NO20220974A1 - Support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly - Google Patents
Support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly Download PDFInfo
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- NO20220974A1 NO20220974A1 NO20220974A NO20220974A NO20220974A1 NO 20220974 A1 NO20220974 A1 NO 20220974A1 NO 20220974 A NO20220974 A NO 20220974A NO 20220974 A NO20220974 A NO 20220974A NO 20220974 A1 NO20220974 A1 NO 20220974A1
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- Prior art keywords
- support member
- previous
- wind turbine
- tower
- elasticity
- Prior art date
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- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 32
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 claims description 32
- 239000004593 Epoxy Substances 0.000 claims description 24
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 claims description 22
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 21
- 239000003365 glass fiber Substances 0.000 claims description 19
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 claims description 12
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 229920001778 nylon Polymers 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920000728 polyester Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000004677 Nylon Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000000088 plastic resin Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 206010016256 fatigue Diseases 0.000 description 6
- 230000033001 locomotion Effects 0.000 description 6
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000007797 corrosion Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 description 2
- 208000028327 extreme fatigue Diseases 0.000 description 2
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229920000271 Kevlar® Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229910001209 Low-carbon steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 240000007182 Ochroma pyramidale Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002349 favourable effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004761 kevlar Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000003839 salts Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229920001567 vinyl ester resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03D—WIND MOTORS
- F03D13/00—Assembly, mounting or commissioning of wind motors; Arrangements specially adapted for transporting wind motor components
- F03D13/20—Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
- E04H12/00—Towers; Masts or poles; Chimney stacks; Water-towers; Methods of erecting such structures
- E04H12/02—Structures made of specified materials
- E04H12/08—Structures made of specified materials of metal
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- F05B2260/00—Function
- F05B2260/96—Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- F05B2280/00—Materials; Properties thereof
- F05B2280/60—Properties or characteristics given to material by treatment or manufacturing
- F05B2280/6003—Composites; e.g. fibre-reinforced
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Sustainable Energy (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
- Sustainable Development (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Wind Motors (AREA)
Description
Support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly
Field of the invention
The present invention relates a to support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly, and a wind turbine.
Background
Modern wind turbines are usually designed with 3 rotor blades. Every time one of the rotor blade passes in front of the wind turbine tower there will be a slight change in loading on the blade due to a normally slightly reduced wind speed in front of the tower. In other words, the tower is interfering with the free wind. It is also normal, especially for large wind turbines with large rotors such as offshore wind turbines, that the wind speed is different at different positions of the rotor swept area for shorter or longer periods of time. This could for instance be caused by slow changing turbulence effects or surface boundary layer friction effects due to ocean waves, causing the wind speed to be reduced closer to the surface of the sea.
The effect of the above is that each blade will typically experience a repeating change of wind loads for each revolution of the rotor. This will cause in an impulse loading (that can be either a reduction in load or an increase in load) from the blade which is transferred via the rotor hub and further through the nacelle, tower and ultimately into the wind turbine foundation and results in fatigue in different elements of the wind turbine.
Because there are normally 3 blades in the rotor, this impulse load will “happen” 3 times for every revolution of the rotor. The frequency of this impulse load phenomena is therefore 3 times higher than the rotor frequency and often referred to as the 3 per revolution frequency, or just 3P frequency (given in hertz, or Hz).
The wind turbine tower will have a natural frequency (also known as eigenfrequency) in bending. Fore-aft or side-to-side motion of the nacelle may cause the tower and as such, the wind turbine to sway (bend) back and forth with its natural frequency. This bending natural frequency will be decided by the tower stiffness and size, and influenced by the stiffness of the foundation to which the tower is mounted on, the mass of the tower and the effected parts of the foundation as well as the mass on top of the tower, i.e. the rotor and nacelle assembly (RNA). This frequency will be referred to as the wind turbine combined natural bending frequency.
If the wind turbine combined natural bending frequency is close to the 3P blade loading frequency as described above, the tower will experience large structural vibrations which will cause extreme fatigue loading on both the tower and the foundation structure.
