Method for reducing gear induced noise from a wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12345235-B2
Application number	US-202418885351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2024
Priority date	Dec 12, 2023
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A method for reducing gear induced noise from a wind turbine is disclosed. A first vibration map and a second vibration map are generated, specifying, for each of a plurality of operating points of the generator, a virtual phase of vibrations originating from gear tooth meshing of the gearbox, relative to a first and second reference phase, at the respective operating points. An overlap between operating points of the first vibration map and operating points of the second vibration map is identified and virtual phases within the overlap are compared, thus deriving a phase offset between the first vibration map and the second vibration map. The virtual phase of vibrations of each of the operating points of the second vibration map are adjusted according to the phase offset, so as to align the first vibration map and the second vibration map, and the first vibration map and the second vibration map are combined into a resultant vibration map.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for reducing gear induced noise from a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a rotor, a generator and a gearbox interconnecting the rotor and the generator, the method comprising:
during operation of the wind turbine, generating a first vibration map in a form of a table specifying, for each of a plurality of operating points of the generator, a virtual phase of vibrations originating from gear tooth meshing of the gearbox, relative to a first reference phase, at the respective operating points, each operating point being defined by a rotational speed and a torque of the generator,
at a later point in time, operating the wind turbine and generating a second vibration map in the form of a table specifying, for each of a plurality of operating points of the generator, a virtual phase of vibrations originating from gear tooth meshing of the gearbox, relative to a second reference phase that is different than the first reference phase, at the respective operating points,
identifying an overlap between operating points of the first vibration map and operating points of the second vibration map,
for at least some of the operating points within the identified overlap, comparing the virtual phase of vibrations of the first vibration map and the virtual phase of vibrations of the second vibration map, and deriving a phase offset between the first vibration map and the second vibration map, based on the comparison, wherein the phase offset represents a difference between the first reference phase and the second reference phase,
adjusting the virtual phase of vibrations of each of the operating points of the second vibration map by a value corresponding to the derived phase offset, so as to align the first vibration map and the second vibration map,
combining the first vibration map and the second vibration map into a resultant vibration map, and
controlling operation of the generator in accordance with the resultant vibration map.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein controlling operation of the generator comprises generating a torque modulating signal based on the virtual phase of vibrations of the resultant vibration map, corresponding to a current operating point of the generator, and injecting the torque modulating signal into the generator.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein generating a torque modulating signal comprises specifying a phase angle and an amplitude which results in a minimized observed vibration originating from the gearbox.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein generating the first vibration map and/or generating the second vibration map comprises monitoring an angular position of a high speed shaft and/or a low speed shaft of the gearbox, estimating a virtual gear tooth meshing angle of the gearbox, based on the monitored angular position of the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft, and deriving the virtual phase of vibrations from the estimated virtual gear tooth meshing angle.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein estimating a virtual gear tooth meshing angle of the gearbox comprises:
setting a reference virtual gear tooth meshing angle of the gearbox,
estimating a virtual gear tooth meshing angle relative to the reference virtual gear tooth meshing angle, based on the monitored angular position of the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft and on information regarding topology of the gearbox,
calculating a number of full rotations of the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft which corresponds to an integer number of full periods of gear meshing of the gearbox, based on information regarding topology of the gearbox, and
resetting the reference virtual gear tooth meshing angle each time the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft has performed the calculated number of full rotations, and continuing monitoring the angular position of the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft and continuing estimating the virtual gear tooth meshing angle relative to the reference virtual gear tooth meshing angle that has been reset.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the topology of the gearbox defines a non-integer gear meshing ratio related to the low speed shaft and/or to the high speed shaft, the gear meshing ratio being a ratio with an integer numerator and an integer denominator, and wherein resetting the reference virtual gear tooth meshing angle is performed each time the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft has performed a number of full rotations being equal to the denominator of the non-integer gear meshing ratio.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein monitoring the angular position of the high speed shaft and/or the low speed shaft of the gearbox is performed by an incremental encoder.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising stopping and starting operation of the wind turbine after performing the generating of the first vibration map and prior to generating the second vibration map.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of operating points of the second vibration map form a subset of the plurality of operating points of the first vibration map.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
during operation of the wind turbine, generating a third vibration map in a form of a table specifying, for each of a plurality of operating points of the generator, a virtual phase of vibrations originating from gear tooth meshing of the gearbox, relative to a third reference phase, at the respective operating points,
identifying an overlap between operating points of the resultant vibration map and operating points of the third vibration map,
for at least some of the operating points within the identified overlap, comparing the virtual phase of vibrations of the resultant vibration map and the virtual phase of vibrations of the third vibration map, and deriving a phase offset between the resultant vibration map and the third vibration map, based on the comparison,
adjusting the virtual phase of vibrations of each of the operating points of the third vibration map by a value corresponding to the derived phase offset, so as to align the resultant vibration map and the third vibration map,
combining the resultant vibration map and the third vibration map into an updated resultant vibration map, and
subsequently controlling operation of the generator in accordance with the updated resultant vibration map.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing the resultant vibration map to a second wind turbine, and controlling operation of a generator of the second wind turbine in accordance with the resultant vibration map.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Mongeau Peter
• Tange Kent
• Langbak Andreas
• Duda Tobias Philipp Roman

Classifications

• F05B2260/96

  Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise · CPC title

• F05B2260/4031

  as in toothed gearing · CPC title

• F03D17/015

  for monitoring vibrations · CPC title

• F03D17/033

  Gearboxes · CPC title

• F03D80/005

  for reducing noise pollution · CPC title