Title of Invention

A WIND POWER INSTALLATION FOR PRODUCING A SINUSOIDAL AC VOLTAGE

Abstract

"A WIND POWER INSTALLATION FOR PRODUCING A SINUSOIDAL AC VOLTAGE" The invention relates to a wind power station for generating sinusoidal alternating voltage, comprising a generator having a rotor and a stator, a rotor with blades that is connected to said armature and power transmitting means for transmitting electrical power from the non-rotating part of the wind power station to the rotor. In order to prevent drawbacks such a wear, noise and low efficiency occurring during power transmission using slip rings, the power transmitting means have an asynchronous machine whose stator is arranged in the non-rotating part of the wind power station and whose armature is arranged in the rotor with the purpose of ensuring contactless transmission of electrical power to the rotor.

Full Text

The invention concerns a wind power installation for producing a sinusoidal ac voltage comprising a generator having a generator rotor and a generator stator, a rotor unit with rotor blades which is connected to the generator rotor, and power transmission means for the transmission of electrical power from the non-rotating part of the wind power installation to the rotor unit. In the case of wind power installations it is necessary for power to be transmitted from the non-rotating part to the rotating part, for various purposes. For example, in the case of an electromagnetically excited synchronous generator, a direct current is required as the exciter current for the pole wheel, and for rotor blade adjustment by means of suitable electric motors that also requires electrical power. Contentionally that power is transmitted from the non-rotating part of the wind power installation to the rotating part by means of slip rings. Slip rings however basically suffer from the disadvantage that losses occur by virtue of the friction involved, that is to say the level of efficiency is reduced, a large amount of noise is generated, and in particular they suffer from a high level of wear, and therefore need to be repaired or have to be replaced from time to time. In addition electrical flash-overs can occur at such slip rings. They are even further promoted with increasing operating time, due to the abrasion of particles. situation the asynchronous machine is operated in a generator mode. The ac voltage induced in the rotor windings can then be further processed with suitable further means for use for the desired purpose in the rotating part of the wind power installation. The arrangement proposed in accordance with the invention for the contactless transmission of electrical power suffers from losses to a substantially lesser degree and is wear-free. The noise level generated is drastically reduced, compared to the known use of slip rings. Advantageous configurations of the invention are set forth in the appendant claims. The invention is preferably used in an electromagnetically excited synchronous generator in order there to derive , a direct current as an exciter current for the rotor of the synchronous ^^A^/^ generator from the electrical power transmitted by the asynchronous machine. For that purpose there is preferably provided a suitable rectifier in the rotating part of the wind power installation,, wherein in a further embodiment an LC filter can be connected on the input side thereof in order to compensate for reactions of the pole wheel of the synchronous machine, for example in the harmonics range. In a further advantageous configuration of the invention there is provided at least one further rectifier with which a dc voltage or also a direct current can be produced in order to supply further units on the rotor unit of the wind power installation with electrical power. For example, electric motors which are to be supplied with a dc voltage are provided for blade angle adjustment of the individual rotor unit blades. That supply with a dc voltage is afforded in a simple manner in accordance with the invention. Preferably, arranged in the non-rotating part of the wind power installation is an inverter with which an ac voltage is generated to feed the stator of the asynchronous machine provided in accordance with the invention, for power transmission purposes. That inverter preferably generates an ac voltage at a frequency of about 400 to 600 Hz. Advantageously, regulation of the exciter current of the rotor of the generator can even be effected in dependence on the speed of rotation and the electrical power of the generator, by means of the inverter. In particular the amplitude of the exciter current for the pole wheel of a synchronous generator can advantageously be regulated by the inverter. For many purposes within the rotor unit of the wind power installation, it is necessary for the dc voltage present to be as constant as possible. For that purpose, besides a rectifier, it is also possible to provide a capacitor which also additionally smoothes the output voltage of the rectifier. In order repeatedly to charge up that capacitor to the peak value, it can therefore be provided that the inverter periodically produces a voltage pulse. At the same time the capacitor serves as an intermediate storage device in order to provide sufficient electrical power, even in the event of failure of the current supply, at least for an emergency adjustment procedure. As the asynchronous machine is advantageously operated at a frequency of 400 to 600 Hz and as there is an air gap from the primary winding to the secondary winding, the asynchronous machine has a very high reactive current requirement. That reactive current in accordance with the invention can be provided if connected on the input side of the stator of the asynchronous machine is an LC filter for setting the reactive current of the current fed to the stator. The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a circuit diagram of the solution according to the invention, and Figure 2 shows the configuration of the voltage of an inverter for feeding the asynchronous machine. Figure 3 shows the general layout of the wind power installation. The circuit diagram in Figure 1 shows the solution according to the invention for contactlessly transmitting electrical power from the non-rotating part of the wind power installation to the rotating part. For that purpose there is firstly provided an inverter 1 which generates an ac voltage at a frequency of 400 to 600 Hz, preferably about 500 Hz. Provided in the connecting lines between the inverter 1 and the stator 5 of the asynchronous machine 4 are short-circuit limiting reactors 2 and LC filters 3 connected in a star circuit configuration. The ac voltage produced by the inverter 1 and smoothed by means of the reactor chokes 2 is thus fed into the non-rotating stator 5 of the asynchronous machine 4. By virtue of the stator field which rotates in the stator windings, an electrical field is induced in the secondary windings of the rotor 6 by virtue of the relative movement between the rotor and the stator field and thus a voltage is produced in the stator windings. The rotating rotor 6 is mechanically connected to the hub of the wind power {/ installation. The electrical power