Wind turbine and method of determining at least one rotation parameter of a wind turbine rotor

• US 8,246,304 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2011
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Egedal, Per
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Junge, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US13/288,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 292 Days
• Field of Search: 416/18, 416/31, 416/35, 416/36, 416/44, 416/61, 415/13, 415/30, 415/118, 734/93, 735/10, 735/11, 324160-163, 324/166
• US Class Current: 416/61
• 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: F05B 2260/821 Parameter estimation or prediction
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/101 to control rotational speed (n)
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/327 Rotor or generator speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/329 Azimuth or yaw angle
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/807 Accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/02 of speedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/16 by using centrifugal forces of solid masses governors G05D13/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/22 transferred to the indicator by electric or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/44 for measuring angular speed G01P3/56 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of determining at least one rotation parameter of a wind turbine rotor rotating with a rotation speed and a phase is provided. The method includes: measuring an effective centrifugal force acting in a first pre-determined direction, which is defined in a co-ordinate system rotating synchronously with the rotor, on at least one reference object located in or at the rotor, establishing a first angular frequency representing the rotation speed of the rotor on the basis of variations in the measured effective centrifugal force due to gravitational force, establishing a second angular frequency representing the rotation speed of the rotor by use of at least one yaw rate gyro, and establishing the value of the rotation speed as the rotational parameter by correcting the second angular frequency by comparing it to the first angular frequency.

Claims

1. A wind turbine with a rotor including a hub and at least one rotor blade fixed to the hub, comprising:

an accelerometer and an least one yaw rate gyro arranged in or at the rotor; and

a processor that establishes at least an angular frequency representing the rotation speed of the rotor on the basis of outputs of the accelerometer and the yaw rate gyro.

2. The wind turbine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is located in or at the hub.

3. The wind turbine as claimed in claim 1, wherein yaw rate gyro is located in or at the hub.

4. The wind turbine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one accelerometer is a dual-axis accelerometer.

5. The wind turbine as claimed in claim 4, wherein a phase of the rotor is determined via the dual-axis accelerometer.

6. The wind turbine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a phase locked loop and an auto calibration unit.

7. The wind turbine as claimed in claim 6,

wherein the accelerometer is configured to output an effective centrifugal force acting in a first pre-determined direction on at least one reference object located in or at the rotor,

wherein the first pre-determined direction is defined in a co-ordinate system rotating synchronously with the rotor, and

wherein the yaw rate gyro is configured to determine a second angular frequency representing the rotation speed of the rotor.

8. The wind turbine as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the phase locked loop is electronically coupled to the accelerometer to receive the effective centrifugal force,

wherein the phase locked loop is configured to use the effective centrifugal force to determine a phase of the rotating rotor and to determine a first angular frequency,

wherein the auto calibration unit is electronically coupled to the yaw rate gyro to receive the second angular frequency and electronically coupled to the phase locked loop to receive the first angular frequency,

wherein the auto calibration unit is configured to use the first and second angular frequency to determine the actual rotor speed.