System and method for preventing excessive loading on a wind turbine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThomas Franklin Perley, Brandon Shane Gerber, Arne Koerber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for preventing excessive loading on a wind turbine are disclosed. The method includes: measuring an actual wind parameter upwind from the wind turbine using one or more sensors; providing the measured wind parameter to a processor; providing a plurality of wind turbine operating data to the processor; utilizing the plurality of operating data to determine an estimated wind turbine condition at the wind turbine; generating a control wind profile based on the actual wind parameter and the estimated wind turbine condition; and, implementing a control action based on the control wind profile to prevent excessive loading from acting on the wind turbine.
Claims20
A method for proactively preventing excessive loading from acting on a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- measuring an actual wind parameter upwind from the wind turbine using one or more sensors;
- providing the measured actual wind parameter to a processor having a wind turbine condition estimator stored therein, the wind turbine condition estimator comprising a control algorithm having a series of equations stored therein;
- providing operating data indicative of current wind turbine operation to the processor, the operating data comprising at least one of a pitch angle, a generator speed, a power output, and an air density;
- solving, via the wind turbine condition estimator, the series of equations using the operating data and one or more aerodynamic performance maps;
- determining an estimated wind turbine condition at the wind turbine based-on the solved equations, wherein the estimated wind turbine condition includes one or more of wind parameters near the wind turbine, and wherein the wind parameters include a wind gust, a wind speed, a wind direction, a wind acceleration, a wind turbulence, a wind shear, a wind veer, or a wake;
- generating a control wind profile from the actual wind parameter and the estimated wind turbine condition;
- and,
- implementing a control action based on the control wind profile to prevent excessive loading from acting on the wind turbine.
A method for proactively preventing excessive loading from acting on a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- measuring an actual wind parameter upwind from the wind turbine using one or more sensors;
- providing the measured actual wind parameter to a processor having a wind turbine condition estimator stored therein, the wind turbine condition estimator comprising a control algorithm having a series of equations stored therein;
- providing operating data indicative of current wind turbine operation to the processor, the operating data comprising at least one of a pitch angle, a generator speed, a power output, and an air density;
- solving, via the wind turbine condition estimator, the series of equations using the operating data and at least one of one or more aerodynamic performance maps or one or more lookup tables;
- determining a future loading condition based at least partially on the measured actual wind parameter and the solved equations, wherein the future loading condition includes a wind turbine thrust, a blade loading, a tower loading, a shaft loading, a nacelle loading, or a hub loading;
- and,
- implementing a control action based on the future loading condition to prevent excessive loading from acting on the wind turbine.
A system for preventing excessive loading from acting on a wind turbine, the system comprising:
- one or more sensors configured to measure an actual wind parameter upwind of the wind turbine;
- a processor communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors, the processor comprising a wind turbine condition estimator having a control algorithm with a series of equations stored therein, the processor configured to:
- receive the measured actual wind parameter;
- receive operating data indicative of current wind turbine operation, the operating data comprising at least one of a pitch angle, a generator speed, a power output, and an air density;
- solve, via the wind turbine condition estimator, the series of equations using the operating data and one or more aerodynamic performance maps;
- determine an estimated wind turbine condition a the wind turbine based on the solved equations, wherein the estimated wind turbine condition includes one or more of loading conditions and wind parameters near the wind turbine, and wherein the wind parameters include a wind gust, a wind speed, a wind direction, a wind acceleration, a wind turbulence, a wind shear, a wind veer, or a wake, and wherein the loading conditions include a wind turbine thrust, a blade loading, a tower loading, a shaft loading, a nacelle loading, or a hub loading;
- generate a control wind profile based on the measured actual wind parameter and the estimated wind turbine condition;
- and,
- a controller communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the controller is configured to implement a control action based on the control wind profile to prevent excessive loading from acting on the wind turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.