can thus be contactlessly transmitted from the stationary part, that is to say the machine carrier of the wind power installation, to the rotating part, the rotor unit head. The ac voltage induced in the rotor 6 is fed on the one hand to a rectifier 8 which rectifies that ac voltage and the pole wheel 7 of the electromagnetically excited synchronous generator of the wind power installation. The rectifier 8 thus has an inductive load and the voltage acting at the pole wheel 7 is the effective root-mean- square value of the voltage. Preferably the inverter 1 regulates the output voltage in } • such a way that the effective voltage at the output of the (rectifier 1 causes the desired direct current for the pole wheel 7 to flow. In that situation the high inductance of the f vUJt- pole wheel 7 smoothes the current and evens out the waviness of the output voltage of the rectifier 8. If the inverter 1 produces high voltages for a short time, they are compensated by the inductance of the pole wheel 7 if thereafter a lower voltage is produced. It is therefore possible with the asynchronous machine 4 in conjunction with the rectifier 8 to produce a regulated direct current for the pole wheel 7. The amplitude of the exciter current for the pole wheel 7 should in that case be regulated in dependence on the rotary speed and the electrical power of the synchronous generator by the inverter 1. The ac voltage induced in the rotor 6 can also be used for further purposes on the rotating part of the wind power installation. Thus for example a rotor blade adjustment unit 10 requires a dc voltage. That dc voltage is produced from the ac voltage of the rotor 6 by a rectifier 11. That dc voltage is dependent on the amplitude of the output voltage of the rotor 6 as that involves peak value rectification. The capacitors 12 are always charged up. In that respect the capacitance of the capacitors 12 is such that the stored amount of current is sufficient to actuate the rotor blade adjustment unit 10 of each rotor blade in the event of a power failure, in order to be able to securely implement emergency shut-down of the wind power installation and rotation of the rotor blades into the feathered position. The transmitter which is in the form of an asynchronous machine 4 therefore contactlessly delivers electrical power to the rotating part of the wind power installation, and that on the one hand supplies the pole wheel of the generator with a direct current and on the other hand also supplies further electrical units such as the rotor blade adjustment unit with a dc voltage. For that purpose the inverter 1 periodically produces a voltage pulse which repeatedly charges up the capacitors 12 to the peak value. Such a voltage configuration in respect of the output voltage of the inverter 1 is shown in Figure 2. It is possible to clearly see the periodic voltage pulses P for charging up the capacitors 12 to the required voltage. It has also been found however that those peaks are not required but that the capacitors can also be charged up without those peaks to a sufficiently high voltage to actuate the blade adjustment drive means. The asynchronous machine 4 is preferably operated at a frequency of about 500 Hz and has an air gap from the primary winding to the secondary winding. Those two conditions require a very high reactive current requirement. The LC filter 3 is intended to produce that high reactive current. The pole wheel 7 which is connected on the output side of the rectifier 8 also requires a very high reactive current. It comprises in part the fundamental oscillation and the harmonics such as for example the fifth, seventh, eleventh and thirteenth harmonics. The LC filter 9 comprising three star-connected branches each with a series circuit comprising a capacitor and a parallel circuit comprising a resistor and an inductor are intended to deliver that reactive power. Overall the level of efficiency of power transmission is enormously improved by the two filters 3 and 9. In figure 3 the generator 27 is shown which comprises a generator stator 23 and a generator rotor 21. Further, the rotor unit 28 is shown which comprises the hub 25 and the rotor blades 29. These rotate around an axle journal 22 and are carried by bearings 26. The axle journal 22 is fixed to the machine carrier 24. The machine carrier 24, the axle journal 22 and the generator stator 23 together form the non-rotating part of the wind power installation. According to the invention the asynchronous machine 4 is used to transmit energy from the non-rotating part 30 of the wind power installation to the rotor unit 28 which is, for instance, required as exciter current for the pole wheel and for rotor blade adjustment by means of suitable electric motors. According to the invention the stator 5 of the asynchronous machine is thus arranged at the non-rotating part 30 of the wind power installation while the rotor 6 is arranged at the rotor unit 28. Further, an inverter 1 is also arranged in the non-rotating part 30 of the wind power installation for producing an AC voltage having a periodic voltage pulse for feeding the stator 5 of the asynchronous machine. Such a solution is not known in the prior art. In particular there is no inverter shown which produces an AC voltage having a periodic voltage pulse for feeding the stator of the asynchronous machine as shown in figure 2 of the present invention where the pulse is indicated by reference sign P. The solution according to the invention can thus easily provide for contactlessly transmitting power from the non-rotating part of the wind power installation to the rotating part for different purposes. In that respect neither wear nor severe noise generation occurs. 5. A wind power installation according to one of the preceding claims qharacterised in that the inverter (1) is adapted to regulate the exciter current of theHu generator rotor of the generator in dependence on the rotary speed and the electrical power of the generator. 6. (A wind power installation according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that connected on the input side of the stator (5) of the asynchronous machine (4) is an LC (3) filter for adjusting the reactive current of the current fed to the stator (5).

Documents:

0896-chenp-2004-abstract.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-claims.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-correspondnece-others.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-correspondnece-po.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-description(complete).pdf

0896-chenp-2004-drawings.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-form 1.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-form 19.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-form 26.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-form 3.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-form 5.pdf

0896-chenp-2004-pct.pdf

896-chenp-2004 abstract granted.pdf

896-chenp-2004 claims duplicate.pdf

896-chenp-2004 claims granted.pdf

896-chenp-2004 description (complete) duplicate.pdf

896-chenp-2004 description (complete) granted.pdf

896-chenp-2004 drawings duplicate.pdf

896-chenp-2004 drawings granted.pdf