Wind Turbine Lubrication System

• US 20110217173A1
• Filed: 11/05/2009
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Renewable Technologies Wind B.V. (Alstom SA)
• Original Assignee: ALSTOM Wind, S.L.U.
• Inventors: Mallada, José Luis Román, Martinez, Daniel Castell
• Granted Patent: US 8,939,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/170.R
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/70 Bearing or lubricating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0412 Cooling or heating; Control of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0441 Arrangements of pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0486 with fixed gear ratio differentials F16H57/0483
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A wind turbine lubrication system comprising a pump for pumping lubricant through a lubrication circuit, said pump being driven by a power-take-off from the drive train of the wind turbine, characterised in that said pump for pumping lubricant drives at least a first hydraulic motor providing mechanical power to a first wind turbine auxiliary component.

Claims

1. A wind turbine lubrication system comprising:

a pump for pumping lubricant through a lubrication circuit (11);

a power-take-off for driving said pump from a drive train of a wind turbine;

wherein said pump for pumping lubricant drives at least a first hydraulic motor providing mechanical power to a first wind turbine auxiliary component.

2. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, wherein the wind turbine comprises a gearbox and said power-take-off is a power-take-off from said gearbox.

3. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, wherein the lubrication circuit provides lubricant to the gearbox.

4. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, wherein the wind turbine is a direct-drive wind turbine and the power-take-off is a power-take-off from a rotor shaft.

5. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, wherein said first wind turbine auxiliary components is a lubricant cooling system.

6. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 5, wherein the lubrication circuit comprises a liquid-air heat exchanger for cooling of the lubricant and a hydraulic motor drives a fan for cooling the lubricant.

7. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 5, wherein the lubrication circuit further comprises a bypass for bypassing lubricant around said heat exchanger.

8. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 7, wherein the bypass comprises a variable flow valve.

9. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, wherein said first hydraulic motor providing mechanical power to a first wind turbine auxiliary component is arranged in said lubrication circuit.

10. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, wherein said first hydraulic motor providing mechanical power to a first wind turbine auxiliary component is arranged in a separate circuit.

11. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, wherein said pump for pumping lubricant furthermore drives a second hydraulic motor providing mechanical power to a second wind turbine auxiliary component.

12. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 11, wherein said first and second hydraulic motors is provided in said lubrication circuit, the other of said hydraulic motors being provided in a separate circuit.

13. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, wherein said pump (21) for pumping lubricant is a single head gear pump.

14. The wind turbine lubrication system of claim 1, characterised in that said pump for pumping lubricant is a double head gear pump.

15. The wind turbine lubrication system according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or second hydraulic motors are either positive displacement or rotodynamic hydraulic motors.