A wind turbine hub, a wind turbine and a manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a wind turbine hub, a wind turbine and a manufacturing method, which relate to the field of wind turbines. The hub comprises a main shaft cylinder and a blade cylinder, wherein a plurality of blade cylinders are uniformly distributed around the main shaft cylinder in an annular direction, and one axial end of each blade cylinder is butted against the main shaft cylinder, the blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are welded and fixedly connected at the intersection line position, and adjacent blade cylinders are welded and fixedly connected at the intersection line position, and the end of the blade cylinder butted against the main shaft cylinder is combined with the main shaft cylinder to form an installation cavity; in view of the problem that the current cast hub is difficult to meet the structural optimization requirements and the non-cast hub is insufficient in strength, a plurality of cylinders are welded and combined to form the hub, the blade cylinders and the blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are welded and fixedly connected at the intersection line position, and the cylinder is butted against the outside to ensure the connection strength between the hub and other parts of the wind turbine. Compared with the cast hub, no mold design is required, thus saving processing steps and reducing the weight of the hub.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wind turbines, and in particular to a wind turbine hub, a wind turbine and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The hub is an important supporting part in a wind turbine. Its main function is to connect the blades to the main shaft and to support the rotation of the wind rotor and the blade pitch change. At present, most hubs are cast in a spherical or quasi-spherical shape. With the continuous increase in the power and blade diameter of wind turbines, especially the rapid development of offshore wind power, the hub size and weight are getting larger and larger, and the strength and stiffness requirements are getting higher and higher.

[0003] The mold production, blank casting, and machining requirements of cast wheel hubs are high, and the weight is large. With the increase of additional parts of the wheel hub, the structure of the cast wheel hub is difficult to meet the installation requirements of the components. Secondary welding on the cast wheel hub is likely to affect the strength of its body and is difficult to operate. At the same time, the design parameters and structural optimization frequency of the wheel hub are getting higher and higher. The mold cost of the cast wheel hub is expensive, and there are great limitations on changes, which restricts the subsequent design optimization and structural improvement of the wheel hub.

[0004] There are some non-casting hubs in the prior art (patent application publication number: CN204900164U). The hub body is cylindrical, and mounting holes are set on the hub body and auxiliary components are welded. This reduces the weight of the hub to a certain extent, but its structural design has defects. Key mounting surfaces such as blades, main shafts, and variable pitch elements use large-size thin-walled structures, and the flatness and strength of the mounting surfaces are difficult to ensure. In addition, the docking installation position between the hub body and the blades is connected by a single steel plate, and its stiffness is difficult to meet the requirements. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to address the defects of the prior art and provide a wind turbine hub, a wind turbine and a manufacturing method. The hub is formed by welding a plurality of cylinders together. The blade cylinders and the blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are welded and fixed at the intersection line. The cylinder is connected to the outside to ensure the connection strength between the hub and other parts of the wind turbine. Compared with a cast hub, there is no need to design a mold, which saves processing steps and reduces the weight of the hub.

[0006] The first object of the present invention is to provide a hub for a wind turbine generator set, which adopts the following scheme:

[0007] It includes a main shaft cylinder and a blade cylinder. Multiple blade cylinders are evenly distributed around the main shaft cylinder, and one axial end of each blade cylinder is connected to the main shaft cylinder. The blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are welded and fixed at the intersection line position, and the intersection line positions between adjacent blade cylinders are welded and fixed. The end of the blade cylinder connected to the main shaft cylinder is combined with the main shaft cylinder to form an installation cavity.

[0008] Furthermore, a blade flange is provided at one end of the blade tube away from the main shaft tube, a web is installed inside the blade tube, the web is coaxially arranged with the blade tube, and an opening is provided on the web.

[0009] Furthermore, a variable pitch drive mounting hole is provided on the web, and a variable pitch drive mounting flange is provided on the side of the web facing the main shaft cylinder.

[0010] Furthermore, the blade cylinder is connected to a flow guide cover cylinder for docking with the flow guide cover, the flow guide cover cylinder is coaxially arranged with the main shaft cylinder, and the flow guide cover cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are located on different sides of the blade cylinder axis.

[0011] Furthermore, the deflector sleeve is connected to all the blade sleeves, and the deflector sleeve and the blade sleeve are fixedly connected by welding at the intersection line position.

