A wind turbine hub cooling structure and installation method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to a wind turbine hub cooling structure and installation method, belonging to the technical field of wind turbine hub cooling. The structure comprises a turbine head and a hub located at one end of the turbine head, a hub cover mounted on the hub, a heat dissipation assembly disposed on the hub cover, the heat dissipation assembly comprising a heat pipe heat exchanger, a heat collecting plate, and a fan. The heat pipe heat exchanger comprises a plurality of heat pipes, each of which is connected to the hub cover. One end of the heat pipe is an evaporation section, and the other end of the heat pipe is a condensation section. The evaporation section is located inside the hub, while the condensation section is located outside the hub. The heat collecting plate is connected to the evaporation section of the heat pipe heat exchanger. An air duct is formed between the heat collecting plate and the hub cover. The evaporation section is located within the air duct. The heat collecting plate is provided with an air outlet, and the fan is mounted at the air outlet. The present application has the effect of saving the economic cost required for wind turbine hub cooling and improving the applicability of the wind turbine hub.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wind turbine hub cooling, and in particular to a wind turbine hub cooling structure and cooling method. Background Art

[0002] A pitch motor and a control cabinet are often installed inside the hub of a wind turbine. When the control cabinet and the motor are running, if the running control cabinet and the pitch motor are not effectively cooled in time, the control cabinet and the pitch motor will often continue to operate at high temperatures. When the temperature of the pitch motor and the control cabinet exceeds a certain value, a high temperature alarm may be triggered, which will not only affect the life of the pitch motor and the electrical components in the control cabinet, but may also affect the normal operation of the entire wind turbine. Therefore, it is necessary to cool the internal space of the hub to ensure that the pitch motor, control cabinet and other related components inside the hub can operate stably for a long time.

[0003] At present, the cooling method for the wheel hub usually adopts an exhaust component to be set at the front end of the wheel hub to discharge the heat inside the wheel hub, so that the hot air inside the wheel hub can alternate with the external gas, thereby achieving the effect of cooling the wheel hub, or the wheel hub is cooled by water cooling.

[0004] However, if an additional exhaust assembly for cooling the hub is provided at the front end of the hub for cooling, on the one hand, the economic cost will increase, and on the other hand, since the hub is in a rotating state for a long time, the provision of an additional exhaust assembly often involves the installation and connection of various related electrical components, which will also increase the unreliability of the exhaust assembly; and whether the hub is cooled by an exhaust assembly or by water cooling, external air needs to be introduced into the hub, so the hub cover and the hub are not a fully enclosed structure, so it is impossible to isolate the sea moisture from eroding the hub and the internal components of the nose, so it cannot be used at sea and has poor applicability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In a first aspect, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present application provides a wind turbine hub cooling structure.

[0006] The wind turbine hub cooling structure provided in this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] It includes a machine head and a wheel hub located at one end of the machine head, a wheel hub cover is installed on the wheel hub, a heat dissipation component is provided on the wheel hub cover, the heat dissipation component includes a heat pipe heat exchanger, a heat collecting plate and a fan, the heat pipe heat exchanger includes multiple heat pipes, and the multiple heat pipes are respectively connected to the wheel hub cover, one end of the heat pipe is an evaporation section, and the other end of the heat pipe is a condensation section, the evaporation end is located inside the wheel hub, and the condensation section is located outside the wheel hub, the heat collecting plate is connected to the evaporation section of the heat pipe heat exchanger, an air duct is formed between the heat collecting plate and the wheel hub cover, the evaporation section is located in the air duct, an air outlet is provided on the heat collecting plate, and the fan is installed at the air outlet.

[0008] By adopting the above technical solution, the hub is installed on the machine head. When the hub and the pitch motor and control cabinet in the machine head are in working state, the heat generated by the pitch motor and the control cabinet will dissipate into the air inside the hub and the machine head, causing the temperature of the internal space of the hub and the machine head to rise. The evaporation section of the heat pipe on the heat pipe heat exchanger is located in the hub, and the heat collecting plate increases the contact area between the evaporation section of the heat pipe on the heat pipe heat exchanger and the hot air inside the hub, thereby transferring heat to the evaporation section; an air outlet is provided on the heat collecting plate, and a fan is installed at the air outlet. The fan is used to evaporating the air between the hub and the machine head. The air with heat is transported into the air duct, and the heat in the air will be transferred from the evaporation section to the condensation section outside the hub in the air duct, thereby achieving a cooling effect. During the cooling process, there is no need to set an exhaust component at the front end of the hub. The structure is simple, stable and reliable, and the economic cost is reduced. At the same time, the inside of the hub is cooled by setting a heat pipe heat exchanger, and there is no need to set ventilation holes on the hub cover, so that the hub cover and the hub can be a fully sealed structure. Therefore, it can not only be used for wind power generation on land, but also can be used in offshore wind power generation units, with a wider applicability.

