U.S. patent number RE41,073 [Application Number 10/829,481] was granted by the patent office on 2010-01-12 for wind power plant with a transformer fixed to the tower.
Invention is credited to Aloys Wobben.
United States Patent |
RE41,073 |
Wobben |
January 12, 2010 |
Wind power plant with a transformer fixed to the tower
Abstract
The invention concerns a wind power installation comprising a
pylon, a foundation for the pylon and an energy transfer unit for
transfer of the current generated to the power network. The wind
power installation according to the invention is distinguished in
that the weight of the energy transfer unit is carried by the
foundation of the pylon of the wind power installation.
Inventors: |
Wobben; Aloys (D-266067 Aurich,
DE) |
Family
ID: |
7864471 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/829,481 |
Filed: |
April 13, 1999 |
PCT
Filed: |
April 13, 1999 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/EP99/02461 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
November 22, 2000 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO99/53199 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
October 21, 1999 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
09647857 |
Nov 22, 2000 |
06400039 |
Jun 4, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
290/44;
290/55 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F03D
80/82 (20160501); F03D 9/255 (20170201); Y02E
10/72 (20130101); F03D 13/22 (20160501) |
Current International
Class: |
F03D
11/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;290/43,44,54,55 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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44-36-197 |
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Apr 1996 |
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DE |
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19615795 |
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Oct 1997 |
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DE |
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07-122438 |
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May 1995 |
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JP |
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Other References
"A Study of Offshore Based Wind Power: The Blekinge Project
(Sweeden)" Summary Report, The Blekinge Project Organization, pp.
1-11 May 1991. cited by other .
"Kurze Einfuhrung in die Windenergietechnologie" Deutsches
Windenergie-Institut GmbH publication, Jan. 31, 1993. cited by
other .
"Vestas V66-1.65 MW Pitch-Geregelte Windenergieanglage mit
OptiSlip.RTM. und OptiTip.RTM." Vestas product brochure, Dec. 1998.
cited by other .
Bjork, B., "A Feasibility Study on Offshore Wind Turbine Systems,"
Wind Engineering9(4): 243-255, 1985. cited by other .
Hau, E. et al (eds.), "WEGA II. Large wind turbines," European
Commission Report EUR 16902 EN, 1996, p. 47. cited by other .
Hoericht, R., "Wind power electricity generation 250 kW power plant
e.g. for installing over roads or railways--has multiple wind
powered rotors mounted on support structure spanning road or
railway track with sufficient free space left for road--railway
vehicles to pas underneath safety," Derwent Index Abstract
Accession No. . 1997-505515, 1997. See also DE 19615795A1. cited by
other .
Olsen and Dyre, "Videby Off-Shore Wind Farm--Construction and
Operation," Wind Engineering 17(3): 120-128, 1993. cited by other
.
Spera, D. (ed.), Wind Turbine Technology: Fundamental Concepts of
Wind Turbine Engineering, ASME Press, New York, 1994, pp. 50, 56,
61. cited by other .
Stiedal, H. et al., "The Worlds's First Offshore Wind Farm--A
Manufacturer's Experience," in Owemes '97 European Seminar, La
Maddalena, Italy, Apr. 10-11, 1997. cited by other .
Van de Sande, A.M.C., "Windfarm `Lely`--First Off-Shore Project in
the Netherland," in Owemes '97 European Seminar, La Maddalena,
Italy, Apr. 10-11, 1997. cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: Ponomarenko; Nicholas
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Seed IP Law Group PLLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
.[.1. A wind power installation comprising: a generator attached to
a pylon; the pylon supported by a foundation; an energy transfer
unit for transfer of the current generated by the generator to a
power network, wherein the weight of the energy transfer unit is
supported by the foundation..].
2. The wind power installation in claim .[.1.]. .Iadd.6.Iaddend.,
wherein the energy transfer unit is a transformer.
3. The wind power installation in claims .[.1.]. .Iadd.6
.Iaddend.or 2, wherein the energy transfer unit is fixed externally
to the pylon.
4. The wind power installation in claims .[.1.]. .Iadd.6
.Iaddend.or 2, wherein the energy transfer unit is fixed internally
to the pylon.
.[.5. The wind power installation in claims 1 or 2, further
comprising: the energy transfer unit is arranged on a platform
which is fixed to the pylon..].
6. .[.The wind power installation in claims 1 or 2,.]. .Iadd.A wind
power installation, comprising: a generator attached to a pylon;
the pylon supported by a foundation; a platform fixed to the pylon;
and an energy transfer unit arranged on the platform for transfer
of current generated by the generator to a power network, wherein
weight of the energy transfer unit is supported only by the
foundation, .Iaddend. wherein.[.:.]. the power network has overland
power lines, and .Iadd.wherein .Iaddend.the energy transfer unit is
arranged substantially at .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.height of the
overland power lines .Iadd.and provides for power line
support.Iaddend..
