Highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine inverters

Abstract

A highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine converters, characterized in that it comprises a lower heating element (10) and an upper heating element (11) arranged within a converter housing (13), and in that an air exhaust duct (2) is arranged outside the converter housing (13) and is connected to the converter housing (13) and a cooling air conditioner (1), wherein the converter housing (13) is provided on an upper layer and a lower layer, respectively, with an upper temperature controller (7) and a lower temperature controller (8), wherein the converter housing (13) is provided on an upper side with a motorized flap (9), wherein a lower air inlet control flap (5) and an upper air inlet control flap (6) are each arranged at both connection points between the air exhaust duct (2) and the converter housing (13).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present utility model relates to the technical field of wind turbines, in particular to a highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine inverters. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] As a new type of renewable energy, the wind turbine system is constantly evolving. The wind turbine system consists of a wind turbine, a gearbox, a motor, and an inverter. The inverter is a core component of the wind turbine system. It is one of the high-performance electronic products used to regulate the voltage and frequency of the wind turbine, etc., and it converts the alternating current generated by the wind turbine into direct current for transmission and use. The inverter will produce a lot of heat during operation. If the heat is not dissipated in time, the inverter will burn out and cause the wind turbine to fail. This will seriously affect the operation of the wind turbine and the quality of power transmission, while reducing the power generation efficiency and the service life of the wind turbine equipment and even easily lead to explosions and fire accidents.

[0003] Currently, the cooling methods for wind turbine converters on the market mainly consist of air-cooled and water-cooled systems. The air-cooled cooling system consists of a radiator and a fan, and the heat generated by the converter is dissipated into the environment by the fan. This method has the advantage of being easy to install and does not require an additional water source or water pump. However, the cooling effect is very unsatisfactory due to the influence of the ambient temperature and the cooling efficiency of the fan. If the wind speed is insufficient, the cooling efficiency will also decrease, and impurities in the air will be blown into the converter housing, causing significant dust accumulation and aggravating the heating of the equipment. At the same time, this cooling method can only achieve a weak local cooling effect.

[0004] In the water-cooled method, the water pump brings the cooled circulating water to the converter's radiator, and after heat transfer, the water is cooled by the external water circulating cooling system. This method has the advantage of good cooling efficiency and can be adapted to different environments and load conditions, but the water-cooled converter is expensive and requires external water sources and pumps, which incurs high installation and maintenance costs and leads to problems such as blocked water pipes and extremely inconvenient maintenance. CONTENT OF THE PRESENT UTILITY MODEL

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present utility model is to provide a highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine inverters that accurately controls temperature and humidity, improves the operating efficiency and stability of the system, and at the same time reduces energy consumption and maintenance costs.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present utility model uses the following technical solution: a highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine inverters, comprising a lower heating element and an upper heating element arranged inside a inverter casing, wherein an air exhaust duct is arranged outside the inverter casing and is connected to the inverter casing and a cooling air conditioner, wherein the inverter casing is provided on an upper layer and a lower layer respectively with an upper temperature controller and a lower temperature controller, wherein the inverter casing is provided on an upper side with a motorized damper, wherein a lower air inlet control damper and an upper air inlet control damper are arranged at both connection points between the air exhaust duct and the inverter casing.

[0007] The upper temperature control and the lower temperature control correspond to the lower heating element and the upper heating element, respectively.

[0008] The upper temperature controller is electrically connected to the cooling air conditioner, the upper air inlet control flap, the motorized flap, and a dehumidifier, while the lower temperature controller is electrically connected to the cooling air conditioner, the lower air inlet control flap, the motorized flap, and the dehumidifier.

[0009] A lower inlet screen and an upper inlet screen are each arranged within the air exhaust duct on one side of the lower air inlet control flap and the upper air inlet control flap, respectively.

[0010] The upper temperature controller and the lower temperature controller are both provided with a set high temperature start value and a set low temperature cut-off value, with the upper temperature controller and the lower temperature controller respectively monitoring the ambient temperature around the upper heating element and the lower heating element within the inverter housing.

[0011] The inverter housing is also equipped with an automatic dehumidifier. Dehumidification occurs automatically depending on the ambient humidity and the set value to ensure that the humidity inside the inverter housing does not exceed the permissible value for normal operation of the system.

