Mitigating wind turbine blade noise generation in view of a minimum power generation requirement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9435320-B2
Application number	US-201213681266-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2012
Priority date	Nov 19, 2012
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

Described embodiments include a wind turbine system. In this embodiment, the system includes a wind turbine including a rotor blade having a controllable feature and attached to a rotor hub drivingly coupled to an electric generator. The controllable feature is configured if activated to decrease a noise generated by the rotor blade and correspondingly to decrease electric power generated by the electric generator. The wind turbine system includes a sensor configured to detect a parameter indicative of present or possible future noise generation state of the rotor blade. The wind turbine system includes a noise manager circuit configured to select a noise mitigation measure responsive to the detected parameter and in compliance with a minimum electric power generation requirement assigned to the wind turbine. The wind turbine system includes a control circuit configured to activate the controllable feature in response to the selected noise mitigation measure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a wind turbine including a rotor blade having a controllable feature and attached to a rotor hub drivingly coupled to an electric generator, the controllable feature configured if activated to decrease a noise generated by the rotor blade and correspondingly to decrease electric power generated by the electric generator;
a sensor configured to detect a parameter indicative of a present or possible future noise generation state of the rotor blade;
a noise manager circuit configured to select a noise mitigation measure responsive to the detected parameter and in compliance with a minimum electric power generation requirement assigned to the wind turbine; and
a control circuit configured to activate the controllable feature in response to the selected noise mitigation measure.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controllable feature includes an airflow-modifiable region of the rotor blade located at a portion of a longitudinal length of the rotor blade.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controllable feature includes a controllable rotor blade pitch.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured to detect a vortex induced noise.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a microphone.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a pressure sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a vibration or an accelerometer sensor.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes a parameter indicative of noise generated by airflow across the rotor blade.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes a parameter indicative of an atmospheric variation approaching the rotor blade.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes a parameter indicative of noise received by a noise-alleviation zone.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the noise-alleviation zone includes a land area having a noise tolerance rating.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes a parameter indicative of a noise produced or propagated by airflow across the rotor blade.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes a parameter indicative of a noise produced or propagated by unstalled airflow across the rotor blade.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes turbulence induced noise.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the minimum electric power generation requirement is responsive to a time of day.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the minimum electric power generation requirement is responsive to a weather condition.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the minimum electric power generation requirement is responsive to a wind direction.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the minimum electric power generation requirement is responsive to a target cumulative electric power generation requirement over a period of time.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the minimum electric power generation requirement includes a maximum allowable percentage reduction in present electric power generation.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the minimum electric power generation requirement is responsive to a minimum monetary value of electric power generation over a period of time.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the minimum electric power generation requirement is responsive to a noise sensitivity of a noise-alleviation zone lying potentially downwind of the wind turbine.

22. The system of claim 1 , wherein the noise mitigation measure is selected in response to instantaneous values of the detected parameter.

23. The system of claim 1 , wherein the noise mitigation measure is selected in response to an average value of the detected parameter over a period of time.

24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the noise mitigation measure is selected in response to cumulative values of the detected parameter and electric power generation over a period of time.

25. The system of claim 1 , wherein the noise mitigation measure is selected in response to weighted values of the detected parameter and electric power generation over a period of time.

26. The system of claim 1 , wherein the noise mitigation measure includes changing an orientation of a portion of the rotor blade.

27. The wind turbine system of claim 1 , wherein the noise mitigation measure includes dynamically shaping airflow over at least a portion of the rotor blade.

28. The wind turbine system of claim 1 , wherein the noise mitigation measure includes releasing air from a region on the rotor blade.

29. The wind turbine system of claim 1 , wherein the noise mitigation measure includes creating a transpiration airflow on at least a portion of the rotor blade.

30. A system comprising:
a wind turbine including a rotor blade having a controllable feature and attached to a rotor hub drivingly coupled to an electric generator, the controllable feature configured if activated to decrease a noise generated by the rotor blade and correspondingly to decrease electric power generated by the electric generator;
a sensor configured to detect a parameter indicative of a present or possible future noise generation state of the rotor blade; and
a controller circuit configured to select a noise mitigation measure responsive to the detected parameter and in compliance with a minimum electric power generation requirement assigned to the wind turbine, and to activate the controllable feature in response to the selected noise mitigation measure.

31. A system comprising:
a first wind turbine including a first rotor blade having a first controllable feature and attached to a first rotor hub drivingly coupled to a first electric generator, the first controllable feature configured if activated to decrease a first noise generated by the first rotor blade and correspondingly to decrease a first electric power generated by the first electric generator;
a second wind turbine including a second rotor blade having a second controllable feature and attached to a second rotor hub drivingly coupled to a second electric generator, the second controllable feature configured if activated to decrease a second noise generated by the second rotor blade and correspondingly to decrease a second electric power generated by the second electric generator;
a sensor configured to detect a parameter indicative of a present or possible future noise generation state of the first rotor blade or of the second rotor blade;
a noise manager circuit configured to select a noise mitigation measure (i) responsive to the detected parameter and (ii) in compliance with a first minimum electric power generation requirement assigned to the first electric generator and a second minimum power generation requirement assigned to the second electric generator; and
a control system configured to activate the first controllable feature or second controllable feature as appropriate to implement the selected noise mitigation measure.

32. A method comprising:
detecting a parameter indicative of a present or possible future noise generation state of a rotating rotor blade having a controllable feature and attached to a rotor hub driving an electric generator, the controllable feature configured to decrease a noise generated by the rotating rotor blade if activated;

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Duncan William David
• Hyde Roderick A
• Tuckerman David B
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• F03D7/024

  of individual blades · CPC title

• F03D7/0296 Primary

  to prevent, counteract or reduce noise emissions · CPC title

• F05B2270/333

  Noise or sound levels · CPC title

• Y02E10/723

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F03D7/022

  Adjusting aerodynamic properties of the blades · CPC title