Claims:We Claim:

1. An aerating arrangement for an internal space to be aerated of a wind tur-bine, comprising an internal space to be aerated and a cyclonic separation device (13) for separating particles (14) from polluted air and aerating the in-ternal space with cleaned air,
characterized in that the cyclonic separation device (13) is arranged outside of the internal space and wherein said cyclonic separation device (13) com-prising an air inlet (15, 15a, 15b) for polluted air and an air outlet (16) for clean air, and wherein the air inlet (15, 15a, 15b) at least partly immediately takes in polluted air from the environment and the air outlet (16) immediate-ly directs the cleaned air into the internal space.

2. The aerating arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by a dip tube (16), wherein the dip tube (16) defines the air outlet (16) and wherein the dip tube (16) is connect to the internal space via a conducting element (20).

3. The aerating arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that inside the internal space is arranged a ventilation device (21) for sucking in cleaned air from the cyclonic separation device (13).

4. The aerating arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the ventilation device (21) is arranged in the near of the internal space air inlet opening (22).

5. The aerating arrangement according to one of the claims 1 to 4, character-ized in that the air inlet (15, 15a, 15b) of the cyclonic separation device (13) is connected to the internal space and wherein the air inlet (15, 15a, 15b) takes air from the inside of the internal space.

6. The aerating arrangement according to one of the claims 1 to 5, character-ized in that at the air inlet (15, 15a, 15b) is arranged a fan device (23) for sucking in polluted air to the cyclonic separation device (13).

7. The aerating arrangement according to one of the claims 1 to 6, character-ized in that an additional cyclonic separation device (28) for cleaning the air inside the internal space is arranged inside theinternal space.

8. The aerating arrangement according to one of the claims 1 to 7, character-ized in that the internal space is an internal space of the nacelle (3, 3b), tow-er (2) or tower bottom or a combination thereof.

9. A wind turbine having an aerating arrangement (12, 12a, 12b, 12c) of an internal space according to one of the claims 1 to 8.

Dated this 11th day of February 2022
, Description:TITLE OF INVENTION

AN AERATING ARRANGEMENT FOR AN INTERNAL SPACE TO BE AERATED OF A WIND TURBINE

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an aerating arrangement of an internal space to be aerated and cyclonic separation device for a wind turbine and a wind turbine.

BACKGROUND

From the prior art several aerating devices for a nacelle are known. One aerating device is known for offshore facilities, which comprises an inlet for salt- and wa-ter-contained air, an outlet for desalinated and dried air, wherein the inlet of the fresh air supply device is open to the surroundings of the offshore facility, and the outlet of the fresh air supply device is open to the inner space of the offshore facil-ity. Further the aerating device comprises a cooling device, a drop separator a heating device and a heat pump cycle as well as dust filter. All components are arranged in an air path for desalinating and drying the air.

Further it is known from the prior art that wind turbines comprising a separation device configured to perform multi-phase flow separation on an upwind direction flow. The separation device is arranged inside the nacelle and having a first sepa-rator and a second separator, an air inlet of the first separator is configured to in-troduce the upwind direction flow, an air outlet of the first separator is in commu-nication with an air inlet of the second separator, and an air outlet of the second separator is in communication with the generator cavity.

The known aerating devices having many disadvantages, namely high mainte-nance work because of use of dust filters, which has to be cleaned and/or changed from time to time and complex design comprises air heating respectively cooling devices, which caused high costs.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

One object of the invention is to provide an aerating arrangement with a robust and simple design as well as needing a low maintenance work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is solved by an aerating arrangement for an internal space to be aerated of a wind turbine as described in detail as follows.

An aerating arrangement for an internal space to be aerated of a wind turbine, comprising an internal space to be aerated and a cyclonic separation device for separating particles from polluted air and aerating the internal space with cleaned air, wherein the cyclonic separation device is arranged outside of the internal space and wherein said cyclonic separation device comprising an air inlet for polluted air and an air outlet for clean air, and wherein the air inlet at least partly immediately takes in polluted air from the environment and the air outlet immediately directs the cleaned air into the internal space.

This aerating arrangement has a robust and simple design and don’t need filters, which has to be cleaned or changed. The separated dust could fall down or could be collected in a box.

