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US 10,539,121 B2Granted
Wind power plant air duct and method of manufacturing the same
AssigneeAreva Wind GmbH
InventorsThomas Kramer, Roland Schumacher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air duct for a wind power plant is configured to guide air along a circumference of a supporting structure, in particular a tower, of the wind power plant. The wind power plant also includes an air guide and provides methods of manufacturing the air guide for the wind power plant and retrofitting the wind power plant with the air guide.
Claims16
An air duct for a wind power plant comprising:
- a body having an outer circumference and configured to guide air along a circumference of a supporting tower structure of the wind power plant;
- and
- a plurality of air inlets in the body, the plurality of air inlets each protruding from the outer circumference such that the plurality of air inlets are configured to extend through a wall of the supporting tower structure,
- wherein the body is configured to be located inside the supporting tower structure along an inner side of the wall of the supporting tower structure, and
- wherein the body is a separate member from the supporting tower structure configured to be fixed to the supporting tower structure such that the body is not integral to the wall of the supporting tower structure.
2 more elements
A wind power plant comprising:
- a supporting tower structure;
- and
- an air duct configured to guide air along a circumference of the supporting tower structure of the wind power plant, the air duct including a plurality of air inlets in a body, the body including an outer circumference, the plurality of air inlets each protruding from the outer circumference and extending through a wall of the supporting tower structure, wherein the air duct is configured to be located inside the supporting tower structure along an inner side of the wall of the supporting tower structure, wherein the air duct is a separate member from the supporting tower structure configured to be fixed to the supporting tower structure such that the air duct is not integral to the wall of the supporting tower structure.
A method of manufacturing an air duct comprising the step of:
- assembling an air duct of a plurality of segments, wherein at least two of the plurality of segments are identical, the air duct including a body having an outer circumference;
- and
- configuring the air duct as a separate member from a supporting tower structure of a wind power plant such that the air duct includes a plurality of air inlets in the air duct protruding from the outer circumference of the body, the air duct being adapted to be attached to the supporting tower structure of the wind power plant along an inner side of a wall of the supporting tower structure and having the air inlets extending through the wall of the supporting tower structure, without the air duct being integral to the wall of the supporting tower structure, so as to guide air along a circumference of the supporting tower structure.
A method of retrofitting an existing wind power plant comprising the step of:
- installing in the existing wind power plant an air duct for the existing wind power plant, the air duct including a body having an outer circumference, the air duct including a plurality of air inlets protruding from the outer circumference, the air duct being a separate member from the existing wind power plant prior to the installing;
- and
- fixing the air duct to a supporting tower structure of the existing wind power plant along an inner side of a wall of the supporting tower structure and having the air inlets of the air duct extend through the wall of the supporting tower structure without the air duct being integral to the wall of the supporting tower structure, so as to guide air along a circumference of the supporting tower structure of the existing wind power plant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.