Drive arrangement for a wind turbine

Abstract

The invention relates to a drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) for a wind turbine, comprising a main shaft (103), an intermediate piece (105, 303), a main shaft housing (109), and a gearbox; wherein the main shaft (103) is completely mounted in the main shaft housing (109); and wherein a planet carrier (107) of the gearbox is fixed in a rotationally fixed and cantilevered manner in the main shaft (103) via the intermediate piece (105, 303). The drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) has a detachable first joining connection (123) between the intermediate piece (105, 303) and the planet carrier (107).

Description

The invention relates to a drive arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method according to the preamble of claim 11.From the publication DE 10 2017 223 356 A1 a planetary carrier with a membrane-shaped attachment is known. Via the attachment, the planet carrier is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a main shaft. The attachment specifically reduces the tilting stiffness of the connection between the main shaft and the planetary carrier. The attachment is integrally connected to the planet carrier.It is an object of the invention to provide an improved drive arrangement for a wind turbine. This object is achieved by a drive arrangement according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 11.A drive arrangement according to the invention is designed for use in a wind turbine and comprises a main shaft, an intermediate piece, a main shaft housing and a transmission.The main shaft runs between a wind-powered wind turbine rotor that is stationary in the wind and the transmission. It forms an input shaft of the transmission or connects the rotor to an input shaft of the transmission in a rotationally fixed manner.In the present case, the main shaft is mounted completely in a separate housing-the main shaft housing. This means that all the bearings with which the main shaft is supported are located in the main shaft housing. The bearings are preferably joined to the main shaft housing, that is to say fixed in the main shaft housing via joining connections between in each case one of the bearings and the main shaft housing.The mainshaft is at least partially within the mainshaft housing. In the circumferential direction with respect to a rotational axis of the main shaft, the main shaft housing completely encloses at least a part of the main shaft.The main shaft housing is preferably embodied in one piece. It can be connected to a housing of the transmission in one piece or in multiple pieces.On the input side, the transmission has a planetary carrier. This is fixed in the main shaft in a rotationally fixed and cantilevered manner via the intermediate piece.Between the intermediate piece and the planet carrier there is a first joining connection. This produces a rotationally fixed and tilt-resistant connection between the intermediate piece and the planet carrier.The intermediate piece is connected to the main shaft via a second joining connection. The second joining connection is also rotationally fixed and tilt-resistant.A tilt-resistant connection denotes a connection which is rigid with respect to tilting. Tilting is understood to mean a rotation about a transverse axis, in the present case about an axis which runs orthogonally to an axis of rotation of the main shaft and / or of the planetary carrier. Such a rotation is counteracted by a connection that is rigid with respect to tilting, in that it applies a counter-torque, i.e. a torque that is opposed to the tilting.A self-supporting fixing of the planet carrier is equivalent to the planet carrier not having its own bearing, i.e. no bearing which is physically connected directly to the planet carrier, and being supported in the main shaft via the intermediate piece. At least a portion of the weight force of the planetary carrier is introduced via the intermediate piece into the main shaft and from the main shaft via its bearing into the main shaft housing. In addition to the bearings of the main shaft, there are no further bearings by means of which the planet carrier is supported in a housing or a structure fixed to the housing.The intermediate piece is preferably designed to be resilient with respect to tilting of the planet carrier relative to the main shaft. Such tilting is accompanied by an elastic deformation of the intermediate piece. This can be achieved, for example, by a small wall thickness of at least a part of the intermediate piece which extends in the radial direction in the form of a disk.According to the invention, the first joining connection is releasable. A detachable joining connection is distinguished in that it can be detached without destroying the components joined to one another. For example, a releasable joining connection can be designed as a screw connection.In a preferred development, the second joining connection is also releasable.The invention and the further development with a second releasable joining connection are advantageous since the releasability of the first joining connection and, if appropriate, of the second joining connection simplifies the assembly and disassembly of the drive arrangement.The drive arrangement is preferably further developed with an intermediate housing. This connects the main shaft housing and the housing of the transmission, or a ring gear which forms part of the housing of the transmission, to one another. The intermediate housing may be integrally connected to the main shaft housing and / or the housing of the transmission. Likewise, the intermediate housing and the main shaft housing and / or the intermediate housing and the housing of the transmission can be embodied as separate pieces. The connection of the intermediate housing to the main shaft housing and / or the connection of the intermediate housing to the housing of the transmission are preferably releasable.In a preferred development, the intermediate housing has at least one mounting opening. This is a through-recess that connects a space between the intermediate piece and the intermediate housing to the external environment of the intermediate piece. Through the mounting opening, an assembler is provided with access to the intermediate piece from the outside for maintenance, mounting and / or dismantling purposes.Preferably, the first joining connection and / or the second joining connection are accessible through the mounting opening for maintenance, mounting and / or dismantling purposes. In order to prevent dirt from entering the space between the intermediate piece and the intermediate housing, the mounting opening is preferably closed or closable by a removable cover.The drive arrangement is preferably further developed with a first seal and / or a second seal. The first seal separates a space between the intermediate piece and the intermediate housing and a space inside the housing of the transmission from one another in a fluid-tight manner. As a result, the first seal acts as a barrier to fluid, for example lubricating oil, which is present in the housing of the transmission and prevents the fluid from entering the space between the intermediate piece and the intermediate housing.The second seal fluid-tightly separates the space between the intermediate piece and the intermediate housing and a space between the main shaft and the main shaft housing from each other. Thereby, the second seal functions as a barrier against fluid, for example, lubricating oil for lubricating the main shaft bearings contained in the space between the main shaft and the main shaft housing, and prevents the fluid from entering the space between the intermediate member and the intermediate housing.As a result of the first seal and / or the second seal, the space between the intermediate piece and the intermediate housing remains free of fluid. This is advantageous in view of the above-described maintenance, assembly and disassembly work.The intermediate piece is preferably further developed with a first flange and / or a second flange. A flange denotes an axial end section with an annular end face. According to