US9651029B2 relates to a self-supporting wind turbine tower with walls comprising an upper portion formed from a composite plastic with a high modulus of elasticity like carbon reinforced epoxy, the upper portion being subdivided into a plurality of segments arranged in a hoop direction of the tower; and a separate, lower portion mounted on a foundation, the upper portion mounted atop the lower portion so as to form the tower, the lower portion formed from a mild steel, wherein the selfsupporting tower comprises a reduced weight and an increased natural frequency as compared to a tower of an equivalent size constructed entirely of steel. In this way the natural frequency of the tower may be designed to be higher than the 3P frequency and hence reduce the problem of natural frequency vibrations. However, there will always be some vibrations occurring at the natural frequency and increasing the natural frequency of the tower will increase the number of fatigue cycles and hence increase the fatigue on the tower and reduce the lifespan of the tower and wind turbine. Also, using carbon reinforced epoxy to increase the tower stiffness is expensive.
In addition, for offshore wind turbines in particular, there is a problem of corrosion of the structural elements at or near the splash zone if made from steel due to the combination of salt water and air.
Further, for floating wind turbines in particular, it is desired to make the wind turbine tower and foundation as light weight as possible, especially for semisubmersible designs where the tower is placed on top of one of the columns.
As such, the prior art does not provide a satisfying and cost effective solution for corrosion resistance in the splash zone, reduced weight of the tower and foundation as well as preventing fatigue and ultimately rupture of the wind turbine.. The present invention relates to a novel support structure (foundation and tower) for wind turbines and the resulting wind turbines and aims to reduce or resolve the disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is defined by the appended claims and in the following:
In a first aspect, the invention relates to a support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly with walls comprising:
- a first portion comprising a first material; and
- a second portion comprising a second material,
where in the first and second portions are connected together to form the support member;
wherein the first portion is located above the second portion; and
wherein the first material has a modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the second material.
In an embodiment, the first portion is formed at least of 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% from the first material.
In an embodiment, the second portion is formed at least of 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99% from the second material.
In an embodiment the first portion is directly above of the second portion.
In an embodiment, the first material may have a modulus of elasticity that is at least 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%, 200% or 500% higher than the modulus of elasticity of the second material
In an embodiment of the support member, wherein the second portion may comprise from 5% to 90%, from 5% to 80%, from 5% to 70%, from 5% to 60% from 5% to 50%, from 5% to 40%, from 5% to 30%, or from 10% to 20% of the length of the support member.
In an embodiment, the second portion may be a unitary component.
In an embodiment, the second portion may be subdivided into a plurality of segments.
In an embodiment, the plurality of segments may comprise at least a segment with a first material and at least a segment with a second material, wherein the at least two materials have different moduli of elasticity.
In an embodiment, the plurality of segments of the second portion may be arranged in an axial direction of the support member.
In an embodiment, the support member may further comprise a gasket positioned between the first and second portions.
In an embodiment, the first portion may be hollow.
In an embodiment, the second portion may be hollow.
In an embodiment, the second portion may be a cylinder or a tapered cylinder
In an embodiment, the first portion may be substantially formed from steel.
In an embodiment, at least a part of the second portion may comprise composite plastic.
In an embodiment, at least a part of the second portion may be substantially formed from composite plastic.
In an embodiment, the composite plastic may comprise a plastic resin such as epoxy, vinylester or polyester.
In an embodiment, the composite plastic may be a nylon, Kevlar or glass fiber reinforced composite plastic.
In an embodiment, the second portion may have a wall thickness which varies along the length of the second portion.
In an embodiment, the first portion may have a modulus of elasticity of at least 190 GPA.
In an embodiment, at least a part of the second portion may have a modulus of elasticity of less than 190 GPA, less than 180 GPA, less than 170 GPA, less than 150 GPA, less than 125 GPA, less than 100 GPA, less than 75 GPA, or less than 50 GPA.
In an embodiment, the support member may comprise at least a part of a wind turbine tower.
In an embodiment, the support member may comprise a wind turbine tower and at least a part of a foundation.
In an embodiment, the foundation may be a monopile, suction case, multipod, jacket or floating substructure.
In an embodiment, the wind turbine tower may be connected to the foundation using a pipe in pipe solution.
In an embodiment, the second portion is bolted to the first portion.
In an embodiment, the support member further comprises a third portion below the second portion and the second portion is bolted to the third section.
In an embodiment, the second portion comprises metal inserts molded into the material of the second portion. These metal inserts allow for the transfer of tension and compression forces between the bolts and said material.In a second aspect, the invention relates to a wind turbine comprising a support member according to the first aspect of the invention and a rotor and nacelle assembly. The rotor and nacelle assembly is placed above the support member, in other words the rotor and nacelle assembly will be placed on top of the first portion of the support member.
