Wind power gear box

Abstract

The present application relates to a wind power gearbox comprising: an output shaft (20) having a central axis extending in an axial direction (L) and configured to engage and drive a rotor of a generator in rotation; the box body (10) comprises a flange (12) for limiting a through hole (14) allowing the output shaft (20) to pass through; a pair of bearings (22, 24) that rotatably support the output shaft (20); the wind power gear box comprises a flange (12), a pair of bearings (22 and 24) and a spacer ring (26) which is used for spacing the pair of bearings (22 and 24) along the axial direction (L), and further comprises a bearing bush (30) which is arranged around the pair of bearings (22 and 24) and is detachably fastened to the flange (12), wherein the bearing bush (30) and the spacer ring (26) are configured to be fastened to each other and both can be moved together in a fastened state out of the through hole (14) in the axial direction (L).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of wind power generation, and in particular to a wind power gearbox, in particular to a high-power semi-direct drive wind power gearbox. Background Art

[0002] As the core component of wind turbines, wind turbine gearboxes are the most important part of the wind turbine transmission chain. Their reliability design is crucial to wind turbines, and their maintenance convenience is equally important.

[0003] The wind turbine gearbox includes a housing, at least one transmission component, usually having a multi-stage planetary gear transmission assembly, housed in the housing, and an output shaft driven by the highest-stage (or output-stage) planetary gear transmission assembly. The output shaft of the wind turbine gearbox extends from the housing through a through hole formed on the flange of the housing to be connected to the rotor or shaft of the generator, thereby achieving the purpose of transmitting the torque from the blade assembly to the generator for power generation. Specifically, the output shaft is rotatably supported in the through hole of the flange through a pair of bearings separated by a spacer ring, and the bolts extend radially inward from the flange of the housing into the spacer ring between the bearings to fix the spacer ring to the flange. However, the limited operating space on the tower makes it impossible to remove the bolts, so if the components in the wind turbine gearbox, especially the components of the output-stage transmission assembly, fail, they need to be disassembled, repaired or replaced. This structure cannot be implemented on the top of the tower. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to solve the problem of in-situ repair or replacement of components of output stage components in a wind turbine gearbox on a tower.

[0005] This object is solved by the novel wind power gearbox structure of the present application. The wind power gearbox of the present application comprises: an output shaft having a central axis extending in an axial direction and configured to engage the rotor of a generator and drive it to rotate; a housing comprising a flange defining a through hole allowing the output shaft to pass through; a pair of bearings rotatably supporting the output shaft; and a spacer ring separating the pair of bearings in the axial direction, and further comprising: a bearing bushing arranged around the pair of bearings and detachably fastened to the flange, wherein the bearing bushing and the spacer ring are configured to be fastened to each other and are sized so that both can be moved out of the through hole in the axial direction in a state of being fastened together.

[0006] In one embodiment, the wind turbine gearbox also includes a first fastener that fastens the bearing sleeve and the spacer ring together, wherein the first fastener extends from the bearing sleeve into the spacer ring along a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and the radial outer end of the first fastener is completely buried in the bearing sleeve.

[0007] In one embodiment, the wind turbine gearbox further comprises a second fastener for fastening the bearing bushing to the flange, wherein the second fastener extends from the bearing bushing into the flange along the axial direction.

[0008] In one embodiment, the wind turbine gearbox further comprises an end cap defining an end cap hole allowing the output shaft to pass therethrough and a third fastener for fastening the end cap to the bearing bushing, wherein the third fastener extends from the end cap into the bearing bushing along the axial direction.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first fastener includes a plurality of first fasteners arranged in a circumferential direction around the axial direction, the second fastener includes a plurality of second fasteners arranged in the circumferential direction, and the third fastener includes a plurality of third fasteners arranged in the circumferential direction, wherein: each of the second fasteners and each of the third fasteners are staggered from each other in the circumferential direction and / or in the radial direction.

[0010] In one embodiment, each of the first fastener, the second fastener, and the third fastener is a threaded fastener.

