System and method for controlling a wind turbine to minimize rotor blade damage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10823146-B2
Application number	US-201816008145-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2018
Priority date	Jun 14, 2018
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A method for monitoring and controlling a wind turbine to minimize rotor blade damage includes receiving sensor data from one or more sensors indicative of at least one blade parameter of the rotor blade over a predetermined time period. The method also includes trending the sensor data for the predetermined time period with respect to at least one wind parameter. Further, the method includes determining at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data. Moreover, the method includes comparing the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data to an operating threshold. In addition, the method includes implementing a control action if the comparison of the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data and the operating threshold indicates blade damage is occurring or is likely to occur.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a wind turbine to minimize rotor blade damage, the method comprising: receiving, via a controller, sensor data from one or more sensors indicative of at least one blade parameter of a rotor blade over a predetermined time period; trending, via the controller, the sensor data for the predetermined time period with respect to at least one wind parameter; determining, via the controller, at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data; determining whether, via the controller, the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data deviates from a damage threshold for a certain time period within the predetermined time period; and, implementing, via the controller, a control action if the deviation of the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data from the damage threshold indicates rotor blade damage is occurring or is likely to occur.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one blade parameter comprises at least one of a pitch angle or a blade mass moment.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one wind parameter comprises at least one of wind speed, wind direction, wind turbulence, wind shear, wake, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data further comprises at least one of an average of the trended sensor data or a standard deviation of the sensor data.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data deviates from the damage threshold by a predetermined amount for a certain wind speed range.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein implementing the control action if the deviation of the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data from the damage threshold indicates blade damage is occurring or is likely to occur further comprises altering a pitch angle of the rotor blade, shutting down the wind turbine, or yawing a nacelle of the wind turbine.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a notification signal to a user if the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data deviates from the damage threshold.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the notification signal comprises a description of at least one of an affected rotor blade axis or a behavior of the rotor blade.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising receiving an instruction from a user indicative of whether to implement the control action if the deviation of the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data and the damage threshold indicates blade damage is occurring or is likely to occur.

10. A method for controlling a wind turbine to minimize rotor blade damage, the method comprising:
receiving sensor data from one or more sensors indicative of a blade mass moment of a rotor blade of the wind turbine over a predetermined time period;
trending the sensor data for the predetermined time period with respect to wind speed;
determining at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data;
determining whether the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data deviates from a damage threshold for a certain time period within the predetermined time period;
modifying a pitch angle set point of the rotor blade if the deviation of the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data from the damage threshold indicates blade damage is occurring or is likely to occur; and
operating the rotor blade at the adjusted pitch angle set point.

11. A system for controlling a wind turbine to minimize rotor blade damage, the system comprising: at least one sensor for generating sensor data indicative of at least one blade parameter of a rotor blade over a predetermined time period; a controller communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor, the controller comprising a processor and associated memory device, the memory device comprising instructions that, when implemented the processor, configure the controller to perform one or more operations, the one or more operations comprising: trending the sensor data for the predetermined time period with respect to at least one wind parameter; determining at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data; determining whether the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data deviates from a damage threshold for a certain time period within the predetermined time period; and, implementing a control action if the deviation of the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data from the damage threshold indicates rotor blade damage is occurring or is likely to occur.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one blade parameter comprises a pitch angle.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one wind parameter comprises at least one of wind speed, wind direction, wind turbulence, wind shear, wake, or combinations thereof.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data further comprises at least one of an average of the trended sensor data or a standard deviation of the sensor data.

15. The system of claim 11 , further comprising determining whether the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data deviates from the damage threshold by a predetermined amount for a certain wind speed range.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein implementing the control action if the deviation of the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data from the damage threshold indicates blade damage is occurring or is likely to occur further comprises altering a pitch angle of the rotor blade, shutting down the wind turbine, or yawing a nacelle of the wind turbine.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more operations further comprise sending a notification signal to a user if the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data deviates from the damage threshold, the notification signal comprising a description of at least one of an affected rotor blade axis or a behavior of the rotor blade.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more operations further comprise receiving an instruction from a user indicative of whether to implement a control action if the at least one characteristic of the trended sensor data deviates from the damage threshold.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Vaughn Clovis Dillon
• Slack Robert Peter
• Rizzo Michael James

Classifications

• F03D7/0224

  Adjusting blade pitch · CPC title

• F03D17/00 Primary

  Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics (testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30) · CPC title

• F03D7/0264

  for stopping; controlling in emergency situations (orientating out of wind F03D7/0208) · CPC title

• F05B2270/1021

  by keeping it below damagingly high values · CPC title

• F05B2270/331

  Mechanical loads · CPC title