System and method for operating a wind farm under high wind speed conditions

• US 20060273595A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Avagliano, Aaron John, Eker, Sukru Alper, Deshpande, Ameet Shridhar, Pierce, Kirk Gee, Teichmann, Ralph, Hopewell, Paul David
• Granted Patent: US 8,649,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/44
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/028 controlling wind motor output power
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/048 controlling wind farms
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/1075 by temporary overriding set control limits
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/32 Wind speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/331 Mechanical loads
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy wind motors F03D
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2101/15 for wind-driven turbines
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/00 Arrangements for controlling electric generators for the purpose of obtaining a desired output Ward-Leonard arrangements H02P7/34; vector control H02P21/00; feeding a network by two or more generators H02J; for charging batteries H02J7/14
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects

Abstract

A technique is provided for operating a wind farm at increased rated power output. The technique includes sensing a plurality of operating parameters of the wind turbine generator, assessing the plurality of operating parameters with respect to respective design ratings for the operating parameters, and intermittently increasing a rated power output of the wind turbine generator based upon the assessment.

Claims

1. A method for regulating power rating of a wind turbine generator, the method comprising:

sensing a plurality of operating parameters of the wind turbine generator;

assessing the plurality of operating parameters with respect to respective design ratings for the operating parameters; and

intermittently increasing a rated power output of the wind turbine generator based upon the assessment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of operating parameters comprise electrical operating parameters, or mechanical operating parameters, or thermal operating parameters, or metrological operating parameters, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of operating parameters comprise mechanical loads, or wind speed, or mean wind speed, or wind speed variance, or wind turbulence intensity, or projected wind speed, or temperature loads, or atmospheric temperature, or atmospheric pressure, or air density, or output power of wind turbine generator, or torque or speed of generator or rotor, or blade pitch angle, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wind speed variance is computed based on the wind speed and the rotor speed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein intermittently increasing the rated power output comprises intermittently operating the wind turbine generator at a higher torque or speed than the design rated torque or speed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein intermittently increasing the rated power output comprises intermittently operating the wind turbine generator at higher output currents than the design rated current.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein intermittently increasing the rated power output comprises increasing the rated power output for a predetermined period of time, wherein the predetermined period of time is computed based upon the assessment of the plurality of operating parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein intermittently increasing the rated power output comprises dynamically changing a rated power set point, wherein the rated power set point comprises rated torque or speed of a generator, or both.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein dynamically changing the rated power set point comprises dynamically changing the rated power set point based on operating or ambient conditions, or real time rating assessment, or an operational history, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein intermittently increasing the rated power output comprises intermittently increasing the rated power output for high speed and low turbulence wind.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein intermittently increasing the rated power output comprises intermittently increasing the rated power output for operating temperature less than the specified temperature of electrical or mechanical components of the wind turbine generator.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising deriving an optimal torque-speed schedule for rated power set point based upon the assessment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein intermittently increasing the rated power output comprises dynamically changing rated power set point based on the optimal torque-speed schedule.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising estimating fatigue in real time based on wind history using signal processing via generated transfer functions of power and damage rates.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a real time available power rating based upon thermal information available from continuous temperature monitoring.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein intermittently increasing the rated power output comprises intermittently increasing the rated power output based upon the real time available power rating.

17. A control system for regulating power rating of a wind turbine generator, the control system comprising:

a plurality of sensors for sensing a plurality of operating parameters of the wind turbine generator;

a processor for assessing the plurality of operating parameters with respect to respective design ratings for the operating parameters; and

a controller for intermittently increasing a rated power output of the wind turbine generator based upon the assessment.

18. The control system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of operating parameters comprise electrical operating parameters, or mechanical operating parameters, or thermal operating parameters, or metrological operating parameters, or any combination thereof.

19. The control system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of operating parameters comprise mechanical loads, or wind speed, or mean wind speed, or wind speed variance, or wind turbulence intensity, or projected wind speed, or temperature loads, or atmospheric temperature, or atmospheric pressure, or air density, or output power of wind turbine generator, or torque or speed of generator or rotor, or blade pitch angle, or any combination thereof.

20. The control system of claim 17, wherein the controller intermittently increases the rated power output by intermittently operating the wind turbine generator at a higher torque or speed than the design rated torque or speed.

21. The control system of claim 17, wherein the controller intermittently increases the rated power output by intermittently operating the wind turbine generator at higher output currents than the design rated current.

22. The control system of claim 17, wherein the controller intermittently increases the rated power output by dynamically changing a rated power set point, wherein the rated power set point comprises rated torque or speed of a generator, or both.

23. The control system of claim 22, wherein dynamically changing the rated power set point comprises dynamically changing the rated power set point based on operating or ambient conditions, or a real time rating assessment, or an operational history or any combination thereof.

24. The control system of claim 17, wherein the processor further derives an optimal torque-speed schedule for a rated power set point based upon the assessment.

25. The control system of claim 24, wherein the controller intermittently increases the rated power output by dynamically changing the rated power set point based on the optimal torque-speed schedule.

26. The control system of claim 17, wherein the processor further determines a real time available power rating based upon thermal information available from continuous temperature monitoring.

27. The control system of claim 26, wherein the controller intermittently increases the rated power output based upon the real time available power rating.

28. A wind turbine generator, comprising:

a control system configured to intermittently increase the rated power output of the wind turbine generator based upon assessment of operating conditions of the wind turbine generator.

29. The wind turbine generator of claim 28, wherein the operating conditions of the wind turbine generator comprise electrical operating conditions, or mechanical operating conditions, or thermal operating conditions, or metrological operating conditions, or any combination thereof.

30. A wind farm, comprising:

a plurality of wind turbine generators operable to collectively supply electrical power to a utility system; and

a wind farm control system configured to intermittently increase the rated power output of one or more of the plurality of wind turbine generators based upon assessment of operating conditions of the respective wind turbine generators.

31. A computer readable media, comprising:

code adapted to sense a plurality of operating parameters of a wind turbine generator;

code adapted to assess the plurality of operating parameters with respect to respective design ratings for the operating parameters; and

code adapted to intermittently increase the rated power output of the wind turbine generator based upon the assessment.

32. The computer readable media of claim 31, further comprising code adapted to derive an optimal torque-speed schedule for a rated power set point based upon the assessment.

33. The computer readable media of claim 32, wherein code adapted to intermittently increase the rated power output comprises code adapted to intermittently increase the rated power output by dynamically changing rated power set point based on the optimal torque-speed schedule.

34. The computer readable media of claim 31, further comprising code adapted to determine real time available power rating based upon thermal information available from continuous temperature monitoring.

35. The computer readable media of claim 34, wherein code adapted to intermittently increase the rated power output comprises code adapted to intermittently increase the rated power output based upon the real time available power rating.