[0011] In one embodiment, the pair of bearings are two spherical roller bearings arranged opposite to each other.

[0012] In one embodiment, the pair of bearings and the bearing bushing are both located in the through hole in the axial direction.

[0013] In one embodiment, the wind turbine gearbox further comprises an inner locating ring and an outer locating ring which are arranged on opposite sides of the pair of bearings in the axial direction and are configured to locate the pair of bearings.

[0014] In one embodiment, the inner locating ring is a flange extending radially inward from the inner end of the bearing sleeve abutting the flange, or a separately provided shaft ring or a part of the flange, and / or the outer locating ring is a shaft ring sandwiched between the end cover and the pair of bearings, or an annular part formed integrally with the end cover.

[0015] In one embodiment, an interface is formed between the end cover and the output shaft in a radial direction, and the end cover includes a sealing structure disposed at the interface.

[0016] In one embodiment, the sealing structure is a labyrinth sealing structure formed on the end cover.

[0017] In one embodiment, the end cover comprises a discharge channel for discharging lubricating oil at the interface out of the wind turbine gearbox, and the housing comprises a flange channel for fluid communication with the discharge channel and leading to the outside of the flange so as to enable installation of a pipe joint.

[0018] According to the wind power gearbox of the present application, a bearing bushing is arranged radially outside a pair of bearings supporting the output shaft and the intermediate spacer ring, and the bearing bushing itself is fastened to the spacer ring between the bearings to form an assembly, which can be assembled together in the through hole of the flange of the housing along the axial direction, and can be removed together in the axial direction from the through hole of the housing flange. This structure solves the technical problem of the lack of operating space to remove the radial bolts in the prior art. In addition, the flange and the end cover of the wind power gearbox of the present application respectively include an end cover discharge channel and a flange discharge channel that are connected to each other so that the leaked lubricating oil at the interface between the end cover and the output shaft is discharged to the outside of the wind power gearbox, and the flange discharge channel leads to the outside of the wind power gearbox for installing a pipe joint, thereby realizing the inspection and / or recovery of the leaked lubricating oil. The pipe joint is installed on the flange instead of the end cover, so that the seal inside the end cover or the parts inside the wind power gearbox can be repaired without disassembling the pipe joint, which simplifies the operation and saves the operation time. And the flange oil passage has an outlet formed on the flange of the wind power gear box, thereby leaking lubricating oil and making it easier to check and recover the leaked lubricating oil. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal section of a part of a wind turbine gearbox according to the present application.

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of another longitudinal section of the portion shown in .

[0021] Figure 3 is with Figure 1 and 2 Schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross-section of the portion shown in FIG. 1 that is symmetrical about the central axis of the output shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Figure 1 and 2 Schematic diagram showing a part of a wind turbine gearbox constructed according to the principle of the present application along two different longitudinal sections, Figure 3 For Figure 1 and 2 The portion shown in FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the portion that is symmetrical about the central axis of the output shaft. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the drawings are not drawn to scale and are only used to illustrate the principles of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0023] First reference Figure 1 and 2 , the figure shows a housing 10 including a flange 12, an output shaft 20 extending out of the housing 10 in an axial direction L through a through hole 14 formed on the flange 12 and having a central axis extending in the axial direction L. Although the drawings only show the parts related to the improvements of the present application, it should be understood that the housing 10, specifically the outer side 12a of the flange 12, is close to the generator (not shown) of the wind turbine gearbox, and a gear transmission assembly (not shown) is accommodated inside the housing 10 and on the inner side 12b of the flange 12. The output shaft 20 extends out of the housing 10 in the axial direction L from the inner side 12b to the outer side 12a, and its end located on the inner side 12b of the flange 12 is configured to engage with one or more planetary gear transmission assemblies of the wind turbine gearbox driven by the blades of the wind turbine generator to be driven to rotate, and the end located on the outer side 12a of the flange 12 is configured to engage with the rotor or shaft of the generator and drive it to rotate. As shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the radial direction R extends perpendicular to the axial direction L, radially inward is the direction from the flange 12 toward the output shaft 20, and conversely, radially outward is the direction from the output shaft 20 toward the flange 12. The circumferential direction is also defined herein as a direction around the axial direction L.

