Vestas Wind Systems A/s

Northern Power Systems, Inc.

Northern Power Systems Utility Scale, Inc.

Peter Mongeau

Lars Langvardt Krogh

Kent Tange

Henrik Zaar Mannik

Mark S Piercey

Mustafa Gündüz

Jonathan A Lynch

Ulrich Meinekat

Lars Brink Christensen

Nicolaj Olesen

Marek Swies

Andreas Langbak

Ciprian Biris

Joris Kofman

Siddharth Navinchandra Ashar

Jens Demtröder

Victor Donescu

Ralf Rüschoff

Xiaolu Ding

Nicole Farell

Lars Dyred Simonsen

Thomas D Kohler

Marcin Janota

Paul A Smith

Jens Bergmann

Nalliboyana Dharmaraju

William R Wink

Tobias Philipp Roman Duda

Janota Marcin

Nicole Herrmann

Siddharth Ashar

A method for controlling operation of a generator for a wind turbine is disclosed. A measure for a rotational speed of the generator, and a measure for vibrations originating from gear tooth meshing of a gearbox of the wind turbine, at the rotational speed of the generator, and at least one amplitude of a harmonic in the gearbox vibrations is determined. An initial phase angle and an initial amplitude are selected, based on the rotational speed, on initial characteristics of the wind turbine, and on the at least one amplitude of the harmonic. An optimization process is performed to obtain an adjusted phase angle and an adjusted amplitude. A torque modulating signal for the generator, specifying the adjusted phase angle and the adjusted amplitude, is generated and injected into the generator. Information regarding residual vibrations at the minimised resultant vibration is derived.

Method for handling gearbox vibrations in a wind turbine

A method for controlling operation of a generator for a wind turbine is disclosed. At least one amplitude of a harmonic in the gearbox vibrations is determined. A torque modulating signal for the generator is generated. A phase angle and the amplitude are adjusted during operation of the generator, until a minimum in amplitude of a resultant vibration is reached, thereby obtaining an adjusted torque modulating signal. The adjusted torque modulating signal is injected into the generator, resulting in the resultant vibration of vibrations of the gearbox and vibrations of the generator, corresponding to the harmonic in the gearbox vibrations, being reduced.

Method for reducing noise from wind turbine gearbox vibrations

A wind turbine includes a generator with a stator and a rotor mounted for providing electrical power to an electric grid. The wind turbine includes a stator having a core with a plurality of individual adjacent segments coupled together for forming a segmented core. A concentrated winding element is wound around each stator core segment for generating flux in the core segment. An insulation element is positioned between adjacent core segments for electrically isolating adjacent core segments from each other, the stator core is coupled with a stator support element that is coupled to a generator housing, wherein the stator support element is an electrically insulative element or wherein the stator support element and each stator core segment are electrically isolated from each other.

High voltage electric machine with improved stator insulation

A method for reducing gear induced noise from a wind turbine is disclosed. A first vibration map and a second vibration map are generated, specifying, for each of a plurality of operating points of the generator, a virtual phase of vibrations originating from gear tooth meshing of the gearbox, relative to a first and second reference phase, at the respective operating points. An overlap between operating points of the first vibration map and operating points of the second vibration map is identified and virtual phases within the overlap are compared, thus deriving a phase offset between the first vibration map and the second vibration map. The virtual phase of vibrations of each of the operating points of the second vibration map are adjusted according to the phase offset, so as to align the first vibration map and the second vibration map, and the first vibration map and the second vibration map are combined into a resultant vibration map.

Method for reducing gear induced noise from a wind turbine

A method for tracking a gear tooth meshing angle of a gearbox of a wind turbine is disclosed. An initial reference virtual gear tooth meshing angle of the gearbox is selected, and an angular position of a high speed shaft and/or a low speed shaft of the gearbox is monitored. A virtual gear tooth meshing angle relative to the reference virtual gear tooth meshing angle is estimated, based on the monitored angular position of the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft and on information regarding topology of the gearbox. A number of full rotations of the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft which corresponds to an integer number of full periods of gear meshing of the gearbox is calculated, and the reference virtual gear tooth meshing angle is reset each time the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft has performed the calculated number of full rotations. The estimated virtual gear tooth meshing angle is applied to a periodic noise signal of the wind turbine.

Method for tracking a gear tooth meshing angle of a gearbox of a wind turbine

A stator mount and a tool for adjusting the position of a stator mount of a stator of a generator of a wind turbine. The stator mount comprises a support member having a plurality of elongate both holes which provide adjustability between the stator mount and the frame of a generator housing, or between separate components of the stator mount itself. The stator mount may comprise one or more adjustment devices for adjusting the position of the stator mount in use. A tool is provided which may be used to adjust the position of the stator mounts. The tool attaches to the frame of the generator and comprises one or more adjustment devices for adjusting the position of the stator in use.

Mounting of stators in generators for wind turbines

Systems, methods, and computer program products for virtual machine testing of an electric machine. A test signature including parameter values measured during one or more static tests of the electric machine is compared to a reference signature generated by performing a similar series of static tests on a reference machine. The reference machine is then validated by subjecting the reference machine to full-load dynamic testing. The test and reference signatures may include a plurality of parameters each characterizing a physical property of the respective machines in one or more physical domains. The parameters are selected so that the electric machine can be qualified for operation in the field by comparing the test signature to the reference signature, thereby avoiding the need for full-load dynamic testing of the electric machine.

