SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A WIND TURBINE BASED ON IDENTIFIED SURFACE CONDITIONS OF THE ROTOR BLADES

• US 20140241878A1
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Herrig, Andreas, Honhoff, Saskia Gerarda
• Granted Patent: US 9,759,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/12 Blades specially adapted for radial flow machines or engines F01D5/04; blade roots F01D5/30; rotors with blades adjustable in operation F01D7/00; stator blades F01D9/02
• 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 7/00 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 7/0224 Adjusting blade pitch
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0296 to prevent, counteract or reduce noise emissions
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/40 Ice detection; De-icing means
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/30 Control parameters, e.g. input parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

In one aspect, a method for controlling a wind turbine based on an identified surface condition of a rotor blade may include monitoring an operating parameter of the wind turbine to obtain parameter data related to the operating parameter as an operating input of the wind turbine changes, analyzing the parameter data to identify a roughness state of the rotor blade and performing a corrective action in response to the identified roughness state.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a wind turbine based on an identified surface condition of a rotor blade of the wind turbine, the method comprising:

monitoring an operating parameter of the wind turbine to obtain parameter data related to the operating parameter as an operating input of the wind turbine changes;

analyzing the parameter data to identify a roughness state of the rotor blade; and

,

performing a corrective action in response to the identified roughness state.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising actively adjusting the operating input of the wind turbine as the operating parameter is being monitored.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the operating input comprises at least one of pitch angle, yaw angle, generator speed or generator torque.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating input comprises at least one of wind speed or wind direction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating parameter comprises at least one of shaft bending, blade bending, tower bending, power output, generator speed, generator torque, component vibration or blade noise.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the parameter data to identify a roughness state of the rotor blade comprises comparing the parameter data to predetermined clean parameter data related to the operating parameter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein performing a corrective action in response to the identified roughness state comprises performing the corrective action when the parameter data differs from the predetermined clean parameter data by at least a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein comparing the parameter data to predetermined clean parameter data related to the operating parameter comprises:

analyzing the parameter data to establish a current trend line for the parameter data;

analyzing the predetermined clean parameter data to establish a clean trend line for the predetermined clean parameter data; and

comparing the current trend line to the clean trend line.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein performing a corrective action in response to the identified roughness state comprises adjusting at least one of a pitch angle or a tip speed ratio of the rotor blade when it has been identified that a surface of the rotor blade is aerodynamically rough.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplementing the parameter data with surface condition data obtained using a surface roughness sensor in order to identify the roughness state of the rotor blade.

11. A method for identifying a surface condition of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the method comprising:

adjusting an operating input of the wind turbine;

monitoring an operating parameter of the wind turbine to obtain parameter data related to the operating parameter as the operating input is adjusted; and

,

analyzing the parameter data to identify a roughness state of the rotor blade.

12. A system for controlling a wind turbine based on an identified surface condition of a rotor blade of the wind turbine, the system comprising:

a sensor configured to monitor an operating parameter of the wind turbine as an operating input of the wind turbine changes;

a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor so as to obtain parameter data related to the operating parameter, the controller being configured to analyze the parameter data to identify a roughness state of the rotor blade, the controller being further configured to perform a corrective action in response to the identified roughness state.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to actively adjust the operating input as the operating parameter is being monitored by the sensor.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operating input comprises at least one of pitch angle, yaw angle, generator speed or generator torque.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the operating input comprises at least one of wind speed or wind direction.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the operating parameter comprises at least one of shaft bending, blade bending, tower bending, power output, generator speed, generator torque, component vibration or blade noise.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to identify the roughness state by comparing the parameter data to predetermined clean parameter data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to perform the corrective action when the parameter data differs from the predetermined clean parameter data by at least a predetermined threshold.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the corrective action performed by the controller comprises adjusting at least one of a pitch angle or a tip speed ratio of the rotor blade.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising a surface roughness sensor configured to directly monitor the roughness state of the rotor blade, the controller being communicatively coupled to the surface roughness sensor, the controller being configured to supplement the parameter data with surface condition data obtained from surface roughness sensor in order to identify the surface roughness of the rotor blade.