[0024] The wind turbine gearbox includes a pair of bearings 22 and 24 supporting the output shaft 20 radially outside the output shaft 20. A spacer ring 26 is provided between the first bearing 22 relatively inside in the axial direction L and the second bearing 24 relatively outside in the axial direction L, and is specifically provided between the two bearing outer rings of the bearings 22 and 24 to space the two bearings 22 and 24 apart.

[0025] The wind turbine gearbox further includes a bearing bushing 30 disposed radially outside the spacer ring 26 and the bearings 22 and 24. In the radial direction R, the bearing bushing 30 is disposed between the flange 12, the spacer ring 26, and the bearings 22 and 24. Specifically, the through hole 14 includes a first hole section 14a having a first inner diameter and close to the inner side 12b and a second hole section 14b having a second inner diameter greater than the first inner diameter and close to the outer side 12a, thereby defining a stepped surface 15 facing the outer side 12a. The bearing bushing 30 is installed in the second hole section 14b of the through hole 14 and the inner end 30a abuts against the stepped surface 15 of the flange 12.

[0026] The bearing bushing 30 can be fastened to the spacer ring 26 by any means known in the art, so that the bearing bushing 30 and the spacer ring 26 fastened together can be removed from the through hole 14 (specifically, from the second hole section 14b) together in the axial direction L. For example, in the illustrated example, the bearing bushing 30 is fastened to the spacer ring 26 by means of at least one (e.g., a plurality of) first fasteners 32 arranged in the circumferential direction. Figure 11 and 2 show a first fastener 32. The first fastener 32 extends along the radial direction R through the radial through hole 122 formed in the flange 12 and the first hole 322 formed in the bearing bushing 30 to the interior of the spacer ring 26. The hole 262 on the spacer ring 26 for receiving the first fastener 32 may be a blind hole as shown, or may extend radially through the entire spacer ring 26. The first fastener 32 may be a bolt, whereby the first hole 322 in the bearing bushing 30 may be a countersunk hole suitable for a bolt including a bolt head. However, the first fastener 32 may also be other types of fasteners. It should be understood that the fastening or attachment between the bearing bushing 30 and the spacer ring 26 is not limited to the fastener method shown in the figure, as long as the first fastener 32 that can connect the two together does not extend outward beyond the outer peripheral surface of the bearing bushing 30 in the radial direction R, that is, does not protrude into the radial through hole 122 in the flange 12 (thereby not interfering with the bearing bushing 30 moving out of the through hole 14 along the axial direction L). Furthermore, in order to achieve the above functions, the first fastener 32 does not necessarily have to extend perpendicularly to the axial direction L (eg, along the radial direction R).

[0027] The bearing bushing 30 may be secured to the flange 12 in any manner known in the art. Figure 2 , the second fastener 34 passes through the second hole 304 penetrating the bearing bushing 30 in the axial direction L and enters the flange 12. The second fastener 34 may be a plurality of second fasteners 34 arranged in the circumferential direction. Similar to the first fastener 32, the second fastener 34 does not necessarily have to be a bolt. The second hole 304 may be in the form of a countersunk hole so that the bolt head of the second fastener 34 is entirely received in the second hole 304 and does not protrude from the bearing bushing 30.

[0028] The inner end 30a of the bearing sleeve 30 includes a flange 36 protruding radially inward, which is configured to abut against the bearing outer ring of the first bearing 22 on the axial inner side of the first bearing 22 to play a positioning role. When the bearing sleeve 30 is fastened to the flange 12, the first bearing 22 is positioned and fixed between the flange 36 of the bearing sleeve 30 and the spacer ring 26 fastened to the bearing sleeve 30 in the axial direction L. Therefore, when the second fastener 34 is removed, the bearing sleeve 30, the first bearing 22 and the spacer ring 26 can be moved out of the through hole 14 toward the outer side 12a along the axial direction L as a whole. Here, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that a separate collar can be used instead of the flange 36 to position the first bearing 22 on the axial inner side, or in some embodiments, no separate collar or flange 36 can be provided, but the first bearing 22 can be positioned by directly abutting against the bearing outer ring of the first bearing 22 on the axial inner side by the flange 12.

