JP2018179180A - Seal structure of main bearing in wind power generator, bearing for wind power generator and bearing unit for wind power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seal structure of a main bearing in a wind power generator which suppresses heat generation in a slide part in which a seal member slides in the main bearing in the wind power generator, and can suppress the lowering or the like of a bearing life, a bearing for the wind power generator and a bearing unit for the wind power generator.SOLUTION: A seal structure of a main bearing in this wind power generator comprises inner/outer rings and a plurality of rolling bodies arranged between raceway surfaces of the inner/outer rings. The seal structure also comprises an elastic-body made seal member 5 for sealing an end part of a bearing space between the inner ring 1 and the outer ring in an axial direction, and a hollow part 13 for interposing a cooling liquid in the seal member 5. A pump 15 for introducing the cooling liquid to the hollow part 13 via piping 14 is arranged outside the main bearing. Even if the slide resistance of the seal member 5 and a fastening margin of the seal member 5 are large, a cooling effect at a slide part in which the seal member 5 of the inner ring 1 slides can be expected by interposing the cooling liquid in the hollow part 13 of the seal member 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a seal structure of a main bearing in a wind turbine generator, a bearing for a wind turbine generator, and a bearing unit for a wind turbine generator, and relates to a technology having a function of cooling a seal member.

A technique is disclosed in which a main bearing in a wind turbine generator is provided with a seal structure (Patent Document 1).
The main bearings of the wind turbine generator have the following characteristics.
-In order to make the structure compact, the seal may be slid on the outer diameter surface of the inner ring.
-Due to the large diameter, it is necessary to increase the seal interference to be able to follow the deformation.

European Patent Application Publication No. 2620642

  In the seal portion of a large bearing such as a main bearing in a wind turbine generator, the sliding resistance of the seal and the interference of the seal are large, so the heat generation at the sliding portion raises the temperature of the bearing and the temperature of the lubricant becomes excessive. Problems such as a decrease in life due to the increase, a change in clearance due to expansion, and a secular change in dimensions may occur.

  An object of the present invention is, in a main bearing of a wind turbine generator, a seal structure of the main bearing in a wind turbine generator capable of suppressing heat generation at a sliding portion where a seal member slides and reducing a bearing life and the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bearing for a wind turbine and a bearing unit for a wind turbine.

The seal structure of the main bearing in the wind turbine generator according to the present invention is the seal structure of the main bearing in the wind turbine generator including the inner and outer rings and a plurality of rolling elements provided between the raceway grooves of the inner and outer rings,
A seal member made of an elastic body is provided to seal an axial end of a bearing space between the inner ring and the outer ring, and the seal member has a cavity for interposing a coolant.

  According to this configuration, by providing the seal member with a cavity and interposing the coolant in the cavity, even if the sliding resistance of the seal member and the interference of the seal member are large, the seal member of the inner and outer rings is The cooling effect at the sliding part where the sliding can be expected. Thereby, the heat generation of the sliding portion can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the lubricant in the main bearing from becoming excessively high, and to suppress a decrease in bearing life and the like.

  A pump may be provided outside the main bearing, which leads the coolant to the cavity via piping. In this case, the pump can be driven to circulate the coolant in the cavity of the seal member. Thereby, the cooling effect in the sliding portion can be more reliably enhanced. In addition, since the pump is provided outside the main bearing, the pump can be installed anywhere in the wind turbine generator.

  The seal member includes a seal member main body portion fixed to any one fixed side bearing ring of the inner and outer rings, and a lip portion projecting from the seal member main body portion and sliding on the other rotation side bearing ring The cavity may be provided in the seal member main body. Thus, since the cavity is provided in the seal member main body, a desired amount of coolant can be stably intervened in this cavity. Therefore, the cooling effect at the sliding portion can be enhanced.

The seal member includes a seal member main body fixed to one of the fixed ring rings of the inner and outer rings, a lip protruding from the seal member body and sliding on the other rotation ring ring. The ring-shaped spring member which biases a lip part to the said other rotation side bearing ring may be provided, and the annular passage which forms the said cavity may be provided in this ring-shaped spring member.
In order to enhance the cooling effect at the sliding portion, it is desirable to provide a cavity in the lip portion closer to the heat source and to interpose the coolant in this cavity. However, it is difficult to secure a cross-sectional area for providing a cavity in the lip portion, and the amount of elastic deformation due to sliding is also large. Therefore, in this configuration, the ring-shaped spring member for biasing the lip portion to the other rotation-side race is provided with the annular passage forming the cavity. As a result, the cooling liquid can be interposed at a position relatively close to the heat generation source, and the cooling effect at the sliding portion can be enhanced. Further, since the annular passage can be held in the ring-shaped spring member, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Since it is not necessary to newly secure a space for forming a cavity in the seal member, the seal member of the conventional structure can be diverted, thereby reducing the cost.

