Patents Assigned to Andritz Hydro GmbH
  • Publication number: 20240128843
    Abstract: A rotor for an electric machine, including a laminated core with slots in which bottom bars and top bars are arranged to in an axial direction beyond the laminated core to form a winding overhang. A bottom bar of one slot is respectively connected to a top bar of another slot in the winding overhang and, in a plan view, bottom bars and top bars cross axially outside the laminated core at crossing points and gaps remain between the crossing points. A support device has a retaining body arranged radially inside the winding overhang and at least one clip having two legs and a crosspiece. The is connected to both the retaining body and to a top bar to radially support the top bar by the retaining body. To ensure a robust stabilization of the winding overhang the legs protrude through two gaps adjacent to different top bars.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Applicant: ANDRITZ HYDRO GmbH
    Inventors: Alexander JOHN, Christoph WEINBERGER, Siegfried STADLHOFER
  • Publication number: 20240113598
    Abstract: Electrical machine, e.g., a generator, having a stator comprising a winding overhang, a rotor arranged rotatable in the stator, and a heat exchanger fluidically connected to the winding overhang via a coolant shaft, which is arranged radially outside the winding overhang, runs at least partially approximately along a circumferential direction, and is delimited in a radial direction by an outer surface, so that the winding overhang can be cooled by a continuous flow of a fluid over the heat exchanger and the winding overhang. To obtain uniform cooling of the winding overhang, multiple guiding elements are arranged in a distributed manner along a circumferential direction in the coolant shaft to redirect a flow of a fluid oriented in a circumferential direction in the coolant shaft at least partially into a radial flow towards the winding overhang and to distribute the flow to multiple regions of the winding overhang.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: ANDRITZ HYDRO GmbH
    Inventors: Gebhard KASTNER, Daniel LANGMAYR, Enes BLAZEVIC
  • Publication number: 20230383490
    Abstract: A sluice gate for a hydropower station, a method of operating a sluice gate and a hydropower station. The sluice gate includes rollers via which the sluice gate can be movably mounted on rails and a sealing surface having a seal with which an upstream water can be sealed off from a downstream water. Lubricant lines are provided through which lubricant can be fed to the rollers and lubricant return lines are connected to the rollers. Via the lubricant return lines, used lubricant can be guided from the rollers to one or more collection locations in order to be able to collect and properly dispose of used lubricant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: ANDRITZ HYDRO GmbH
    Inventor: Francis MICHAUD
  • Publication number: 20230070084
    Abstract: A method for producing a winding head support for a rotor of a rotating electric machine. To enable the production of even particularly large winding head supports in a simultaneously simple manner, it is provided that the winding head support is formed using an additive manufacturing process, in particular by wire arc buildup welding. Embodiments also relate to a winding head support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: ANDRITZ HYDRO GmbH
    Inventors: Fritz NEUMAYER, Oliver JANTSCHNER
  • Patent number: 10995727
    Abstract: A power generation plant including a turbine (1) of a Kaplan, bulb, diagonal flow or propeller turbine type, a water intake (4) and a water run-off (5). Additional vanes vane (8) are deployable into a water passage formed between the water intake (4) and the housing of the turbine. Eddy flows formed in the water intake (4) are reduced by the additional vanes. The vanes allow the turbine operating range to be extended to cover smaller outputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Andritz Hydro GmbH
    Inventors: Erich Wurm, Bernd Nennemann
  • Patent number: 10550821
    Abstract: A Pelton runner with a wheel disk and separately fabricated buckets (2), which may be cast or made from a solid block of material and secured detachably to the wheel disk (1), fastened by at least one screw (5) or at least one bolt. At least one screw or at least one bolt is designed as an expansion screw (5) or expansion bolt, where the expansion screw (5) or expansion bolt is subjected to controlled pre-stressing, and each bucket (2) has at least one expansion screw (5) or expansion bolt that is arranged perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheel disk (1) and secured to the wheel disk (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: ANDRITZ HYDRO GMBH
    Inventors: Benno Loetscher, Pascal Isler, Stefan Lais
  • Patent number: 10554086
    Abstract: A liquid cooling method for a hydroelectric generator which cools the winding of the rotor via a primary cooling liquid circuit, the cooling liquid being maintained in the circuit by the produced centrifugal force. The dissipation of the thermal energy takes place via a secondary cooling liquid which flows once vertically through the system. Accordingly, the thermal exchange takes place via a co-rotating heat exchanger in the center of the rotor. A device for carrying out such a method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: ANDRITZ HYDRO GMBH
    Inventors: Fritz Neumayer, Jesus Contreras Espada
  • Publication number: 20190214870
    Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid cooling method for a hydroelectric generator which cools the winding of the rotor via a primary cooling liquid circuit, said cooling liquid being maintained in the circuit by the produced centrifugal force. The dissipation of the thermal energy takes place via a secondary cooling liquid which flows once vertically through the system. According to the invention, said thermal exchange takes place via a co-rotating heat exchanger in the center of the rotor. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out such a method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Applicant: ANDRITZ HYDRO GMBH
