Method and system for determining an imbalance of a wind turbine rotor
AssigneeRbt, LP
InventorsMike Jeffrey, Michael Melsheimer, Jan Liersch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides a method and system of determining aerodynamic imbalances of a wind turbine rotor and optionally correcting such imbalances, as well as a method and system for determining mass imbalances of a wind turbine rotor and optionally correcting such imbalances. The aerodynamic imbalances may be detected and corrected using optical analysis of images of the wind turbine rotor. The mass imbalances may be detected and corrected using vibration analysis of the wind turbine rotor, typically using accelerometers or possibly other vibration sensors.
Claims24
A method of determining balancing of a rotor of a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a tower and a nacelle mounted to the top of the tower, the rotor being rotatably connected to the nacelle for rotating about a rotor axis and having a plurality of equally spaced blades, the method comprising:
- positioning a camera below the rotor;
- rotating the rotor so that a first blade is in a reference position in which a tip of the blade is directed toward the camera;
- capturing an image of the first blade in the reference position;
- rotating the rotor so that a second blade is in the reference position;
- capturing an image of the second blade in the reference position;
- determining a blade angle of the first blade from the image of the first blade in the reference position, wherein the blade angle is the angle between the rotor plane and a predetermined chord line of the blade designed as a reference point;
- determining the blade angle of the second blade from the image of the second blade in the reference position;
- and
- determining whether the blade angle of the first and second blades are within a predetermined threshold.
The method of 3, wherein the chord line used in determining the blade angle is the maximum chord line.
A method for determining an imbalance of a rotor of a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a tower and a nacelle mounted to the top of the tower, the tower having a central axis extending through the nacelle, the nacelle having a front end and a rear end, the rotor being rotatably connected to the nacelle at the front end for rotating about a rotor axis and having a plurality of rotor blades, the rotation of the rotor about the rotor axis defining a rotor plane, the method comprising:
- positioning a first vibration sensor towards the central axis of the tower with its sensitive axis of the first vibration sensor substantially parallel to the rotor plane;
- and
- measuring a first data set of vibration data using the first vibration sensor over a first sampling period;
- and
- determining a counterweight for at least one blade in the rotor in accordance with the first data set of vibration data when a mass imbalance in the rotor exists.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.