Generator armature

• US 10,038,352 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2015
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flender GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Airoldi, Giovanni, Andersen, Mads Peter Zippor Leth, Groendahl, Erik, Jacobsen, Bo Nedergaard, Soerensen, Peter Hessellund, Thomas, Arwyn
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tran
• Application Number:
  US14/706,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20150372566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 15/20 Gearless transmission, i.e. direct-drive
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/60 Cooling or heating of wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/80 Arrangement of components within nacelles or towers
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/20 with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1838 Generators mounted in a nacelle or similar structure of a horizontal axis wind turbine
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/04 having means for generating a flow of cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A generator armature including a plurality of laminate sheets stacked to form an annular arrangement of armature teeth, whereby each pair of adjacent armature teeth is separated by an axial winding slot extending a direction essentially parallel to an axis of rotation of the generator; and a plurality of radial cooling channels, whereby a radial cooling channel is realized to transport a cooling medium and extends from an axial winding slot to an interior cavity of the generator, and wherein a radial cooling channel includes a series of aligned notches in the laminate sheets of a laminate stack is provided. A laminate sheet for an armature of a generator, a cooling arrangement, a generator, a wind turbine, and a method of cooling stator windings arranged on an armature of a generator is also provided.

Claims

1. A generator armature of a generator, the generator armature comprising:

a plurality of identical laminate sheets arranged in a laminate stack to form an annular arrangement of armature teeth, wherein each-armature tooth is separated from the next armature tooth by an axial winding slot extending a direction essentially parallel to an axis of rotation of a generator; and

a plurality of radial cooling channels, wherein a radial cooling channel of the plurality of radial cooling channels is configured to transport a cooling medium and extends from the axial winding slot to an interior cavity of the generator, and wherein the radial cooling channel comprises a series of aligned notches in the plurality of identical laminate sheets of the laminate stack.

2. The generator armature according to claim 1, wherein the radial cooling channel comprises at least a first series of aligned notches and a second series of aligned notches, wherein the second series of aligned notches is offset from the first series of aligned notches.

3. The generator armature according to claim 1, wherein each identical laminate sheet comprises a number of armature tooth protrusions between a first side part of the laminate sheet and a second side part of the identical laminate sheet, wherein at least one of the first side part of the identical laminate sheet and the second side part of the identical laminate sheet is shaped to form a portion of a notch.

4. The generator armature according to claim 3, wherein the first side part and the second side part comprise complementary shapes.

14. A method of cooling stator windings arranged on an armature of a generator, the method comprising:

providing an armature according to claim 1;

providing a pair of stator windings in each axial winding slot of the armature; and

providing a plurality of axial cooling channels in fluid connection with the radial cooling channels, wherein each axial cooling channel extends along a gap between adjacent stator windings arranged in an axial winding slot of the armature;

wherein the cooling medium can freely move through the plurality of axial cooling channels and subsequently through the radial cooling channels of the armature into an interior cavity of the generator.

5. A plurality of identical laminate sheets for an armature of a generator, each identical laminate sheet of the plurality of identical laminate sheets comprising:

a plurality of armature tooth protrusions located on an edge of the identical laminate sheets;

a first side part and a second side part, each side part having a partial notch feature, wherein the first side part has a partial notch feature located on the same edge as the armature tooth protrusion, and the second side part has a partial notch feature located on an edge opposite the edge having the armature tooth protrusion; and

a complete notch arranged to one side of an armature tooth protrusion of the plurality of armature tooth protrusions.

6. The plurality of identical laminate sheets according to claim 5, wherein a layered series of identical laminate sheets is used to form an annular laminate layer for the armature of the generator, further wherein each identical laminate sheet of the plurality of identical laminate sheets is one of offset and reversed with respect to an adjacent identical laminate sheet in the layered series of identical laminate sheets.

7. A cooling arrangement configured to cool stator windings of a stator of a generator, the cooling arrangement comprising:

a stator comprising an armature, wherein the armature comprises a plurality of identical laminate sheets arranged in a laminate stack to form an annular arrangement of armature teeth, wherein each armature tooth is separated from the next armature tooth by an axial winding slot extending a direction essentially parallel to an axis of rotation of a generator;

a plurality of stator windings, wherein two adjacent stator windings are located in each axial winding slot;

a plurality of axial cooling channels, wherein an axial cooling channel of the plurality of axial cooling channels extends along a gap between the two adjacent stator windings arranged in the axial winding slot of the armature;

a plurality of radial cooling channels, wherein each radial cooling channel of the plurality of radial cooling channels is configured to transport a cooling medium and extends from the axial winding slot to an interior cavity of the generator, and wherein each radial cooling channel of the plurality of radial cooling channels comprises a series of aligned notches in the plurality of identical laminate sheets of the laminate stack;

a fan configured to guide the cooling medium into the plurality of axial cooling channels and subsequently through the plurality of radial cooling channels into the interior cavity of the generator.

8. The cooling arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the fan is configured to convey the cooling medium into the axial cooling channels at both ends of the axial cooling channels.

9. The cooling arrangement according to claim 7, further comprising:

a generator airgap located adjacent to the stator; and

a cover element arranged between the generator airgap and the stator windings in the axial winding slot, wherein the cover element includes an opening configured to allow passage of air from the generator airgap into the axial cooling channel between the stator windings.

10. The cooling arrangement according to claim 7, further comprising:

an outer rotor;

wherein the stator is arranged on an annular stator supporting structure.

11. The cooling arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the stator comprises a number of axial stator ducts arranged in the stator interior for conveying the cooling medium to a drive end of the stator.

12. The cooling arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the cooling arrangement is included in a wind turbine.

13. The cooling arrangement according to claim 12, further comprising an exhaust duct for conveying an exhaust airflow out of the stator to the exterior of the wind turbine, and a fan arranged in the exhaust duct.