.Iadd.7. A wind power installation, comprising: a generator
attached to a pylon; the pylon supported by a foundation; an energy
transfer unit for transfer of current generated by the generator to
a power network, wherein weight of the energy transfer unit is
supported only by the foundation and the energy transfer unit is
fixed externally to the pylon, wherein: the power network has
overland power lines, and the energy transfer unit is arranged
substantially at a height of the overland power lines and provides
for power line support. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.8. The wind power installation according to claim 9, wherein
the energy transfer unit is a transformer. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.9. A wind power installation, comprising: a pylon; an
electric generator attached to said pylon; a foundation coupled to
and supporting said pylon; a platform coupled to and supported
solely by said pylon; and an energy transfer unit affixed to and
supported by the platform, an entire weight of the energy transfer
unit being supported by said pylon, wherein the platform is coupled
to the pylon at a height which is approximately equal to a height
of overland power lines adjacent to the pylon, and wherein the
energy transfer unit provides for power line support. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.10. The wind power installation according to claim 9, wherein
the platform includes a limiting wall adjacent to a sidewall of the
energy transfer unit. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.11. The wind power installation according to claim 10 wherein
the platform includes a base positioned for supporting the weight
of the energy transfer unit, the base being perpendicular to the
limiting wall and coupled to the limiting wall such that the
transformer is enclosed on at least two sides by the platform.
.Iaddend.
.Iadd.12. The wind power installation according to claim 9, further
including a plurality of circuit breakers coupled between the
energy transfer unit and the overland power lines, the circuit
breakers providing an electrical connection between the energy
transfer unit and the overland power lines. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.13. The wind power installation according to claim 12 wherein
said circuit breakers are positioned above the energy transfer
unit. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.14. The wind power installation according to claim 9, further
including an electrical power line extending from the generator
along the pylon to the platform, the electrical power line
terminating at the energy transfer unit at a height approximately
equal to the height of the overland power lines attached to the
platform. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.15. The wind power installation according to claim 9, further
including a plurality of rotor blades coupled to the generator, the
rotor blades being exposed to a wind for causing rotation of a
portion of the generator by wind power. .Iaddend.
Description
The invention concerns a wind power installation comprising a
pylon, a foundation for the pylon and an energy transfer unit for
transfer of the current generated to the power network.
Wind power installations of that kind are well-known from the state
of the art. By means of installations of that kind, the energy
stored in the wind is converted into electrical energy by way of a
rotor which rotates in the wind and a generator which is driven by
the rotor. In order to be arranged at a height of optimum wind
speed, the rotor is generally disposed at the tip of a tower or
pylon. By virtue of the not inconsiderable weight of the
installation overall and the loadings involved with high wind
speeds, the entire installation must be anchored in the ground by
means of a foundation.
It is also known that the current generated by the wind power
installation is passed by way of a line laid in the ground to an
energy transfer unit for transfer of the current generated to the
power network. That energy transfer unit which usually includes a
transformer is in that case disposed at some distance from the
pylon and by virtue of its also not inconsiderable weight is
usually anchored to the ground by a foundation.
A disadvantage with wind power installations of that kind which are
known from the state of the art however is that they are relatively
inflexible in terms of erection thereof. For often installations of
that kind are used in regions in which for example due to the
ground consisting of rock, it is only possible at extremely high
cost and complication to drive a foundation into the ground. In the
state of the art therefore installing the energy transfer units at
a spaced position from the pylon of the wind power installation
often gives rise to serious difficulties and thus involves
increased costs in terms of emplacement and erection.
A further disadvantage with the known wind power installations as
set forth in hereinbefore is that the energy transfer units are
accessible to anyone by virtue of their position on the ground and
can thus be the victim of sabotage. In order to prevent such
sabotage by unauthorised parties, it is admittedly known for the
energy transfer units of wind power installations of that kind to
be provided with suitably secured openings or fencing enclosures
but this is also disadvantageous in consideration of the additional
costs involved.
Therefore the object of the invention is to avoid the
above-mentioned disadvantages of the state of the art and to
provide a wind power installation of the kind set forth in the
opening part of this specification, which can be set up even in
inhospitable areas and which effectively makes sabotage by
unauthorised parties more difficult.
In accordance with the invention, in a wind power installation of
the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, that
object is attained in that the weight of the energy transfer unit
is carried by the foundation of the pylon.
The advantages of the invention are in particular that there is no
need for an additional foundation for the energy transfer unit to
be provided in the ground. The invention provides that the
foundation for the pylon, which is usually of a very stable nature
in any case by virtue of the demands referred to in the opening
part of this specification, is also used for supporting the weight
of the energy transfer unit. The invention therefore completely
saves on the costs of an additional foundation.
It is particularly advantageous in the case of the wind power
installation according to the invention that safeguarding the pylon
against access by unauthorised parties simultaneously prevents
unauthorised parties having access to the energy transfer unit.
Thus for example an enclosure for the pylon which is already
present means that an energy transfer unit which is mounted
directly to the pylon on the foundation of the pylon can also be
safeguarded against unauthorised parties by the fencing enclosure.