In an embodiment of the second aspect, the combined natural frequency of the first bending mode shape of the support member is at least 5% lower than the 3P frequency of the wind turbine.
The combined natural frequency of the first bending mode shape of the support member is the structural frequency of the horizontal movement of the top of the support member in the frame of reference of the foundation of the wind turbine. In other words, the combined natural frequency of the first bending mode shape of the support member is the structural frequency of the horizontal movement of the top of the support member, disregarding the rigid body motions of the wind turbine, due to the movement of the foundation in case of a floating wind turbine.
In an embodiment of the second aspect, the combined natural frequency of the first bending mode shape of the support member is at least 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 50% or 75% lower than the 3P frequency of the wind turbine.
Short description of the drawings
In the following description this invention will be further explained by way of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of the support member
Fig. 2 is a front view of a second embodiment of the support member
Fig.3 is a perspective view of a wind turbine
Fig. 4 is a front view of the third embodiment of the support member
Fig. 5 is a cross section view of a detail of the third embodiment of the support member
Fig. 6 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the support member
Fig. 7 is a front view of a fifth embodiment of the support member
Fig. 8 is a front view of a sixth embodiment of the support member
Fig. 9 is a front view of a seventh embodiment of the support member
Detailed description of the invention
Wind turbines have a natural frequency (also known as eigenfrequency) in bending. Fore-aft or side-to-side motion of the nacelle may cause the tower and as such, the wind turbine to sway (bend) back and forth with its natural frequency. This tower bending natural frequency will be decided by the tower stiffness and size, and influenced by the stiffness of the foundation to which the tower is mounted on, the mass of the tower and the effected parts of the foundation as well as the mass on top of the tower, i.e. the rotor and nacelle assembly (RNA). This frequency will be referred to as the wind turbine combined natural bending frequency.
The effect of the above is that each blade will typically experience a repeating change of wind loads for each revolution of the rotor. This will cause in an impulse loading (that can be either a reduction in load or an increase in load) from the blade which is transferred via the rotor hub and further through the nacelle, tower and ultimately into the wind turbine foundation and results in fatigue in different elements of the wind turbine.
Because there are 3 blades in the rotor, this impulse load will “happen” 3 times for every revolution of the rotor. The frequency of this impulse load phenomena is therefore 3 times higher than the rotor frequency and often referred to as the 3 per revolution frequency, or just 3P frequency (given in hertz, or Hz), or independently of the number of blades, the blade tower passing frequency.
The person skilled in the art will understand that a wind turbine can have any number of blades and for a 2 bladed wind turbine the corresponding blade tower passing frequency would be 2P frequency.
A wind turbine rotor is normally designed to spin with a substantially constant operational angular speed (ω_rated), expressed in radians per second, when the rated wind speed is reached. However, some small variations in the rotor angular speed always, typically a few percent, are to be expected due to rapid variations in the wind speed. The rated wind speed is the wind speed at which the rated (maximum) output power is reached. The rotor angular speed can also be expressed as a frequency, namely the rotor frequency, in rotations per minute (RPM) or rotations per second (Hz).
If the wind turbine combined natural bending frequency is close to the 3P blade loading frequency as described above, the tower will experience large structural vibrations which will cause extreme fatigue loading on both the tower and the foundation structure.
Therefore, the 3P blade frequencies and the tower combined natural frequency always will have to be designed with a separation, typically 5-15% separation is regarded as sufficient.
For large wind turbines, especially offshore, the tower frequencies are normally sought to be designed to be lower than the 3P blade frequency. I.e. the tower must than be “soft enough” to be vibrating slower than the 3P frequency. This type of design is often referred to as “soft-stiff” design. The alternative is to make the tower stiffer and make sure that the tower vibrates with a higher frequency than the 3P frequency. This is referred to as a “stiff-stiff” tower design. However, a stiff-stiff tower design has the disadvantage that the tower will then have to be made with thicker steel plates, or alternatively using materials with higher stiffness than steel such as carbon reinforced epoxy laminates, resulting in a considerably heavier tower, for example if only steel is used or a more costly tower, for example if carbon composite is used.
For very large offshore wind turbines it has proven difficult to make the tower soft enough to maintain the favourable “soft-stiff” tower design. Since the natural frequency of the structure is scaling with the square root of the structural bending stiffness the tower will have to be made considerably heavier in order to “jump” from a “soft-stiff” to a “stiff-stiff” design. It is therefore a desire trying to stay on the “soft-stiff” region of the tower design.
