Method of controlling a wind energy system and wind speed sensor free wind energy system

• US 8,283,798 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Siebers, Thomas, Kooijman, Henk-Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/463,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20120211985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 158 Days
• Field of Search: 290/43, 290/44, 290/54, 290/55, 416/1
• US Class Current: 290/44
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/02 the wind motors having rotation axis substantially parallel to the air flow entering the rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/026 for starting-up
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/043 characterised by the type of control logic
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/821 Parameter estimation or prediction
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/32 Wind speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/321 Wind directions
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/323 Air humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/324 Air pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/325 Air temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/327 Rotor or generator speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/328 Blade pitch angle
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/331 Mechanical loads
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/335 Output power or torque
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A method for controlling a wind energy system is provided wherein the method comprises determining the effective wind speed taking into account the load on the rotor blades of said wind energy system exerted by the wind is provided. A computer-readable medium is provided that provides instructions which when executed by a computing platform cause the computing platform to perform operations wherein the operations include the method according to embodiments described herein. Further, a wind energy system having a calculation unit adapted for calculating the effective wind speed by taking into account the load on the rotor blades of said wind energy system exerted by the wind is provided. Further, a wind speed sensor free wind energy system having a generator for generating electric energy and a controller for shutting down and/or starting the electric energy generation in dependence of the wind speed is provided.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a wind energy system, the wind energy system comprising a rotor, the method comprising:

determining an effective wind speed incident on the rotor, taking into account load on the rotor exerted by wind; and

determining an operational condition of the wind energy system based on the effective wind speed,

wherein the determining the effective wind speed comprises calculating the effective wind speed differently for predetermined different ranges of wind speeds.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a variation of the wind direction for wind speeds in a range below a start-up wind speed for a yaw system of the wind energy system.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a rotational speed of the rotor and a pitch angle of a rotor blade of the rotor for wind speeds in a range between a start-up wind speed for a yaw system of the wind energy system and a cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system, and for wind speeds in a range above a cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a rotational speed of the rotor, a pitch angle of a rotor blade of the rotor and at least one of a generated power of the wind energy system and a torque of the rotor, for wind speeds in a range between a cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system and a cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a variation of the wind direction for wind speeds in a range below a start-up wind speed for a yaw system of the wind energy system,

wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a rotational speed of the rotor and a pitch angle of a rotor blade of the rotor for wind speeds in a range between the start-up wind speed for the yaw system of the wind energy system and a cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system, and for wind speeds in a range above a cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system, and

wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a rotational speed of the rotor, a pitch angle of the rotor blade of the rotor and at least one of a generated power of the wind energy system and a torque of the rotor, for wind speeds in a range between the cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system and the cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the determining the effective wind speed incident on the rotor takes into account effects of at least one of air density, temperature, pressure, icing, rain, precipitation, and humidity.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the operational condition comprises one of a first operational condition relating to effective wind speeds below a start-up wind speed for a yaw system of the wind energy system, a second operational condition relating to effective wind speeds between the start-up wind speed for the yaw system and a cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system as well as effective wind speeds larger than a cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system, and a third operational condition relating to effective wind speeds between the cut-in wind speed and the cut-out wind speed.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the determining the effective wind speed is undertaken without using information from a wind speed sensor.

9. A computer-readable medium storing data corresponding to instructions which when executed by a computing platform cause the computing platform to perform operations, the operations comprising the method according to claim 1.

10. A wind energy system comprising:

a rotor with rotor blades;

a controller; and

a calculation unit in communication with the controller and configured to calculate an effective wind speed incident on the rotor by taking into account load on the rotor exerted by wind, the effective wind speed being calculated differently for predetermined different ranges of wind speeds,

wherein the controller determines an operational condition of the wind energy system based on the effective wind speed.

11. The wind energy system according to claim 10 wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a variation of wind direction for wind speeds in a range below a start-up wind speed for a yaw system of the wind energy system.

12. The wind energy system according to claim 10 wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a rotational speed of the rotor and a pitch angle of the rotor blades for wind speeds in a range between a start-up wind speed for a yaw system of the wind energy system and a cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system, and for wind speeds in a range above a cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system.

13. The wind energy system according to claim 10 wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a rotational speed of the rotor, a pitch angle of the rotor blades, and a torque of the rotor, for wind speeds in a range between a cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system and a cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system.

14. The wind energy system according to claim 10,

wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a variation of wind direction for wind speeds in a range below a start-up wind speed for a yaw system of the wind energy system,

wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a rotational speed of the rotor and a pitch angle of the rotor blades for wind speeds in a range between the start-up wind speed for the yaw system of the wind energy system and a cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system, and for wind speeds in a range above a cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system, and

wherein the effective wind speed is calculated from a rotational speed of the rotor, a pitch angle of the rotor blades, and a torque of the rotor, for wind speeds in a range between the cut-in wind speed for the wind energy system and the cut-out wind speed for the wind energy system.

15. The wind energy system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a torque measuring device for measuring the torque of the rotor,

wherein the calculation unit is in communication with the torque measuring device.

16. The wind energy system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a generator for transforming wind energy in electric energy;

a power measuring device for measuring generated electric energy, the power measuring device being in communication with the calculation unit; and

wherein the generated electric energy is used to calculate the effective wind speed alternatively or in addition to the torque of the rotor.

17. The wind energy system according to claim 10 wherein the calculation unit is not configured to receive signals from a wind speed sensor.

18. The wind energy system according to claim 10 wherein the effective wind speed is calculated without using information from a wind speed sensor.