[0009] Optionally, the heat pipe heat exchanger includes a tube shell and a liquid wick, the tube shell is connected to the hub cover, the liquid wick is located inside the tube shell and connected to the inner wall of the tube shell, and the liquid wick contains working fluid, which is used to transfer heat from the evaporation section to the condensation section.

[0010] By adopting the above technical solution, the shell and tube are connected to the hub cover to realize the fixation of the heat pipe heat exchanger on the hub cover. The working fluid in the shell and tube changes from liquid phase to gas phase after absorbing heat. The gas phase converted from working fluid flows to the condensation section of the heat pipe heat exchanger to exchange heat with the environment outside the hub. When the gas phase condenses and changes back into liquid phase, it flows back to the evaporation section through the liquid absorption core, thereby playing the role of circulating heat dissipation.

[0011] Optionally, a connecting piece is provided on the tube shell, which includes a connecting part and a limiting part. The connecting part is sleeved on the outside of the tube shell and fixedly connected to the tube shell. The connecting part is threadedly connected to the hub cover plate, and the limiting part is used to abut against the side of the hub cover plate close to the condensing section.

[0012] By adopting the above technical solution, when installing the heat pipe heat exchanger, the threaded connection between the connecting part and the hub cover can be achieved by rotating the limiting part, thereby achieving the connection between the heat pipe heat exchanger and the hub cover. At the same time, the limiting part can ensure that the protruding length of all tube shells inside the hub is consistent.

[0013] Optionally, there is an elevation angle between the wheel hub and the horizontal plane, and the axis of the tube shell is perpendicular to the surface of the wheel hub cover.

[0014] By adopting the above technical solution, there is an elevation angle between the hub and the machine head, and the axis of the tube shell is perpendicular to the surface of the hub cover plate, which makes it possible to create a height difference between the condensing section located outside the hub and the evaporating section located inside the hub of the heat pipe heat exchanger without using other processed parts.

[0015] Optionally, a sun visor is provided on the hub cover, and the sun visor is used to cover the condensation section. A connecting plate is provided between the sun visor and the hub cover, and the connecting plate is used to fix the sun visor on the hub cover.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, the connecting plate enables the sun visor to be stably connected to the wheel hub cover, and the sun visor prevents the condensation section outside the wheel hub from being directly exposed to the sun, reducing the situation where the temperature of the condensation section rises due to direct sunlight on the condensation section and thus the condensation efficiency of the condensation section decreases.

[0017] Optionally, the connecting plate is an arc-shaped plate, and the connecting plate is used to guide the incoming wind direction outside the hub.

[0018] By adopting the above technical solution, the connecting plate is an arc-shaped plate, so that when the hub rotates, the connecting plate can also play a role similar to a turbine guide vane, guiding and increasing the direction of the incoming wind from the outside of the hub, thereby making the wind speed passing through the sun visor and the hub cover higher, thereby improving the condensation efficiency of the condensation section.

[0019] Optionally, the condensing section is connected to heat dissipation fins, which are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the tube shell.

[0020] By adopting the above technical solution, the heat dissipation fins increase the contact area between the condensation section and the external air, thereby further improving the heat dissipation rate of the condensation section.

[0021] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a method for installing a wind turbine hub cooling structure, comprising the following steps:

[0022] S100: Install the heat pipes on the wheel hub cover;

[0023] S200: Connecting the heat collecting plate to the evaporation section of the heat pipe;

[0024] S300: Install the fan at the air outlet of the heat collecting plate;

[0025] S400: Install the sun visor and connecting plate on the wheel hub cover;

[0026] S500: Connect the hub cover to the wheel hub.

