Method and device for regulating a wind machine

• US 7,095,128 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2002
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Areva Np (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Original Assignee: Jeumont S.A.
• Inventors: Milet, Yves, Brutsaert, Patrick, Canini, Jean-Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Waks, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US10/468,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 290/43, 290/40.A
• US Class Current: 290/44
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/70 Bearing or lubricating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/20 to optimise the performance of a machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A method and corresponding apparatus for regulating a system that produces electric power, the system including an electric alternator having a rotor integral with a rotating part of a wind machine to form a rotary assembly, and a power electronics module, the method including the steps of: producing an alternating current at output terminals of the alternator; converting the alternating current produced by the alternator into modulated pulses of direct current. Alternating electric current produced by the alternator is regulated by controlling the speed of rotation of the rotary assembly by resisting torque imposed by the alternator in response to modulating the pulses of continuous current produced by the converted the alternating current.

Claims

1. A method of regulating a system that produces electric power, the system including an electric alternator having a rotor integral with a rotating part of a wind machine to form a rotary assembly, and a power electronics module, the method including the steps of:

producing an alternating current at output terminals of the alternator and having electrical characteristics, including amperage, voltage, phase difference between current and voltage, and frequency;

converting the alternating current produced by the alternator into modulated pulses of direct current, wherein the electrical characteristics, including amperage, voltage, phase difference between current and voltage, and frequency, of the alternating electric current produced by the alternator are regulated, by controlling the speed of rotation of the rotary assembly by resisting torque imposed by the alternator in response to modulating the pulses of continuous current produced by the converted alternating current;

wherein, when wind speed is higher than a first threshold value, the speed of rotation of the rotary assembly of the wind machine is regulated at a fixed maximum value, or a nominal value, enabling optimum recovery of power by the wind machine.

2. The method of regulating as claimed in claim 1, wherein during a first phase of operation of the system, for low wind speeds, the speed of rotation of the rotary assembly of the wind machine is made to increase in such a way that the speed of rotation passes progressively from a low starting value to a maximum value, the torque on the rotor increasing according to a predetermined law of speed/torque variation.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during a second phase of operation of the wind machine, when the wind speed is higher than a second threshold value the maximum speed of rotation of the rotary assembly of the wind machine is regulated in such a way as to maintain the power of the wind machine at a fixed value and, preferably, at the maximum power value of the wind machine.

4. Method as claimed in claim 3, wherein, when the value of the wind speed is lower than the second threshold value the speed of rotation of the rotary assembly is made to increase in a progressive and regulated manner and the variations in the value of the speed of rotation are recorded in such a way that a curve representing the variation of the speed of rotation can be used subsequently to control the increase in speed of the rotary assembly.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical characteristics of the electric current produced by the alternator are regulated in such a way that the internal open circuit voltage of the alternator is in phase with the amplitude of the current.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maximum speed of rotation of the rotary assembly of the wind machine is regulated at a value permitting disengagement of the blades of the rotating part of the wind machine for a predetermined wind speed, by modulating the pulses of continuous current produced by said conversion.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nominal value of the speed of rotation is fixed at a value taken from amongst at least two values as a function of climatic conditions at the site of the wind machine and in particular at a first value in a summer period and at a second value in a winter period.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the direct current is converted and used to supply an alternating current to a utilization network and that the electrical parameters of the alternating current supplied to the utilization network are regulated by control of the conversion of the direct current into alternating current.

9. Method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the regulated electrical parameters of the alternating current supplied to the network include the cosine φ

and the reactive power of the current supplied to the network.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric power transmitted after conversion of the alternating current into direct current and subsequent conversion of the direct current into alternating current are regulated by cutoff of the direct current transmitted between the conversion of the alternating current into direct current and the conversion of the direct current into alternating current and for diverting at least a part of the electric current through a rheostat.