[0012] The present utility model has mainly the following advantageous effects: It efficiently solves the problem of insignificant cooling effect of air-cooled wind turbine converter system and reduces the frequency of damage to important high-power equipment.

[0013] The introduced screen design significantly improves the efficiency of on-site maintenance and cleaning and can be reused to reduce personnel and spare parts costs.

[0014] The traditional cooling method cannot achieve the purpose of point-to-point cooling.

[0015] The control logic is clear, improves the cooling effect of the cooling system and reduces energy consumption.

[0016] The cleaning of the external cooling air, the reduction of dust and contaminants in the inverter housing and the improvement of the air quality in the inverter housing are achieved. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0017] The present utility model is described in more detail below in conjunction with the attached drawings and embodiments. Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of the structure of the present utility model;

[0018] List of reference symbols: Refrigerated air conditioner 1; air exhaust duct 2; lower inlet screen 3; upper inlet screen 4; lower air inlet control flap 5; upper air inlet control flap 6; upper temperature controller 7; lower temperature controller 8; motorized flap 9; lower heating element 10; upper heating element 11; dehumidifier 12; inverter housing 13. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] As in Fig.1, a highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine converters comprises an air exhaust duct 2 and a cooling air conditioner 1 mounted on an exterior of an air-cooled converter housing 13 of a wind turbine. The cooling air generated by the cooling air conditioner 1 flows through the air exhaust duct 2 and, under the control of the upper temperature controller 7 and the lower temperature controller 8, controls the lower air inlet control flap 5, the upper air inlet control flap 6, and the motorized flap 9 at the top of the converter housing in accordance with the designated start-up sequence, thereby cooling the upper heating element 11 and the lower heating element 10 within the converter housing 13.At the same time, the lower inlet screen 3 and the upper inlet screen 4 filter the cooling air discharged from the cooling air conditioner 1 to ensure the air quality in the inverter enclosure 13, and the dehumidifier 12 can control the humidity inside the enclosure according to the set value. The design considerations are comprehensive, significantly reduced in cost compared with water-cooled systems, and focused on the upper and lower heat-generating elements in the inverter enclosure for centralized cooling. The screen is easily removable, and the design significantly reduces the intrusion of dust into the inverter enclosure, alleviating the serious phenomenon of overheating caused by dust adhering to electrical components, while also facilitating cleaning and replacement of the screen for maintenance personnel. Example 1

[0020] The cooling air conditioning system 1 is the sole cooling source for the converter housing of the wind turbine and is a separate system that is mounted outside the converter housing 13 for routine maintenance.

[0021] The upper temperature controller 7 and the lower temperature controller 8 are the core components of the entire system, and these two controllers can be internally set to a set start value for high temperatures and a set cut-off value for low temperatures.

[0022] When the ambient temperature reaches the set high-temperature start value, the temperature controller closes the normally open auxiliary contact. Depending on the control action, the lower air intake control flap 5 or the upper air intake control flap 6, the motorized flap 9 on the top of the inverter housing, and the cooling air conditioner 1 are activated.

[0023] The air duct is made of stainless steel, which has good corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance and is suitable for use in harsh climatic conditions.

[0024] If the ambient temperature is lower than the temperature of the upper temperature controller 7 or the lower temperature controller 8, the upper air inlet control flap 6 or the lower air inlet control flap are closed. If both temperature controllers detect that the ambient temperature is below the set low-temperature cutoff value, the motorized flap 9 on the top of the inverter housing and the cooling air conditioner 1 are closed.

[0025] The lower air inlet control flap 5 and the upper air inlet control flap 6 are activated and motorized by signals from the lower temperature controller 8 and the upper temperature controller 7. These two motorized flaps serve to automatically regulate the cooling air flow, specifically cool the heating elements in the converter housing, and thus improve cooling efficiency.

[0026] The automatic dehumidifier 12, preferably the model SM-90E-R485 from Shiman Electrical Technology Group, is used to control the humidity inside the inverter case and can be automatically turned on and off according to the set humidity value to prevent short-circuit failure of the internal electrical components of the inverter due to excessive humidity.

