Hybrid Wind Turbine Tower with Integrated Yaw Bearing System

摘要

A wind turbine includes a vertically standing hybrid tower adapted to support a horizontally oriented rotor. The tower includes a fixed base portion and a separate rotatable upper rotor swept portion adapted to be secured to the base portion and rotatably yawed into the wind. The interface between the base and upper tower portions includes a bearing system defined by a pair of vertically spaced ring bearings adapted to encase and secure a downwardly depending spindle of the upper tower portion for rotatable support thereof within a vertically oriented cup-shaped opening in the base portion. Pluralities of contact rollers situated between inner and outer races of the ring bearings are each mounted on a single spindle and preloaded in angular orientation relative to the vertical axis of the tower.