LOAD CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WIND TURBINE

• US 20140056705A1
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Zheng, Danian, Xia, Hua, McCarthy, Kevin Thomas, Mashtare, Dale Robert
• Application Number:
  US13/590,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20140056705A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/1
• 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 7/04 Automatic control; Regulation
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A load control system for a wind turbine and a method for controlling wind turbine loading are provided. The system includes a sensor assembly. The sensor assembly includes a light source mounted to a rotor shaft and configured to emit a light, and a sensor mounted to the rotor shaft and configured to sense the light and measure a location of the light in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis. The system further includes a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly.

Claims

1. A load control system for a wind turbine having a rotor shaft defining a longitudinal axis, comprising:

a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly comprising;

a light source mounted to the rotor shaft and configured to emit a light; and

a sensor mounted to the rotor shaft and configured to sense the light and measure a location of the light in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly.

2. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is spaced apart from the light source along the longitudinal axis.

3. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises the light source, and further comprising a mirror, the mirror mounted to the rotor shaft and spaced apart from the sensor.

4. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the light source is a laser diode.

5. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the light source is light emitting fiber.

6. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor array.

7. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a charge-coupled device array.

8. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a fiber optic sensor.

9. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate a rotor shaft moment based on the location of the light.

10. The load control system of claim 1, further comprising an optical slip ring communicatively coupling the sensor assembly and the controller.

11. The load control system of claim 1, further comprising an electrical slip ring communicatively coupling the sensor assembly and the controller.

12. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust an operational parameter of the wind turbine based on the location of the light.

13. The load control system of claim 1, further comprising a sheath generally surrounding the sensor assembly.

14. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly is a plurality of sensor assemblies spaced apart from each other in an annular array about the rotor shaft.

15. A wind turbine, comprising:

a tower;

a nacelle mounted to the tower;

a rotor coupled to the nacelle, the rotor comprising a hub and a plurality of rotor blades;

a generator;

a rotor shaft extending between the rotor and the generator;

a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly comprising;

a light source mounted to the rotor shaft and configured to emit a light; and

a sensor mounted to the rotor shaft and configured to sense the light and measure a location of the light in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly.

16. The wind turbine of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to calculate a rotor shaft moment based on the location of the light.

17. The wind turbine of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to adjust an operational parameter of the wind turbine based on the location of the light.

18. The wind turbine of claim 17, wherein the operational parameter is a pitch of one of the plurality of rotor blades.

19. A method for controlling wind turbine loading, the method comprising:

emitting a light from a light source mounted to a rotor shaft;

sensing the light at a sensor mounted to the rotor shaft; and

, calculating a rotor shaft moment based on a location on the sensor of the sensed light.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising adjusting an operational parameter of the wind turbine based on the location of the light.