    Inventors: Fritz NEUMAYER, Jesus CONTRERAS ESPADA
  • Patent number: 9797371
    Abstract: An assembly of rotor blades and hub for a turbine, such as a tidal current turbine. Each rotor blade includes a cavity and at least two ribs extending into the cavity at a radially inward (lower) region of the rotor blade. The hub includes a journal for each blade and the journal extends into the cavity and is supported by the at least two ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Andritz Hydro GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Geromiller, Daniel Plessing, Carsten Hermann
  • Patent number: 9394806
    Abstract: The invention relates to a guide apparatus for turbomachines, in particular for Francis or Kaplan turbines or pumps or pump turbines having a plurality of guide blades which can be actuated via in each case one link on a common adjusting member. Here, every guide blade or every second guide blade can be equipped with a bending element. A bending-failure link can have a screw connection and a bending body element. The screw connection is prestressed and is configured with a defined fracture cross section. The triggering force on the bending-failure link and the holding force after a fracture of the bending element can therefore be selected independently of one another. The guide blades are protected against damage by foreign bodies in the guide apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: ANDRITZ HYDRO GMBH
    Inventors: Peter Nowicki, Christof Abele, Klaus Kuhn
  • Patent number: 9225218
    Abstract: The winding overhang of the rotor of an electrical machine is subject to strong centrifugal forces during operation, especially when the machines run at high speed. The winding overhang support prevents the production of relative movements between the winding overhang and the rotor base. These movements result in strong mechanical stresses on the winding bars. The winding overhang support includes an inner ring and an outer ring between which the winding bars are arranged in the region of the winding overhang, the outer ring being shrunk on the inner ring and both the outer ring and the inner ring being interspaced from the lamination stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Andritz Hydro GmbH
    Inventors: Alfred Lexer, Stefan Helmlinger
  • Publication number: 20130216353
    Abstract: The invention relates to a guide apparatus for turbomachines, in particular for Francis or Kaplan turbines or pumps or pump turbines having a plurality of guide blades which can be actuated via in each case one link on a common adjusting member. Here, every guide blade or every second guide blade can be equipped with a bending element. A bending-failure link can have a screw connection and a bending body element. The screw connection is prestressed and is configured with a defined fracture cross section. The triggering force on the bending-failure link and the holding force after a fracture of the bending element can therefore be selected independently of one another. The guide blades are protected against damage by foreign bodies in the guide apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: ANDRITZ HYDRO GMBH
    Inventors: Peter Nowicki, Christof Abele, Klaus Kuhn
  • Publication number: 20120223608
    Abstract: The winding overhang of the rotor of an electrical machine is subject to strong centrifugal forces during operation, especially when the machines run at high speed. The winding overhang support prevents the production of relative movements between the winding overhang and the rotor base. These movements result in strong mechanical stresses on the winding bars. The winding overhang support includes an inner ring and an outer ring between which the winding bars are arranged in the region of the winding overhang, the outer ring being shrunk on the inner ring and both the outer ring and the inner ring being interspaced from the lamination stack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: ANDRITZ HYDRO GMBH
    Inventors: Alfred Lexer, Stefan Helmlinger
  • Publication number: 20120098335
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method that can enable generators for producing electrical energy to be kept stable on the network during and following a line failure, such as a voltage dip. This requirement is defined in the network connection conditions of many network operators and must be observed for installations of a certain power. According to the invention, during a line failure, a load is inserted, enabling the energy that can no longer be supplied to the electric network due to the voltage drop to be absorbed by the load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Applicant: Andritz Hydro GmbH
    Inventors: Johann Hell, Nebojsa Danilovic
  • Publication number: 20110216449
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for fault detection of series diodes in rectifiers is disclosed, wherein the voltages across one or both of the individual diodes, and/or the voltage across the pair of diodes are measured to determine a ratio between two of those voltages. The ratio is then analyzed to determine if a fault (e.g., a short circuit or an open circuit) is present. In some embodiments, circuitry can be included to compensate for the normal variations in diode characteristics (e.g., reverse leakage current, reverse recovery charge) between the pair of series diodes to minimize the potential for erroneous fault detection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Applicants: Andritz Hydro GmbH, Accumetrics Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: John Mark Reschovsky, Staci Jane Elaan, Walter Reisinger