Wind turbine, yaw control device, and operation control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10480484-B2
Application number	US-201615250121-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2016
Priority date	Feb 29, 2016
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A wind turbine includes: a wind turbine rotor; a nacelle supporting the wind turbine rotor rotatably; a yaw rotation part configured to rotate the nacelle; and a yaw control part configured to operate the yaw rotation part in a yaw rewind mode of rotating the nacelle in such a direction that a yaw angle changes toward zero, if an absolute value of the yaw angle exceeds a threshold which is variable in accordance with a wind-velocity parameter representing a magnitude of a wind velocity. The threshold increases with an increase in the wind-velocity parameter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind turbine comprising:
a wind turbine rotor;
a nacelle supporting the wind turbine rotor rotatably;
a yaw rotation part configured to rotate the nacelle; and
a yaw control part configured to operate the yaw rotation part in a yaw rewind mode of rotating the nacelle in such a direction that a yaw angle changes toward zero, if an absolute value of the yaw angle exceeds a threshold which is variable in accordance with a wind-velocity parameter representing a magnitude of a wind velocity,
wherein the threshold increases with an increase in the wind-velocity parameter, and
the yaw control part is configured to:
in the rewind mode, change the yaw angle to within a predetermined angular range without making the nacelle follow a wind direction when the wind-velocity parameter is less than the threshold; and
in the rewind mode, change the yaw angle until an absolute value of the yaw angle reaches 180 degrees or less and the nacelle follows the wind direction when the wind-velocity parameter is not less than the threshold.

2. The wind turbine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the threshold is set in stages in accordance with a plurality of ranges of the wind-velocity parameter.

3. The wind turbine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the threshold is set to increase monotonically with an increase in the wind-velocity parameter.

4. The wind turbine according to claim 1 ,
wherein a maximum value of the threshold is smaller than a hardware limit which is a rotational limit of the nacelle.

5. The wind turbine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the threshold is set to be larger during operation of the wind turbine than during a standby state of the wind turbine.

6. The wind turbine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wind-velocity parameter includes at least one of a wind velocity, an output of the wind turbine, a rotation speed of the wind turbine rotor, or a torque of the wind turbine rotor.

7. The wind turbine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wind-velocity parameter is a statistical value, in a predetermined period, of at least one of a wind velocity, an output of the wind turbine, a rotation speed of the wind turbine rotor, or a torque of the wind turbine rotor.

8. A yaw control device used for the wind turbine according to claim 1 , configured to operate the yaw rotation part of the wind turbine in a yaw rewind mode of rotating the nacelle of the wind turbine in such a direction that a yaw angle changes toward zero, if an absolute value of the yaw angle exceeds a threshold which is variable in accordance with a wind-velocity parameter representing a magnitude of a wind velocity,
wherein the threshold increases with an increase in the wind-velocity parameter.

9. A method of controlling operation of a wind turbine which comprises a wind turbine rotor, a nacelle supporting the wind turbine rotor rotatably, and a yaw rotation part configured to rotate the nacelle, the method comprising:
a step of operating the yaw rotation part in a yaw rewind mode of rotating the nacelle in such a direction that a yaw angle changes toward zero, if an absolute value of the yaw angle exceeds a threshold which is variable in accordance with a wind-velocity parameter representing a magnitude of a wind velocity,
wherein the threshold increases with an increase in the wind-velocity parameter, and
the step of operating the yaw rotation part includes:
changing the yaw angle to within a predetermined angular range without making the nacelle follow a wind direction when the wind-velocity parameter is less than the threshold; and
changing the yaw angle until an absolute value of the yaw angle reaches 180 degrees or less and the nacelle follows the wind direction when the wind-velocity parameter is not less than the threshold value.

10. The method of controlling operation of a wind turbine according to claim 9 ,
wherein the threshold is set in stages in accordance with a plurality of ranges of the wind-velocity parameter.

11. The method of controlling operation of a wind turbine according to claim 9 ,
wherein the threshold is set to increase monotonically with an increase in the wind-velocity parameter.

12. The method of controlling operation of a wind turbine according to claim 9 ,
wherein a maximum value of the threshold is smaller than a hardware limit which is a rotational limit of the nacelle.

13. The method of controlling operation of a wind turbine according to claim 9 , further comprising
setting the threshold to be larger during operation of the wind turbine than during a standby state of the wind turbine.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Baba Mitsuya

Classifications

• F03D7/0204 Primary

  for orientation in relation to wind direction · CPC title

• F03D80/85

  Cabling · CPC title

• F05B2270/32

  Wind speeds · CPC title

• F03D7/042

  by means of an electrical or electronic controller · CPC title

• F03D9/25

  the apparatus being an electrical generator (F03D9/22 takes precedence) · CPC title