Methods for controlling wind turbine loading

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9341159-B2
Application number	US-201313857205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2013
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

Methods are provided for controlling wind turbine loading. In one embodiment, a method includes the steps of determining a current thrust value for the wind turbine, calculating a thrust differential based on the current thrust value and a predetermined maximum thrust value, calculating a desired pitch offset value based on the thrust differential and a thrust sensitivity value, and adjusting a pitch of the wind turbine utilizing the pitch offset value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling wind turbine loading, the method comprising:
determining a current thrust value for the wind turbine;
calculating, using an electronic controller, an expected thrust value at a predetermined future time based on the current thrust value;
calculating, using an electronic controller, a thrust differential based on the expected thrust value and a predetermined maximum thrust value;
calculating using an electric controller, a desired pitch value based on the thrust differential; and
adjusting, using an electronic controller, a pitch of the wind turbine utilizing the desired pitch value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the expected thrust value at the predetermined time is further based on a wind speed change rate and a generator rotor speed change rate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the desired pitch value is based on the thrust differential and a thrust sensitivity value.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the pitch comprises adjusting a minimum pitch value.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired pitch value is a desired pitch offset value, and wherein adjusting the pitch comprises:
adding the desired pitch offset value to a current pitch value to form a total pitch value for at least one rotor blade of the wind turbine; and
instructing a pitch adjustment mechanism for the at least one rotor blade to adjust a pitch of the at least one rotor blade to the total pitch value for that rotor blade.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein adjusting the pitch further comprises decaying adjustment of the pitch of the at least one rotor blade to the current pitch value within a predetermined time constant if the desired pitch value is less than or equal to zero.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the desired pitch value comprises inputting the thrust differential into a proportional integral derivative control algorithm.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein calculating the thrust differential further comprises inputting the thrust differential into a pre-filtering algorithm.

9. The method of claim , wherein the desired pitch value is a desired pitch offset value, and wherein adjusting the pitch comprises adjusting a feedback input for the proportional integral derivative control algorithm if the desired pitch offset value is less than zero.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired pitch value is a desired pitch offset value, and wherein adjusting the pitch comprises:
applying a pitch rate change limit to the desired pitch offset value; and
instructing a pitch adjustment mechanism for at least one rotor blade of the wind turbine to adjust a pitch of the at least one rotor blade to by the desired pitch offset value for that rotor blade at no faster than the pitch rate change limit.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current thrust value is measured.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current thrust value is estimated.

13. A method for controlling wind turbine loading, the method comprising:
determining a current thrust value for the wind turbine;
calculating, using an electronic controller an expected thrust value at a predetermined future time based on the current thrust value;
comparing, using an electronic controller, the expected thrust value to a predetermined maximum thrust value to determine a thrust differential;
calculating, using an electronic controller, a desired pitch value based on the thrust differential; and
adjusting using an electronic controller, a minimum pitch value based on the desired pitch value.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein calculating the expected thrust value at the predetermined time is further based on a wind speed change rate and a generator rotor speed change rate.

15. A method for controlling wind turbine loading, the method comprising:
determining a current thrust value for the wind turbine;
comparing using an electronic controller, the current thrust value to a predetermined maximum thrust value to determine a thrust differential;
calculating using an electronic controller, a desired pitch offset value by inputting the thrust differential into a control loop feedback control algorithm;
applying, using, electronic controller, a pitch rate change limit to the desired pitch offset value; and
instructing, using an electronic controller, a pitch adjustment mechanism for at least one rotor blade of the wind turbine to adjust a pitch of the at least one rotor blade to by the desired pitch offset value for that rotor blade at no faster than the pitch rate change limit.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein calculating the thrust differential further comprises inputting the current thrust value and the predetermined maximum thrust value into a pre-filtering algorithm.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the pitch further comprises adjusting a feedback input for the control loop feedback control algorithm if the desired pitch offset value is less than zero.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Koerber Arne
• Holley William Edwin
• Kammer Leonardo Cesar
• Mehendale Charudatta Subhash

Classifications

• F05B2270/1031

  Thrust · CPC title

• F05B2270/336

  Blade lift measurements · CPC title

• F05B2270/331

  Mechanical loads · CPC title

• F05B2270/404

  active, predictive, or anticipative · CPC title

• F05B2270/402

  passive or reactive, e.g. using large wind vanes · CPC title