WIND TURBINE GENERATOR HAVING A DETECTION UNIT FOR DETECTING FOREIGN OBJECT INSIDE ROTOR AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110293417A1
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Naota
• Granted Patent: US 8,292,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/1
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 17/00 Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0244 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0264 for stopping; controlling in emergency situations orientating out of wind F03D7/0208
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/80 Devices generating input signals, e.g. transducers, sensors, cameras or strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

In order to provide a wind turbine generator and an operation method of the wind turbine generator which is not subjected to damages caused by foreign objects inside a rotor hub, the wind turbine generator comprises blades, a rotor hub to which the blades are fixed, a rotating shaft such as a main shaft and a coupling being connected to the rotor hub and rotating with the rotor hub, a FO detection sensor arranged inside the rotor hub for detecting a foreign object inside the rotor hub, a brake device such as a pitch control unit and a parking brake for stopping the rotation of the rotating shaft, and a controller for controlling the brake device to stop the rotation of the rotating shaft when the FO detection sensor detects the foreign object.

Claims

1. A wind turbine generator comprising:

blades;

a rotor hub to which the blades are fixed;

a rotating shaft which is connected to the rotor hub and rotates with the rotor hub;

a sensor which is arranged inside the rotor hub and detects a foreign object inside the rotor hub;

a brake device which stops rotation of the rotating shaft; and

a controller which controls the brake device to stop the rotation of the rotating shaft when the sensor detects the foreign object.

2. The wind turbine generator according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises:

a contact part which is fixed to an inner wall of the rotor hub so as to be in contact with the foreign object; and

a limit switch which is connected to the contact part and is turned on or off by tension being generated when the contact part comes in contact with the foreign object.

3. The wind turbine generator according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises:

a contact part which is formed of a conductive wire fixed to an inner wall of the rotor hub so as to be in contact with the foreign object; and

a detector which detects conduction state of the contact part.

4. The wind turbine generator according to claim 2, wherein the contact part is arranged to extend in an axial direction of the rotating shaft along the inner wall of the rotor hub.

5. The wind turbine generator according to claim 3, wherein the contact part is arranged to extend in an axial direction of the rotating shaft along the inner wall of the rotor hub.

6. An operating method of a wind turbine generator including blades, a rotor hub to which the blades are fixed, a rotating shaft which is connected to the rotor hub and rotates with the rotor hub, a sensor which is arranged in the rotor hub and detects a foreign object inside the rotor hub, and a brake device which stops rotation of the rotating shaft, the operating method comprising the steps of:

detecting the foreign objects in the rotor hub by the sensor; and

when the foreign object is detected by the sensor, stopping rotation of the rotating shaft by the brake device.