Wind turbine blade flow regulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11767822-B2
Application number	US-201917297141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2019
Priority date	Dec 13, 2018
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

Provided is a method for detecting the operative status of an aerodynamic device for influencing the airflow which flows from the leading edge of a rotor blade for a wind turbine to the trailing edge of the rotor blade, the aerodynamic device being movable by an actuator between a first protruded configuration and a second retracted configuration. The method includes the steps of measuring a temporal course of an operational value of the wind turbine, comparing the measured temporal course of the operational value with a desired temporal course of an operational value, and deriving an operative status of the aerodynamic device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for detecting an operative status of an aerodynamic device for influencing an airflow flowing from a leading edge of a rotor blade for a wind turbine to a trailing edge of the rotor blade, the aerodynamic device being movable by an actuator between a first protruded configuration and a second retracted configuration, wherein the wind turbine includes at least one sensor and a control unit, the method comprising:
activating the actuator to move the aerodynamic device to the first protruded configuration to induce stall;
measuring a temporal course of an operational value of the wind turbine, in response to the activating;
comparing the temporal course of the operational value with a desired temporal course of the operational value; and
identifying a faulty condition of the aerodynamic device based on a deviation between the temporal course of the operational value and the desired course of the operational value.

2. The method according to the claim 1 , wherein the operational value is any of:
a power output of the wind turbine,
a rotational speed of a rotor and/or electrical generator of the wind turbine,
a thrust on a rotor of the wind turbine,
a strain in a tower or foundation or blade or nacelle or hub of the wind turbine,
a pitch torque on a blade of the wind turbine,
a load on a blade of the wind turbine,
an acceleration of the nacelle and/or the tower and/or the rotor blade and/or the hub of the wind turbine, and
a wind speed at the nacelle of the wind turbine.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the desired temporal course of the operational value is registered during a non-faulty time interval of the aerodynamic device.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the desired temporal course of the operational value is calculated.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein comparing the temporal course of the operational value with the desired temporal course of the operational value comprises calculating a difference between the temporal course of the operational value and the desired temporal course.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measuring the temporal course of the operational value of the wind turbine is performed continuously.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measuring the temporal course of the operational value of the wind turbine is performed periodically.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in response to the identifying the faulty condition, remedying the faulty condition by scheduling a maintenance of the aerodynamic device.

Assignees

• Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy As

Inventors

• Egedal Per
• Enevoldsen Peder Bay
• Fiedel Moritz
• Gonzalez Alejandro Gomez
• Hoegh Gustav
• Kristensen Mikkel Aggersbjerg

Classifications

• F03D17/00 Primary

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

• F05B2240/3052

  adjustable · CPC title

• F05B2260/80

  Diagnostics · CPC title

• F05B2270/327

  Rotor or generator speeds · CPC title

• F05B2270/335

  Output power or torque · CPC title