Positioning structure and wind power generation device

Abstract

A positioning structure that can easily position two large components that make up a wind turbine generator is provided. [Solution] A positioning structure 6 for positioning a first large component and a second large component that constitute a wind turbine generator includes a plurality of positioning bolts 60 provided on the first large component and a plurality of positioning holes 70 provided on the second large component, each of which is configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of positioning bolts 60. Each of the plurality of positioning bolts 60 has a skirt portion and a threaded portion connected to the skirt portion. The diameter of the skirt portion gradually decreases toward the threaded portion. Each of the plurality of positioning holes 70 has a first opening, a second opening, and a receiving portion. The diameter of the positioning hole 70 gradually decreases from the first opening toward the second opening.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a positioning structure and a wind turbine generator including the positioning structure, and more particularly to a positioning structure for positioning two large components that constitute a wind turbine generator. [Background technology]

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, dozens of bolts are used for the connection between two large components constituting a wind power generation device (for example, the connection between the nacelle and the tower, or the connection between the hub and the blades). Many wind power generation towers are over 100 m tall. For this reason, when installing the nacelle or the blades, it is necessary to finely adjust the position of a large crane that is taller than the tower while hoisting the nacelle or the blades so that dozens of bolts are inserted simultaneously into dozens of bolt holes. Since it is necessary to ultimately position the two large components within an error range of a few millimeters, there have been problems such as delays in the installation work of the wind power generation device due to restrictions such as weather conditions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2023-539416 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, a large nacelle weighs more than 1,000 tons. In addition, the blades often weigh several tens of tons and are often more than 100 meters long. Wind turbines are easily affected by wind pressure during installation. Since winds often blow stronger at high altitudes than on the ground, it is quite a difficult task to fine-tune the position of a large crane so that several dozen bolts are inserted into several dozen bolt holes at the same time. This problem is particularly serious for offshore wind turbines, which are installed at sea, where winds stronger than those on land often blow for long periods of time.

[0005] For this reason, the installation of wind power generation equipment can only be done during times when the wind is extremely weak, which often causes delays in the construction schedule and is one of the factors that increases the construction and maintenance costs of wind power generation equipment. In addition, delays in repair work for wind power generation equipment also lead to a decrease in the operating rate of the equipment.

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure has an object to provide a positioning structure that can facilitate the positioning of two large components that constitute a wind turbine generator, and a further object of the present disclosure is to provide a wind turbine generator equipped with the positioning structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A positioning structure according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a positioning structure for positioning a first large component and a second large component among a plurality of large components constituting a wind power generating device, the positioning structure comprising a plurality of positioning bolts provided on the first large component and a plurality of positioning holes provided on the second large component, each of which is configured to accommodate a corresponding one of the plurality of positioning bolts. Each of the plurality of positioning bolts has a skirt portion and a threaded portion connected to the skirt portion. In the axial direction of the positioning bolt, the diameter of the skirt portion gradually decreases toward the threaded portion. Each of the plurality of positioning holes has a first opening facing the first large component, a second opening located on the opposite side to the first opening, and an accommodating portion provided between the first opening and the second opening. In the axial direction of the positioning hole, the diameter of the positioning hole gradually decreases from the first opening toward the second opening.

[0008] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a positioning structure that can easily position the first and second large components of a wind power generating device. In this way, the positioning structure can reduce the construction costs and maintenance costs of the wind power generating device.

[0009] The skirt portion and the positioning hole may be formed in a truncated cone shape. The shape of the skirt portion may substantially match the shape of the positioning hole.

[0010] According to the above configuration, when the positioning bolt is inserted into the positioning hole, the gap between the positioning bolt and the positioning hole can be reduced. Therefore, when a large force is applied to the first large component, the outer peripheral surface of the skirt portion of each positioning bolt contacts the inner wall surface of the accommodation portion of each positioning hole, so that the force generated in the first large component can be distributed and transmitted to the second large component. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent excessive force from being applied to parts of the first large component and the second large component, and to effectively prevent damage to the first large component and the second large component.

[0011] Additionally, one of the first and second large components may be a blade, and the other of the first and second large components may be a hub.

[0012] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a positioning structure that can easily position the blade and the hub.

[0013] Furthermore, the first large component may be a blade. The second large component may be a hub. The positioning bolts may be provided at a base end of the blade. The positioning holes may be provided in a bearing portion of the hub. Positioning of the blade and the bearing portion may be completed with each of the positioning bolts inserted into a corresponding one of the positioning holes.

