Methods and apparatuses for wind turbine fatigue load measurement and assessment

• US 7,822,560 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: LeMieux, David Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; John H
• Application Number:
  US11/020,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20060140761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 702/34, 702/41, 702/94, 702/141, 702/145, 731/68, 734/55, 738/56, 735/77, 290/44, 416/31, 416/61, 324/76.13, 324/207.16
• US Class Current: 702/34
• 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 7/0292 to reduce fatigue
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/042 by means of an electrical or electronic controller
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/1095 by limiting mechanical stresses
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/329 Azimuth or yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/332 Maximum loads or fatigue criteria
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/706 proportional-integral-differential
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/807 Accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0033 by determining damage, crack or wear
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0066 by exciting or detecting vibration or acceleration vibration testing of structures G01M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

Techniques and apparatuses for wind turbine component fatigue load measurement and assessment are disclosed. In one embodiment the component is a tower, fore-aft and side-to-side signals from a two-axis accelerometer attached to a bedplate of a wind turbine are used to measure tower fatigue loads. A yaw axis azimuth position signal can also be used for tower fatigue load measurement and assessment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining position of a wind turbine generator component within a nacelle with respect to a reference location also within the nacelle with one or more sensors coupled with the wind turbine generator component;

receiving output signals from the one or more sensors with a turbine controller communicatively coupled with the one or more sensors;

performing tower fatigue analysis with the turbine controller based on the output signals from the one or more sensors wherein results from the tower fatigue analysis comprise a spectral frequency analysis and further wherein the spectral frequency analysis is used to predict fatigue of a lower portion of the tower; and

generating, with the turbine controller, a graphical user-readable output based on the fatigue analysis indicating fatigue life information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising using results from the fatigue load analysis to control turbine performance.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising estimating historical fatigue based, at least in part, on results from the fatigue load analysis.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining position of the wind turbine generator component comprises:

receiving output signals from one or more accelerometers;

correcting the received accelerometer signals for yaw position of the wind turbine generator component; and

generating a position indication corresponding to the wind turbine generator component by twice integrating the acceleration signals received from the one or more accelerometers.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising applying a notch filter to the movement data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining movement of the wind turbine generator component atop the tower comprises:

receiving output signals from one or more gyroscopes;

correcting the received gyroscope signals for yaw position of the wind turbine generator component; and

generating a position indication corresponding to the wind turbine generator component from the signals received from the one or more gyroscopes.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the wind turbine generator component comprises one of:

a tower corresponding to the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component, a bedplate of the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component, a gear box of the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component, a main shaft of the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component, and a generator of the wind turbine having the wind turbine generator component.

8. An article comprising computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

determine position of a wind turbine generator component within a nacelle with respect to a reference location also within the nacelle with one or more sensors coupled with the wind turbine generator component;

perform tower fatigue analysis based on output signals from the one or more sensors wherein results from the tower fatigue analysis comprise a spectral frequency analysis and further wherein the spectral frequency analysis is used to predict fatigue of a lower portion of the tower; and

generate a graphical user-readable output based on the fatigue analysis indicating fatigue life information.

9. The article of claim 8 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to use results from the fatigue load analysis to control turbine performance.

10. The article of claim 8 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to estimate turbine historical fatigue based, at least in part, on results from the fatigue load analysis.

11. The article of claim 8 wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine the movement of the wind turbine generator component comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

receive output signals from one or more accelerometers;

correct the received accelerometer signals for yaw position of the wind turbine generator component; and

generate a position indication corresponding to the wind turbine generator component by twice integrating the acceleration signals received from the one or more accelerometers.

12. The article of claim 11 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause application of a notch filter to the movement data.

13. The article of claim 8 wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine the movement of the wind turbine generator component comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

receive output signals from one or more gyroscopes;

correct the received gyroscope signals for yaw position of the wind turbine generator component; and

generate a position indication corresponding to the wind turbine generator component from the signals received from the one or more gyroscopes.

14. The article of claim 8 wherein the wind turbine generator component comprises one of:

a tower of the wind turbine, a main frame of the wind turbine, a gear box of the wind turbine, a main shaft of the wind turbine, and a generator of the wind turbine.

15. An apparatus comprising:

one or more sensors to detect a condition caused by movement of a component of a wind turbine generator within a nacelle, the one or more sensors to generate condition signals indicating the condition of the component;

control circuitry coupled with the one or more sensors to receive the condition signals and to determine a position of a wind turbine generator component atop a tower based on the condition signals from the one or more sensors, to transform the determined position from a frame of reference corresponding to sensor locations to a frame of reference corresponding to a lower portion of the tower and to perform fatigue load analysis on the transformed position corresponding to the lower portion of the tower.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the wind turbine component comprises one of:

a tower corresponding to the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component, a main frame of the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component, a gear box of the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component, a main shaft of the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component, and a generator of the wind turbine generator having the wind turbine generator component.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the condition comprises an acceleration.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more accelerometers and wherein the control circuitry receives the condition signals from the one or more accelerometers and corrects the received condition signals for yaw position of the wind turbine generator component to generate a position indication corresponding to the wind turbine component.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the control circuit performs an integration operation on the condition data to determine a movement of the wind turbine generator component.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the control circuit causes application of a notch filter to the movement data.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the condition comprises a rotation.

22. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the condition comprises bending.

23. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more gyroscopes and wherein the control circuitry receives the condition signals from the one or more gyroscopes and corrects the received condition signals for yaw position of the wind turbine generator component to generate a movement indication corresponding to the wind turbine generator component.