  A bearing for a wind turbine generator according to the present invention is characterized by comprising the seal structure described in any one of the above. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the heat generation of the sliding portion in which the seal member slides by interposing the coolant in the cavity of the seal member.

  A bearing unit for a wind turbine generator of the present invention includes a bearing for a wind turbine generator provided with a seal structure for driving the pump to circulate a coolant, the pipe, and the pump.

  The seal structure of the main bearing in the wind turbine generator according to the present invention is the seal structure of the main bearing in the wind turbine generator including the inner and outer rings and a plurality of rolling elements provided between the raceways of the inner and outer rings. Since the seal member made of an elastic body seals the axial end of the bearing space between the inner ring and the outer ring and this seal member has a cavity for interposing the cooling fluid, the seal member is the main bearing in the wind turbine. It is possible to suppress the heat generation at the sliding portion sliding and to suppress the deterioration of the bearing life and the like.

It is a fragmentary sectional view of a bearing (main bearing) for wind power generators concerning an embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of a seal structure etc. of the main bearing. It is an expanded sectional view of a seal structure etc. of a main bearing concerning other embodiments of this invention. It is a partially cutaway perspective view of a wind turbine generator using any of the main bearings of the present invention. It is a fracture side view of the wind power generator.

Embodiments of the invention will be described in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2.
<About bearing structure>
This embodiment is applied to a main bearing (bearing for a wind turbine generator) that supports a main shaft in the wind turbine generator.
As shown in FIG. 1, a tapered roller bearing is applied as the main bearing in this example. The main bearing includes an inner ring 1, an outer ring 2, a plurality of rolling elements 3, a cage not shown, a cover member 4 and a seal member 5. In the bearing space between the inner and outer rings 1, 2, grease as a lubricant is enclosed. A plurality of rolling elements 3 are provided between the raceway grooves 1a and 2a of the inner and outer rings 1 and 2, respectively. A tapered roller is applied as the rolling element 3. The cage holds a plurality of rolling elements 3.

  A main shaft 36 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the inner ring 1 which is a rotation side bearing ring. The inner ring 1 has two rows of raceway grooves 1a, a tongue 1b and a large ridge 1c provided on the outer diameter surface. At the axially inner end portion of each of the raceway grooves 1a, a yoke 1b is provided. A gutter 1c is provided at the axially outer end of each raceway groove 1a. The outer ring 2 has two rows of raceway grooves 2 a corresponding to the two rows of raceway grooves 1 a of the inner ring 1. The outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 2 is fitted and fixed to the bearing housing 34. The tapered roller which is the rolling element 3 has a small end face 3a, a large end face 3b and a rolling surface.

The tapered rollers are disposed between the raceway grooves 1a and 2a of the inner and outer rings 1, 2 so that the small end face 3a of the tapered roller faces the offspring 1b of the inner ring 1 and the large end face 3b faces the large ridge 1c of the inner ring 1. ing.
This main bearing is a bearing of the back combination in which tapered rollers are provided in double rows (two rows in this example) in the axial direction, and the small end surfaces 1b and 1b abut each other on the left and right tapered rollers. In addition, although this taper roller bearing needs to be divided | segmented into right and left in the assembly, the illustration is abbreviate | omitted.

  Annular cover members 4 are fixed to both end surfaces of the outer ring 2 respectively. These cover members 4 cover the axial direction end of the bearing space between the inner and outer rings 1 and 2 together with the seal member 5 described later, thereby preventing the entry of foreign matter into the bearing space and suppressing the leakage of grease. Each cover member 4 has a cover member main body 6 and a flange portion 7. The cover member main body 6 and the flange portion 7 are integrally formed. The cover member main body 6 is provided with an annular recess 8 recessed at a predetermined distance from the large diameter outer diameter surface 1 d of the inner ring 1, and the seal member 5 is held by the annular recess 8.

  The axially outer side surface of the cover member main body 6, which is a part of the annular recess 8, is disposed on the inner diameter side of the outer diameter surface 1d of the inner ring 1 by a predetermined length, and by the predetermined end surface of the inner ring 1. It is disposed via an axial gap δ1 (FIG. 2). The flange portion 7 extends outward in the radial direction from an inner surface on the outer diameter side facing the end face of the outer ring in the cover member main body 6. The flange portion 7 is fixed to the end face of the outer ring. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover member main body 6 is divided into, for example, a sealing member housing portion 6a for housing the sealing member 5, and a lid portion 6b for covering the housing portion 6aa of the sealing member housing portion 6a. It may be a possible structure. In this case, the annular recess 8 for holding the sealing member 5 is formed by the housing portion 6aa of the sealing member housing portion 6a and the lid portion 6b.

