WIND TURBINE ARRANGED FOR INDEPENDENT OPERATION OF ITS COMPONENTS AND RELATED METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20090187282A1
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Rieken, Stefan, Menke, Detlef
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/287
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0224 Adjusting blade pitch
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/047 characterised by the controller architecture, e.g. multiple processors or data communications
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/107 to cope with emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/1074 by using back-up controls
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/304 Spool rotational speed
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/327 Rotor or generator speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/335 Output power or torque
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/404 active, predictive, or anticipative
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A wind turbine which is composed of several subunits is provided. Each of the several subunits includes a controller. Each of the controllers is adapted to operate in a cooperative mode and in an isolated mode. In the cooperative mode, one of the controllers operates as a master controller and the remaining controllers operate as slave controllers. In the isolated mode, each subunit is exclusively controlled by its respective controller, wherein each of the controllers acts as an independent master controller for its subunit. Further, a method for operating a wind turbine which includes at least two subunits is provided. Each of the at least two subunits includes at least one sensor, at least one actuator and a controller. The method for operating the wind turbine is carried out independently in each subunit and includes detecting at least one sensor signal; and determining and transferring a command to at least one actuator. Further, a segmented computer program for controlling a wind turbine which includes at least two subunits is provided.

Claims

1. A wind turbine comprising several subunits, each of the subunits comprising a controller, wherein each of said several controllers is adapted to operate in a cooperative mode and in an isolated mode, wherein, in the cooperative mode, one of said several controllers operates as a master controller and the remaining of said several controllers operate as slave controllers, and wherein, in the isolated mode, each subunit is exclusively controlled by its respective controller, each of said several controllers acting as an independent master controller for its subunit.

2. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein each of the subunits comprises at least one sensor, each of the controllers being connected to the at least one sensor of its respective subunit, wherein, in said isolated mode, each of the controllers is operable to control its respective subunit exclusively on the basis of sensor data provided by said at least one sensor.

3. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the subunits further comprises at least one slave-controller which is adapted to be supervised by the controller of the subunit.

4. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the subunits further comprises a back-up power supply.

5. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the subunits further comprises a sensor for measuring an electrical condition of the internal grid of the wind turbine.

6. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein one of said subunits is a hub subunit of said wind turbine.

7. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein said hub subunit comprises a sensor for measuring the load on the rotor axis and/or a sensor for measuring the rotational speed of the rotor axis.

8. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein one of said subunits is a generator subunit.

9. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein one of said subunits is a tower subunit or a machine subunit or a converter subunit.

10. The wind turbine according to claim 2, wherein one master is arranged to control the hub and the other master is arranged to control all other functional parts of the wind turbine.

11. A method for operating a wind turbine comprising at least two subunits, each of the at least two subunits comprising at least one sensor, at least one actuator and a controller, comprising:

detecting at least one sensor signal;

determining and transferring a command to the at least one actuator;

which is carried out independently in each subunit.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the controllers use only information available within the respective subunits to control the subunit.

13. The method for operating a wind turbine according to claim 11, wherein at least one subunit further comprises at least one slave-controller which is supervised by the controller of the subunit.

14. The method for operating a wind turbine according to claim 12, wherein the controllers receive information only from sensors and/or slave-controllers of the respective subunit.

15. The method for operating a wind turbine according to claim 12, wherein the controllers communicate only with sensors, actuators and slave-controllers of the respective subunit.

16. The method for operating a wind turbine according to claim 11, wherein:

detecting at least one sensor signals;

determining and transferring a commands to the at least one actuator;

is carried out such that the wind turbine produces the maximum power at given wind conditions.

17. The method for operating a wind turbine according to claim 11, wherein:

detecting at least one sensor signal;

determining and transferring a command to the at least one actuator;

is carried out such that the wind turbine is ramped down.

18. The method for operating a wind turbine according to claim 11, wherein the hub is controlled by an independent master.

19. The method for operating a wind turbine according to claim 18, wherein the hub is accelerated and decelerated after detecting a decreasing and increasing of rotation speed of the rotor axis, respectively.

20. A segmented computer program for controlling a wind turbine comprising at least two subunits, the segmented computer program comprising at least two computer program parts for controlling respective subunits, the computer program parts enabling when executed on a computer or controller

detecting of sensor signals;

and

determination and transfer of commands to actuators;

wherein the computer program parts are operable to control their respective subunit independently of each other.