Transformer-less Rectifier Architecture for Offshore Wind Turbines
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wind and tidal energy systems installed offshore or underwater face challenges with transformer maintenance and increased fault susceptibility, leading to decreased availability due to the undesirable nature of oil transformers in these environments.
Innovation Solution
A transformer-less energy system design featuring a wind or water power turbine connected to a generator with multiple stator windings, each associated with a rectifier unit and energy storage circuit, where the rectifier units produce DC voltage and the storage circuits are connected in series, enabling efficient direct-current transmission and simplifying installation and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a transformer is used in wind or tidal energy systems, then high AC voltage can be produced for efficient energy transmission, but installation complexity and maintenance requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the transformer component from the energy system, replacing it with a direct rectification architecture. Each stator winding is directly connected to its own rectifier unit, eliminating the need for a central transformer while maintaining efficient energy transmission capabilities through direct current output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the energy conversion function by associating a dedicated rectifier unit with each stator winding. This segmentation allows independent rectification of each winding's output, with energy storage circuits connected in series to accumulate voltage, thereby eliminating the transformer while achieving high voltage DC output for efficient transmission.
2Power
If a transformer is installed offshore or underwater, then energy conversion can proceed, but system reliability decreases due to increased fault susceptibility and maintenance difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the transformer from the system, the patent eliminates the primary source of reliability issues in offshore installations. The direct rectification architecture with distributed energy storage circuits reduces fault susceptibility while maintaining full energy conversion capability across all stator windings.
3Power
If oil transformers are used in wind or tidal energy systems, then voltage transformation can be achieved, but installation and maintenance become undesirable in offshore environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the voltage transformation function from the oil transformer and implements it through a different mechanism: rectifier units convert AC to DC, and series-connected energy storage circuits accumulate voltage. This approach achieves the necessary voltage levels without requiring complex offshore installation and maintenance of oil transformers.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design eliminates the need for transformers, reducing installation complexity, maintenance costs, and increasing system availability by allowing for efficient electrical energy transmission with reduced cable requirements and improved fault tolerance.
Implementation Method 1
each stator winding being connected to an AC voltage side of the associated rectifier unit
Implementation Method 2
each rectifier unit has a respectively associated energy storage circuit, and each rectifier unit being connected in parallel on the DC voltage side to the associated energy storage circuit
Data Source
AI summary
An energy system is specified, which comprises a wind power turbine or water power turbine, which is connected to a generator, with the generator having at least two stator windings. In order to achieve a simple and robust design without a transformer, each stator winding has an associated rectifier unit, and each stator winding is connected to the AC voltage side of the associated rectifier unit. Furthermore, each rectifier unit has a respective associated energy storage circuit, and each rectifier unit is connected in parallel on the DC voltage side to the associated energy storage circuit, with the energy storage circuits being connected to one another in series.