Virtual machine testing of electrical machines using physical domain performance signatures

A generator () for a wind turbine () comprises a rotor () with an axis of rotation, a stator and a radial and/or axial locking mechanism. The radial locking mechanism comprises a plurality of radial locks () with a fixed portion () coupled to the stator and a movable elongate portion () configured to move relative to the fixed portion () and radially with respect to the axis of the rotation to lock the stator in a radial direction. The rotor () may comprise at least one lock engagement feature () arranged at its end surface and an end shield () located axially outward and at least partially adjacent the end surface. The end shield () comprises at least one opening enabling access to the end surface of the rotor (). The axial locking mechanism may comprise at least one axial lock () comprising a removable block () configured to partly cover the at least one opening of the end shield () and a rotor engagement tool () for engaging the removable block () with the at least one lock engagement feature ().

Locking mechanism for a wind turbine generator

A generator rotor assembly () comprises a cylindrical ring structure () defining a central hollow portion and arranged to rotate around a rotational axis. The cylindrical ring structure () comprises a plurality of permanent magnet packages () arranged coaxially around the rotational axis, the permanent magnet packages () comprising a plurality of coaxially stacked ring-shaped segmented layers (), a plurality of tie rod holes () and a plurality of tie rods (). The coaxially stacked ring-shaped segmented layers () comprise a plurality of contiguous segment sheets () arranged around the rotational axis to form the ring-shaped layer, the stacked layers () being staggered such that segment breaks between two contiguous segment sheets () in one of the layers are angularly offset with respect to segment breaks between two contiguous segment sheets () in an adjacent layer. The tie rod holes () extend axially through the layers of the permanent magnet packages (), wherein the plurality of tie rod holes () of adjacent permanent magnet packages () are complementary in size and position, such that a plurality of tie rod bores is defined. The tie rods () extend through respective ones of the plurality of tie rod bores.

Generator rotor assembly

An electrical power generating assembly for a wind turbine. The electrical power generating assembly comprises a gearbox comprising a gearbox output shaft, a generator comprising a rotor that is coupled to the gearbox output shaft; and a current measuring module located between the gearbox and the generator. The current measuring module comprises: an electrical pickup mounted to the electrical power generating assembly, wherein the electrical pickup includes an electrical contact that engages with a slip ring associated with the rotor. The current measuring module further comprises: a first current measuring device mounted with respect to the electrical pickup to detect current flowing at least through the electrical pickup; and a second current measuring device mounted with respect to the electrical pickup to detect current flowing through at least a component associated with the gearbox output shaft.

Stray current detection in wind turbine generators

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a generator for a wind turbine defining a central generator axis. The generator includes a stator support frame and an environmental conditioning module removably attached to the stator support frame. The environmental conditioning module includes a heat exchanger and an air mover supported by a module housing. The environmental conditioning module further includes fluid interface connections associated with the heat exchanger, the fluid interface connections being releasably connectable to a fluid supply system associated with the heat exchanger, and electrical interface connections associated with the air blower, the electrical interface connections being releasably connectable to an electrical supply system associated with the air mover.

Cooling of electrical generators in wind turbines

An electrical power generator for a wind turbine comprising: a generator housing, a stator at a radially outward position and a rotor in a radially inward position, wherein the rotor comprises a cylindrical ring structure arranged about a rotational axis, R, and defining a central hollow portion. The electrical power generator further comprises a rotor shroud attached to the generator housing and which extends about the rotational axis, R, wherein the rotor shroud includes a dome portion that extends into the central hollow portion of the rotor so as to protect the cylindrical ring structure of the rotor. Advantageously, the rotor shroud provides a tunnel-like surface that extends into the central hollow portion of the generator so as to prevent objects such as tools from contacting components of the rotor. The invention also relates to a method for 15 assembling such an electrical power generator with a rotor shroud.

Relating to electrical power generators for wind turbines

An electrical power generating assembly () for a wind turbine (). The electrical power generating assembly comprises a gearbox () comprising a gearbox output shaft, a generator () comprising a rotor () that is coupled to the gearbox output shaft; and a current measuring module () located between the gearbox () and the generator (). The current measuring module () comprises: an electrical pickup () mounted to the electrical power generating assembly (), wherein the electrical pickup () includes an electrical contact () that engages with a slip ring () associated with the rotor (). The current measuring module further comprises: a first current measuring device () mounted with respect to the electrical pickup () to detect current flowing at least through the electrical pickup; and a second current measuring device () mounted with respect to the electrical pickup () to detect current flowing through at least a component associated with the gearbox output shaft.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a generator for a wind turbine. The generator includes a stator which defines a central axis of the generator, the stator being mounted within a frame by a stator mounting system. The stator mounting system includes a plurality of stator mounting modules, each stator mounting module being removably attached to the stator and removably attached to the frame. The stator mounting system is arranged so that one or more of the stator mounting modules can be replaced or repositioned with the stator mounted in situ within the frame.

Relating to the mounting of stators in generators for wind turbines

The invention relates to a generator for a wind turbine including a housing of substantially cuboidal form within which is mounted a stator. The stator has one or more multi-phase windings and a bus ring is provided for conveying electrical power from the windings to power take-off modules. One end of the power take-off modules is connected to the bus ring, and the other end of the modules has a plurality of power take-off interfaces for connection to power take-off cables. The distal ends of the power take-off modules are located in the corners of the cuboidal generator housing.

Growing community of inventors

Center Conway, NH, United States of America

Peter Mongeau