System and method for minimizing energy loss due to yaw untwist of a wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10519929-B2
Application number	US-201615346989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Nov 9, 2016
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a method for minimizing energy loss caused by yaw untwist of a nacelle of a wind turbine. The method includes monitoring, via at least on sensor, one or more wind conditions near the wind turbine. The method also includes processing, via a controller, the one or more wind conditions for a given time interval. Further, the method includes monitoring, via the controller, a position of the nacelle. The method also includes triggering, via the controller, a yaw untwist operation when the position of the nacelle has rotated from an original position above a predetermined yaw threshold and the processed wind conditions are below a predetermined wind condition threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for minimizing energy loss caused by yaw untwist of a nacelle of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
monitoring, via at least one sensor, one or more wind conditions near the wind turbine;
processing, via a controller, the one or more wind conditions for a given time interval, wherein processing the one or more wind conditions comprises:
determining an average wind condition for the given time interval as a function of the one or more wind conditions; and
determining whether the average wind condition for the given time interval is less than at least one of a predetermined yaw untwist wind condition or a minimum wind condition for the given time interval;

monitoring, via the controller, a position of the nacelle; and
triggering, via the controller, a yaw untwist operation of a yaw drive mechanism for adjusting the position of the nacelle when the position of the nacelle has rotated from an original position above a predetermined yaw threshold and the processed wind conditions are below a predetermined wind condition threshold so as to untwist cables that became twisted during yawing of the nacelle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more wind conditions comprise at least one of an actual wind speed, a forecasted wind speed, an actual wind direction, or a forecasted wind direction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein triggering the yaw twist operation further comprises untwisting the nacelle of the wind turbine to its original position.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the position of the nacelle further comprises determining an angle of the nacelle measured from the original position, the original position corresponding to a zero-degree north location of the nacelle.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined yaw threshold comprises an angle of the nacelle ranging from about 360 degrees to about 720 degrees.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the position of the nacelle further comprises counting, via the yaw drive mechanism, a number of yaw bearing teeth of a yaw bearing that engage with a yaw drive pinion from the original position.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, via the controller, whether the yaw untwist operation is complete and after completion, correcting the position of the nacelle for a turbine-level position gradient.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising transitioning to a previous state of turbine operation after completion of the yaw twist operation.

9. A system for minimizing energy loss caused by yaw untwist of a nacelle of a wind turbine, the system comprising:
a yaw drive mechanism for adjusting a position of the nacelle;
at least one sensor configured to monitor one or more wind conditions near the wind turbine; and
a controller having one or more processors communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor, the controller configured to perform one or more operations, the one or more operations comprising:
processing the one or more wind conditions for a given time interval, wherein processing the one or more wind conditions comprises:
determining an average wind condition for the given time interval as a function of the one or more wind conditions; and
determining whether the average wind condition for the given time interval is less than at least one of predetermined yaw untwist wind condition or minimum wind condition for the given time interval;

receiving the position of the nacelle; and
triggering a yaw untwist operation of the yaw drive mechanism when the position of the nacelle has rotated from an original position above a predetermined yaw threshold and the processed wind conditions are below a predetermined wind condition threshold.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more wind conditions comprise at least one of an actual wind speed, a forecasted wind speed, an actual wind direction, or a forecasted wind direction.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein monitoring the position of the nacelle further comprises determining an angle of the nacelle measured from the original position, the original position corresponding to a zero-degree north location of the nacelle.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined yaw threshold comprises an angle of the nacelle ranging from about 360 degrees to about 720 degrees.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the yaw drive mechanism comprises a yaw drive motor, a yaw drive gearbox, and a yaw drive pinion, wherein monitoring the position of the nacelle further comprises counting, via the yaw drive mechanism, a number of yaw bearing teeth of a yaw bearing that engage with the yaw drive pinion from the original position.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein triggering the yaw twist operation further comprises untwisting the nacelle of the wind turbine to its original position.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more operations further comprises determining whether the yaw untwist operation is complete and after completion, correcting the position of the nacelle for a turbine-level position gradient.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more operations further comprises transitioning to a previous state of turbine operation after completion of the yaw twist operation.

17. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least sensor comprises at least one of Micro Inertial Measurement Units (MIMU) sensors, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensors, Sonic Detection and Ranging (SODAR) sensors, wind vanes, anemometers, accelerometers, pressure sensors, strain gauges, angle of attack sensors, vibration sensors, camera systems, fiber optic systems, picot, tubes, or rawinsondes.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hiremath Vijaykumar Muppayya
• Kong Steven Yi-Chi
• Jayaraman Sri Praabhu
• Appuraj Karthikeyan

Classifications

• F05B2270/329

  Azimuth or yaw angle · CPC title

• F03D7/0204 Primary

  for orientation in relation to wind direction · CPC title

• G05B19/04

  Program control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers (G05B19/418 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05B2260/821

  Parameter estimation or prediction · CPC title

• F05B2270/321

  Wind directions · CPC title