Customizing a wind turbine for site-specific conditions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9422915-B2
Application number	US-201414272531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2014
Priority date	May 8, 2014
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

After establishing a design environmental condition ( 26 , S 1 ) for a wind turbine blade, and engineering a coefficient of lift and a corresponding optimum blade tip speed ratio (TSR 21 ) that maximizes annual energy production of the wind turbine when operating under the design environmental condition, determining a site-specific condition ( 28 , S 2 , S 3 ) that changes a wind loading condition on the blade compared to the design environmental condition, and providing an add-on device ( 49, 50, 60 ) for the blade that maximizes annual energy production of the wind turbine under the site-specific condition by changing the coefficient of lift and optimum TSR of the blade. Site specific conditions may include reduced RPM ( 28 ) for noise curtailment and/or specific mean wind speeds (S 2 , S 3 ). The add-on device may include a flap ( 49, 60 ) and/or vortex generators ( 50 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of customizing a wind turbine for a site-specific condition, comprising:
establishing a design environmental condition for a wind turbine blade, the blade comprising a coefficient of lift and a corresponding optimum blade tip speed ratio (TSR) that establishes a first annual energy production of the wind turbine when operating under the design environmental condition;
determining a site-specific condition that changes a wind loading condition on the blade compared to the design environmental condition;
determining a second annual energy production for the wind turbine using the blade under the site specific condition;
providing an add-on device for the blade that establishes an increased annual energy production of the wind turbine under the site-specific condition by changing the coefficient of lift and the TSR of the blade, and
installing the add-on device on the blade.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the site-specific condition reduces a maximum aerodynamic load or a fatigue load in comparison to the design environmental condition, leaving a load margin for the blade, and the add-on device increases the coefficient of lift of the blade, increasing the blade load within the blade load margin under the site-specific condition, reducing the corresponding TSR of the blade and establishing the increased annual energy production.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the site-specific condition comprises a requirement to reduce a maximum RPM of the wind turbine to reduce noise.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the site-specific condition comprises a mean wind speed that is lower than a mean wind speed of the design environmental condition.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the add-on device comprises a trailing edge flap.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the add-on device comprises a plurality of vortex generators for a suction side of the blade.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the add-on device further comprises a mount that provides chordwise movement and selection of position of the vortex generators on the suction side of the blade.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a site-specific control parameter responsive to the site-specific condition, wherein a control device controls the add-on device responsive to the site-specific control parameter to optimize annual energy production.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the control device monitors environmental conditions, and further comprising: providing control logic in the control device that varies the coefficient of lift of the blade according to the site specific condition by controlling the add-on device.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing an automatic control system in the wind turbine that determines the site-specific condition during operation of the wind turbine, and actively varies the coefficient of lift of the blade responsive to the site specific condition by actuating the add-on device.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the add-on device to extend along a majority of a span of the blade.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising designing the add-on device to increase a proportion of operational time of the wind turbine that the blade spends at an optimum TSR under the site-specific condition.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a plurality of vortex generators mounted in a first chordwise position for operation under a first environmental condition, and further comprising configuring the blade with the vortex generators in a second chordwise position that is farther forward than the first chordwise position for operation under a second environmental condition.

14. A method of customizing a wind turbine for a site-specific condition, comprising:
establishing a design environmental condition for a wind turbine;
engineering a coefficient of lift and a corresponding optimum blade tip speed ratio (TSR) for a blade of the wind turbine that maximizes a first annual energy production of the wind turbine when operating under the design environmental condition;
determining a noise limitation or an available wind power limitation at a given site that reduces maximum blade load and leaves an available blade load margin when the wind turbine is operated at the given site;
providing an add-on device for the blade of the wind turbine that provides a second annual energy production of the wind turbine greater than the first annual energy production when operating the wind turbine at the given site by increasing the coefficient of lift of the blade to an extent allowed by the blade load margin, and
customizing the blade by installing the add-on device on the blade.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing the add-on device in a form of a trailing edge flap for the blade or a vortex generator for the blade.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing the add-on device in a form of vortex generators and a mechanism for mounting the vortex generators with movable positioning on a suction side of the blade.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising movably selecting a position of the vortex generators along the suction side of the blade to control the coefficient of lift of the blade responsive to the load margin.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising designing the add-on device to move the optimum TSR of the blade toward a peak mechanical power under the site-specific condition.

19. A method of customizing a wind turbine for a site-specific condition, comprising:
establishing a design environmental condition for a wind turbine blade design;
engineering the blade design for a coefficient of lift and a corresponding optimum blade tip speed ratio (TSR) that maximizes a coefficient of power of the wind turbine when operating under the design environmental condition;
producing a plurality of blades of the blade design for the wind turbine;
determining a site-specific condition that reduces a maximum aerodynamic load at a given site compared to the design environmental condition;
providing an add-on device for each of the plurality of blades that maximizes an annual energy production of the wind turbine at the given site by increasing the coefficient of lift of the blades and reducing the optimum TSR of the blades of the blade design, and
customizing each blade of the plurality of blades by installing the respective add-on device.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Eisenberg Drew

Classifications

• F03D7/0232

  with flaps or slats (with aerodynamic drag devices on the blades for braking F03D7/0252) · CPC title

• F05B2240/122

  Vortex generators, turbulators, or the like, for mixing · CPC title

• Y10T29/49776

  Pressure, force, or weight determining · CPC title

• F03D7/0276

  controlling rotor speed, e.g. variable speed · CPC title

• F03D1/0675

  of the blades · CPC title