Hub and bearing system and a turbine comprising the hub and bearing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9938959-B2
Application number	US-201314781675-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2013
Priority date	Apr 3, 2013
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A bearing system supports a plurality of turbine blades; each blade being rotatable about a pitch axis relative to a bearing system hub. The hub, comprising a plurality of static frames having a conical structure including two or more legs with openings therebetween, is connected to a main shaft of the turbine. Dynamic frames include a conical structure and two or more legs with openings therebetween. Legs of the static frame pass through openings between the legs of the corresponding dynamic frame, and legs of the dynamic frame pass through openings between legs of the corresponding static frame. Each dynamic frame is connected to one of the blades and is rotationally mounted to the corresponding static frame by a first bearing unit and a second bearing unit, distally arranged along the pitch axis from the first bearing unit. A central hub portion interconnects first shaft sections of the static frames.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bearing system adapted to support a plurality of blades of a turbine, such that each blade is rotatable about a pitch axis relative to a hub of the bearing system, wherein:
the hub is configured for being connected to a main shaft of the turbine and comprises a plurality of static frames which include a conical structure and have two or more legs with openings in between, the static frames being configured for cooperating with corresponding dynamic frames, which comprise a conical structure and have two or more legs with openings in between, whereby the legs of the static frame pass through openings between the legs of the corresponding dynamic frame, and the legs of the dynamic frame pass through openings between the legs of the corresponding static frame;
each dynamic frame is configured for being connected to one of the blades, each dynamic frame is rotationally mounted to the corresponding static frame by a first bearing unit and a second bearing unit arranged at a distance along the pitch axis from the first bearing unit,
each static frame further comprises a first shaft section having a first ring of the first bearing unit mounted thereto and a second shaft section having a first ring of the second bearing unit mounted thereto;
the hub further comprises a central portion which interconnects the first shaft sections of the static frames.

2. The bearing system according to claim 1 , wherein the central portion extends along an axis of the main shaft and interconnects a front axial side and a rear axial side of the hub.

3. The bearing system according to claim 1 , configured in accordance with at least one of:
wherein the static frame is conically shaped towards at least one of the first bearing unit and the second bearing unit, and
wherein the dynamic frame is conically shaped towards at least one of the first bearing unit and the second bearing unit.

4. The bearing system according to claim 1 , wherein the legs of the static frame and the legs of the dynamic frame pass through the respective openings therebetween at a widest diameter of the static frame and the dynamic frame.

5. The bearing system according to claim 4 , wherein the static frames and the dynamic frames each have three legs and the dimensions of the static frame legs and the openings therebetween and the dimensions of the dynamic frame legs and the openings therebetween are configured to enable a rotating of the dynamic frame relative to the static frame over an angle of at least 90 degrees.

6. The bearing system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
(a) an inner-diameter of the first bearing unit and
(b) an inner-diameter of the second bearing unit
is less than half a diameter of a root of the blade.

7. The bearing system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first bearing unit and the second bearing unit comprise self-aligning bearing units.

8. The bearing system according to claim 1 , wherein the second ring of the first bearing unit is the inner ring of the first bearing unit, and
wherein the second ring of the second bearing unit is the inner ring of the second bearing unit.

9. The bearing system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first bearing unit and the second bearing unit comprise plain bearings.

10. The bearing system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first bearing unit and the second bearing unit comprise a radial bearing and an axial bearing.

11. The bearing system according to claim 1 , the bearing system further comprising at least one pitch-drive motor, wherein the at least one pitch-drive motor is configured for adjusting the pitch of the plurality of blades.

12. The bearing system according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one pitch-drive motor is configured for rotating the dynamic frame via one of: a gear-ring, a belt drive or a hydraulic actuator.

13. The bearing system according to claim 1 , wherein the dynamic frames are integrated into the blades.

14. The bearing system according to claim 1 , the bearing system further comprising a fixation element configured for securing a position of at least one of the dynamic frames relative to the static frame for enabling a replacement of at least one of the first bearing unit and the second bearing unit.

15. The bearing system according to claim 1 , the bearing system further comprising three static frames being configured to cooperate with corresponding dynamic frames.

16. A turbine comprising:
a generator having a main shaft for rotating the generator and
a bearing system, the bearing system adapted to support a plurality of blades of a turbine, such that each blade is rotatable about a pitch axis relative to a hub of the bearing system, wherein:
the hub is configured for being connected to a main shaft of the turbine and comprises a plurality of static frames which include a conical structure and have two or more legs with openings in between, the static frames being configured for cooperating with corresponding dynamic frames, which comprise a conical structure and have two or more legs with openings in between, whereby the legs of the static frame pass through openings between the legs of the corresponding dynamic frame, and the legs of the dynamic frame pass through openings between the legs of the corresponding static frame;
each dynamic frame is configured for being connected to one of the blades, each dynamic frame is rotationally mounted to the corresponding static frame by a first bearing unit and a second bearing unit arranged at a distance along the pitch axis from the first bearing unit,
each static frame further comprises a first shaft section having a first ring of the first bearing unit mounted thereto and a second shaft section having a first ring of the second bearing unit mounted thereto;
the hub further comprises a central portion which interconnects the first shaft sections of the static frames,
wherein the bearing system is integrated into the turbine.

17. The turbine according to claim 16 , wherein the central portion of the hub is connected to main shaft.

18. The turbine according to claim 16 , wherein the turbine is one of a wind turbine or a tidal energy turbine.

Assignees

• Skf Ab

Inventors

• Verhulst Laurens
• Welling Koos
• Van Pommeren Jascha

Classifications

• F03D80/70

  Bearing or lubricating arrangements · CPC title

• F05B2240/54

  Radial bearings · CPC title

• F03D3/06 Primary

  Rotors · CPC title

• Y02E10/721

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F05B2250/232

  conical · CPC title