[0029] The second bearing 24 is positioned in the axial direction L between a spacer ring 26 axially inside thereof and a collar 28 axially outside thereof, the collar 28 being immobilized by an end cap 40 fastened to the bearing bush 30 from the axial outside 12 a .

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, the end cap 40 may be secured to the bearing bushing 30 by means of a third fastener 38 ( Figure 1 ). The third fastener 38 passes through the end cover through hole 408 penetrating the end cover 40 in the axial direction L and enters the third hole 308 formed on the bearing bushing 30. The third fastener 38 may be a plurality of third fasteners 38 arranged in the circumferential direction. Similar to the first fastener 32 and the second fastener 34, the third fastener 38 may be, but not necessarily, a bolt.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, the collar 28 may be a separately provided part disposed between the bearing outer race of the second bearing 24 and the end cap 40. In some embodiments, the collar 28 may be an integrally formed part of the end cap 40.

[0032] Although not shown in the drawings, it is understood that the plurality of second fasteners 34 and the plurality of third fasteners 38 may be arranged in a spaced manner in the circumferential direction or in a spaced manner in the radial direction R, so that the second holes 304 for the second fasteners 34 and the third holes 308 for the third fasteners 38 on the bearing bushing 30 do not interfere with each other. It is also understood that the arrangement of the first fasteners 32 extending radially through the bearing bushing 30 in the circumferential direction and the arrangement of the second fasteners 34 extending axially through the bearing bushing 30 in the circumferential direction are such that the first holes 302 through which the first fasteners 32 pass and the second holes 304 through which the second fasteners 34 pass do not interfere with each other.

[0033] Using the structure as shown in the figure and described above, the bearing bushing 30 is fastened to the spacer ring 26 between the bearings 22 and 24 in the radial direction R by the first fastener 32, and the bearing bushing 30 is fastened to the flange 12 of the housing 10 in the axial direction L by the second fastener 34, and the end cover 40 is fastened to the bearing bushing 30 by providing a third fastener 38. Figure 1 The figure also illustrates a plug 124 for plugging the flange through hole 122 for installing the first fastener 32 after the installation is completed, and the figures also illustrate an end seal 13 arranged between the inner end 30a of the bearing bushing 30 and the stepped surface 15 of the flange 12 and an outer peripheral surface seal 17 arranged between the outer peripheral surface of the bearing bushing 30 and the relative surface of the flange 12. Preferably, the outer peripheral surface seal 17 is arranged on the outside of the first fastener 32 in the axial direction L.

[0034] The advantage of this structure is that since the bearing bushing 30 is added between the flange 12 and the two bearings 22 and 24 and the radially extending first fastener 32 is completely sunk into the bearing bushing 30, when the parts inside the wind power gearbox, especially the parts of the output stage transmission assembly, need to be repaired, the operator only needs to remove the third fastener 38, remove the end cover 40, the collar 28, the second bearing 24, and then remove the second fastener 34, and then the bearing bushing 30, the spacer ring 26, and the first bearing 22 can be removed from the through hole 14 along the axial direction L without removing the first fastener 32. The problem of being unable to remove the first fastener 32 on the tower is solved, and the purpose of repairing or replacing the parts of the output stage transmission assembly on the tower is achieved.

[0035] In addition, the wind turbine gearbox of the present application also improves the discharge structure of leaked lubricating oil. Figure 3 The end cover 40 includes an interface 45 formed between the end cover 40 and the output shaft 20 and includes a sealing structure arranged at the interface 45, and the wind power gearbox also includes a sealing member 42 arranged on the inner side of the interface 45 in the axial direction L, that is, close to the side of the bearing 24. The sealing structure at the interface 45 can be a labyrinth seal structure 44 arranged on the end cover 40. In this way, most of the lubricating oil used to lubricate the bearings 22 and 24 is blocked by the seal 42, and a small part still leaks to the above-mentioned interface 45.