In this context, particles of polluted air means dust in dusty or sandy environment or salt particles in environment of in particular sea water or coasts regions or water particles in humidity environment. Advantageously, the polluted air is dusty air. The particle size of the dusty air could be in a range between 0 and 20 µm or re-spectively for sandy air in a range between 21 to 200 µm.

In a preferred embodiment of the aerating arrangement, the cyclonic separation device comprises a dip tube, wherein the dip tube defines the air outlet and the dip tube is connect to the internal space via a conducting element. Advantageous-ly the conducting element is a tube.

In preferred embodiment of the aerating arrangement, inside the internal space is arranged a ventilation device for sucking in cleaned air from the cyclonic separa-tion device. Advantageously the ventilation device could be a chiller fan. Espe-cially by tuning of cyclonic separation device and the ventilation device the parti-cle size of separated dust can be defined.

In preferred embodiment of the aerating arrangement, the ventilation device is arranged in the near (besides) of an internal space air inlet opening. In other words the ventilation device is arranged besides the air outlet side of the cyclonic separa-tion device.

In preferred embodiment of the aerating arrangement, the air inlet of the cyclonic separation device is connected to the internal space and wherein the air inlet takes air from the inside of the internal space. Advantageously, therefore the internal space having an internal space air outlet opening which is connected via a connect-ing tube with the air inlet of the cyclonic separation device.

In preferred embodiment of the aerating arrangement, air inlet of the cyclonic sep-aration device is arranged a fan device for sucking in polluted air to the cyclonic separation device.

In preferred embodiment of the aerating arrangement, additional cyclonic separa-tion device for cleaning the air inside the internal space is arranged inside the in-ternal space.

In preferred embodiment of the aerating arrangement, the internal space is an in-ternal space of the nacelle, tower or tower bottom or a combination thereof.

A further aspect of the invention is directed to a wind turbine having said aerating arrangement of an internal space and separation device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be explained in more detail with respect to exemplary em-bodiments with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a wind turbine (PRIOR ART);

Figure 2 shows an aerating arrangement according to a first embodi-ment;

Figure 3 shows an aerating arrangement according to a second em-bodiment;

Figure 4 shows an aerating arrangement according to a third embodi-ment and

Figure 5 shows an aerating arrangement according to a fourth embod-iment.

The foregoing and other aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompany-ing drawing figures. In the following detailed description several embodiments of the inventive aerating arrangement will be described in reference to the internal space of a nacelle. However, the described embodiments are equivalent applicable to several internal spaces to be aerated for example the internal space of the tower or tower bottom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 depicts a schematic view of a wind turbine (1) with a tower (2) and a nacelle (3). Depending on given requirements the wind turbine (1) can be used for offshore or onshore applications. The nacelle (3) is rotatable mounted on the tower (2). The nacelle (3) incorporates a number of components of a drive train chain (4) comprising a rotor shaft (not shown) for example. The nacelle (3) also incorporates a generator (not shown) connected with a plurality of electrical components (not shown), which are described in detail later. Further the nacelle (3) comprises a yaw system (not shown) for rotating the nacelle (3). Said rotor shaft is connected to a rotor (5). The rotor (5) comprises three rotor blades (6) which are mounted to a hub (7). The hub (7) is connected to the rotor shaft of the drive train chain (4). The rotor blades (6) are adjustably mounted on the hub (7). This is realized by means of pitch drives (8), said pitch drives (8) being part of a pitch system (not shown). The pitch system controls the rotor speed to given set points. By means of pitch-drives (8), the rotor blades (6) may be moved about a rotor blade (6) axes into dif-ferent pitch positions, said rotor blade (6) axis extending in an axial direction of the rotor blades (6). Each rotor blade (6) is connected to the hub (7) via its pitch-drive (8). The nacelle (3) is covered by a nacelle cover (9), which has a nacelle cover interface (10). The hub (7) is covered by a spinner (11).

Fig. 2 depicts an aerating arrangement (12) for a wind turbine (1), wherein the arrangement comprises a nacelle (3) and a cyclonic separation device (13) for sepa-rating particles (14) from polluted air and aerating the nacelle (3) with cleaned air. The cyclonic separation device (13) is arranged outside of the nacelle (3), which could be mounted at any side of the nacelle (3) by a not shown mounting device. Said cyclonic separation device (13) comprises an air inlet (15) for polluted air and an air outlet (16) for clean air, wherein the air inlet (15) at least partly immediately takes in polluted air from the environment and the air outlet (16) immediately di-rects the cleaned air into the nacelle (3). The airflow is indicated by the arrows (17, 18, 19), hereby the arrow (17) indicates the airflow of the polluted air from the environment, the arrow (18) indicates the airflow of clean air from the cyclone separation device (13) to the inside of the nacelle (3) and the arrow (19) indicates the airflow of clean air inside the nacelle (3). The clean air flows from the air out-let (16) through a conducting element (20) into the nacelle (3).