a development, the first flange forms the first joining connection and / or the second flange forms the second joining connection. The intermediate piece is thus joined in a development-related manner in the first flange releasably to the planet carrier and / or in the second flange releasably to the main shaft. Preferably, the first flange and / or the second flange are designed as screw flanges.The intermediate piece is preferably further developed with a central part which connects the first flange and the second flange to one another. In particular, the first flange and the second flange can be arranged on axially opposite sides of the intermediate piece and thus form the axial end faces of the central part.In a preferred refinement, the first flange and / or the second flange collar, starting from the central part, radially outwards. This means that the first flange and / or the second flange extend radially outwards starting from the central part. With respect to the first flange and / or the second flange, the central part is thus arranged radially inward, that is to say at a smaller distance from an axis of rotation of the main shaft, of the central part and / or of the planetary carrier. Such a refinement is advantageous since the first flange and / or the second flange are accessible through the at least one mounting opening according to the refinement.The second flange projects radially inwardly therefrom in a preferred development starting from the central part. Starting from the central part, the second flange thus extends radially inward according to the refinement. The central part is then arranged radially further outwards, i.e. at a greater distance from the mentioned axis of rotation. A second flange projecting radially inward is accessible for maintenance, assembly and disassembly work by a main shaft designed as a hollow shaft.The method according to the invention serves for the maintenance, assembly and / or disassembly of the drive arrangement described above with an intermediate housing which has at least one assembly opening. The method provides that the at least one mounting opening is used to open or close the first joining connection and / or the second joining connection. In particular, an assembler can penetrate through the at least one mounting opening with a tool into the space between the intermediate piece and the intermediate housing in order to open or close the first joining connection and / or the second joining connection. In smaller drive arrangements, the assembler can be located outside the cavity. Larger drive arrangements make it possible for the assembler to enter the cavity through the mounting opening for maintenance, mounting and / or dismantling.Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the figures. Corresponding reference numerals identify identical or functionally identical features. In detail, the following shows: FIG. 1 shows a first drive arrangement; FIG. 2 shows a second drive arrangement, and FIG. 3 shows a third drive arrangement.A first drive arrangement 101 shown in FIG. 1, a second drive arrangement 201 shown in FIG. 2 and a third drive arrangement 301 shown in FIG. 3 each have a main shaft 103, an intermediate piece 105, a planetary carrier 107 and a housing. The housing includes a main shaft housing 109, an intermediate housing 111, and a ring gear 113.The main shaft 103 is rotatably mounted in the main shaft housing 109 by means of two bearing arrangements 115 which are axially spaced apart from one another. The intermediate piece 105 connects the planet carrier 107 to the main shaft 103 in a rotationally fixed manner and supports it in the main shaft 103. As a result, the planet carrier 107 does not require its own bearings. The assembly consisting of the main shaft 103, the intermediate piece 105 and the planet carrier 107 is mounted exclusively via the main shaft bearings 115.The intermediate housing 111 has mounting openings 117. Depending on the size of the drive arrangement 101, a assembler can enter the space running between the intermediate piece 105 and the intermediate housing 111 through the mounting openings 117 or can engage into this space from the outside in order to carry out maintenance, mounting and / or dismantling work on the intermediate piece 105 or fixing it in the main shaft 103 and / or the planetary carrier 107.In order that no lubricant enters the said space, a first seal 119 and a second seal 121 are provided. The first seal 119 extends between the planet carrier 107 and the intermediate housing 111. It can be fixed in the planet carrier 107 and braced with one or more sealing lips against the intermediate housing 111 or fixed in the intermediate housing 111 and braced with one or more sealing lips against the planet carrier 107. The first seal 119 forms a fluid-tight barrier to lubricant contained within the transmission.The second seal 121 extends between the main shaft 103 and the main shaft housing 109. It can be fixed in the main shaft 103 and braced with one or more sealing lips against the main shaft housing 109 or fixed in the main shaft housing 109 and braced with one or more sealing lips against the main shaft 103. A space running between the main shaft 103 and the main shaft housing 109 is thus encapsulated in a fluid-tight manner with respect to the space between the intermediate piece 105 and the intermediate housing 111. Lubricating oil contained in the space between the main shaft 103 and the main shaft housing 109 is prevented from entering the space between the intermediate piece 105 and the intermediate housing 111 by the second seal 121.In the exemplary embodiments 101, 201, 301 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the intermediate piece 105 is screwed to the main shaft 103 and the planet carrier 107 by means of a respective screw flange. FIG. 1 shows a first screw flange 123 with which the intermediate piece 105 is screwed to the planet carrier 107, and a second screw flange 125 with which the intermediate piece 105 is screwed to the main shaft 103. Starting from a central part of the intermediate piece 105, the first screw flange 123 and the second screw flange 125 extend radially outwards. Thus, both screw flanges 123, 125 are accessible through the mounting openings 117.The second drive arrangement 201 shown in FIG. 2 differs from the first drive arrangement 101 from FIG. 1 with regard to the configuration of the second flange 125. Thus, the second flange 125 according to FIG. 2 extends radially inward from the central part of the intermediate piece 105. This has the consequence that the screw connections of the second flange 125 are no longer accessible through the mounting openings 117. In order to open or close the screw connections of the second flange 125, an engineer can instead enter through the hollow main shaft 103 and thus reach the second flange 125.In the third drive arrangement 301 shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate piece is designed as a planar disc 303. A planar pane 303 can be produced particularly simply and correspondingly cost-effectively in comparison with a curved intermediate piece 105 according to FIGS. 1 and 2.The disk 303 is screwed to the main shaft 103 via a spacer 305. The planet carrier 107 forms an extension 307, which extends in the direction of the disk 303 starting from an input-side cheek of the planet carrier 107. The disc 303 is screwed to this extension 307. A corresponding screw connection forms the first screw flange 123. The second screw flange 125 is formed by screwing the disk 303 to the main shaft 103. Starting from the second screw flange 125, the first screw flange 123 is arranged radially further outward. Thus, the first screw flange 123 surrounds the second screw flange 125.Reference numerals denote reference numerals101 Drive arrangement 103 Main shaft 105 Intermediate piece 107 Planet carrier 109 Main shaft housing 111 Intermediate housing 113 Ring gear 115 Bearing arrangement 117 Mounting opening 119 Seal 121 Seal 123 Screw flange 125 Screw flange 201 Drive arrangement 301 Drive arrangement 303 Disc 305 Spacer 307 ExtensionReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 10 2017 223 356 A1

