System and method for variable tip-speed-ratio control of a wind turbine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorBernardo Adrian Movsichoff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present subject matter is directed to a system and method for operating a wind turbine so as to increase power production by utilizing variable tip-speed-ratio control. In one embodiment, the method includes defining a first operating region associated with an unsaturated torque range and a second operating region associated with a saturated torque range. Further, the method includes monitoring a torque output of the wind turbine. The method also includes continuously adjusting a tip-speed-ratio set point of the wind turbine so as to operate the wind turbine along a torque constraint boundary of the first and second operating regions.
Claims14
A method for operating a wind turbine so as to increase power production, the method comprising:
- operating the wind turbine based on a fixed first tip speed ratio set point;
- defining a first operating region associated with an unsaturated torque range;
- defining a second operating region associated with a saturated torque range;
- monitoring a torque output of the wind turbine;
- and,
- actively changing the fixed first tip-speed-ratio set point of the wind turbine to a different, fixed second tip speed ratio set point when wind speed increases to a wind speed that is lower than rated speed at a lower than optimal tip speed ratio and the torque output reaches rated torque so as to operate the wind turbine along a torque constraint boundary of the first and second operating regions and to allow the wind turbine to reach the rated speed at a lower speed than the fixed first tip speed ratio set point is capable of achieving while maintaining the rated torque with increasing wind speed.
A system for increasing power production of a wind turbine, the system comprising:
- one or more sensors configured to monitor a torque output of the wind turbine during a first operating region associated with a saturated torque range and a second operating region associated with an unsaturated torque range;
- a controller communicatively coupled to a processor, the processor configured to perform one or more operations, the operations comprising:
- operating the wind turbine based on a fixed first tip speed ratio set point;
- defining a first operating region associated with an unsaturated torque range;
- defining a second operating region associated with a saturated torque range;
- actively changing the fixed first tip-speed-ratio set point of the wind turbine to a different, fixed second tip speed ratio set point as wind speed increases to a wind speed that is lower than rated speed at a lower than optimal tip speed ratio and the torque output reaches rated torque so as to operate the wind turbine along a torque constraint boundary of the first and second operating regions and to allow the wind turbine to reach the rated speed at a lower speed than the fixed first tip speed ratio set point is capable of achieving while maintaining the rated torque with increasing wind speed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.