Title of Invention

A WIND POWER INSTALLATION

Abstract 1. A wind power installation comprising at least two rotors which are arranged one behind the other and of which the first rotor which is arranged in front of the second rotor is of a smaller diameter than the second rotor characterised in that the nominal speed of rotation of the first rotor is markedly higher than the nominal speed of rotation of the second rotor and the peripheral speed of the rotor blade tips of both rotors is approximately equal in nominal operation.
Full Text The invention concerns a wind power installation, in particular a large-scale wind power installation with an output power of more than two MW, preferably about five MW or more.
In accordance with the invention, for a large-scale wind power installation of that kind, there is proposed a rotor design and the configuration of corresponding rotor blades, so that reliable operation of such a wind power installation is possible.
In that respect it should be pointed out that it is already state of the art (Erich Hau, "Windkraftanlagen" ("Wind Power Installations"), 1996, 2nd edition, page 113 ff) for a rotor blade which is optimized for a maximum degree of efficiency to be provided in the inner region with very great blade depths. Such rotor blades are used for example by Enercon in the wind power installation of type E-40 (power range is between 500 and 600KW). The inner region of a rotor blade is in that respect that portion which is close to the hub (rotor blade root) and accordingly involves a small radius.
While such a rotor blade which is optimized for a maximum degree of efficiency is good to produce for relatively small installations and can also be transported without any problem, such a rotor blade design suffers from two disadvantages. Firstly, the very large area of the rotor blade at the rotor blade root gives rise to very high loads when high wind speeds are involved. The wind power installation is usually then already shut down. However, the entire wind power installation has to be designed (dimensioned) for those very high loads. The second disadvantage lies in production of a rotor blade involving a very great blade depth. While that disadvantage is still scarcely significant in relation to rotor blades of a relatively small radius, manufacture and subsequent transportation of such a rotor blade which is of a very great length (for example more than 50 m) is highly

complicated and in part impossible and the very great blade depth entails an extremely great increase in material and labour.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a wind power installation comprising at least two rotors which are arranged for rotation about a common axis, with a first rotor located in front of a second rotor, the first rotor having a smaller diameter than the second rotor, characterized in that a nominal speed of rotation of the first rotor is greater than a nominal speed of rotation of the second rotor such that a peripheral speed of rotor blade tips of both rotors is approximately equal in nominal operation.
For those reasons the proposal has been made to circumvent the great blade depths. Figure 2 shows a design configuration which was earlier frequently built in Denmark.
In this embodiment of a rotor blade, the inner region was completely eliminated. As the harvest area corresponds to the rotor area which is swept, it was assumed that it was possible to forego that very small area (inner region area) which only corresponds to about 5% of the total area, or to slightly enlarge the rotor diameter in order thereby to compensate for the area flow.
In that respect however the point was overlooked or not noted that this result in
the formation of an aerodynamic hole in the near region of the wind power installation
with rotor blades as shown in Figure 2. In the near region the wind can flow
unimpedely through that hole without experiencing any resistance. The result of this is
that no laminar flow is built up in the inner region (first region of the rotor of the wind
power

installation) of the beginning profile at the rotor blade. That also means that the first region of the rotor blade with an (active) rator 'profiling cannot contribute to energy generation.
Enercon already developed at a very early date '(about 1990) thick, " cut-off profiles in order to get around the above-indicated problems.
Figure 3 shows such a profile which was used in the inner region of the rotor blade. In the case of large wind power installations (rotor diameters of-©Ver 70m) however even the cut-off profiles result in blade depths of up to 6m, which makes transportation of such rotor blades extremely difficult and makes the manufacture thereof extraordinarily complicated and expensive.
The object of the invention is to eliminate the above-indicated problems and to simplify the manufacture of a wind power installation and the operation thereof.
The invention attains that object with the features of a wind power installation as set forth in claim 1. Advantageous developments are set forth in the appendant claims.
The concept of the wind power installation in accordance with the invention involves providing the wind power installation with two rotors of which the first, the small rotor, is arranged in front of the second, the larger rotor. Accordingly it is proposed in accordance with the invention that-the inner region of the rotor of a wind power installation is completely separated from the outer region.

Such a wind power installation is described by way of example with reference
to the Figures hereinafter:
"Figure 1 and 2 show design configurations of a rotor blade with great blade
depths,
Figure 3 shows a profile of a rotor blade according to the prior art, and
Figure 4 shows a wind power installation according to the invention."
In this respect the model adopted for the description is a large-scale wind
power installation involving a diameter of about 113m and an installed generator
output of about 5 MW. The rotor for the inner region is in this case of about 40m in
diameter.
Accordingly, for the second rotor, the larger rotor, there still remains an active rotor blade length of about 36.5m. The first small rotor rotates at a nominal speed of about 38 rpm. The second large rotor

rotates at a nominal speed of 11 rpm. That means that the peripheral speeds of the, rotor blade tips of the two rotors are almost the -same.
The advantage of the wind power installation according to the invention is that only a very small engagement surface presents itself in relation to high wind speeds, for the inner region of the rotor. Accordingly the extreme loadings on the entire wind power installation are very much lower.
A furthef advantage is that the rotor blade for the outer region (the second rotor) can be produced as a unit of a length of about 36.5m. Such a rotor blade can be fitted onto a rotor blade stump which aerodynamically no longer provides any relevant contribution to driving the rotor. That means that transportation of the rotor blades is readily possible.