<About seal structure>
As shown in FIG. 2, the seal member 5 is made of an elastic body that seals the axial direction end of the bearing space, and has a seal member main body 9, a lip 10 and a ring-shaped spring member 11. The seal member main body 9 is press-fit fitted in the annular recess 8 of the cover member main body 6. Chamfers 9a are formed at corners on the outer diameter side of the seal member main body 9, and the chamfers 9a can facilitate the detachment of the seal member main body 9. A waist portion 12 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the seal member main body portion 9 and extends radially inward from an axially outer side surface portion by a predetermined distance. The lip 10 protrudes from the waist 12, and the tip of the lip 10 slides on the outer diameter surface 1 d of the inner ring 1. The lip portion 10 is a so-called radial lip that contacts the outer diameter surface 1 d of the inner ring 1.

The inner peripheral surface of the lip portion 10 is formed as an inclined surface which inclines inward in the radial direction from the base end of the lip portion 10 in the axial direction, and the tip of this inclined surface is the outer diameter surface of the inner ring 1 Contact 1d. An annular recess 10 a for retaining the ring-shaped spring member 11 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lip portion 10. The annular recess 10 a is formed to be able to accommodate the inner diameter side portion of the ring-shaped spring member 11 with an arc shape in cross section.
The ring-shaped spring member 11 accommodated in the annular recess 10 a has a function of biasing the lip portion 10 against the outer diameter surface 1 d of the inner ring 1 with a predetermined biasing force. The ring-shaped spring member 11 is formed by joining one end and the other end of the coil spring in the longitudinal direction in a ring shape (ring shape). A so-called garter spring is applied as the ring-shaped spring member 11.

<About the function to cool the seal member 5>
In the seal member main body 9 of the seal member 5, an annular cavity 13 is provided to allow the coolant to intervene in the seal member 5. Water, coolant, oil or the like can be applied as the coolant. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the cavity 13 is connected to the pump 15 via the pipe 14 in a circular shape in cross section. The wind turbine generator bearing unit includes the main bearing, the pipe 14, and the pump 15.

  The pump 15 is installed outside the main bearing, for example, in a casing 33a (FIG. 5) of a nacelle 33 (FIG. 5) described later to circulate the coolant in the cavity 13. The pipe 14 is a supply line 16 for supplying the coolant from the pump 15 to the cavity 13, a communication line 17, and a discharge line for returning the coolant supplied to the seal member 5 from the cavity 13 to the pump 15. A passage 18 and a conduit 19 are provided. In the cover member main body 6, a communication passage 17 consisting of a through hole communicating the supply conduit 16 and the cavity 13 is formed, and the discharge conduit 19 and the cavity 13 are communicated in a phase different from that of the communication passage 17. A communication passage 18 consisting of through holes is formed.

<About effect>
According to the seal structure of the main bearing described above, when the seal member 5 is provided with the cavity 13 and the cooling fluid is interposed in the cavity 13, the sliding resistance of the seal member 5 and the interference of the seal member 5 are large. Even if it is, the cooling effect in the sliding part which the seal member 5 of the inner ring 1 slides can be expected. Thereby, the heat generation of the sliding portion can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the lubricant in the main bearing from becoming excessively high, and to suppress a decrease in bearing life and the like.
The pump 15 can be driven to circulate the coolant in the cavity 13 of the seal member 5 in order to provide the pump 15 for guiding the coolant to the cavity 13 through the pipe 14. Thereby, the cooling effect in the sliding portion can be more reliably enhanced. In addition, since the pump 15 is provided outside the main bearing, the pump 15 can be installed at any place in the wind turbine.

  The seal member 5 is made to slide on the seal member main body 9 fixed to the outer ring 2 as the fixed bearing ring via the cover member 4 and the inner ring 1 protruding from the seal member main body 9 as the rotation bearing ring A cavity 13 may be provided in the seal member main body portion 9 with the lip portion 10. As described above, since the cavity 13 is provided in the seal member main body 9, a desired amount of coolant can be stably intervened in the cavity 13. Therefore, the cooling effect at the sliding portion can be enhanced.

