METHOD FOR OPERATING WIND FARM AND OPERATION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WIND FARM

• US 20130214534A1
• Filed: 01/08/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: NAKAMURA, Shigeaki, MINAMI, Tohru
• Granted Patent: US 9,816,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/44
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/00 Controlling wind motors supplying or distributing electrical power H02J, e.g. arrangements for adjusting, eliminating or compensating reactive power in networks H02J3/18; controlling electric generators H02P, e.g. arrangements for controlling electric generators for the purpose of obtaining a desired output H02P9/00
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0292 to reduce fatigue
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/048 controlling wind farms
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/50 Maintenance or repair
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/332 Maximum loads or fatigue criteria
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

An operation control system for a wind farm having wind turbines includes: a remaining-lifetime estimation unit for estimating remaining lifetime of a component of each wind turbine; a sales-income estimation unit for estimating, for each wind turbine, an income from sales of electric power under a plurality of output control conditions; a maintenance-cost estimation unit for estimating, for each wind turbine, maintenance cost based on the remaining lifetime of the component under each of the plurality of power limit conditions; a power-limit-condition selection unit for selecting, for each wind turbine, a power limit condition that maximizes income obtained from the wind farm, based on the income from sales of electric power and the maintenance cost estimated for each wind turbine under each of the power limit conditions; and an operation command unit for sending an operation command to each wind turbine based on the selected power limit condition.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wind farm having a plurality of wind turbines, the method comprising the steps of:

estimating remaining lifetime of a component of each of the wind turbines;

estimating, for each of the wind turbines, an income from sales of electric power under a plurality of power limit conditions;

estimating, for each of the wind turbines, maintenance cost based on the remaining lifetime of the component under each of the plurality of power limit conditions;

selecting, for each of the wind turbines, a power limit condition that maximizes profit obtained from the wind farm, based on at least the income from sales of electric power and the maintenance cost estimated for each of the wind turbines under each of the power limit conditions; and

operating each of the wind turbines based on the selected power limit condition.

2. The method for operating the wind farm according to claim 1,

wherein the maintenance cost is estimated for each of a plurality of candidate timings of performing coming maintenance on the component, and

wherein the power limit condition and a maintenance timing that maximize the profit obtained from the wind farm are determined based on at least the income from sales of electric power and the maintenance cost estimated for each of the plurality of candidate timings and each of the plurality of power limit conditions.

3. The method for operating the wind farm according to claim 1,

wherein, in the step of estimating the remaining lifetime, the remaining lifetime of the component is estimated based on temporal change of a state value indicating a damage state or a deterioration state of the component.

4. The method for operating the wind farm according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

stopping operation of the wind turbine having the component in such a case that the state value of said component is not within a regulation range.

5. An operation control system for a wind farm having a plurality of wind turbines, comprising:

a remaining-lifetime estimation unit for estimating remaining lifetime of a component of each of the wind turbines;

a sales-income estimation unit for estimating, for each of the wind turbines, an income from sales of electric power under a plurality of output control conditions;

a maintenance-cost estimation unit for estimating, for each of the wind turbines, maintenance cost based on the remaining lifetime of the component under each of the plurality of power limit conditions;

a power-limit-condition selection unit for selecting, for each of the wind turbines, a power limit condition that maximizes income obtained from the wind farm, based on at least the income from sales of electric power and the maintenance cost estimated for each of the wind turbines under each of the power limit conditions; and

an operation command unit for sending an operation command to each of the wind turbines based on the selected power limit condition.