[0014] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a positioning structure that can easily position the blade and the bearing portion of the hub.

[0015] A wind power generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first large component, a second large component, and a positioning structure for positioning the first large component and the second large component. The positioning structure includes a plurality of positioning bolts provided on the first large component, and a plurality of positioning holes provided on the second large component, each of which is configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of positioning bolts. Each of the plurality of positioning bolts has a skirt portion and a threaded portion connected to the skirt portion. In the axial direction of the positioning bolt, the diameter of the skirt portion gradually decreases toward the threaded portion. Each of the plurality of positioning holes has a first opening facing the first large component, a second opening located on the opposite side to the first opening, and a housing portion provided between the first opening and the second opening. In the axial direction of the positioning hole, the diameter of the positioning hole gradually decreases from the first opening toward the second opening. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a positioning structure that can facilitate the positioning of two large components that constitute a wind turbine generator. Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a wind turbine generator that includes the positioning structure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wind turbine generator. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hub and blades of a wind turbine generator. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 shows a number of positioning bolts provided at the base end of the blade. [Figure 4] 1A is a perspective view of a positioning structure according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment), as seen obliquely from above, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the positioning structure according to the present embodiment, as seen obliquely from below. [Diagram 5]4 is an enlarged view of a portion of a plurality of positioning bolts provided at the base end of the blade. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is an enlarged perspective cross-sectional view showing a portion of a positioning hole provided in a bearing portion of the hub. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The positioning structure 6 and the wind turbine generator 1 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a wind turbine generator 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the wind turbine generator 1, which is a huge structure, is made up of multiple large components. Specifically, the wind turbine generator 1 includes a tower 5, a nacelle 4, a hub 3, and multiple blades 2.

[0020] The tower 5 is installed on a foundation (not shown) and configured to support the nacelle 4 and the blades 2. The nacelle 4 is fixed to the tower 5 and configured to house components necessary for power generation, such as a gearbox and a generator. The gearbox functions to amplify the rotational speed of the blades 2 to a rotational speed required for power generation. The generator functions to convert rotational energy into electrical energy. The nacelle 4 houses a rotor shaft (not shown) that functions as the rotating shaft of the blades 2. The rotor shaft is connected to the gearbox.

[0021] The hub 3 (an example of a second large component) is connected to the rotor shaft and the blades 2, and is configured to connect the base end 20 (root) of each blade 2 to the rotor shaft. Each blade 2 (an example of a first large component) is configured to rotate around the rotor shaft by wind power, thereby converting the wind power into rotational energy. In this example, three blades 2 are provided on the wind power generation device 1, but the number of blades 2 is not particularly limited. Each blade 2 has a base end 20 and a tip end 21 provided on the opposite side to the base end 20. Each blade 2 is made of, for example, fiber-reinforced plastic or the like, and has a hollow structure. The base end 20 of each blade 2 is fixed to the hub 3. The hub 3 may be provided with a variable pitch mechanism configured to adjust the angle of each blade 2.

[0022] Next, the connection between the hub 3 and the blade 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2. For convenience of explanation, only one blade 2 and one hub 3 are shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, a positioning structure 6 for positioning the blade 2 and the hub 3 is provided in the wind turbine generator 1. When attaching the blade 2 to the hub 3, the blade 2 is lifted by a large crane, and the positioning between the blade 2 and the hub 3 (more specifically, the bearing portion 31 of the hub 3) is performed using the positioning structure 6. After the positioning between the blade 2 and the hub 3 is completed, the blade 2 and the hub 3 are fixed to each other.