It is well known that the polluted air flows inside the cyclonic separation device (13) in a helical pattern, beginning at the top (wide end) of the cyclonic separation device (13) and ending at the bottom (narrow) end before exiting the in a straight stream through the center of the cyclone and out the top. Particles (14) in the ro-tating stream have too much inertia to follow the tight curve of the stream, and thus strike the outside wall, then fall to the bottom of the cyclonic separation de-vice (13) where they can be removed. In the cyclonic separation device (13), as the rotating flow moves towards the narrow end of the cyclonic separation device (13), the rotational radius of the stream is reduced, thus separating smaller and smaller particles (14). The geometry of the cyclonic separation device (13), togeth-er with volumetric flow rate, defines the cut point of the cyclonic separation de-vice (13).

Inside the nacelle (3) is arranged a ventilation device (21) for sucking in cleaned air – indicated by arrow (19) – from the cyclonic separation device (13). With this ventilation device (21) the flow rate of the air can be regulated. Therefore the ven-tilation device (21) is positioned near nacelle air inlet opening (22). Further the ventilation device (21) supports the distribution of the clean air inside the nacelle (3).

In the following, based on Figures 3 it should be explained a further embodiment of the aerating arrangement (12a). Components described before which have the same functions, but differs under constructions, are numbered with an “a”.

This embodiment shown in Fig. 3 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 by the fact that at the air inlet (15a) is arranged a fan device (23) for sucking in dirty air from the environment. Also with this fan device (23) the flow rate of the air can be regulated. In particular, the fan device (23) increases the air flow of dirty air.

In the following, based on Figures 4 it should be explained a further embodiment of the aerating arrangement (12b). Components described before which have the same functions, but differs under constructions, are numbered with a “b”.

This embodiment shown in Fig. 4 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 by the fact the nacelle (3b) additional comprises an air outlet opening (24). This is connected through a connecting tube (25) with the air inlet (15b) of the cyclonic separation device (13). With this arrangement rest particles in the clean air can be separated by a second passing the cyclonic separation device (13). Hereby the air purity can be increased. Therefore clean air flow through the air outlet opening (24) – which is indicated by arrow (26) – over the connecting tube (25) to the air inlet (15b) of the cyclonic separation device (13), which is indicated by arrow (27). For an increasing of the air flow it is possible to arrange a fan device (not shown) at the air inlet (15b) as in the shown embodiment in Fig. 3.

In the following, based on Figures 5 it should be explained a further embodiment of the aerating arrangement (12c). Components described before which have the same functions, but differs under constructions, are numbered with a “c”.

This embodiment shown in Fig. 5 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 by the fact that inside the nacelle is arranged a further cyclonic separation device (28), which is hereinafter called interior cyclonic separation device (28). This has all typical component of a well-known cyclonic separation device. Besides the interior air inlet (29) is arranged a small ventilation device (30) for introducing air to the interior cyclonic separation device (28). The air flow is indicated by the ar-row (31). This increases the air purity inside the nacelle (3).

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

1 wind turbine
2 tower
3 nacelle
3b nacelle
(third embodiment)
4 drive train chain
5 rotor
6 rotor blades
7 hub
8 pitch drives
9 nacelle cover
10 nacelle cover interface
11 spinner
12 aerating arrangement
(first embodiment)
12a aerating arrangement
(second embodiment)
12b aerating arrangement
(third embodiment)
12c aerating arrangement
(fourth embodiment)
13 cyclonic separation device
14 particles
15 air inlet
15a air inlet
(second embodiment)
15b air inlet
(third embodiment)
16 air outlet
17 arrow
18 arrow
19 arrow
20 conducting element
21 ventilation device
22 nacelle air inlet opening
23 fan device
24 nacelle air outlet opening
25 connecting tube
26 arrow
27 arrow
28 interior cyclonic separa-tion device
29 interior air inlet
30 ventilation device
31 arrow