Wind turbine control using predicted steady- state deflection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12012936-B2
Application number	US-202017609677-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2020
Priority date	May 9, 2019
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

Controlling a wind turbine including measuring a wind speed for a location upwind of a wind turbine. Using the measured wind speed, a changed steady-state deflection of a structure of the wind turbine is predicted. The predicted changed steady-state deflection corresponds to a time when wind from the location is incident on the wind turbine. Oscillations of the structure are damped relative to the changed steady-state deflection. By damping the oscillations relative to the changed steady-state deflection, movements of the structure may be minimized when there is no predicted change in steady-state deflection, while permitting more rapid movements during transitions from one steady-state deflection to the predicted steady-state deflection, allowing more of the available power to be captured by the wind turbine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
measuring a wind speed for a location upwind of a wind turbine;
predicting, using the measured wind speed, a changed steady-state deflection of a structure of the wind turbine once wind from the location is incident on the wind turbine;
estimating, using the measured wind speed, a time series of values for a control signal of the wind turbine;
optimizing the time series of values according to a cost function that penalizes deflections of the structure relative to the predicted changed steady-state deflection; and
damping oscillations of the structure relative to the predicted changed steady-state deflection, wherein damping oscillations of the structure comprises generating the control signal with the optimized time series of values.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
damping, based on a first average wind speed, oscillations of the structure relative to a first steady-state deflection; and
determining a second average wind speed from the measured wind speed,
wherein predicting the changed steady-state deflection is responsive to the second average wind speed differing from the first average wind speed.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the structure is a tower of the wind turbine, and wherein predicting the changed steady-state deflection comprises:
determining a power production level of the wind turbine scheduled for the second average wind speed;
determining a thrust force on the tower at the power production level; and
determining the changed steady-state deflection of the tower based on the thrust force.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the time series of values and optimizing the time series of values are performed using model-based predictive control.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control signal comprises one of:
a pitch reference for a pitch actuation system of the wind turbine, and
a power reference for a generator of the wind turbine.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the wind speed for the location comprises:
receiving a sensor signal from a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, the LIDAR system being disposed on the wind turbine or remote from the wind turbine.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the wind speed for the location comprises:
receiving a sensor signal from a sensor disposed on one of a met mast and a second wind turbine.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to damping the oscillations, determining that the predicted changed steady-state deflection does not exceed a threshold deflection.

9. A control system for a wind turbine, the control system comprising:
one or more computer processors configured to:
receive a measurement of a wind speed for a location upwind of the wind turbine;
predict, using the measured wind speed, a changed steady-state deflection of a structure of the wind turbine once wind from the location is incident on the wind turbine;
estimate, using the measured wind speed, a time series of values; and
optimize the time series of values according to a cost function that penalizes deflections of the structure relative to the predicted changed steady-state deflection; and
generate one or more control signals to damp oscillations of the structure relative to the predicted changed steady-state deflection, wherein the one or more control signals are generated with the optimized time series of values.

10. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computer processors are further configured to:
filter the measurement of the wind speed to determine an average wind speed;
wherein predicting the changed steady-state deflection is responsive to the average wind speed differing from a second average wind speed determined based on another instance of receiving a measurement of the wind speed.

11. The control system of claim 10 , wherein the structure is a tower of the wind turbine, and wherein predicting the changed steady-state deflection comprises:
determining a power production level of the wind turbine scheduled for the second average wind speed;
determining a thrust force on the tower at the power production level; and
determining the changed steady-state deflection of the tower based on the thrust force.

12. The control system of claim 10 , wherein estimating the time series of values and optimizing the time series of values are performed using model-based predictive control.

13. A wind turbine comprising:
a structure; and
a controller configured to:
receive a measurement of a wind speed for a location upwind of the wind turbine;

predict, using the measured wind speed, a changed steady-state deflection of the structure once wind from the location is incident on the wind turbine;
estimate, using the measured wind speed, a time series of values;
optimize the time series of values according to a cost function that penalizes deflections of the structure relative to the predicted changed steady-state deflection; and
generate one or more control signals to damp oscillations of the structure relative to the predicted changed steady-state deflection, wherein the one or more control signals are generated with the optimized time series of values.

14. The wind turbine of claim 13 , further comprising:
a generator coupled with one or more rotor blades; and
a pitch actuation system configured to adjust a pitch angle of the one or more rotor blades,
wherein the one or more control signals comprise one or both of:
a pitch reference for the pitch actuation system, and
a power reference for the generator.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium storing code executable by one or more computer processors to control an operation of a wind turbine, the operation comprising:
measuring a wind speed for a location upwind of the wind turbine;
predicting, using the measured wind speed, a changed steady-state deflection of a tower of the wind turbine once wind from the location is incident on the wind turbine;
estimating, using the measured wind speed, a time series of values for a control signal of one or more control signals;
optimizing the time series of values according to a cost function that penalizes deflections of the tower relative to the predicted changed steady-state deflection; and
issuing the one or more control signals to actively dampen oscillations of the tower relative to the predicted changed steady-state deflection, wherein damping oscillations of the tower comprises generating the control signal with the optimized time series of values.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , further comprising:
damping, based on a first average wind speed, oscillations of the tower relative to a first steady-state deflection; and
determining a second average wind speed from the measured wind speed,
wherein predicting the changed steady-state deflection is responsive to the second average wind speed differing from the first average wind speed.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein predicting the changed steady-state deflection comprises:
determining a power production level of the wind turbine scheduled for the second average wind speed;
determining a thrust force on the tower at the power production level; and
determining the changed steady-state deflection of the tower based on the thrust force.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Hovgaard Tobias Gybel
• Grunnet Jacob Deleuran

Classifications

• F05B2270/8042

  Lidar systems · CPC title

• F05B2270/404

  active, predictive, or anticipative · CPC title

• F05B2270/32

  Wind speeds · CPC title

• F05B2260/821

  Parameter estimation or prediction · CPC title

• F03D7/045

  with model-based controls · CPC title