[0027] In summary, this application has at least the following beneficial technical effects:

[0028] 1. By installing the heat pipe heat exchanger on the hub cover, when the hub cover is connected to the wheel hub, the evaporation section of the heat pipe on the heat pipe heat exchanger is located inside the wheel hub, while the condensation section is located outside the wheel hub. Due to the elevation angle between the engine head and the wheel hub, there is a height difference between the condensation section and the evaporation section. This allows the heat pipe on the heat pipe heat exchanger to cool and reduce the temperature inside the wheel hub. This cooling method using an external natural cold source does not require an exhaust assembly at the front end of the wheel hub, resulting in a simple structure, stability and reliability, and reduced economic costs. Furthermore, when cooling the wheel hub, there is no need to introduce external air into the wheel hub, allowing the hub cover to be designed to seal the wheel hub, improving applicability.

[0029] 2. By installing a sunshade and a connecting plate on the outside of the hub, the axial flow of natural wind blowing toward the hub cover is changed to radial flow during the rotation of the hub. Furthermore, since the connecting plate is a curved plate, as the hub rotates, it acts like a turbine guide vane, increasing the flow rate of natural wind after it hits the hub cover, making full use of the natural wind to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the condensing section.

[0030] 3. By arranging a connector on the outside of the tube shell, the heat pipe heat exchanger can be detachably mounted on the hub cover, thereby facilitating the replacement of a damaged heat pipe heat exchanger. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a wind turbine hub cooling structure of the present application;

[0032] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure after the sun visor is hidden in the middle;

[0033] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 sectional view of

[0034] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified schematic diagram of point A in the middle;

[0035] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the heat pipe.

[0036] Explanation of the accompanying symbols: 1. Head; 2. Hub; 3. Hub cover; 4. Heat dissipation assembly; 5. Heat pipe heat exchanger; 6. Heat collecting plate; 7. Fan; 8. Heat pipe; 9. Evaporation section; 10. Condensation section; 11. Air duct; 12. Air outlet; 13. Tube shell; 14. Liquid absorption core; 15. Working fluid; 16. Connector; 17. Connecting part; 18. Limiting part; 19. Sun visor; 20. Connecting plate; 21. Heat dissipation fin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following is combined with Figure 1-5 This application is described in further detail.

[0038] Example 1:

[0039] Example 1 of the present application discloses a wind turbine hub cooling structure, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , including a machine head 1, a wheel hub 2 is installed at one end of the machine head 1, and there is an elevation angle between the wheel hub 2 and the horizontal plane. A wheel hub cover 3 is installed at the end of the wheel hub 2 away from the machine head 1, and the wheel hub cover 3 separates the space inside the machine head 1 and the wheel hub 2 from the outside space. A heat dissipation component 4 is installed on the wheel hub cover 3.

[0040] Reference Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 The heat dissipation component 4 includes a heat pipe heat exchanger 5, a heat collecting plate 6 and a fan 7. The heat pipe heat exchanger 5 includes a plurality of heat pipes 8. The plurality of heat pipes 8 are vertically mounted on the hub cover 3. The heat pipe 8 includes a tube shell 13 and a liquid wick 14. The tube shell 13 is a cylinder. The liquid wick 14 is mounted inside the tube shell 13 and connected to the inner wall of the tube shell 13. A working fluid 15 flows in the liquid wick 14. The working fluid 15 can be a liquid such as water that can be converted between liquid phase and gas phase at different temperatures. The tube shell 13 is connected to the hub cover 3. One end of the tube shell 13 is located inside the wheel hub 2, and the other end of the tube shell 13 is located outside the wheel hub 2. The end of the tube shell 13 located inside the wheel hub 2 is the evaporation section 9, and the end of the tube shell 13 located outside the wheel hub 2 is the condensation section 10. When the evaporation section 9 is heated, the working fluid 15 is evaporated and transformed from liquid phase to gas phase. The gas phase of the working fluid 15 carries heat and flows to the condensation section 10. After condensation in the condensation section 10, the gas phase of the working fluid 15 is converted back into liquid phase and refluxes to the evaporation section 9 through the liquid absorption core 14, thereby cooling the inside of the wheel hub 2.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3Since there is an elevation angle between the hub 2 and the machine head 1, when the tube shell 13 is vertically installed on the hub cover 3, there is a height difference between the condensation section 10 and the evaporation section 9 without using other processed parts, that is, the height of the condensation section 10 is higher than the height of the evaporation section 9, which helps the working fluid 15 converted into liquid phase in the condensation section 10 to reflux under the height difference.

