Wind power plant having a plurality of wind turbine generators and a power plant controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11174840-B2
Application number	US-201716312655-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2017
Priority date	Jul 6, 2016
Publication date	Nov 16, 2021
Grant date	Nov 16, 2021

Abstract

A wind power plant supplies power to a utility grid in accordance with an active power reference, where the wind power plant comprises a plurality of wind turbine generators and a power plant controller arranged to send an active power set point to the wind turbine controller of each of the plurality of wind turbine generators.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a wind power plant which supplies power to a utility grid in accordance with an active power reference, the wind power plant comprises a plurality of wind turbine generators and a power plant controller arranged to send an active power set point to a wind turbine controller of each of the plurality of wind turbine generators, the method comprising:
operating the wind power plant with the active power reference lower than a nominal active power of the wind power plant by curtailing at least some of the wind turbine generators of the plurality of wind turbine generators,
determining a power capability of each of the curtailed wind turbine generators,
defining a first group comprising wind turbine generators of the curtailed wind turbine generators having a power capability higher than a power capability limit,
defining a second group comprising wind turbine generators of the curtailed wind turbine generators having a power capability lower than the power capability limit, and
decreasing the active power set point for the wind turbine generators in the first group and increasing the active power set point for the wind turbine generators in the second group such that a power production of the wind turbine generators in the first group is reduced according to an average reduction from the power capability of the first group and such that a power production of the wind turbine generators in the second group is reduced according to the average reduction from the power capability of the second group.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, determining a power capability of each of the curtailed wind turbine generators comprises at least one of:
calculating a positive power capability, as the difference between possible power and production power;
calculating a negative power capability, as the difference between minimum power and production power.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising
limiting the decrease or the increase in the active power set point by an equalizing limit value in a dispatcher iteration.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein limiting the decrease or the increase in the active power set point is set as a minimum of the equalizing limit value and a portion of the power capability.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising
setting a constant, prior the step of decreasing the active power set point for the wind turbines generators in the first group and increasing the active power set point for the wind turbines generators in the second group, to ensure that only a portion of the power capability, defined by the constant times the power capability, is equalized in a dispatcher iteration.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the power capability limit is a median or average power capability of the curtailed wind turbine generators.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the number of wind turbine generators in the first group and the second group are substantially equal.

8. A wind power plant having a plurality of wind turbine generators and a power plant controller arranged to communicate with the plurality of wind turbines generators, wherein:
each wind turbine generator in the plurality of wind turbine generators being related to a wind turbine controller, the wind turbine controller being arranged to control an active power output in its related wind turbine generator according to an active power set point received from the wind power plant controller;
the wind power plant supplies power to a utility grid in accordance with an active power reference;
the active power reference lower than a nominal active power of the wind power plant, such that at least some of the wind turbine generators of the plurality of wind turbine generators are curtailed;
each of the curtailed wind turbine generators have a power capability;
the curtailed wind turbine generators comprise:
a first group comprising wind turbine generators with a power capability higher than a power capability limit; and
a second group comprising wind turbine generators having a power capability lower than the power capability limit, wherein the wind turbine controller is arranged to decrease the active power set point for the wind turbines generators in the first group and increase the active power set point for the wind turbines generators in the second group such that a power production of the wind turbine generators in the first group is reduced according to an average reduction from the power capability of the first group and such that a power production of the wind turbine generators in the second group is reduced according to the average reduction from the power capability of the second group.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Jessen Steve
• Kappelgaard Søren
• Kjærgaard Jacob Barsøe
• Nayebi Kouroush
• Skjelmose Mads Rajczyk
• Wei Mu

Classifications

• F03D7/028

  controlling wind motor output power · CPC title

• F03D7/048 Primary

  controlling wind farms · CPC title

• F05B2270/335

  Output power or torque · CPC title

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title