[0012] Furthermore, the blade tube and the main shaft tube are both cylindrical structures.

[0013] Furthermore, a manhole is provided between adjacent blade tubes, and the intersection line between the blade tube and the main shaft tube and the intersection line between adjacent blade tubes are distributed around the installation cavity, and the manhole passes through the blade tube and is connected to the installation cavity.

[0014] Furthermore, a main shaft flange is provided at one end of the main shaft cylinder away from the installation cavity for docking with the main shaft of the fan.

[0015] A second object of the present invention is to provide a wind turbine generator using the wind turbine generator hub as described above.

[0016] The third object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing the hub of a wind turbine generator set as described above, comprising the following steps:

[0017] Select the main shaft barrel specifications and blade barrel specifications according to the design parameters of the wind turbine generator set;

[0018] A plurality of blade cylinders are evenly arranged around the main shaft cylinder in the circumferential direction, and one end of the blade cylinder is butted against the side wall of the main shaft cylinder;

[0019] The intersection line positions of the blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are welded, and the intersection line positions between adjacent blade cylinders are welded, so that the blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are fixedly connected to form a hub.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and positive effects:

[0021] (1) In view of the fact that the current cast hub is difficult to meet the requirements of structural optimization and the non-cast hub is insufficient in strength, a plurality of cylinders are welded together to form a hub. The blade cylinders and the blade cylinders and the main shaft cylinder are welded and fixed at the intersection line. The cylinders are connected to the outside to ensure the connection strength between the hub and other parts of the wind turbine generator set. Compared with the cast hub, there is no need to design a mold, which saves processing steps and reduces the weight of the hub.

[0022] (2) Compared with the traditional cast wheel hub, which is difficult to accurately control the casting size due to process limitations, the wheel hub is formed by welding multiple cylinders together, which can reasonably control the weight of the wheel hub. By welding on the wheel hub, a mounting structure for various accessories can be established, which is convenient for transportation, assembly and lifting.

[0023] (3) The wheel hub is formed by welding the cylinder together. When there are defects such as bumps and pits, the non-high stress area can be repaired or welded. At the same time, the design parameters and structural optimization frequency of the wheel hub are getting higher and higher. The mold of the cast wheel hub is expensive and has great limitations on changes, which limits the subsequent design optimization and structural improvement of the wheel hub. The welded wheel hub does not require a mold, has relatively high process flexibility, and is more open to design and structural optimization.

[0024] (4) The blade barrel and the main shaft barrel are welded and fixedly connected at the intersection line. Compared with the traditional non-welded hub that installs the blades on the barrel, the welding at the intersection line can increase the weld length between the blade barrel and the main shaft barrel, thereby ensuring the strength of the connection position and further improving the connection stability between the blade and the main shaft; at the same time, when the cylindrical blade barrel and the blade are docked, they have better connection strength and rigidity.

[0025] (5) The cylindrical main shaft tube and the cylindrical blade tube are butt-jointed. The cylindrical structure has good anti-deformation ability, which helps to control welding deformation and reduce welding internal stress when welding at the intersection line. At the same time, steel annular flanges are used at the blade and main shaft support joints where high precision requirements are required. The height is easy to control and it is convenient to reserve machining allowance for the fine-machined surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings in the specification, which constitute a part of the present invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute improper limitations on the present invention.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a hub of a wind turbine generator set in Embodiment 1 or 2 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the connection between the main shaft cylinder and the blade cylinder in Example 1 or 2 of the present invention.

[0029] In the figure, 1. blade tube; 2. fairing tube; 3. main shaft tube; 4. blade flange; 5. web; 6. hanger flange; 7. pitch accessory mounting hole; 8. pitch drive mounting hole; 9. weight reduction hole; 10. main shaft flange; 11. manhole; 12. support mounting platform; 13. pitch cabinet mounting hole; 14. pitch drive mounting flange. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Example 1

[0031] In a typical embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, a wind turbine hub is provided.

