System and method for reducing ice and/or condensation formed on a power component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9621088-B2
Application number	US-201414191773-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2014
Priority date	Feb 27, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for reducing ice or condensation that forms on a power component of a wind turbine during a power outage. The method includes determining an ambient temperature near the power component; providing one or more parameters of the power component; determining a down time of the power component for the power outage; determining a wait time for the power component to stay offline as a function of the ambient temperature, the one or more parameters, and the down time of the power component; and, heating the power component for the wait time before supplying power to the power component such that a surface temperature of the power component is raised above the ambient temperature. As such, the method prevents the power component from being energized when condensation or ice may be present.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reducing ice or condensation that forms on a power component of a wind turbine during a power outage, the method comprising:
determining an ambient temperature near the power component;
providing one or more parameters of the power component;
determining a down time of the power component for the power outage;
determining a wait time for the power component to stay offline as a function of the ambient temperature, the one or more parameters, or the down time of the power component, wherein the wait time is approximately equal to a thermal time constant between an observed surface temperature of the power component and a monitored surface temperature of an additional nearby power component if the ambient temperature is above a freezing temperature and wherein the wait time is determined based at least on the thermal time constant and an inferred surface temperature of the power component at a start of the power outage when the ambient temperature is below the freezing temperature, and further wherein the inferred surface temperature is based on at least one of the thermal memory the time stamp, the down time, or the thermal time constant, and wherein the thermal time constant refers to a ratio of the density, volume, and heat capacity and a heat transfer coefficient and a surface area of the power component; and,
heating the power component for the wait time before supplying power to the power component such that a surface temperature of the power component is raised above the ambient temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power component of the wind turbine comprises a direct current (DC) link.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the additional nearby power component of the wind turbine comprises a power semiconductor device, Wherein the power semiconductor device is electrically and thermally coupled to the DC link.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters of the power component comprises at least one of a time stamp, a heat soak timer value, a permissive state, or a thermal memory.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the wait time based on the inferred surface temperature further comprises determining a difference between the heat soak timer value of the power component and the down time.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the one or more parameters of the power component in a memory store.

7. A method for reducing ice or condensation that forms on a power component of an energy system during a power outage, the energy system located in an uncontrolled temperature environment, the method comprising:
determining an ambient temperature near the power component;
providing one or more parameters of the power component;
determining a down time of the power component for the power outage;
determining a thermal time constant of the power component, wherein the thermal time constant comprises a ratio of the density, volume, and heat capacity of the power component and the heat transfer coefficient and the surface area of the power component;
determining a wait time for the power component to stay offline as a function of the ambient temperature and the down time of the power component, wherein the wait time is approximately equal to the thermal time constant between an observed surface temperature of the power component and a monitored surface temperature of an additional nearby power component if the ambient temperature is above a freezing temperature, and wherein the wait time is determined based at least on the thermal time constant and an inferred surface temperature of the power component at a start of the power outage when the ambient temperature is at or below the freezing temperature; and,
heating the power component for the wait time before supplying power to the power component such that a surface temperature of the power component is raised above the ambient temperature.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the power component of the wind turbine comprises a direct current (DC) link.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the additional nearby power component of the wind turbine comprises a power semiconductor device, wherein the power semiconductor device is electrically coupled to the DC link.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more parameters of the power component comprises at least one of a time stamp, a heat soak timer value, a permissive state, or a thermal memory.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the wait time determined based at least on the thermal time constant and the inferred surface temperature of the power component at a start of the power outage when the ambient temperature is or below the freezing temperature further comprises determining a difference between the heat soak timer value of the power component and the down time.

12. The method of claim 7 , farther comprising storing the one or more parameters of the power component in a memory store.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the energy system comprises one of a wind turbine, a solar power system, or a gas turbine.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Niemoeller Benjamin Arthur
• Sutherland Steven Wade

Classifications

• F05B2270/303

  Temperature · CPC title

• F05B2260/20

  Heat transfer, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• F03D7/0284

  in relation to the state of the electric grid · CPC title

• H02P9/006

  Means for protecting the generator by using control (control effected upon generator excitation circuit to reduce harmful effects of overloads or transients H02P9/10) · CPC title

• F05B2260/85

  Starting · CPC title