Wind turbine
AssigneeVestas Wind Systems A/S
InventorPoul Brandt Christensen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of controlling a wind turbine having a rotor and a generator for producing power, the wind turbine being designed for a nominal load, the method comprising the steps of: determining a current load acting on at least a part of the wind turbine; calculating a load error, the load error representing the difference between the nominal load and the current load; controlling the wind turbine based on the load error; wherein the step of controlling the wind turbine comprises altering a parameter of the wind turbine so that the power or torque produced by the generator is altered.
Claims12
A method of controlling a wind turbine having a rotor and a generator for producing power, the wind turbine being designed for a nominal mechanical load, the method comprising:
- determining a current mechanical load acting on at least a part of the wind turbine;
- calculating a load error, the load error representing a difference between the nominal mechanical load and the current mechanical load;
- controlling the wind turbine based on the load error to optimize a power production of the wind turbine while also minimizing the load error;
- wherein the step of controlling the wind turbine comprises altering a selected parameter of the wind turbine so that the power or torque produced by the generator is altered, wherein the selected parameter of the wind turbine to be altered is chosen from the following:
- a pitch angle of one or more rotor blades;
- the speed of revolution of the rotor;
- and
- a power reference of the generator,
- wherein the selected parameter of the wind turbine to be altered is chosen based on the load error, and so as to optimize the power production,
- wherein optimizing the power production during the controlling of the wind turbine is achieved by adjusting the chosen selected parameter over another non-chosen selected parameter when a reduction in the load error can be achieved by adjustment of either of the chosen selected parameter and the another non-chosen selected parameter, but power production losses are less when adjusting the chosen selected parameter than when adjusting the another non-chosen selected parameter.
A control system for a wind turbine having a rotor and a generator for producing power, the wind turbine being designed for a nominal mechanical load, the control system having a control structure adapted to:
- determine a current mechanical load acting on at least a part of the wind turbine;
- calculate a load error, the load error representing a difference between the nominal mechanical load and the current mechanical load;
- control the wind turbine based on the load error by altering a selected parameter of the wind turbine so that the power or torque produced by the generator is altered, to optimize a power production of the wind turbine while also minimizing the load error;
- wherein the selected parameter of the wind turbine to be altered is chosen from the following:
- a pitch angle of one or more rotor blades;
- the speed of revolution of the rotor;
- and
- a power reference of the generator,
- wherein the selected parameter of the wind turbine to be altered is chosen based on the load error, and so as to optimize the power production,
- wherein optimizing the power production during the controlling of the wind turbine is achieved by adjusting the chosen selected parameter over another non-chosen selected parameter when a reduction in the load error can be achieved by adjustment of either of the chosen selected parameter and the another non-chosen selected parameter, but power production losses are less when adjusting the chosen selected parameter than when adjusting the another non-chosen selected parameter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.