[0032] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 The wind turbine hub shown is used to establish a connection between the gearbox main shaft and blades of the wind turbine. The wind turbine hub is circumferentially connected to the blades and one end is connected to the gearbox main shaft. The blades and the wind turbine hub rotate together around the axis, thereby driving the gearbox main shaft to rotate and transmitting power to the generator to drive the generator to work.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the wind turbine hub in this embodiment adopts a welded structure. The traditional cast hub is limited by the process and the casting size is difficult to control. Therefore, in order to ensure the strength of the hub, most of the casting wall thickness dimensions are controlled with positive tolerances, resulting in the final actual weight of the hub often being much different from the theoretical weight, which makes it difficult to transport, assemble and hoist the hub on site. The welded hub is made of rolled steel plates welded together, and its size is relatively easy to control. The hub is light in weight and has a small weight error, which is convenient for the design of transportation, assembly process, hoisting and other solutions.

[0034] Specifically, the hub of the wind turbine generator set includes a main shaft cylinder 3, a blade cylinder 1 and a fairing cylinder 2, wherein the blade cylinder 1 and the main shaft cylinder 3 are both cylindrical structures, and there are multiple blade cylinders 1. Corresponding to the specification parameters of the generator set installed thereon, the number of blade cylinders 1 is the same as the number of blades. According to the common settings of existing wind turbines, the number of blade cylinders 1 can be selected as 2 or 3. According to the design of the wind turbine generator set, the number of blade cylinders 1 can also be adjusted to meet the needs.

[0035] like Figure 2As shown, taking three blade barrels 1 corresponding to three blades as an example, all blade barrels 1 are evenly distributed around the main shaft barrel 3 in the circumferential direction, so that one axial end of the blade barrel 1 is docked with the main shaft barrel 3, and each blade barrel 1 is docked at a different position of the main shaft barrel 3. The docking position of the blade barrel 1 and the main shaft barrel 3 forms an intersection line, and the intersection line position is welded to form a weld seam, thereby realizing the fixed connection between the blade barrel 1 and the main shaft barrel 3; at the same time, adjacent blade barrels 1 are in contact with each other, and their contact positions form an intersection line, and the intersection line position is welded to form a weld seam, thereby realizing the fixed connection between adjacent blade barrels 1; thereby establishing a stable connection relationship between the blade barrel 1 and the main shaft barrel 3.

[0036] It is understandable that, at the same weight, the welded hub has better mechanical properties, low temperature resistance and fatigue resistance. Moreover, the welding process is simple, the working hours are short, and the production cycle is short, which can ensure the supply of hubs when facing production rush. At the same time, the welding performance of traditional cast hubs is poor. When defects occur in cast hubs, it is difficult to perform repair welding and welding operations on the cast hubs, which makes it difficult to eliminate the defects. The wind turbine hub provided in this embodiment is made of a structural steel cylinder with good welding performance. Repair welding and welding can be allowed for non-high stress areas to meet the needs of repairing defects.

[0037] In addition, with the rapid development of wind turbines, the frequency of hub design parameters and structural optimization is getting higher and higher. The mold of the cast hub is expensive and has great limitations on modification, which limits the subsequent design optimization and structural improvement of the hub. The wind turbine hub provided in this embodiment is processed by welding and splicing, does not require a mold, has relatively high process flexibility, and is more open to design and structural optimization.

[0038] The intersection line of the welded hub and the corresponding position of the cast hub are both high stress areas. For the cast hub, the casting quality level of this position needs to be improved and the wall thickness size needs to be strictly guaranteed. For the hub of the wind turbine generator set in this embodiment, a weld with equal strength or strength higher than that of the parent material is used to improve the quality of the weld, and the weld and the surrounding area are made to transition smoothly by grinding and other methods to avoid stress concentration in the weld area and ensure the strength of the hub.

[0039] In order to meet the installation requirements of various additional parts on the hub, the blade tube 1 is connected to the end of the main shaft tube 3 and combined with the main shaft tube 3 to form an installation cavity, and an installation cavity is formed inside the hub of the wind turbine generator set. The installation cavity can be connected to the outside through the blade tube 1 and can also be connected to the outside through the main shaft tube 3.

[0040] like Figure 2As shown, one end of the blade tube 1 is connected to the main shaft tube 3, and a stable connection relationship is formed by welding at the intersection line position. A blade flange 4 is provided at the other end, and the blade flange 4 is used to connect the blade so that the blade is installed on the blade tube 1; it can be understood that in order to meet the pitch requirements of the blade, the blade flange 4 is connected to the blade pitch bearing and supports the blade. While a connection relationship is formed between the blade and the blade tube 1, the blade can also be rotated around the axis of the blade tube 1 at a certain angle.

