System and Method for Reducing Wind Turbine Rotor Blade Loads
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsAlicia Mae Zinnecker, Ryan Michael Sunyak
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Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to a method for reducing loads of one or more rotor blades of a wind turbine. The method includes monitoring a load of a first rotor blade. If the load of the first rotor blade exceeds a first load threshold, the method also includes designating a rotor plane sector in which the first rotor blade is located as a high load rotor plane sector. The method further includes adjusting, via a pitch drive mechanism, a pitch angle of a second rotor blade toward a first position before the second rotor blade enters the high load rotor plane sector.
Claims20
A method for reducing loads of one or more rotor blades of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- monitoring a load of a first rotor blade;
- if the load of the first rotor blade exceeds a first load threshold, designating a rotor plane sector in which the first rotor blade is located as a high load rotor plane sector;
- and,
- adjusting, via a pitch drive mechanism, a pitch angle of a second rotor blade toward a first position before the second rotor blade enters the high load rotor plane sector.
A system for reducing loads of one or more rotor blades of a wind turbine, the system comprising:
- a pitch drive mechanism for adjusting a pitch angle of the one or more of the rotor blades;
- and
- a controller communicatively coupled to the pitch drive mechanism, the controller being configured to perform one or more operations, the one or more operations comprising:
- monitoring a load of a first rotor blade;
- if the load of the first rotor blade exceeds a first load threshold, designating the rotor plane sector in which the first rotor blade is located as a high load rotor plane sector;
- and,
- controlling the pitch drive mechanism to adjust the pitch angle of the second rotor blade toward a first position before the second rotor blade enters the high load rotor plane sector.
A method for reducing loads of one or more rotor blades of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- monitoring a load of a first rotor blade;
- if the load of the first rotor blade exceeds a first load threshold, defining a high load rotor plane sector as a portion of a rotor plane where the first rotor blade exceeds a first load threshold;
- and,
- adjusting, via a pitch drive mechanism, a pitch angle of a second rotor blade toward a first position before the second rotor blade enters the high load rotor plane sector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.