Bearing arrangement of a wind turbine
AssigneeSiemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S
InventorsMathias Muff Hansen, Troels Kildemoes Moeller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Bearing arrangement of a wind turbine, including a bearing with an outer ring and an inner ring and a lubrication fluid provided between both rings, and at least one sealing means arranged at each side of the bearing for sealing the gap between the outer and the inner ring, whereby each sealing means is fixed to one ring and contacts the other ring with a flexible lip-like sealing element, wherein a pressure device for at least temporarily providing a gas overpressure in the sealed gap for increasing the contact load of the lip-like sealing element to the ring is provided.
Claims15
A bearing arrangement of a wind turbine, comprising:
- a bearing with an outer ring and an inner ring and a lubrication fluid provided between the outer ring and the inner ring;
- at least one sealing means arranged at each side of the bearing for sealing a gap between the outer ring and the inner ring, wherein each of the at least one sealing means is fixed to one ring and contacts the other ring with a flexible lip portion;
- and
- a pressure device for at least temporarily providing a gas overpressure in the gap by supplying a gas between each side of the bearing for increasing a contact load of the flexible lip portion on each side of the bearing to the outer ring;
- wherein the pressure device comprises at least one pressure relief valve connected to the gap for relieving pressure, when a set maximum pressure is reached.
A bearing arrangement of a wind turbine, comprising:
- a bearing with an outer ring and an inner ring and a lubrication fluid provided between the outer ring and the inner ring;
- at least one sealing means arranged at each side of the bearing for sealing a gap between the outer ring and the inner ring, wherein each of the at least one sealing means is fixed to one ring and contacts the other ring with a flexible lip portion;
- and
- a pressure device for at least temporarily providing a gas overpressure in the gap by supplying a gas between each side of the bearing for increasing a contact load of the flexible lip portion on each side of the bearing to the outer ring;
- wherein each of the at least one sealing means comprises a lip seal which is urged by means of one or more spring elements in contact with the outer ring.
A method for reducing an amount of leakage fluid leaking from a bearing of a wind turbine, the bearing comprising an outer ring and an inner ring and a lubrication fluid provided between both the outer ring and the inner ring, with a gap between both rings being sealed by at least two sealing means located at opposite sides of the bearing, whereby each of the at least two sealing means are fixed to one ring and contacts the other ring with a flexible lip, the method comprising:
- applying a gas overpressure in the gap at least temporarily by a pressure device that supplies a gas between each side of the bearing for increasing a contact load of the flexible lip to the outer ring at both axial ends of the bearing, wherein the pressure device comprises at least one pressure relief valve connected to the gap for relieving pressure, when a set maximum pressure is reached.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.