[0042] Reference Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 In order to facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the tube shell 13 on the wheel hub cover 3, a connecting piece 16 is sleeved on the outside of all the tube shells 13. The connecting piece 16 includes a connecting portion 17 and a limiting portion 18. The connecting portion 17 is fixedly connected to the outside of the tube shell 13, and the limiting portion 18 is vertically fixed to the connecting portion 17. An external thread is provided on the outer wall of the connecting portion 17, so that the staff can screw the connecting portion 17 to the wheel hub cover 3 by gripping the limiting portion 18 until the side of the limiting portion 18 close to the connecting portion 17 is tightly against the outer wall of the wheel hub 2. If the tube shell 13 needs to be replaced later, the connecting portion 17 can be unscrewed from the wheel hub cover 33 by gripping the limiting portion 18.

[0043] The heat collecting plate 6 is located inside the wheel hub 2 and is connected to the evaporation section 9 of all the tube shells 13. The heat collecting plate 6 is used to absorb heat from the wheel hub 2 and the machine head 1 and transfer the heat to the evaporation section 9. The heat collecting plate 6 and the wheel hub cover 3 are parallel to each other. An air duct 11 is formed between the heat collecting plate 6 and the wheel hub cover 3. Correspondingly, an air outlet 12 is opened at the center of the heat collecting plate 6. The fan 7 is installed at the air outlet 12 on the heat collecting plate 6. When working, the fan 7 blows the air carrying heat from the inside of the wheel hub 2 and the machine head 1 into the air duct 11, so that the hot air contacts the evaporation section 9 in the air duct 11, thereby achieving the effect of cooling the hot air.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 A sun visor 19 and a connecting plate 20 are also provided on the hub cover 3. The sun visor 19 is parallel to the outer surface of the hub cover 3. One side of the connecting plate 20 in the length direction is fixedly connected to the sun visor 19, while the other side of the connecting plate 20 in the length direction can be connected to the hub cover 3 by welding. The sun visor 19 prevents direct sunlight from shining on the condensation section 10 of the heat pipe 8, causing the temperature of the condensation section 10 to rise, so that the condensation efficiency of the condensation section 10 will not be easily reduced under direct sunlight.

[0045] The connecting plate 20 is an arc-shaped plate with a curvature in the length direction. When the hub 2 rotates, the connecting plate 20 plays a role similar to a turbine guide vane. The connecting plate 20 rotates together with the hub 2, thereby increasing the flow rate of the natural wind at the position of the connecting plate 20 outside the hub 2, and guiding the flow direction of the natural wind, thereby increasing the condensation efficiency of the condensation section 10.

[0046] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 In order to further improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the condensing section 10, a heat dissipation fin 21 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the condensing section 10 of the tube shell 13. The heat dissipation fin 21 can be a ring-shaped heat dissipation fin 21 or an integral fin structure. The heat dissipation fin 21 increases the contact area between the condensing section 10 and the air outside the hub 2, thereby making the heat dissipation rate of the condensing section 10 faster.

[0047] The implementation principle of the embodiment of the present application is as follows: when the fan 7 inside the hub 2 is started, the air carrying heat inside the hub 2 and part of the head 1 will be sent into the air duct 11, transported to the air duct 11 and contacted with the evaporation section 9 of multiple heat pipes 8. In this process, when the fan 7 rotates forward, the air carrying heat in the hub 2 will enter the air duct 11 from the edge of the air duct 11 formed by the hub cover 3 and the heat collecting plate 6, and after being cooled by the evaporation section 9, it will be discharged from the air duct by the fan 7 at the air outlet 12; and when the fan 7 is reversed, the air carrying heat in the hub 2 will enter the air duct 11 from the air outlet 12 and contact the evaporation section 9, and after being cooled, it will be discharged from the edge of the air duct 11, that is, whether the fan 7 rotates forward or reverse, it can achieve a certain cooling effect.

[0048] The heat in another part of the air carrying heat will be collected by the heat collecting plate 6 and transferred to the evaporation section 9. The evaporation section 9 absorbs the heat transferred in these two ways, so that the working fluid 15 in the evaporation section 9 is transformed from liquid phase to gas phase. The working fluid 15 in gas phase moves from the evaporation section 9 to the condensation section 10 inside the tube shell 13 and exchanges heat with the outside air. The condensed working fluid 15 is transformed from gas phase to liquid phase again and flows back to the evaporation section 9 under the height difference between the condensation section 10 and the evaporation section 9, and so on, thereby realizing the cooling of the hub 2 and the internal space of the hub 2.

