CONTROL OF A WIND TURBINE BASED ON OPERATIONAL TRAJECTORY VALIDATION

• US 20170248124A1
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
• Original Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
• Inventors: HAMMERUM, Keld, HOVGAARD, Tobias Gybel, STEELE, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,337,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 7/0264 for stopping; controlling in emergency situations orientating out of wind F03D7/0208
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/045 with model-based controls
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/1074 by using back-up controls
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/404 active, predictive, or anticipative
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

The present invention relates tocontrol of wind turbines based on predicted operational trajectories. A control system for a wind turbineis described wherea main controller calculating one or more predicted operational trajectories and a safety controller validates at least one of the one or more predicted operational trajectories. The control system controls the wind turbine with the predicted control trajectory if the validation is valid, and controls the wind turbine with a safe-mode control trajectory if the validation is invalid. In an embodiment, the main controller is implemented as a receding horizon controller, e.g. in the form of a model predictive controller (MPC).

Claims

1. A control system for a wind turbine, comprising:

a main controller arranged for calculating one or more predicted operational trajectories, the one or more predicted operational trajectories include a predicted control trajectory, where a trajectory comprises a time series of at least one variable;

a safety controller arranged for receiving the one or more predicted operational trajectories and validating in accordance with at least one validation routine at least one of the predicted operational trajectories as a valid operational trajectory for a future time slot, to determine whether or not the operational trajectory is valid or invalid;

wherein the control system controls the wind turbine with the predicted control trajectory if the validation is valid, and controls the wind turbine with a safe-mode control trajectory if the validation is invalid.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the main controller is further arranged for calculating a predicted operational state trajectory, and wherein the one or more predicted operational trajectories further comprise the predicted operational state trajectory.

3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the main controller is further arranged for calculating one or more predicted safe-mode control trajectories and wherein the one or more predicted operational trajectories further comprise the one or more predicted safe-mode trajectories.

4. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the safety controller is further arranged for calculating one or more safe-mode control trajectories.

5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the safety controller further comprises a memory arranged for storing one or more safe-mode control trajectories.

6. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the main controller operates as a receding horizon controller to repeatedly calculate the one or more predicted control trajectories.

7. The control system according to claim 1, wherein main controller calculates the one or more predicted operational trajectories by using an optimization model.

8. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the main controller calculates the one or more predicted operational trajectories by using a model predictive control (MPC) routine.

9. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the main controller implements a state calculator arranged for receiving a current operational state of the wind turbine, and based on the current operational state calculates the one or more predicted operational trajectories.

10. The control system according to claim 9, wherein the current operational state of the wind turbine is obtained based on sensor readings from sensors arranged to measure sensor data relating to the wind turbine'"'"'s physical state.

11. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the safe-mode control trajectory signal comprises at least one shut-down control trajectory.

12. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the one or more predicted operational trajectories comprises two or more safe-mode control trajectories, and wherein, if the validation is invalid, the control system controls the wind turbine with a selected safe-mode control trajectory of the two or more safe-mode control trajectory.

13. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the validation routine compares one or more parameter values of the one or more operational trajectories to predefined constraint values of such parameters, and wherein the validation routine is valid if the one or more compared parameter values do not exceed the constraint values.

14. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the validation routine computes and evaluates optimality conditions for the at least one operational trajectories, and wherein the predicted control trajectories are valid if the optimality conditions are met.

15. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the safety controller implements a reduced system model arranged for receiving the current operational state of the wind turbine, and based on the current operational state, calculates a reduced predicted operational trajectory using the reduced system model, and wherein the validation routine compares one or more values of the reduced predicted operational trajectory to predefined constraint values of such parameters, and wherein the validation routine is valid if the one or more compared parameter values do not exceed the constraint values.

16. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the main controller and the safety controller are implemented in physically separate control system modules communicatively connected by a data network.

17. The control system according to claim 1 wherein the main controller and the safety controller are implemented in logically separate control system modules.

18. A wind turbine comprising a control system according to claim 1.

19. A wind turbine park controller arranged for controlling one or more wind turbines of a wind turbine park, the wind turbine park controller comprising:

a main controller arranged for calculating one or more predicted operational trajectories of a selected wind turbine of the one or more wind turbines, the one or more predicted operational trajectories comprise a predicted control trajectory, a trajectory comprises a time series of at least one variable;

a safety controller arranged for receiving the one or more predicted operational trajectories of the selected wind turbine and validating in accordance with at least one validation routine at least one of the one or more predicted operational trajectories as a valid operational trajectory for a future time slot, to determine whether or not the operational trajectory is valid or invalid;

wherein the control system controls the selected wind turbine with the predicted control trajectory if the validation is valid, and controls the wind turbine with a safe-mode control trajectory if the validation is invalid.

20. Method of operating a wind turbine, the method comprising:

calculating in a normal operational domain one or more predicted operational trajectories, the one or more predicted operational trajectories comprise a predicted control trajectory, a trajectory comprises a time series of at least one variable;

receiving in a safety related domain the one or more predicted operational trajectories and validating in accordance with at least one validation routine at least one of the one or more predicted operational trajectories as a valid operational trajectory for a future time slot, to determine whether or not the operational trajectory is valid or invalid;

controlling the wind turbine with the predicted control trajectory if the validation is valid, and control the wind turbine with a safe-mode control trajectory if the validation is invalid.