WIND TURBINE GENERATOR AND SOUNDNESS DIAGNOSIS METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110304140A1
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Minami, Tohru, Doi, Hideto, Yatomi, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 8,324,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/44
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 17/00 Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0224 Adjusting blade pitch
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/406 through hydraulic systems
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/79 Bearing, support or actuation arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/1074 by using back-up controls
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

An accumulator is provided in an oil circuit of the pressure supply device and has a gas chamber for storing the pressure generated by the oil pump. A gas pressure judgment unit judges a soundness on the gas pressure of the gas chamber of the accumulator. A pitch movement judgment unit judges whether the pitch movement is performed soundly by the oil pressure accumulated in the accumulator if the gas pressure judgment unit judges that the gas pressure is sound. A start judgment unit judges a start condition to start the gas pressure judgment unit every predetermined period or when a start switch is operated.

Claims

1. A wind turbine generator including an pitch control unit having an oil actuator for controlling a pitch of the blades, a pressure supply device for supplying operating oil to the oil actuator, and an accumulator provided in an oil circuit of the pressure supply device and having a gas chamber for accumulating the pressure generated by the oil pump, comprising a soundness diagnosis device,

wherein the diagnosis device includes:

a gas pressure judgment unit for judging soundness on the gas pressure of the gas chamber of the accumulator;

a pitch movement judgment unit for judging soundness of the pitch movement of the pitch control unit by the pressurized operating oil accumulated in the accumulator when the gas pressure judgment unit judges that the gas pressure is sound;

a start judgment unit for judging a start condition to start the gas pressure judgment unit every predetermined period or when a start switch is operated.

2. A wind turbine generator according to claim 1, wherein the gas pressure judgment unit judges soundness on the gas pressure of the gas chamber based on the time period from the time point when the oil pump was stopped to the time point when the oil pressure decreased to a predetermined pressure.

3. A wind turbine generator according to claim 1, wherein the gas pressure judgment unit judges soundness on the gas pressure of the gas chamber based on the oil pressure value when a predetermined time period elapsed after the oil pump was stopped.

4. A wind turbine generator according to claim 1, wherein judgment of soundness of the gas pressure by the gas pressure judgment unit is executed under conditions in which a yaw brake device for braking yaw movement of a nacelle, a main shaft brake for braking the rotational shaft of the rotor, and the oil actuator of the pitch control unit is stopped to be supplied the oil pressure.

5. A wind turbine generator according to claim 1, wherein the pitch movement judgment unit judges soundness of the pitch movement of the pitch control unit based on the moving time when the blades are moved by the accumulated pressure of the accumulator from full opening state after the oil pump was stopped to full closing state.

6. A wind turbine generator according to claim 5, wherein each rotational surface of the blades is placed in parallel with the wind, and a yaw brake for braking a yaw movement of the nacelle and a main shaft brake for braking the rotational shaft are turned ON, when the pitch movement judgment unit judges soundness of the pitch movement.

7. A soundness diagnosis method for a wind turbine generator including a pitch control unit having an oil actuator and an oil supply device for supplying operating oil to the oil actuator of the pitch control unit, comprising:

a start judgment step of judging a start condition to start the gas pressure judgment unit every predetermined period or when a start switch is operated;

a gas pressure judgment step of judging soundness on the gas pressure of a gas chamber of an accumulator provided in an oil circuit of the pressure supply device and having a gas chamber for accumulating the pressure generated by an oil pump of the oil supply device if the diagnosis of the soundness is started in the start judgment step;

a pitch movement judgment step of judging soundness of the pitch movement of the pitch control unit by the pressurized operating oil accumulated in the accumulator if the gas pressure judges sound in the gas pressure judgment step.

8. A soundness diagnosis method for a wind turbine generator according to claim 7, wherein, in the gas pressure judgment step, oil supply to a yaw brake device for braking yaw movement of a nacelle, a main shaft brake for braking a rotational shaft of a rotor, and the oil cylinder of the pitch control unit is blocked, then the oil pump is stopped and the soundness of the gas chamber is judged based on the time period from the time point when the oil pump was stopped to the time point when the oil pressure decreased to a predetermined pressure.

9. A soundness diagnosis method for a wind turbine generator according to claim 7, wherein, in the gas pressure judgment step, oil supply to a yaw brake device for braking yaw movement of a nacelle, a main shaft brake for braking a rotational shaft of a rotor, and the oil cylinder of the pitch control unit is blocked, then the oil pump is stopped and the soundness of the gas chamber is judged based on the oil pressure value when a predetermined time period elapsed after the oil pump was stopped.

10. A soundness diagnosis method for a wind turbine generator according to claim 7, wherein, in the pitch movement judgment step, each rotational surface of the blades is placed in parallel with the wind so that the blades can ward off the wind, and a yaw brake for braking a yaw movement of a nacelle and a main shaft brake for braking an rotational shaft of an rotor are turned ON, and the blades are moved to its full open position by the oil pressure of the oil pump, then while the pump is stopped and the blades are moved to its full close position by the oil pressure accumulated in the accumulator, the soundness of the pitch movement is judged based on the time period in which the blades are moved from the full open position to the full close position.