The inventive support member and wind turbine solve the problem of separating the wind turbine combined natural frequency and the 3P blade frequency by introducing a softer section in the second portion of the tower or in the foundation structure below the tower. This softer section can be made for instance of glass fiber reinforced epoxy which has a considerably lower bending stiffness than steel for the same strength and also has a considerable lower cost than carbon reinforced epoxy. By tuning the length of the soft section the natural stiffness of the support member and the wind turbine combined natural frequency can be tailored to be soft enough to suite any needs for staying in the “soft-stiff” region.
In a first embodiment shown on Fig. 1, a support member 5 of a wind turbine is illustrated. The support member 5 comprises a tower 6 and a foundation 4. The support member comprises a first portion 2 and a second portion 3. The wind turbine further comprises a rotor and nacelle assembly (see Fig. 3), placed on top of the first portion 2 of the support member 5. In this embodiment, the first and second portions 2,3 are connected together, for example by bolts.
In this first embodiment the first portion 2 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially made of steel. The second portion 3 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially formed from a glass fiber reinforced epoxy which has a considerably lower bending stiffness than steel for the same strength. The foundation 4 is substantially made of steel.
Steel has a modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the glass fiber reinforced epoxy.
Since the second portion 3 of the support member 5 has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first portion 3 of the support member 5, by tuning the length of the first and second portions 2,3, the support member and the wind turbine combined natural frequency can be tailored to suite any needs, especially to be lower than the blade frequency of the wind turbine
Fig.3 illustrate a wind turbine 1 comprising a floating foundation 4, a tower 6 and a rotor and nacelle assembly 7.
In a second embodiment shown on Fig. 2, a support member 5 of a wind turbine is illustrated. The support member 5 comprises a tower 6 and a foundation 4. The support member comprises a first portion 2 and a second portion 3. The wind turbine further comprises a rotor and nacelle assembly (see Fig. 3), placed on top of the first portion 2 of the support member 5. In this embodiment, the first and second portions 2,3 are connected together, for example by bolts.
In this embodiment, the tower 6 has a pipe in pipe connection to the foundation 4.
In this second embodiment the first portion 2 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially made of steel, and the second portion 3 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially formed from a nylon fiber reinforced epoxy which has a considerably lower bending stiffness than steel for the same strength. Steel has a modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the glass fiber reinforced epoxy. The foundation 4 is substantially made of steel.
Since the second portion 3 of the support member 5 has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first portion 3 of the support member 5, by tuning the length of the first and second portions 2,3, the natural stiffness the support member and the wind turbine combined natural frequency can be tailored to suite any needs, especially to be lower than the blade frequency of the wind turbine
In a third embodiment shown on Fig. 4 and 5, a support member 5 of a wind turbine is illustrated. The support member 5 comprises a tower 6 and a foundation 4. The support member comprises a first portion 2 and a second portion 3. The wind turbine further comprises a rotor and nacelle assembly (see Fig. 3), placed on top of the first portion 2 of the support member 5. In this embodiment, the first and second portions 2,3 are connected together, for example by bolts. In this embodiment, the foundation 4 is a floating structure.
Figure 5 illustrates the cross section of A in figure 4, and shows that in this third embodiment the first portion 2 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially having a wall 12 made of steel and the second portion 3 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder having a wall 13 comprising inner and outer layers 14,15 made of glass fiber reinforced epoxy and a core 16, made of a material such as balsa, encased in outer 15 and inner 14 layers made of glass fiber reinforced epoxy. This wall 13 has a considerably lower bending stiffness than steel for the same strength. Steel has a modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the glass fiber reinforced epoxy.
The foundation 4 is substantially made of steel.
The wall 12 of the first portions 2, is welded to a gusset plate 22, at a weld 18. The gusset plate 22 being also welded to a deck bracing 21.
The gusset plate 22 is bolted to the second portion by bolts 23 into inserts 17, encased to the outer and inner layers 13.