[0023] The hub 3 has a hub body 30 and a plurality of bearing portions 31. The bearing portions 31 may be made of a metal material such as carburized steel. The number of bearing portions 31 corresponds to the number of blades 2. In this example, three bearing portions 31 are arranged at equal intervals along the outer periphery of the hub body 30. The positioning structure 6 includes a plurality of positioning bolts 60 and a plurality of positioning holes 70. The plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided in the base end portion 20 of the blade 2. The plurality of positioning holes 70 are provided in each bearing portion 31. In this example, three positioning structures 6 are provided in the wind turbine generator 1 for positioning between the three blades 2 and the three bearing portions 31.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided on the edge portion 23 of the base end portion 20 of the blade 2. Each positioning bolt 60 is fixed to the edge portion 23 by a predetermined fixing means. For example, each positioning bolt 60 may be fixed to a corresponding one of a plurality of fixing means (not shown) embedded in the edge portion 23. The shape of each positioning bolt 60 may be the same. As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided along the circumferential direction of the edge portion 23 at a predetermined interval so as to surround the hollow portion S1 of the blade 2. Note that in FIG. 4, for convenience of explanation, portions other than the base end portion 20 of the blade 2 are not shown.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, each positioning bolt 60 has a skirt portion 162 fixed to the edge portion 23 and a threaded portion 163 connected to the skirt portion 162. The skirt portion 162 and the threaded portion 163 may be integrally formed. The skirt portion 162 is formed in a truncated cone shape. In the axial direction D1 of the positioning bolt 60, the diameter R1 of the skirt portion 162 gradually decreases from the edge portion 23 toward the threaded portion 163. In addition, the interval d1 between two adjacent positioning bolts 60 in the arrangement direction D2 of the positioning bolts 60 gradually increases from the edge portion 23 toward the threaded portion 163. The taper angle of the skirt portion 162 may be within a range of, for example, 1 degree to 45 degrees.

[0026] The threaded portion 163 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. The diameter of the threaded portion 163 may be substantially the same as the diameter of the skirt portion 162 at the boundary between the threaded portion 163 and the skirt portion 162. When each of the multiple positioning bolts 60 is inserted into a corresponding one of the multiple positioning holes 70 formed in the bearing portion 31, the threaded portion 163 protrudes from the positioning hole 70 in the axial direction D1. In this state, a fastening means such as a nut is attached to each of the multiple threaded portions 163 protruding from the positioning hole 70, whereby the blade 2 and the bearing portion 31 of the hub 3 are fixed to each other.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, each of the multiple positioning holes 70 is provided in the bearing portion 31. The bearing portion 31 has an upper surface 310 facing the edge portion 23 of the blade 2, and a lower surface 312 located on the opposite side to the upper surface 310. Each positioning hole 70 penetrates the bearing portion 31 so as to extend from the upper surface 310 to the lower surface 312 of the bearing portion 31. The shape of each positioning hole 70 may be the same. As shown in FIG. 4, the multiple positioning holes 70 are provided at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the bearing portion 31.

[0028] 6, each of the positioning holes 70 is formed in a truncated cone shape. Each of the positioning holes 70 is configured to receive a corresponding one of the positioning bolts 60 (more specifically, the skirt portions 162). Each of the positioning holes 70 has a first opening 171, a second opening 172, and a receiving portion 173.

[0029] The first opening 171 is formed in an upper surface 310 of the bearing portion 31 and faces the edge portion 23 of the blade 2. The second opening 172 is located on the opposite side to the first opening 171 and is formed in a lower surface 312 of the bearing portion 31. The storage portion 173 is provided between the first opening 171 and the second opening 172 and is a space communicating with the first opening 171 and the second opening 172.

[0030] The diameter of the first opening 171 is larger than the diameter of the second opening 172. In particular, in the axial direction D3 of the positioning hole 70, the diameter R2 of the positioning hole 70 (more specifically, the diameter R2 of the accommodating portion 173) gradually decreases from the first opening 171 toward the second opening 172. In this manner, each positioning hole 70 is formed in a tapered shape. The taper angle of the positioning hole 70 may match the taper angle of the skirt portion 162.

[0031] The distance between two adjacent positioning holes 70 in the arrangement direction D4 of the positioning holes 70 (see FIG. 4(b)) gradually increases from the upper surface 310 toward the lower surface 312.

[0032] The shape of the skirt portion 162 is approximately the same as the shape of the corresponding positioning hole 70. In particular, the diameter R1 of the skirt portion 162 at the edge 23 is approximately the same as the diameter of the first opening 171. Furthermore, the diameter R1 of the skirt portion 162 at the boundary between the skirt portion 162 and the threaded portion 163 is approximately the same as the diameter of the second opening 172. Here, "approximately the same" does not mean that the shape and dimensions of the skirt portion 162 and the shape and dimensions of the positioning hole 70 are completely the same. In this respect, the dimensions of the positioning hole 70 are slightly larger than the dimensions of the skirt portion 162. Therefore, when the skirt portion 162 is inserted into the corresponding positioning hole 70, the gap formed between the outer peripheral surface 162S of the skirt portion 162 and the inner wall surface 175 of the accommodation portion 173 is as small as possible.