In addition for example a pylon which is hollow in its interior can
accommodate the energy transfer unit in its interior so that the
energy transfer unit, even without an enclosure around the pylon,
is safeguarded against sabotage by unauthorised parties. In the
case of the last-mentioned embodiment it is moreover particularly
advantageous that the power lines from the pylon to the energy
transfer unit can be kept very short as by virtue of its position
in the interior of the pylon, the energy transfer unit is in the
closest possible proximity to the power cables which extend in the
interior of the pylon and which run from the current generator to
the energy transfer unit. Moreover, in this embodiment, the energy
transfer unit is completely protected from the weather by virtue of
its being positioned in the interior of the pylon. By virtue
thereof, particularly in areas involving aggressive and corrosive
weather conditions, for example in the proximity of the sea with
correspondingly salt-laden air, it is possible very substantially
to forego a particularly expensive sealing arrangement or expensive
anti-corrosion measures for the energy transfer unit.
A further, particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is
distinguished in that the energy transfer unit is fixed externally
to the pylon. In this embodiment the energy transfer unit is
admittedly not weather-proofed as in the case of the
above-mentioned embodiment; it is however advantageously exposed to
the cooling wind so that for example it is possible to eliminate
cooling for a transformer of the energy transfer unit, as is
possibly necessary in particular in hot areas. In addition, in this
embodiment possible malfunctions of the energy transfer unit which
for example could cause a fire do not spread directly to the
overall installation.
A particularly preferred embodiment is one in which the energy
transfer unit is disposed approximately at the height of an
overland power line of the power network, to which the wind power
installation is connected. This embodiment therefore provides that
the power is transferred directly to the overland power line
directly at the height thereof so that there is no need for any
additional lines from the energy transfer unit to the not
inconsiderable height of conventional overland power lines.
In this embodiment moreover the overland power lines also do not
have to be taken down to the proximity of the ground so that this
embodiment is also distinguished by enjoying an increased level of
safeguard against sabotage.
Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are set forth in
the appended claims.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference
to the accompanying drawing.
The single FIGURE of the drawing diagrammatically shows the wind
power installation according to the invention.
The FIGURE shows in its left-hand part a partly sectional wind
power installation 1. The FIGURE shows in its right-hand part a
wind power installation 2. The FIGURE shows the wind power
installation 1 partly in section as viewed from the side. The wind
power installation 2 is also shown as a side view, but not in
section. The wind power installations 1 and 2 are identical in
terms of their structure so that here only the wind power
installation 1 which is shown at the left will be described in
respect of its structure.
The wind power installation 1 has a tower or pylon 4 which is
arranged perpendicularly relative to the ground 6. The pylon 4 of
the wind power installation 1 is anchored in the ground 6 by a
foundation 8. The foundation 8 is of an enlarged diameter, in
relation to the diameter of the pylon 4.
A machine housing 12 is mounted to the tip 10 of the pylon 4.
Ancillary assemblies (not shown) of the wind power installation 1
are disposed in the machine housing 12. A generator 14 is disposed
directly adjoining the machine housing 12. The generator 14
converts the rotational energy of the rotor hub 16 connected
thereto into electrical energy. The rotor hub 16 is caused to
rotate by rotor blades 18 which rotate in the wind by virtue of an
aerofoil profile.
The electrical energy produced is made available by the generator
14 by way of lines 20 to a transformer 22 which operates as an
energy transfer unit. The transformer 22 feeds the transformed
electrical energy by way of circuit breakers 24 into overland power
lines 26. The overland power .[.lands.]. .Iadd.lines .Iaddend.26
are suspended on masts 30 by way of insulators 28.
The transformer 22 is arranged directly at the pylon 4. The
transformer 22 is disposed on a platform 32. At its end remote from
the pylon the .[.transformer.]. .Iadd.platform .Iaddend.32 has a
limiting wall 34. The platform 32 is disposed substantially at the
height of the overland power lines 26 so that the fixing points 36
which serve above the circuit breakers 24 for fixing the overland
power line 26 above the transformer 22 to the pylon 4 are disposed
substantially at the same height as the insulators 28. In the
illustrated embodiment therefore the pylon 4 also performs the
function of a mast 30.
.Iadd.The previously described alternative embodiment, where the
energy transfer unit is positioned internally in a pylon is shown
by the arrow to the broken line box in the FIGURE. As shown inside
the broken line box, the pylon 4 is hollow in its interior such
that the transformer 22 is inside of and fixed internally to the
pylon 4 by the platform 32. .Iaddend.
The right-hand half of the FIGURE shows a wind power installation 2
which is of the same structure as the wind power installation 1. In
the illustrated view however the transformer 38 is mounted turned
through 90.degree. on the side of the wind power installation 2,
which is towards the person viewing the drawing. In addition the
FIGURE does not show a limiting wall for the platform 40 of the
wind power installation, such wall corresponding to the limiting
wall 34 of the platform 32. The transformer 38 however is also
connected by way of circuit breakers 42 to overland power lines 26
fixed to the pylon 46 at fixing points 44.
* * * * *