[0036] As shown in the figure, the end cover 40 includes at least one (for example, two) oil return passages 46 for connecting the interface 45 with the internal fluid of the gearbox, and a discharge passage 48 for discharging the leaked lubricating oil at the interface 45 to the outside of the wind power gearbox. As shown in the figure, preferably, the opening 46a of the oil return passage 46 leading to the interface 45 is closer to the seal 42 or the bearing 24 than the opening 48a of the discharge passage 48 leading to the interface 45, or in other words, the opening 48a is arranged more outside than the opening 46a in the axial direction L, so that most of the lubricating oil leaked thereto can be returned to the gearbox, and a small part is discharged from the wind power gearbox via the discharge passage 48.

[0037] Thus, as shown in the figure, the bearing bushing 30 and the housing 10 (or the specific flange 12) respectively include a bushing channel 31 and a flange channel 11 configured to be in fluid communication with the oil return channel 46 of the end cover 40 to guide the (leaked) lubricating oil from the interface 45 back to the gearbox. Optionally, in some embodiments, according to the actual size and structure of the bearing bushing 30, the flange 12 and the end cover 40, the channel for guiding the lubricating oil at the interface 45 back to the gearbox may not pass through the bearing bushing 30 (so the bearing bushing 30 does not include the bushing channel 31), but the oil return channel 46 is directly in fluid communication with the flange channel 11.

[0038] As shown in the figure, the housing 10 (or specifically the flange 12) includes a flange discharge channel 18 which is fluidically connected to the discharge channel 48 of the end cover 40 and leads to the outside of the wind gearbox, and a discharge port formed on the housing 10 (or specifically the flange 12) (the figure shows a pipe joint 58 installed on the discharge port for checking and / or recovering leaked lubricating oil), so as to discharge the leaked lubricating oil from the interface 45 out of the wind gearbox.

[0039] Advantageously, the structure of the present application arranges the discharge port on the housing, specifically on the flange 12, rather than on the end cover 40. This makes it easier for operators to operate, for example, by holding a lubricating oil container (such as an oil can) to receive the discharged lubricating oil. On the other hand, when a problem occurs with the seal 42, the operator only needs to remove the third fastener 38 and the end cover 40 without removing the pipe joint 58, thereby simplifying time and simplifying operation.

[0040] As described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, an example of the wind turbine gearbox of the present application is shown in detail. From the above description, it can be seen that the wind turbine gearbox of the present application is particularly advantageous in the maintenance of parts of the output stage (or high-speed stage) transmission assembly of the wind turbine gearbox and in the inspection and / or discharge of leaked lubricating oil. For the former, a bearing bushing is added between the housing (or flange) of the present application and the spacer ring between the internal bearing, and the radially extending connecting piece or fastener is completely sunk into the bearing bushing, which solves the technical problem that the radial outer space of the flange is insufficient to remove the first fastener. The operator only needs to remove the second and third fasteners extending in the axial direction to remove the bearing, bearing bushing, spacer ring and other components out of the flange together, so that the maintenance and replacement of parts of the output stage transmission assembly of the wind turbine gearbox can be carried out on the tower. For the latter, the oil leakage inspection or recovery pipe joint of the present application is installed on the box body, and the maintenance or replacement of the seal 42 or the maintenance or replacement of the parts of the output stage transmission assembly no longer requires the removal of the pipe joint for oil leakage inspection, and of course there is no need to reinstall it afterwards. Compared with the structure in which the pipe joint is installed on the end cover, the structure of the present application is simpler to operate, which is particularly advantageous in the case of compact space and inconvenient operation: because if the pipe joint is installed on the top cover, the pipe joint must be removed before the internal output stage transmission assembly can be maintained or replaced, and the pipe joint must be reinstalled after completion.

