Wind turbine with a nacelle having an offset center of gravity
AssigneeVestas Wind Systems A/S
InventorsTorben Ladegaard Baun, Jens Demtröder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wind turbine comprising, a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor defining a rotor axis extending in a vertical center plane and configured for harvesting wind energy by rotation of blades in a rotor rotation direction about the rotor axis. The nacelle comprises a rotor-supporting assembly forming a load path from the rotor to the tower and configured for receiving rotor torque caused by the rotation of the rotor. To reduce loading of the tower and potentially provide a cheaper construction, the nacelle has a center of gravity which is offset from the center plane in a direction relative to the rotor rotation direction to counteract the rotor torque.
Claims18
A wind turbine comprising, a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor defining a rotor axis extending in a vertical center plane and configured for harvesting wind energy by rotation of blades in a rotor rotation direction about the rotor axis, the nacelle comprising:
- a rotor-supporting assembly including a main frame, forming a load path from the rotor to the tower, and receiving a degree of torque induced by the rotation of the rotor,
- wherein the nacelle has a center of gravity (COG) which is offset from the center plane in a direction relative to the rotor rotation direction to counteract the torque induced by the rotation of the rotor, and
- wherein one or more operative components forming part of a power conversion system of the wind turbine are arranged to offset the COG from the center plane.
A wind turbine comprising, a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor defining a rotor axis extending in a vertical center plane and configured for harvesting wind energy by rotation of blades in a rotor rotation direction about the rotor axis, the nacelle comprising:
- a rotor-supporting assembly including a main frame, forming a load path from the rotor to the tower, and receiving a degree of torque induced by the rotation of the rotor, and
- a first operative component and a second operative component of the wind turbine,
- wherein the nacelle has a center of gravity (COG), and wherein a distance from the first operative component to the center plane is larger than a distance from the second operative component to the center plane to offset the COG in a direction relative to the rotor rotation direction to counteract the reaction torque induced by the rotation of the rotor.
A method of constructing a wind turbine having a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor defining a rotor axis extending in a vertical center plane and configured for harvesting wind energy by rotation of blades in a rotor rotation direction about the rotor axis, the nacelle comprising a center of gravity (COG) and a rotor-supporting assembly including a main frame that forms a load path from the rotor to the tower and receives a degree of torque induced by the rotation of the rotor, the method comprising:
- arranging an operative component that forms part of a power conversion system of the wind turbine within the nacelle to offset the center of gravity (COG) from the center plane in a direction relative to the rotor rotation direction, and
- selecting the offset in the COG of the nacelle to counteract torque generated by rotation of the rotor during operation of the wind turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.