Wind turbine generator

Abstract

The present invention provides a wind turbine generator, in which a rotor head that rotates by receiving external wind with turbine blades generates power by driving a generator installed inside a nacelle and in which the nacelle is installed at a top end of a tower, wherein an introducing vent that takes the external wind into an internal space in the wind turbine generator is provided at a portion of an outer circumference surface of the tower or the nacelle that receives positive pressure due to the external wind; and an exhaust vent that externally exhausts cooling air in the internal space is provided at a portion of the outer circumference surface of the tower or the nacelle that receives the negative pressure due to the external wind.

1 . A wind turbine generator, in which a rotor head that rotates by receiving external wind with turbine blades generates power by driving a generator installed inside a nacelle and in which the nacelle is installed at a top end of a tower, wherein
 an introducing vent that takes the external wind into an internal space in the wind turbine generator is provided at a portion of an outer circumference surface of the tower or the nacelle that receives positive pressure due to the external wind; and   an exhaust vent that externally exhausts cooling air in the internal space is provided at a portion of the outer circumference surface of the tower or the nacelle that receives the negative pressure due to the external wind.   
     
     
         2 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein heat-generating equipment is disposed between the introducing vent and the exhaust vent. 
     
     
         3 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the case where the introducing vent and the exhaust vent are provided in the tower, the introducing vent is provided in the outer circumference surface in the circumference direction, at a position where the positive pressure due to the external wind becomes the highest; and the exhaust vent is provided at a position that forms a substantially right angle with the circumference direction from the position of the introducing vent. 
     
     
         4 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein there is a height difference between the position of the introducing vent and the position of the exhaust vent. 
     
     
         5 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the case where the introducing vent is provided in the tower, the height thereof is set near the highest position in a range from a ground surface where the tower is erected to a bottom end of a rotation trace of distal ends of the turbine blades. 
     
     
         6 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein negative-pressure enhancing means for enhancing negative pressure exerted by the external wind is provided at the exhaust vent. 
     
     
         7 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 6 , wherein the negative-pressure enhancing means is a cover member that covers an opening of the exhaust vent and that is separated from the exhaust vent by a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         8 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein introducing-vent opening/closing means that opens when outside air pressure becomes greater than inside air pressure and that closes when the inside air pressure becomes greater than the outside air pressure is provided at the introducing vent. 
     
     
         9 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein exhausting-vent opening/closing means that closes when outside air pressure becomes greater than inside air pressure and that opens when the inside air pressure becomes greater than the outside air pressure is provided at the exhaust vent. 
     
     
         10 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein the tower has a double cylinder structure; the introducing vent is provided so as to communicate with one of an outer space and an inner space thereof; the exhaust vent is provided so as to communicate with the other space; and the outer space and the inner space are communicated at a position away from the introducing vent and the exhaust vent. 
     
     
         11 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein foreign-matter removing means for removing foreign matter contained in external air introduced from the introducing vent is provided downstream of the introducing vent. 
     
     
         12 . A wind turbine generator according to  claim 1 , wherein, in a case where the introducing vent and the exhaust vent are provided in the tower, air vents are provided at three or more locations along the outer circumference surface in the circumference direction thereof; and these air vents serve as the introducing vent or the exhaust vent depending on wind direction.