[0041] However, those skilled in the art should understand that what is shown in the drawings and described in detail above are merely exemplary embodiments of the present application in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the present application. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented without the need for some of these specific details. The figure also only illustrates the partial structure of the wind turbine gearbox related to the improvements of the present application in order to avoid unnecessary ambiguity in the present application. After reading the above description, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, additions or omissions to various features or details, which are all considered to fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A wind power gearbox, comprising: an output shaft (20) having a central axis extending in an axial direction (L) and configured to engage a rotor of the generator and drive the same in rotation; A housing (10) comprising a flange (12) defining a through hole (14) allowing the output shaft (20) to pass therethrough; a pair of bearings (22, 24) rotatably supporting the output shaft (20); and a spacer ring (26) for spacing the pair of bearings (22, 24) apart in the axial direction (L), It is characterized by further comprising: A bearing sleeve (30) is arranged around the pair of bearings (22, 24) and is removably fastened to the flange (12), wherein the bearing sleeve (30) and the spacer ring (26) are configured to be fastened to each other and are sized so that both can be moved out of the through hole (14) along the axial direction (L) in a state of being fastened together.

2. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first fastener (32) for fastening the bearing sleeve (30) and the spacer ring (26) together, wherein the first fastener extends from the bearing sleeve (30) to the spacer ring (26) along a radial direction (R) perpendicular to the axial direction (L), and the radial outer end of the first fastener is completely buried in the bearing sleeve (30).

3. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also included is a second fastener (34) for fastening the bearing bushing (30) to the flange (12), the second fastener (34) extending from the bearing bushing (30) into the flange (12) along the axial direction (L).

4. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes an end cover (40) defining an end cover hole allowing the output shaft (20) to pass therethrough and a third fastener (38) for fastening the end cover (40) to the bearing sleeve (30), wherein the third fastener extends from the end cover (40) into the bearing sleeve (30) along the axial direction (L).

5. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first fastener (32) includes a plurality of first fasteners arranged in a circumferential direction around the axial direction (L), the second fastener (34) includes a plurality of second fasteners arranged in the circumferential direction, and the third fastener (38) includes a plurality of third fasteners arranged in the circumferential direction, wherein: each of the second fasteners (34) and each of the third fasteners (38) are arranged staggered from each other in the circumferential direction and / or in the radial direction.

6. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 5, characterized in that: Each of the first fastener (32), the second fastener (34), and the third fastener (38) is a threaded fastener.

7. The wind turbine gearbox according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The pair of bearings (22, 24) are two spherical roller bearings arranged opposite to each other.

8. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 7, characterized in that: The pair of bearings (22, 24) and the bearing bushing (30) are both located within the through hole (14) in the axial direction (L).

9. The wind turbine gearbox according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: It also includes an inner positioning ring and an outer positioning ring which are arranged on opposite sides of the pair of bearings (22, 24) in the axial direction (L) and are configured to position the pair of bearings (22, 24).

10. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 9, characterized in that: The inner locating ring is a flange (36) extending radially inwardly from the inner end (30a) of the bearing bushing (30) abutting against the flange (12) or a separately provided collar or provided by a part of the flange (12), and / or The outer locating ring is a shaft ring (28) sandwiched between the end cover (40) and the pair of bearings (22, 24), or an annular portion formed integrally with the end cover (40).

11. The wind turbine gearbox according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: An interface (45) is formed between the end cover (40) and the output shaft (20) in the radial direction, and the end cover (40) includes a sealing structure arranged at the interface (45).

12. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 11, characterized in that: The sealing structure is a labyrinth sealing structure (44) formed on the end cover (40).

13. The wind turbine gearbox according to claim 11, characterized in that: The end cover (40) includes a discharge channel (48) for discharging lubricating oil at the interface (45) out of the wind turbine gearbox, and the housing (10) includes a flange channel (18) for fluid communication with the discharge channel (48) and leading to the outside of the flange (12) so that a pipe joint (58) can be installed.

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