[0049] Moreover, the sun visor 19 on the outside of the hub 2 prevents the condensing section 10 from being easily exposed to direct sunlight, maintains the temperature of the condensing section 10, and thus keeps the heat dissipation efficiency of the condensing section 10 stable. As the hub 2 rotates, the connecting plate 20 acts as a turbine guide vane, making the air flow at the condensing section 10 outside the hub 2 faster. Combined with the heat dissipation fins 21 on the condensing section 10, the heat dissipation efficiency of the condensing section 10 is higher, thereby achieving a better cooling effect on the hub 2.

[0050] Example 2: Example 2 of the present application discloses a method for installing a wind turbine hub cooling structure, comprising the following steps:

[0051] S100: Install the heat pipes 8 on the cover plates of the wheel hub 2 respectively;

[0052] S200: Connecting the heat collecting plate 6 to the evaporation section 9 of the heat pipe 8;

[0053] S300: Install the fan 7 at the air outlet 12 of the heat collecting plate 6;

[0054] S400: Install the sun visor 19 and the connecting plate 20 on the wheel hub 2 cover respectively;

[0055] S500: Connect the hub 2 cover plate to the hub 2.

[0056] The above are all preferred embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, any equivalent changes made based on the structure, shape, and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A wind turbine hub cooling structure, characterized by: The invention comprises a machine head (1) and a wheel hub (2) located at one end of the machine head (1); a wheel hub cover (3) is installed on the wheel hub (2); a heat dissipation component (4) is provided on the wheel hub cover (3); the heat dissipation component (4) comprises a heat pipe heat exchanger (5), a heat collecting plate (6) and a fan (7); the heat pipe heat exchanger (5) comprises a plurality of heat pipes (8); the heat pipes (8) are connected to the wheel hub cover (3); one end of the heat pipes (8) is an evaporation section (9); the other end of the heat pipes (8) is a condensation section (9); The condensing section (10) is higher than the evaporating section (9), the evaporating section (9) is located inside the hub (2) and connected to the heat collecting plate (6), the condensing section (10) is located outside the hub (2), an air duct (11) is formed between the heat collecting plate (6) and the hub cover (3), the evaporating section (9) is located in the air duct (11), an air outlet (12) is provided at the center of the heat collecting plate (6), and the fan (7) is installed in the hub (2). At the air outlet (12), the heat pipe (8) includes a tube shell (13) and a liquid wick (14), the tube shell (13) is connected to the hub cover (3), the liquid wick (14) is located in the tube shell (13) and is connected to the inner wall of the tube shell (13), the liquid wick (14) contains a working fluid (15), and the working fluid (15) is used to transfer the heat of the evaporation section (9) to the condensation section (10), the tube shell (13) is provided with a connector (16), the The connecting member (16) includes a connecting portion (17) and a limiting portion (18), wherein the connecting portion (17) is sleeved on the outside of the tube shell (13) and fixedly connected to the tube shell (13), the connecting portion (17) is threadedly connected to the hub cover (3), and the limiting portion (18) is used to abut against a side of the hub cover (3) close to the condensing section (10), there is an elevation angle between the hub (2) and the horizontal plane, and all axes of the tube shell (13) are perpendicular to the hub cover (3).

2. The wind turbine hub cooling structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hub cover (3) is further provided with a sun visor (19), which is used to cover the condensation section (10); a connecting plate (20) is provided between the sun visor (19) and the hub cover (3), and the connecting plate (20) is used to fix the sun visor (19) on the hub cover (3).

3. The wind turbine hub cooling structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting plate (20) is an arc-shaped plate, and the connecting plate (20) is curved along the length direction. The connecting plate (20) is used to guide the natural wind flow outside the hub (2).

4. The wind turbine hub cooling structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The condensing section (10) is provided with connecting heat dissipation fins (21), and the heat dissipation fins (21) are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the tube shell (13).

5. A method for installing a hub cooling structure, wherein the hub is cooled using the wind turbine hub cooling structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The steps include: S100: installing the heat pipes (8) on the hub cover plates (3) respectively; S200: Connecting the heat collecting plate (6) to the evaporation section (9); S300: Installing the fan (7) at the air outlet (12) on the heat collecting plate (6); S400: installing the sun visor (19) and the connecting plate (20) on the hub cover (3) respectively; S500: Connecting the hub cover (3) to the wheel hub (2).

Images