[0041] Correspondingly, the blade flange 4 is welded to the blade tube 1, and a web 5 is installed inside the blade tube 1. The web 5 is coaxially arranged with the blade tube 1, and openings are provided on the web 5. Some of the openings are used as weight-reducing holes 9, and some of the openings are used as functional holes, which can be used to install various auxiliary components.

[0042] The web 5 is a steel plate, welded inside the blade tube 1, and located on the inner side of the pitch bearing. A pitch drive mounting hole 8 is provided on the web 5, and the side of the web 5 facing the mounting cavity is the inner side. A pitch drive mounting flange 14 is welded on the inner side of the web 5, and the pitch drive mounting flange 14 is arranged corresponding to the pitch drive mounting hole 8, and the pitch drive mounting flange 14 is used to dock the pitch drive assembly.

[0043] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a pitch cabinet mounting hole 13 is also provided on the web 5, and the pitch cabinet mounting hole 13 is directly processed from the inner side of the web 5, and a pitch accessory mounting hole 7 is provided on the outer side of the web 5. It can be understood that the inner side of the web 5 described in this embodiment is the side of the web 5 facing the mounting cavity, that is, the side of the web 5 facing the spindle barrel 3, and the outer side of the web 5 is the side of the web 5 away from the mounting cavity, that is, the side of the web 5 away from the spindle barrel 3.

[0044] As for the web 5, each blade tube 1 is provided with a web 5, and the relative position and posture of the web 5 and the blade tube 1 can be selected and adjusted according to the needs. At the same time, the functional holes opened on the web 5 can also be adaptively adjusted.

[0045] A fairing is provided at the end of the hub of the wind turbine generator set. In order to install the fairing, the blade tube 1 is connected to a fairing tube for docking with the fairing. The fairing tube is coaxially arranged with the main shaft tube 3, and the fairing tube and the main shaft tube 3 are located on opposite sides of the axis of the blade tube 1.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the fairing tube is connected to all blade tubes 1, and the fairing tube is fixedly connected to the intersection line of the blade tube 1; the fixing method can be welding. At the same time, the fairing tube 2 can use its integrated cylindrical structure to reinforce all blade tubes 1 and improve their overall stability.

[0047] A manhole 11 is provided between adjacent blade tubes 1. The intersection lines of the blade tube 1 and the main shaft tube 3 and the intersection lines between adjacent blade tubes 1 are distributed around the installation cavity. The manhole 11 penetrates the blade tube 1 and communicates with the installation cavity. At the same time, a sling installation platform is also installed on the blade tube 1. The sling installation platform is located at the connection position between adjacent blade tubes 1. A sling flange 6 is provided on the sling installation platform. The number of sling installation platforms and the number of corresponding sling flanges 6 can be configured according to the slinging requirements.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the hoisting installation platform can be formed by welding a plurality of steel plates, and then integrally welded to the hub body, for installation of the hoisting device when the wind turbine generator set is hoisted. At the same time, the number of manholes 11 is selected as three in this embodiment for the passage of operation and maintenance personnel in the later stage, and steel ribs are welded around the manholes 11 to improve the rigidity.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, a guide cover installation hole is reserved on the guide cover tube, and a support installation platform 12 is arranged on the main shaft tube 3. Three support installation platforms 12 are arranged evenly spaced along the main shaft tube 3 in the circumferential direction.

[0050] A main shaft flange 10 is arranged at one end of the main shaft barrel 3 away from the installation cavity. The main shaft flange 10 is connected to the main shaft barrel 3 by welding. The main shaft flange 10 is used to connect with the main shaft of the gear box of the wind turbine generator set.

[0051] It is understandable that the connection holes with higher precision requirements, such as the pitch bearing connecting flange, the main shaft tube 3 flange, and the pitch motor connecting flange, can be processed after welding to reduce the influence of welding thermal deformation.

[0052] In order to reduce costs while ensuring sufficient strength, rigidity and low temperature performance, in this embodiment, low-alloy high-strength structural steel is preferably used as the material of each component of the hub of the wind turbine generator set, and high-quality alloy steel can be used when necessary.

[0053] Example 2

[0054] In another typical embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, a wind turbine is provided.

[0055] The wind turbine generator set of the wind turbine generator adopts the wind turbine generator set hub as in Example 1, and the wind turbine generator set hub can be designed and processed according to the design specifications of the wind turbine generator.