<Other Embodiments>
In the following description, the portions corresponding to the items described in advance in each embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the redundant description will be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described, the other parts of the configuration are the same as those described in the preceding embodiment unless otherwise stated. The same function and effect can be obtained from the same configuration. Not only the combination of the portions specifically described in the embodiments but also the embodiments may be partially combined if any problem does not occur in the combination.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the ring-shaped spring member 11, an annular passage 13A forming a cavity 13 is provided by a flexible tube, and the annular passage 13A is circular in cross section as in the previous embodiment. The pump 15 is connected to the pump 15 via a pipe 14.
In order to enhance the cooling effect at the sliding portion, it is desirable to provide a cavity in the lip portion closer to the heat source and to interpose the coolant in this cavity. However, it is difficult to secure a cross-sectional area for providing a cavity in the lip portion, and the amount of elastic deformation due to sliding is also large. Therefore, in this configuration, an annular passage 13A for forming a cavity 13 is provided in the ring-shaped spring member 11 that biases the lip portion 10 to the inner ring 1 that is the rotation side race. As a result, the cooling liquid can be interposed at a position relatively close to the heat generation source, and the cooling effect at the sliding portion can be enhanced. Further, since the annular passage 13A can be held in the ring-shaped spring member 11, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Since it is not necessary to newly secure a space for forming a cavity in the seal member, the seal member of the conventional structure can be diverted, thereby reducing the cost. In addition, the same operation and effect as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  As a bearing type of the main bearing, a double row spherical roller bearing, a four-point contact ball bearing, a deep groove ball bearing, an angular contact ball bearing or the like can be applied.

<Example of application to wind turbines>
4 and 5 show an example of a wind turbine generator using any of the main bearings. A casing 33a of the nacelle 33 is horizontally rotatably mounted on the support base 31 via a pivot seat bearing 32 (FIG. 5). In the casing 33a of the nacelle 33, the main shaft 36 is rotatably installed via the main bearing 35 installed in the bearing housing 34, and in the portion of the main shaft 36 projecting outside the casing 33a, the blade 37 serving as a turning wing is It is attached. The other end of the main shaft 36 is connected to the step-up gear 38, and the output shaft of the step-up gear 38 is coupled to the rotor shaft of the generator 39. The nacelle 33 is turned by the turning motor 40 via the reduction gear 41 at an arbitrary angle.

According to the wind turbine generator using any one of the main bearings, since the seal member is cooled, the cooling effect at the sliding portion where the seal member of the inner ring slides can be expected. Thereby, the heat generation of the sliding portion can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the lubricant in the main bearing from becoming excessively high, and to suppress a decrease in bearing life and the like.
Although two main bearings 35 are installed side by side in the illustrated example, they may be one.

  As mentioned above, although the form for implementing this invention was demonstrated based on embodiment, embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration and restrictive at no points. The scope of the present invention is indicated not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inner ring 1a ... Track groove 2 ... Outer ring 2a ... Track groove 3 ... Rolling element 5 ... Seal member 9 ... Seal member main-body part 10 ... Lip part 11 ... Ring-shaped spring member 13 ... Cavity 13A ... Annular passage 14 ... Piping 15 ... pump

Claims (6)

In a seal structure of a main bearing in a wind turbine generator comprising an inner and outer ring, and a plurality of rolling elements provided between each raceway groove of the inner and outer ring,
A seal structure of a main bearing in a wind turbine generator comprising: a seal member made of an elastic body for sealing an axial end of a bearing space between the inner ring and the outer ring, the seal member having a cavity for interposing a coolant.   The seal structure of a main bearing in a wind turbine generator according to claim 1, wherein a pump for guiding the coolant to the cavity through a pipe is provided outside the main bearing.   In the seal structure of the main bearing in the wind turbine generator according to claim 1 or 2, the seal member is a seal member main body portion fixed to any one fixed side bearing ring of the inner and outer rings; A seal structure of a main bearing in a wind turbine generator, comprising: a lip portion that protrudes from a seal member main body portion and slides on the other rotation-side race, and the cavity is provided in the seal member main body portion.   In the seal structure of the main bearing in the wind turbine generator according to claim 1 or 2, the seal member is a seal member main body portion fixed to any one fixed side bearing ring of the inner and outer rings; A lip portion projecting from the seal member main body and sliding on the other rotation side race ring, and a ring-like spring member biasing this lip portion on the other rotation side race ring, and in the ring-like spring member A seal structure of a main bearing in a wind turbine generator, wherein an annular passage forming the cavity is provided.   A bearing for a wind turbine generator provided with the seal structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The bearing unit for wind power generators provided with the bearing for wind power generators provided with the seal structure of Claim 2, the said piping, and the said pump.

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