[0027] The lower introduction screen 3 and the upper introduction screen 4 adopt the introduction structure to ensure that the air entering the inverter casing is effectively filtered, and less dust in the external environment enters the inverter casing, which prevents the short-circuit combustion phenomenon due to the accumulation of dust in the heating element, and the introduction structure is easy to clean and replace and reuse after cleaning, which reduces operation and maintenance and saves manpower costs. Example 2

[0028] A control method for a high-efficiency, intelligently controlled wind turbine inverter cooling system, in which a pair of normally open high-temperature start contacts of the upper temperature controller 7 and the lower temperature controller 8 are in a parallel output state to jointly control the cooling air conditioner and the motorized damper on the top of the inverter case. That is, depending on which temperature controller performs the high-temperature action, the cooling air purge and the motorized damper on the top of the inverter are activated to control the closing of the cooling air purge and the motorized damper on the top of the inverter, also for the parallel pair of normally open contacts. The cooling air conditioner and the motorized damper on the top of the inverter will only be turned off when both temperature controllers simultaneously monitor the low-temperature shutdown signal.

[0029] Another group of normally open low temperature contacts of the upper temperature controller 7 and the lower temperature controller 8 controls the upper air inlet control flap 6 and the lower air inlet control flap 5, respectively, to control the path of the supplied cooling air after activation of the cooling system.

[0030] Through the above design, the cooling system is focused on cooling the upper or lower heating elements in the inverter case, and at the same time, the cooling system will not be messed up because one temperature controller is in the high temperature start-up state and the other is in the low temperature shutdown state, thus improving the cooling and energy saving effect.

[0031] The high temperature start set value and the low temperature cutoff set value set by the temperature controller can be set on site according to the specific specifications of the specific inverter model, with a difference of approximately 15°C between the general high temperature start set value and the general low temperature cutoff set value. In this way, the refrigerated air conditioner can obtain sufficient rest time after cooling from the high temperature start set value to the low temperature cutoff set value, thereby avoiding the refrigerated air conditioner running for a long time or repeated starting and shutting down, and extending the service life of the refrigerated air conditioner while reducing energy consumption.

[0032] The above embodiments are merely preferred technical solutions of the present utility model and should not be considered as limitations of the present utility model. The embodiments and the features in the embodiments in the present application can be freely combined with each other without causing conflict. The scope of protection of the present utility model is the technical solution registered in the claims, including equivalent replacement solutions for the technical features of the technical solution registered in the claims. That is, equivalent replacement solutions within this scope of protection also fall within the scope of protection of the present utility model.

Claims

[1] Highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine inverters, characterized by in that it comprises a lower heating element (10) and an upper heating element (11) which are arranged inside a converter housing (13), and in that an air exhaust duct (2) is arranged outside the converter housing (13) and is connected to the converter housing (13) and to a refrigerated air conditioning unit (1), wherein the converter housing (13) is provided on an upper layer and a lower layer respectively with an upper temperature controller (7) and a lower temperature controller (8), wherein the converter housing (13) is provided on an upper side with a motorized flap (9), wherein a lower air inlet control flap (5) and an upper air inlet control flap (6) are each arranged at both connection points between the air exhaust duct (2) and the converter housing (13). [2] Highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine converters according to claim 1, characterized by that the upper temperature controller (7) and the lower temperature controller (8) correspond to the lower heating element (10) and the upper heating element (11) respectively. [3] Highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine converters according to claim 1, characterized by that the upper temperature controller (7) is electrically connected to the cooling air conditioning system (1), the upper air inlet control flap (6), the motorized flap (9) and a dehumidifier (12), while the lower temperature controller (8) is electrically connected to the cooling air conditioning system (1), the lower air inlet control flap (5), the motorized flap (9) and the dehumidifier (12). [4] Highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine converters according to claim 1, characterized bythat a lower inlet screen (3) and an upper inlet screen (4) are each arranged within the air exhaust duct (2) on one side of the lower air inlet control flap (5) and the upper air inlet control flap (6), respectively. [5] Highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine converters according to claim 1, characterized by that the upper temperature controller (7) and the lower temperature controller (8) are both provided with a set start value for high temperatures and a set cut-off value for low temperatures, wherein the upper temperature controller (7) and the lower temperature controller (8) each monitor the ambient temperature around the upper heating element (11) and the lower heating element (10) respectively within the converter housing (13). [6] Highly efficient and intelligently controlled cooling system for wind turbine converters according to claim 1, characterized bythat the converter housing (13) is further provided with a dehumidifier (12), wherein the dehumidifier (12) is an automatic dehumidifier.

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