[0002]

Claims

Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) for a wind turbine, having a main shaft (103), an intermediate piece (105, 303), a main shaft housing (109) and a transmission; wherein the main shaft (103) is mounted completely in the main shaft housing (109); and wherein a planet carrier (107) of the transmission is fixed in the main shaft (103) in a rotationally fixed and cantilevered manner via the intermediate piece (105, 303); characterized bya releasable first joining connection (123) between the intermediate piece (105, 303) and the planet carrier (107).Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to Claim 1; characterized bya releasable second joining connection (125) between the intermediate piece (105, 303) and the main shaft (103).Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to one of the preceding claims; characterized by an intermediate housing (111) which connects the main shaft housing (109) and a housing (113) of the transmission to one another.Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to the preceding claim; characterized in that the intermediate housing (111) has at least one mounting opening (117).Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to one of the preceding two claims; characterized bya first seal (119) which separates a space between the intermediate piece (105, 303) and the intermediate housing (111) and a space within the housing (113) of the transmission from one another in a fluid-tight manner, and / or a second seal (121) which separates the space between the intermediate piece (105, 303) and the intermediate housing (111) and a space between the main shaft (103) and the main shaft housing (109) from one another in a fluid-tight manner.Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to the preceding claim; characterized in that the first seal (119) extends between the planet carrier (107) and the intermediate housing (111) and / or the second seal (121) extends between the main shaft (103) and the main shaft housing (109).Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to one of the preceding claims; characterized in that the intermediate piece (105, 303) has a first flange (123) which forms the first joining connection and / or a second flange (125) which forms the second joining connection.Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to the preceding claim; characterized in that the intermediate piece (105, 303) has a central part which connects the first flange (123) and the second flange (125) to one another.Drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to the preceding claim; characterized in that the first flange (123) and / or the second flange (125) project radially outwards starting from the central part.Drive arrangement (201, 301) according to one of the preceding two claims; characterized in that the second flange (125) protrudes radially inwards starting from the central part.Method for maintenance, assembly or disassembly of a drive arrangement (101, 201, 301) according to Claim 4 or one of Claims 5 to 10 with reference back to Claim 4; characterized in that the first joining connection (123) and / or the second joining connection (125) are opened or closed by the at least one assembly opening (117).

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