11. Method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a micro-cutoff occurs on the electrical network lasting for a period less than a fixed limit, the electric current is cut off and at least a part of the current is diverted in order to drain the electric power from the alternator during the micro-cutoff of the network.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein, in the event of a cutoff of the electrical network for a period lasting longer than the fixed limit or a malfunction during alternating current production, stopping of the system for producing electric power is brought about at least partially by electric braking, based on the resisting torque, and excess electric power produced by the alternator being drained in a rheostat of the device for cutting off the direct electric current produced by the means for conversion of the alternating current of the alternator into direct current.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wind machine is stopped in order to change the speed of the rotary assembly from a nominal speed to a low speed of practically zero by effecting electric braking of the rotary assembly by increasing the resisting torque of the alternator by regulating the electrical parameters of the current produced by the alternator in a progressive manner, and that excess power is drained over at least a part of the network supplied by the system for producing electric current and a rheostat.

14. The method as claimed claim 1, wherein the alternator having a rotor with permanent magnets is short-circuited after shut down of the system for producing electric current, in such a way as to create a resisting torque opposing an increase in the speed of rotation of the rotary assembly in order to obtain a speed of rotation of the rotary assembly which is substantially lower than a speed of rotation during operation of the system for producing electric power.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the starting of the wind machine is effected initially while stopped, by causing the alternator to function as a synchronous motor supplied by means of the power electronics module in such a way as to drive the rotating part of the wind machine at a starting speed of the alternator.

16. A device for regulating an installation for producing electric power comprising an electric alternator having a rotor integral with the rotating part of a wind machine in order to form a rotary assembly, a power electronics module including a means for converting the alternating current produced by the alternator into direct current, and means for measuring the amperage and voltage of the current produced by the alternator and the speed of rotation of the rotary assembly, wherein the means for conversion of the alternating current produced by the alternator into direct current is a pulse width modulating rectifier connected to a digital control and regulating unit regulating the direct current by pulses produced by the pulse width modulating rectifier as a function of the measurement of said amperage and voltage of the current produced by the alternator and said speed of rotation of the rotary assembly.

17. Device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the power electronics module also comprises a pulse width modulating inverter connected to an output part of the pulse width modulating rectifier by at least one direct current bus having an output part connected to a network utilizing an alternating current produced by the pulse width modulating inverter from the direct current, the pulse width modulating inverter being connected to the digital control and regulating unit receiving a measurement of the voltage of the alternating current supplied to the utilization network in order to regulate the electric current supplied by the pulse width modulating inverter to the network.

18. Device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the power electronics module also comprises a rheostatic chopper connected to the output part of the pulse width modulating rectifier and to a direct current input part of the pulse width modulating inverter, the rheostatic chopper being connected to the digital control and regulating unit which receives a signal representing the voltage in the direct current bus connecting the output part of the pulse width modulating rectifier to the rheostatic chopper in such a way as to control the cutoff of the electric current passing through the rheostatic chopper and the diversion of at least a part of the electric current to a rheostat during an increase in the voltage in the direct current bus.

19. Device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the rotor of the electric alternator is a rotor with permanent magnets and that the electric alternator includes means for coupling phases of the alternator to one another.

20. Device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the rotor of the electric alternator is a wound rotor and in particular a synchronous wound rotor.

21. A method of regulating an installation for producing electric power, the installation having an electric alternator having a rotor integral with a rotating part of a wind machine forming a rotary assembly, and a power electronics module, the method comprising the steps:

producing an alternating current at the output of an electric alternator and having electrical characteristics, including amperage, voltage, phase difference between current and voltage and frequency;

converting the alternating current produced by the alternator into pulses of direct current, wherein the electrical characteristics, including amperage, voltage, phase difference between current and voltage and frequency of the alternating electric current are regulated,

the regulation occurring in response to controlling the speed of rotation of the rotary assembly by resisting torque imposed by the alternator by modulating the pulses of continuous current produced by the conversion means of the power electronics module resulting from the alternating electric current produced by the alternator, wherein the maximum speed of rotation of the rotary assembly of the wind machine is regulated at a value permitting disengagement of the blades of the rotating part of the wind machine for a predetermined wind speed, by modulating the pulses of continuous current produced by said conversion means.