic element and the receiving unit has a magnetic sensor contact by the magnetic element of the control element.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving unit has an obstacle detection sensor that detects the movable pin using electromagnetic waves.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the obstacle detection sensor is an infrared sensor.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the passive control element has a temperature measuring strip which changes color as a function of the temperature, and the receiving unit has an optical sensor for detecting a change in the color of the temperature measuring strip.

6 . An electric generator for a wind turbine, comprising:
a rotor; a stator; a generator gap between the rotor and the stator; and a temperature monitoring unit having a passive control element on the rotor and a receiving unit on the stator, wherein the temperature monitoring unit is configured to:
detect a mechanical or optical change in the passive control element, wherein the mechanical or optical change is triggered based on a change in a temperature of the rotor;
determine that the mechanical or optical change in the passive control element exceeds a threshold; and
generate a warning sign indicative of the mechanical or optical change in the passive control element, wherein
the passive control element has a movable pin that is configured to change in length as a function of the temperature of the rotor, and the receiving unit has a mechanical contact detector.

7 . The electric generator according to claim 6 , wherein
the movable pin has a magnetic element that is configured to cause the change in the length of the movable pin, and the receiving unit has a magnetic sensor configured to magnetically detect a contact by the magnetic element.

8 . The electric generator according to claim 6 , wherein
the receiving unit has an obstacle detection sensor, and the obstacle detection sensor is configured to detect a contact by the movable pin.

9 . The electric generator according to claim 6 , wherein the generator represents a permanently excited synchronous generator.

10 . The electric generator according to claim 6 , wherein the movable pin comes into contact with a contact surface of the receiving unit when the temperature of the rotor exceeds the threshold.

11 . The electric generator according to claim 6 , wherein
the passive control element has a temperature measuring strip which changes color as a function of the temperature, and the receiving unit has an optical sensor for detecting a change in the color of the temperature measuring strip.

12 . The electric generator according to claim 11 , wherein the optical sensor is a camera.

13 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the optical sensor is a camera.

Assignees

• Wobben Properties Gmbh

Inventors

• Daboul Hussam
• Ewen Rolf
• Müller Michael

Classifications

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title

• F05B2270/8041

  Cameras · CPC title

• F05B2270/402

  passive or reactive, e.g. using large wind vanes · CPC title

• F03D7/04

  Automatic control; Regulation · CPC title

• F03D17/036

  Generators · CPC title