[0056] For the detailed structure of the wind turbine hub, please refer to Example 1. Since the wind turbine adopts the wind turbine hub provided in the above Example 1, the beneficial effects of the wind turbine brought by the wind turbine hub refer to the corresponding parts in the above Example 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0057] For other structures of the wind turbine generator not mentioned, existing structures may be adopted.

[0058] Example 3

[0059] In another typical embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1-2 As shown, a method for manufacturing a wind turbine hub as described in Example 1 is provided.

[0060] The manufacturing method comprises the following steps:

[0061] Select the specifications of the main shaft barrel 3 and the blade barrel 1 according to the design parameters of the wind turbine generator set;

[0062] A plurality of blade cylinders 1 are evenly arranged around the main shaft cylinder 3, and one end of the blade cylinder 1 is butted against the side wall of the main shaft cylinder 3;

[0063] The intersection line positions of the blade tube 1 and the main shaft tube 3 are welded, and the intersection line positions between adjacent blade tubes 1 are welded, so that the blade tube 1 and the main shaft tube 3 are fixedly connected to form a hub.

[0064] Compared with the traditional cast wheel hub, which is difficult to accurately control the casting size due to process limitations, the wheel hub is formed by welding multiple cylinders together, which can reasonably control the weight of the wheel hub. By welding on the wheel hub, a mounting structure for various accessories can be established, which is convenient for transportation, assembly and lifting.

[0065] At the same time, the cylindrical main shaft tube 3 and the cylindrical blade tube 1 are butt-jointed. The cylindrical structure has good anti-deformation ability, which helps to control welding deformation and reduce welding internal stress when welding the intersection line position. At the same time, steel annular flanges are used at the blade and main shaft support connections where high precision requirements are required. The height is easy to control and it is convenient to reserve machining allowance for the fine-machined surface.

[0066] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wind turbine hub, characterized in that: It includes a main shaft cylinder and a blade cylinder, wherein a plurality of blade cylinders are evenly distributed around the main shaft cylinder, and one axial end of each blade cylinder is butted against the main shaft cylinder, the blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are welded and fixedly connected at the intersection line position, and adjacent blade cylinders are welded and fixedly connected at the intersection line position, and the end of the blade cylinder butted against the main shaft cylinder is combined with the main shaft cylinder to form an installation cavity; The blade barrel has a blade flange at one end away from the main shaft barrel, a web is installed inside the blade barrel, the web is coaxially arranged with the blade barrel, and an opening is provided on the web; The web is provided with a pitch drive mounting hole, and a pitch drive mounting flange is provided on the side of the web facing the main shaft cylinder; The blade cylinder is connected to a flow guide cover cylinder for docking with the flow guide cover, the flow guide cover cylinder is coaxially arranged with the main shaft cylinder, and the flow guide cover cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are located on different sides of the blade cylinder axis; The blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are both cylindrical structures; A manhole is provided between adjacent blade tubes. The intersection lines of the blade tube and the main shaft tube and the intersection lines between adjacent blade tubes are distributed around the installation cavity. The manhole passes through the blade tube and is connected to the installation cavity. A hoisting installation platform is also installed on the blade tube. The hoisting installation platform is located at the connecting position between adjacent blade tubes. A hoisting flange is provided on the hoisting installation platform. The number of hoisting installation platforms and the corresponding number of hoisting flanges are configured according to hoisting requirements.

2. The wind turbine hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deflector cover tube is connected to all the blade tubes, and the intersection line position of the deflector cover tube and the blade tube is fixedly connected.

3. The wind turbine hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: A main shaft flange is provided at one end of the main shaft cylinder away from the installation cavity for connecting with the main shaft of the fan.

4. A wind turbine, characterized in that: It comprises a wind turbine hub as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A method for processing a hub of a wind turbine generator set according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Select the main shaft barrel specifications and blade barrel specifications according to the design parameters of the wind turbine generator set; A plurality of blade cylinders are evenly arranged around the main shaft cylinder in the circumferential direction, and one end of the blade cylinder is butted against the side wall of the main shaft cylinder; The intersection line positions of the blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are welded, and the intersection line positions between adjacent blade cylinders are welded, so that the blade cylinder and the main shaft cylinder are fixedly connected to form a hub.

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