[0033] In this embodiment, the positioning step between the blade 2 and the bearing portion 31 is performed by inserting each positioning bolt 60 into a corresponding one of the multiple positioning holes 70. Here, by completely inserting each of all the positioning bolts 60 into the corresponding positioning hole 70, the positioning between the blade 2 and the bearing portion 31 is reliably performed. This positioning step may be performed by finely adjusting the position of a large crane that hoists the blade 2.

[0034] In addition, in the positioning step between the blade 2 and the bearing portion 31, a plurality of positioning bolts 60 may be simultaneously inserted into a plurality of positioning holes 70. Also, at least one of the plurality of positioning bolts 60 may be replaced with a positioning guide pin having a dimension longer than the positioning bolt 60, and the positioning guide pin may be first inserted into the positioning hole 70. After that, a plurality of positioning bolts 60 may be simultaneously inserted into a plurality of positioning holes 70.

[0035] Furthermore, a step of fixing the blade 2 to the bearing portion 31 is performed after the above-mentioned positioning step. In this fixing step, a fastening means such as a nut is attached to the threaded portion 163 of each positioning bolt 60. As a result, the bearing portion 31 is sandwiched between the nut and the edge portion 23 of the blade 2, and the blade 2 is fixed to the bearing portion 31. This fixing step may be performed manually by an on-site worker.

[0036] According to this embodiment, the diameter of the first opening 171 of the positioning hole 70 facing the positioning bolt 60 is the maximum diameter of the positioning hole 70, and is considerably larger than the diameter of the screw portion 163, which is the minimum diameter of the positioning bolt 60. Therefore, it is easy to insert the tip (screw portion 163) of each positioning bolt 60 into the corresponding positioning hole 70 at the same time. Furthermore, the diameter R2 of the positioning hole 70 is set to gradually decrease from the first opening 171 toward the second opening 172 in the axial direction D3. Therefore, when the blade 2 is pushed toward the bearing portion 31, each positioning bolt 60 can be smoothly guided toward the second opening 172 by the accommodation portion 173 of the positioning hole 70. In particular, if the taper angle of the skirt portion 162 is less than 45°, the force acting in the direction to guide the position of each positioning bolt 60 to the position of the positioning hole 70 becomes larger than the pushing force applied to each positioning bolt 60. Therefore, it is possible to provide a positioning structure 6 that can easily position the blade 2 and the hub 3 (bearing portion 31).

[0037] Furthermore, the positioning structure 6 according to this embodiment does not require precise positioning between the blades 2 and the hub 3, which effectively prevents delays in the installation of the wind power generating device 1 due to restrictions such as weather conditions. In this way, it is possible to reduce the construction costs and maintenance costs of the wind power generating device 1.

[0038] According to this embodiment, the skirt portion 162 of each positioning bolt 60 is formed in a tapered shape, and when each skirt portion 162 is inserted into the corresponding positioning hole 70, it is possible to make the gap formed between the outer peripheral surface 162S of the skirt portion 162 and the inner wall surface 175 of the accommodation portion 173 as small as possible. Therefore, when a large force is applied to the blade 2 after the blade 2 is fixed to the hub 3, the outer peripheral surface 162S of each skirt portion 162 contacts the inner wall surface 175 of the accommodation portion 173, so that the force generated on the blade 2 can be distributed and transmitted to the bearing portion 31 of the hub 3. As a result, it is possible to preferably prevent excessive force from being applied to a part of the blade 2 and the bearing portion 31, and to preferably prevent damage to the blade 2 and the bearing portion 31.

[0039] Furthermore, the diameter of the base side of the skirt portion 162 is larger than the diameter of a conventional positioning bolt. Therefore, even if the skirt portion 162 comes into contact with other components during the installation work of the wind turbine generator 1, the skirt portion 162 is less likely to be damaged, such as bent.

[0040] In the description of this embodiment, a plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided on the blade 2 side, and a plurality of positioning holes 70 are provided on the bearing portion 31 side, but this embodiment is not limited to this. In this respect, a plurality of positioning holes 70 may be provided on the blade 2 side, and a plurality of positioning bolts 60 may be provided on the bearing portion 31 side. In this case, a plurality of positioning holes 70 are provided on the edge portion 23, and a plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided on the upper surface 310 of the bearing portion 31. In this way, a plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided on either one of the blade 2 or the hub 3, and a plurality of positioning holes 70 are provided on the other of the blade 2 or the hub 3.