A fiirther advantage is that the inner portion of the rotor blade of the second rotor is fixed rigidly to a hub of the second rotor,
A further advantage is also that the rotor blade adjusting device of the second rotor no longer has to be so large in design as the rotor blade adjusting device can be fitted (mounted) on the rotor blade stump and accordingly is about 20m (radius of the small rotor) away from the hub.
In operation of the wind power installation each rotor drives its own generator. The generator of the first rotor is disposed between the first and second rotors and is preferably driven directly by it. In regard to the design structure of the wind power installation according to the invention, this means that a rotor-generator arrangement of relatively small type, for example of type E-40 from Enercon, is placed in front of the second rotor. In that case both rotors and both generators are carried by a single trunnion and are mounted rotatably thereon.
Preferably both rotors rotate in the same direction (clockwise), but it is also possible if the rotor blades are of a suitable design configuration for tiie rotors to be caused to rotate in opposite directions.
The pylon of the wind power installation according to the invention is more than 100m in height, for example the hub height is in the region of between 120 and 160m.

In operation of the wind power installation the smaller rotor (the first rotor) provides that no aerodynamic hole can be formed in the inner region of the second rotor.


WE CLAIM:
1. A wind power installation comprising at least two rotors which are arranged for rotation about a common axis, with a first rotor located in front of a second rotor, the first rotor having a smaller diameter than the second rotor, characterized in that a nominal speed of rotation of the first rotor is greater than a nominal speed of rotation of the second rotor such that a peripheral speed of rotor blade tips of both rotors is approximately equal in nominal operation.
2. The wind power installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nominal rotary speed of the first rotor is approximately in the range of between 25 and 45 rpm.
3. The wind power installation as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the nominal rotary speed of the second rotor is approximately in the range of between 5 and 19 rpm.
4. The wind power installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a respective generator is associated with each rotor.
5. The wind power installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first rotor is of a diameter between 35 and 55m and the second rotor is of a diameter between 100 and 150m.
6. The wind power installation as claimed in claim 5, wherein the diameter of the second rotor is 113m.

7. A wind power installation comprising a first and a second rotor, wherein the second rotor is of a larger diameter than the first rotor and is arranged behind the first rotor and the second rotor has rotor blades whose active blade areas begin only in the region of the rotor blade tips of the first rotor, characterized in that a nominal speed of rotation of the first rotor is greater than a nominal speed of rotation of the second rotor such that a peripheral speed of rotor blade tips of both rotors is approximately equal in nominal operation.
8. The wind power installation as claimed in claims 1 to 7, wherein the second rotor has rotor blades which comprise an outer portion and an inner portion, wherein the outer portion of each rotor blade forms an active rotor blade and the inner portion of each rotor blade is aerodynamic such that it makes no relevant contribution to driving the second rotor.
9. The wind power installation as claimed in claim 8, wherein a rotor blade adjusting device is provided for the rotor blade of the second rotor for adjusting the pitch of the rotor blade, said rotor blade adjusting device being between the inner and outer portions of liie second rotor blade.
10. The wind power installation as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the inner portion of the rotor blade of the second rotor is fixed rigidly to a hub of the second rotor.
11. A wind power installation comprising a first rotor and a second rotor, the first rotor having blades in an inner region and the second rotor having blades in an outer region, wherein the inner region is separated from the outer region, and wherein a

nominal speed of rotation of the first rotor is greater than a nominal speed of rotation of the second rotor such that a peripheral speed of rotor blade tips of both rotors is approximately equal in nominal operation.
12. The wind power installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein
arranged between the first rotor and the second rotor is a first generator with a
generator rotor cormected to the first rotor and driven thereby.
13. The wind power installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein
the first rotor is arranged so closely in front of the second rotor that no aerodynamic
hole can be formed in the region of the second rotor.
14. The wind power installation as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein
both rotors rotate in the same direction.
15. A wind power installation, substantially as herein described with reference to
figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.


Documents:

in-pct-2002-1110-che abstract-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che claims-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che claims.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che correspondence-others.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che correspondence-po.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che description (complete)-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che description (complete).pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che drawings-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che drawings.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che form-1.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che form-19.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che form-26.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che form-3.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che form-5.pdf

in-pct-2002-1110-che pct.pdf


Patent Number 201063
Indian Patent Application Number IN/PCT/2002/1110/CHE
PG Journal Number 30/2009
Publication Date 24-Jul-2009
Grant Date 04-Jul-2006
Date of Filing 18-Jul-2002
Name of Patentee M/S. ALOYS WOBBEN
Applicant Address ARGESTRASSE 19, D-26607 AURICH,
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 M/S. ALOYS WOBBEN ARGESTRASSE 19, D-26607 AURICH,
PCT International Classification Number F03D1/02
PCT International Application Number PCT/EP00/11218
PCT International Filing date 2000-11-14
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 100 03 385.7 2000-01-26 Germany