A wind turbine assembly including a rotor system, a generator, a first converter, a second converter, and a controller system. The first converter includes a first bridge circuit having a plurality of switch members each having a controllable switch. The second converter includes a second bridge circuit having a plurality of switch members each having a controllable switch. The controller system is adapted to provide a drying operation for second converter including short circuiting the second converter with the controllable switches of the second bridge in circuit, and supplying power from the generator through the first converter to the short circuited second converter for drying the second converter.

A method of retrofitting vortex generators on a wind turbine blade is disclosed, the wind turbine blade being mounted on a wind turbine hub and extending in a longitudinal direction and having a tip end and a root end, the wind turbine blade further comprising a profiled contour including a pressure side and a suction side, as well as a leading edge and a trailing edge with a chord having a chord length extending there between, the profiled contour, when being impacted by an incident airflow, generating a lift. The method comprises identifying a separation line on the suction side of the wind turbine blade, and mounting one or more vortex panels including a first vortex panel comprising at least one vortex generator on the suction side of the wind turbine blade between the separation line and the leading edge of the wind turbine blade.

A method for locking the rotor of a wind turbine includes providing the rotor with at least one rotor blade which can be displaced about its longitudinal axis by an adjusting device from an operating position into a vane position, in which substantially no torque acts upon the rotor. The rotor drives a generator and can be prevented from rotation in a locking position by inserting a locking bolt into a rotor-side receiving opening. A wind turbine for performing the method includes a rotor which is induced into a creeping rotational movement at such a low rotational speed by short-circuiting at least one stator winding of the generator that a locking bolt can be inserted into a rotor-side receiving opening while the rotor is rotating.

A wind power generation apparatus includes a rotating shaft, a wind power generation device assembled to the rotating shaft, and an acceleration restriction mechanism. The wind power generation device includes a drag blade fixed on the rotating shaft, an inner housing connected to an outer edge of the drag blade, and an outer housing sleeved around the inner housing. The acceleration restriction mechanism includes a plurality of swing arms pivotally connected to the inner housing and a metal ring fixed on the outer housing. A magnetic portion of each swing arm is movable relative to the inner housing from an initial position to an acceleration restriction position. When the magnetic portion of each swing arm is at the acceleration restriction position, the magnetic portion at least partially covers the metal ring, so that the metal ring generates an eddy current limiting a rotating acceleration of the drag blade.

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for controlling and/or upgrading aftermarket multivendor wind turbines. The system includes a turbine controller configured to control operations of the wind turbine, a safety device configured to provide a signal indicative of a health status of the safety device, and a secondary controller inserted between the safety device and the turbine controller. The secondary controller is configured to receive the signal from the safety device over a communication interface. As such, if the signal indicates a normal health status, the secondary controller is configured to send the signal to the turbine controller, i.e. maintain normal operation. Alternatively, if the signal indicates a poor health status, the secondary controller is configured to adjust the signal based at least in part on a signal bias to an adjusted signal and to provide the adjusted signal to the turbine controller.

The invention relates to an assembly and a method of fixing a rotor blade of a wind power plant. The wind power plant comprises a rotor blade, a pitch adjustment means, a bearing for the rotor blade and a brake disk. There is an electro-mechanical brake configured to apply a controlled brake force to the brake disk that is a function of the pitch angle of the rotor blade.

A controller of a wind turbine for causing the wind turbine to perform rotor turning includes: an input part for receiving a target azimuth angle at which a rotor of the wind turbine is to be stopped; and a pitch control part configured to cause the wind turbine to perform a pitch control to stop the rotor at the target azimuth angle. The pitch control part is configured to: control a pitch angle of a wind turbine blade of the wind turbine so that the rotor rotates at a predetermined rotation speed which is constant, in a first period until the rotor reaches a control-switch azimuth angle immediately before the target azimuth angle; and control the pitch angle so that a rotation speed of the rotor decreases from the predetermined rotation speed in a second period after the rotor reaches the control-switch azimuth angle and before the rotor reaches the target azimuth angle.

A wind turbine system comprising a nacelle mounted on a tower, a rotor having a plurality of blades and a boundary layer control system configured to control airflow through blade surface openings in each of the blades. The wind turbine system includes a control system configured to perform at least one of the following: to monitor an operational speed parameter of the wind turbine, and to activate the boundary layer control system if it is determined that the 1 operational speed parameter exceeds a predetermined speed parameter threshold; to monitor tower motion and to activate the boundary layer control system based on a determination of excessive tower motion; to monitor for a wind turbine shutdown condition, and to activate the boundary layer control system if it is determined that a wind turbine shutdown condition has been identified; and to monitor the aerodynamic loads on the blades, and to activate the boundary layer control system also based on a determination of excessive blade loads. The system thereby provides an approach to activating and deactivating the boundary layer control system to reduce operational risk to the wind turbine.

A system and method for preventing a rotor blade from striking a tower of the wind turbine is disclosed. The system includes a pitch adjustment mechanism, at least one electrical switch, and a mechanically-actuated positional switch. The pitch adjustment mechanism is configured to rotate the rotor blade about a pitch axis. Further, the pitch adjustment mechanism includes a motor and a brake. The electrical switch is configured with the motor, the brake, or both. The mechanically-actuated positional switch is fixed within a hub of the wind turbine. Further, the positional switch is configured with the electrical switch such that if the rotor blade rotates to an unsafe region, the positional switch is configured to trigger the electrical switch to implement one of tripping power to the motor of the pitch adjustment mechanism or actuating the brake of the pitch adjustment mechanism.

A system and method for braking a wind turbine includes monitoring rotation of the wind turbine generator rotor. A braking torque is applied to reduce the rotational speed of the rotor at a first setpoint rotational speed. The braking torque is proportionally increased as the rotational speed of the rotor increases beyond the first detected setpoint rotational speed up to a maximum braking torque.