Method and apparatus for wind turbine rotor load control
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsKirk G. Pierce, David Lawrence LeMieux
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Vertical and horizontal wind shears, yaw misalignment and/or turbulence act together to produce asymmetric loading across a wind turbine rotor. The resultant load produces bending moments in the blades that are reacted through the hub and subsequently to the low-speed shaft. As a result, the main shaft and main shaft flange are displaced from their at rest or non-aerodynamic load positions. The amount of shaft flange displacement is measured using one or more sensors. The output signals from the sensors are used to determine the magnitude and/or the orientation of the resultant rotor load. This information is used to effect the blade pitch change needed to reduce the load and thereby reduce fatigue and loading on various turbine components.
Claims27
A wind turbine comprising:
- one or more sensors connected to directly detect deflection of a main shaft flange of the wind turbine from one or more predetermined positions and to generate signals corresponding to the detected deflection;
- and
- a control circuit coupled with the one or more sensors to receive the signals and to mitigate a load causing the deflection of the main shaft flange in response to the signals.
A wind turbine comprising:
- one or more proximity sensors connected to a reference frame and to a gearbox to directly measure displacement of the gearbox from one or more predetermined positions and to generate signals corresponding to the detected displacement;
- and
- a control circuit coupled with the one or more sensors to receive the signals and to mitigate a load causing the displacement the gearbox in response to the signals.
A wind turbine comprising:
- one or more proximity sensors to directly detect rotor blade azimuth and rotational speed;
- and
- a control circuit coupled with the one or more proximity sensors to receive the signals and to mitigate a load to the wind turbine in response to signals.
A wind turbine comprising:
- one or more proximity sensors connected to a reference frame and to a gearbox ring-gear to directly measure displacement of the gearbox ring-gear from one or more predetermined positions and to generate signals corresponding to the detected displacement;
- and
- a control circuit coupled with the one or more proximity sensors to receive the signals and to mitigate a load causing the displacement of the gearbox ring-gear in response to signals.
A wind turbine comprising:
- means for directly detecting deflection of a main shaft flange of the wind turbine;
- and
- means for mitigating load causing deflection of the main shaft flange in response to the detected deflection of the main shaft flange.
A method comprising:
- receiving signals from one or more sensors configured to directly detect movement of a main shaft flange of a wind turbine platform atop a tower;
- determining a load placed on a rotor of a wind turbine based on the signals from the one or more sensors;
- and
- causing one or more blades of the wind turbine to change pitch based on the determined load.
A memory device within a wind turbine having stored therein instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:
- receive signals from one or more sensors configured to directly detect movement of a main shaft flange of a wind turbine platform atop a tower;
- determine a load placed on a rotor of a wind turbine based on the signals from the one or more sensors;
- and
- cause one or more blades of the wind turbine to change pitch based on the determined load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.