Operating a wind turbine during service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11746756-B2
Application number	US-201917266934-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2019
Priority date	Aug 7, 2018
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A method of operating a wind turbine during a service, wherein the wind turbine comprises at least one rotor-nacelle assembly, the or each rotor-nacelle assembly comprising a rotor; the method comprising: detecting that a service is to be or is being carried out on the wind turbine; and, on detecting that a service is to be or is being carried out on the wind turbine, reducing an operating level of the or each rotor-nacelle assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a wind turbine during a service, wherein the wind turbine comprises a rotor-nacelle assembly comprising a rotor, the method comprising:
detecting, based on data from one or more sensors embedded within a wind turbine, that a service is to be or is being carried out on the rotor-nacelle assembly of the wind turbine by detecting a selection of the rotor-nacelle assembly for service, and detecting a presence of personnel in a vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly; and
on detecting that the service is to be or is being carried out on the rotor-nacelle assembly:
reducing an operating level of the rotor-nacelle assembly; and
reducing an overspeed threshold or an overpower threshold of the rotor by an amount greater than an amount by which the operating level of the rotor-nacelle assembly is reduced.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
on detecting that the service is to be or is being carried out on the rotor-nacelle assembly, inhibiting a system associated with the rotor-nacelle assembly.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting the presence of personnel in the vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly comprises detecting movement of personnel in the vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein inhibiting a system associated with the rotor-nacelle assembly comprises bringing to an idling mode or immobilising the rotor-nacelle assembly.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting the presence of personnel in the vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly comprises detecting the operation of an elevator in the vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting the presence of personnel in the vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly comprises detecting that access has been gained to the rotor-nacelle assembly.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting that the service is to be or is being carried out on the rotor-nacelle assembly comprises one or more of: detecting the selection of a maintenance operating mode of the wind turbine, and detecting the presence of personnel in the wind turbine.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein detecting the presence of personnel in the wind turbine comprises one or more of: detecting movement of personnel in the wind turbine, detecting the operation of an elevator in the wind turbine, and detecting that access has been gained to an interior of the wind turbine.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein reducing an operating level of the rotor-nacelle assembly comprises derating at least one of a power of the rotor-nacelle assembly or a speed of the rotor.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, on detecting that the service is to be or is being carried out on the rotor-nacelle assembly, one or more of: reducing a vibration threshold of the rotor-nacelle assembly, reducing an acceleration threshold of a tower of the wind turbine, or increasing a blade pitch threshold of the rotor.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein derating at least one of a power of the rotor-nacelle assembly or a speed of the rotor of the rotor-nacelle assembly comprises:
selecting at least one of a target power for the rotor-nacelle assembly or a target speed for the rotor;
determining a rotational frequency of the rotor corresponding to the target power or target speed;
determining a whirling mode frequency of a rotor blade of the rotor;
determining an upper whirling mode frequency threshold and a lower whirling mode frequency threshold for the rotor blade based on the determined whirling mode frequency, the upper and lower thresholds defining an avoidance zone;
determining whether the rotational frequency falls within the avoidance zone;
on determining that the rotational frequency falls outside the avoidance zone, at least one of (i) derating the power of the rotor-nacelle assembly to the target power or (ii) derating the speed of the rotor of the rotor-nacelle assembly to the target speed; and
on determining that the rotational frequency falls within the avoidance zone, (i) reducing at least one of the target power or the target speed until the rotational frequency associated with the reduced target power or the reduced target speed falls outside the avoidance zone and (ii) derating the power of the rotor-nacelle assembly to the reduced target power or derating the speed of the rotor of the rotor-nacelle assembly to the reduced target speed.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring ambient wind speed;
determining a wind speed based on the ambient wind speed;
determining whether the wind speed exceeds a wind speed threshold; and
on determining that the wind speed exceeds a wind speed threshold, bringing to an idling mode or immobilising the rotor.

13. A controller for a wind turbine control system comprising a processor and a memory module, wherein the memory module comprises a set of program code instructions which when executed by the processor configures the processor to:
(a) detect, based on data from one or more sensors embedded within a wind turbine, that a service is to be or is being carried out on a rotor-nacelle assembly of the wind turbine by:
(i) detecting a selection of the rotor-nacelle assembly for service; and
(ii) detecting a presence of personnel in a vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly; and

(b) based on the detection that a service is to be or being carried out:
(i) reduce an operating level of the rotor-nacelle assembly; and
(ii) reduce an overspeed threshold or an overpower threshold of a rotor of the rotor-nacelle assembly by an amount greater than an amount by which the operating level of the rotor-nacelle assembly is reduced.

14. The controller of claim 13 , wherein, on detecting that the service is to be or is being carried out on the rotor-nacelle assembly, the processor is further configured to at least one of:
(1) adjust at least one protection system of the rotor-nacelle assembly; or
(2) inhibit a system associated with the rotor-nacelle assembly.

15. The controller of claim 13 , wherein, detecting the presence of personnel in the vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly comprises one or more of: detecting movement of personnel in the vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly, detecting the operation of an elevator in the vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly, and detecting that access has been gained to the rotor-nacelle assembly.

16. A computer program product downloadable from a communication network and/or stored on a machine readable medium comprising program code instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:
(a) detect, based on data from one or more sensors embedded within a wind turbine, that a service is to be or is being carried out on a rotor-nacelle assembly of the wind turbine by:
(i) detecting a selection of the rotor-nacelle assembly for service; and
(ii) detecting a presence of personnel in a vicinity of the rotor-nacelle assembly; and

(b) based on the detection that a service is to be or being carried out:
(i) reduce an operating level of the rotor-nacelle assembly; and
(ii) reduce an overspeed threshold or an overpower threshold of a rotor of the rotor-nacelle assembly by an amount greater than an amount by which the operating level of the rotor-nacelle assembly is reduced.

17. A wind turbine, comprising:
a tower;
a rotor-nacelle assembly comprising a nacelle and a rotor extending from the nacelle;
a plurality of blades disposed on the rotor;
a wind turbine control system comprising a proces

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Dalsgaard Søren
• Baun Torben Ladegaard
• Hammerum Keld
• Petersen Torben

Classifications

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title

• F03D80/50 Primary

  Maintenance or repair · CPC title

• F03D1/02

  having a plurality of rotors · CPC title

• F03D7/0224

  Adjusting blade pitch · CPC title

• F03D7/0264

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