Since the second portion 3 of the support member 5 has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first portion 3 of the support member 5, by tuning the length of the first and second portions 2,3, the natural stiffness the support member and the wind turbine combined natural frequency can be tailored to suite any needs, especially to be lower than the blade frequency of the wind turbine
In a fourth embodiment, illustrated in figure 6, the first portion 2 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially made of steel, and the second portion 3 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially formed from a glass fiber reinforced epoxy which has a considerably lower bending stiffness than steel for the same strength. The foundation 4 is also substantially made of glass fiber reinforced epoxy. Steel has a modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the glass fiber reinforced epoxy.
The first and second portions 2,3 and the foundation 4 are connected together to form the support member 5.
Since the second portion 3 of the support member 5 has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first portion 3 of the support member 5, by tuning the length of the first and second portions 2,3, the natural stiffness the support member and the wind turbine combined natural frequency can be tailored to suite any needs, especially to be lower than the blade frequency of the wind turbine
In a fifth embodiment, illustrated in figure 7, the first portion 2 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially made of steel, and the second portion 3 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially formed from a glass fiber reinforced epoxy which has a considerably lower bending stiffness than steel for the same strength. The first and second portions 2,3 are connected together to form the support member 5.
In this embodiment, the wind turbine tower is the first portion 2 of the support member 5 and the foundation 4 is the second portion 3 of the support member 5. Steel has a modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the glass fiber reinforced epoxy.
Since the second portion 3 of the support member 5 has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first portion 3 of the support member 5, by tuning the length of the first and second portions 2,3, the natural stiffness the support member and the wind turbine combined natural frequency can be tailored to suite any needs, especially to be lower than the blade frequency of the wind turbine
In a sixth embodiment, illustrated in figure 8, the first portion 2 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially made of steel, and the second portion 3 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially formed from a glass fiber reinforced epoxy which has a considerably lower bending stiffness than steel for the same strength. The upper part of the foundation 4 is part of the second portion of the support member, and as such also substantially made of glass fiber reinforced epoxy. Steel has a modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the glass fiber reinforced epoxy.
The first and second portions 2,3 and the foundation 4 are connected together to form the support member 5.
Since the second portion 3 of the support member 5 has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first portion 3 of the support member 5, by tuning the length of the first and second portions 2,3, the natural stiffness the support member and the wind turbine combined natural frequency can be tailored to suite any needs, especially to be lower than the blade frequency of the wind turbine
In a seventh embodiment, illustrated in figure 9, the first portion 2 of the support member 5 is a hollow cylinder substantially made of steel, and the second portion 3 of the support member 5, here the lower part of the foundation 4 is a hollow cylinder substantially formed from a nylon fiber reinforced polyester which has a considerably lower bending stiffness than steel for the same strength. The upper part of the foundation 4 is part of the first portion 2 of the support member, and as such also substantially made of glass fiber reinforced epoxy. Steel has a modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the glass fiber reinforced epoxy.
The first and second portions 2,3 and the foundation 4 are connected together to form the support member 5.
Since the second portion 3 of the support member 5 has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first portion 3 of the support member 5, by tuning the length of the first and second portions 2,3, the natural stiffness the support member and the wind turbine combined natural frequency can be tailored to suite any needs, especially to be lower than the blade frequency of the wind turbine
The inventive support member and wind turbine illustrated throughout the different embodiments allow for the design of a support member and wind turbine having a reduced wind turbine combined natural frequency, especially lower than the 3P blade frequency of the wind turbine, which will in turn reduce the fatigue of the support member or wind turbine over time, and as such increase the lifespan of the support member or wind turbine.
Claims (24)
1. A support member (5) for a rotor and nacelle assembly with walls comprising:
- a first portion (2) comprising a first material; and
- a second portion (3) comprising a second material,
wherein the first and second portions (2,3) are connected together to form the support member (5);
wherein the first portion (2) is located above the second portion (3); and
wherein the first portion (2) has an apparent modulus of elasticity that is higher than the modulus of elasticity of the second portion (3).
2. A support member according to claim 1, wherein the second portion (3) comprises from 5% to 50% of the length of the support member (5).
3. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the second portion (3) is a unitary component.
4. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the second portion (3) is subdivided into a plurality of segments.
5. A support member (5) according to claim 4, wherein the said plurality of segments comprises at least a segment with a first material and at least a segment with a second material, wherein the at least two materials have different moduli of elasticity.
6. A support member (5) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the plurality of segments are arranged in an axial direction of the support member
7. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, further comprising a gasket positioned between the first and second portions.
8. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the first portion (2) is hollow.
9. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the second portion (3) is hollow.
10. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the first portion (2) is substantially formed from steel.
11. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein at least a part of the second portion (3) is substantially formed from composite plastic.
12. A support member (5) according to claim 11, wherein the composite plastic is a composite plastic resin such as epoxy or polyester.
13. A support member (5) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the composite plastic is a nylon or glass fiber reinforced composite plastic.
14. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the second portion (3) has a wall thickness which varies along the length of the second portion (3).
15. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the first portion (2) has a modulus of elasticity of at least 190 GPA.
16. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein at least a part of the second portion (3) has a modulus of elasticity of less than 190 GPA.
17. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the support member (5) comprises at least a part of a wind turbine tower (6).
18. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the support member comprises a wind turbine tower (6) and at least a part of a foundation.
19. A support member (5) according to claim 17, wherein the foundation is a floating platform
20. A support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the second portion (3) is bolted to the first portion (2).
21. A support member (5) according to claim 20, wherein support member further comprises a third portion below the second portion (3) and the second portion (3) is bolted to the third section.
22. A support member (5) according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the second portion (3) comprises metal inserts molded into the material of the second portion (3).
23. A wind turbine (1) comprising a support member (5) according to any one of the previous claims and a rotor and nacelle assembly.
24. A wind turbine (1) according to claim 19,
wherein the combined natural frequency of the support members first bending mode shape is at least 5% lower than the 3P frequency of the wind turbine.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO20220974A NO20220974A1 (en) | 2022-09-13 | 2022-09-13 | Support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly |
| PCT/EP2023/075204 WO2024056767A1 (en) | 2022-09-13 | 2023-09-13 | Support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO20220974A NO20220974A1 (en) | 2022-09-13 | 2022-09-13 | Support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| NO20220974A1 true NO20220974A1 (en) | 2024-03-14 |
Family
ID=88093144
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO20220974A NO20220974A1 (en) | 2022-09-13 | 2022-09-13 | Support member for a rotor and nacelle assembly |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| NO (1) | NO20220974A1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2024056767A1 (en) |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20090000227A1 (en) * | 2007-06-28 | 2009-01-01 | Nordex Energy Gmbh | Wind energy plant tower |
| US20090307998A1 (en) * | 2008-06-13 | 2009-12-17 | Tindall Corporation | Base support for wind-driven power generators |
| US20110138707A1 (en) * | 2010-08-18 | 2011-06-16 | General Electric Company | Tower with adapter section |
| US20160215761A1 (en) * | 2013-09-06 | 2016-07-28 | youWINenergy GmbH | Tower assembly for a wind turbine installation |
| US20180128246A1 (en) * | 2012-04-04 | 2018-05-10 | Forida Development A/S | Wind turbine comprising a tower part of an ultra-high performance fiber reinforced composite |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB201215004D0 (en) * | 2012-08-23 | 2012-10-10 | Blade Dynamics Ltd | Wind turbine tower |
| WO2020104680A1 (en) * | 2018-11-23 | 2020-05-28 | Aarhus Universitet | A mechanical fuse for a tower construction and a tower construction comprising a mechanical fuse |
| EP3705719B1 (en) * | 2019-03-05 | 2022-06-29 | Vestas Wind Systems A/S | Designing towers of offshore wind turbines |
| EP4202212A1 (en) * | 2021-12-21 | 2023-06-28 | TotalEnergies OneTech | Floating wind platform and associated floating wind assembly |
-
2022
- 2022-09-13 NO NO20220974A patent/NO20220974A1/en unknown
-
2023
- 2023-09-13 WO PCT/EP2023/075204 patent/WO2024056767A1/en unknown
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20090000227A1 (en) * | 2007-06-28 | 2009-01-01 | Nordex Energy Gmbh | Wind energy plant tower |
| US20090307998A1 (en) * | 2008-06-13 | 2009-12-17 | Tindall Corporation | Base support for wind-driven power generators |
| US20110138707A1 (en) * | 2010-08-18 | 2011-06-16 | General Electric Company | Tower with adapter section |
| US20180128246A1 (en) * | 2012-04-04 | 2018-05-10 | Forida Development A/S | Wind turbine comprising a tower part of an ultra-high performance fiber reinforced composite |
| US20160215761A1 (en) * | 2013-09-06 | 2016-07-28 | youWINenergy GmbH | Tower assembly for a wind turbine installation |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2024056767A1 (en) | 2024-03-21 |
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