[0041] In addition, in this embodiment, the positioning structure 6 for positioning the blades 2 and the hub 3, which are two large components constituting the wind power generating device 1, has been described, but the positioning structure 6 can also be applied to positioning between the two large components, the tower 5 and the nacelle 4. Specifically, a plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided on one of the tower 5 and the nacelle 4, and a plurality of positioning holes 70 are provided on the other of the tower 5 and the nacelle 4. In this case as well, it is possible to provide a positioning structure 6 that can easily position the tower 5 and the nacelle 4, and it is possible to reduce the construction costs and maintenance costs of the wind power generating device 1.

[0042] Furthermore, the positioning structure 6 can also be applied to positioning between a plurality of tower components constituting the tower 5. Here, the tower components are large components of the wind power generation device 1 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. In this case, a plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided on one of two tower components adjacent to each other in the axial direction (extension direction) of the tower 5, and a plurality of positioning holes 70 are provided on the other. In this way, the positioning structure 6 can facilitate positioning between the tower components. Similarly, the positioning structure 6 can also be applied to positioning between the tower 5 and a foundation (one example of a large component) fixed to the tower 5. In this case, a plurality of positioning bolts 60 are provided on one of the foundation and the base end of the tower 5 facing the foundation, and a plurality of positioning holes 70 are provided on the other. In this way, the positioning structure 6 can facilitate positioning between the tower 5 and the foundation.

[0043] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the embodiment. The embodiment is an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1: Wind power generation equipment 2: Blade 3: Hub 4: Nacelle 5: Tower 6: Positioning structure 20: Proximal end 21:Tip 23: Edge 30: Hub body 31: Bearing section 60: Positioning bolt 70: Positioning hole 162: Skirt section 162S: Outer surface 163: Threaded part 171: First opening 172: Second opening 173: Storage unit 175: Inner wall surface 310:Top surface 312: Bottom surface D1: Axial direction D2: Array direction D3: Axial direction D4: Array direction S1: Hollow part

Claims

1. A positioning structure for positioning a first large component and a second large component among a plurality of large components constituting a wind turbine generator, a plurality of positioning bolts provided on the first large component; a plurality of locating holes in the second large component, each locating hole configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of locating bolts; Equipped with Each of the plurality of positioning bolts is The skirt part and A threaded portion connected to the skirt portion; having In the axial direction of the positioning bolt, the diameter of the skirt portion gradually decreases toward the threaded portion, Each of the plurality of positioning holes is a first opening facing the first large component; a second opening located on the opposite side to the first opening; A storage section provided between the first opening and the second opening; having In an axial direction of the positioning hole, a diameter of the positioning hole gradually decreases from the first opening toward the second opening. Positioning structure.

2. The skirt portion and the positioning hole are formed in a truncated cone shape, The shape of the skirt portion substantially corresponds to the shape of the positioning hole. The positioning structure according to claim 1 .

3. one of the first large component and the second large component is a blade; the other of the first large component and the second large component is a hub. The positioning structure according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the first large component is a blade; the second large component is a hub; The positioning bolts are provided at a base end of the blade, the plurality of positioning holes are provided in a bearing portion of the hub, With each of the positioning bolts inserted into a corresponding one of the positioning holes, the positioning of the blade and the bearing portion is completed. The positioning structure according to claim 3 .

5. A first large component; and A second large component; and a positioning structure for positioning the first large component and the second large component; A wind power generation device comprising: The positioning structure includes: a plurality of positioning bolts provided on the first large component; a plurality of locating holes in the second large component, each locating hole configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of locating bolts; Equipped with Each of the plurality of positioning bolts is The skirt part and A threaded portion connected to the skirt portion; having In the axial direction of the positioning bolt, the diameter of the skirt portion gradually decreases toward the threaded portion, Each of the plurality of positioning holes is a first opening facing the first large component; a second opening located on the opposite side to the first opening; A storage section provided between the first opening and the second opening; having In an axial direction of the positioning hole, a diameter of the positioning hole gradually decreases from the first opening toward the second opening. Wind power generation equipment.

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