Provided is a method for adjusting a pitch angle of a rotor blade connected to a rotor of a wind turbine, the method includes: pitching the rotor blade towards a target blade pitch angle, the manner of pitching depending on a load on a pitch bearing and/or an azimuthal position of the rotor.

A method for detecting and controlling whirling oscillations of the blades of a wind turbine is presented. The detection of the whirling oscillations is based on measurement signal indicative of blade oscillations, and a rotation transformation of the measurement signal from a measurement frame into at least one target frame based on the whirling oscillation frequency. The rotation-transformation comprises a backward or forward rotation transformation direction relative to a rotor rotation direction. The control is based on an oscillation component obtained from the rotation-transformed measurement signal where the oscillation component is indicative of the whirling oscillation in the backward and/or forward rotation direction.

A method for determining angular position of a generator shaft of a wind turbine is presented. The method includes receiving a position signal, from an encoder position sensor of the wind turbine, indicative of an angular position of the generator shaft. The method includes determining a compensation signal to compensate for a disturbance signal in the received position signal indicative of an imperfection associated with the encoder position sensor. The method includes modifying the position signal by applying the determined compensation signal to the received position signal to determine angular position.

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for utilizing distributed reinforcement learning and consensus control to most effectively generate and utilize energy. In some embodiments, individual turbines within a wind farm may communicate to reach a consensus as to the desired yaw angle based on the wind conditions.

Provided is a method of estimation of rotor operational characteristics, in particular rotor speed, rotor azimuth and rotation direction, of a rotating rotor of a wind turbine, the method including: measuring pulse rising edge time and pulse falling edge time of pulses generated by each of multiple proximity sensors originating from multiple detection targets arranged on the rotor; estimating values of parameters associated with the sensors and/or targets, in particular parameters associated with the positioning and/or detection range of at least one sensor and/or the parameters associated with the positioning and/or size of at least one target, based on the measured pulse rising edge times and pulse falling edge times; estimating rotor operational characteristics, in particular a rotor speed and/or a rotor azimuth and/or a rotation direction, based on the measured pulse rising and/or falling edge times and/or the estimated values of parameters associated with the sensors and/or targets.

This application describes a method of detecting an error in a rotor angle sensing system of a wind turbine, where the wind turbine comprises a rotor including a plurality of wind turbine blades, a blade load sensor associated with a respective one of the wind turbine blades, and a rotor angle sensing system configured to output a rotor angle signal. The blade load sensor is configured to output a measured blade load signal. The method comprises generating an estimated blade load signal based on at least the rotor angle signal; comparing the estimated blade load signal with the measured blade load signal to determine a phase difference between them; and identifying an error if the phase difference between the estimated blade load signal and the measured blade load signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.

In a vertical rotor apparatus that rotates in response to a moving fluid, a shaft defines an axis of rotor rotation. Rotor blades are longitudinally aligned in parallel with the shaft and each rotor blade defines an axis of blade rotation. A sensor generates a signal when any of the rotor blades are within rotor azimuthal angles of blade stall regions. A controller generates blade pitch information for the blade stall regions and an actuator, which is mechanically coupled to each of the rotor blades, alters blade pitch about the axis of blade rotation in accordance with the blade pitch information.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a data processing and control augmentation system capable of identifying overloading of one or more wind turbine assemblies and providing information to a wind farm controller to reduce a power output of each overloaded turbine. The augmentation system thus reduces the power output of each overloaded turbine and, in turn, reduces loads applied to the wind turbine assembly, such as for a period of time until conditions favorably change. A described analysis of the present disclosure is able to utilize several incoming data streams from sensors so arranged to measure wind effects on blades to calculate and compare cyclic loads to threshold limits to o keep the loads within design limits. The control strategy reduces premature failure of components within the wind turbine assembly, and can be applied across an entire wind farm, even with only a subset of wind turbine assemblies being retrofitted.

A method for determining the wind speed or the wind direction experienced by a wind turbine such that a wind turbine setting such as an inflow angle error may be adjusted based on the determined wind speed or wind direction is defined, wherein a single airflow sensor is used together with a position sensor such as an accelerometer so that the value of the single airflow sensor at a previous position of the rotor may be warped and used together with a value of the single airflow sensor of a current position.

A method (1000-1004) for operating a wind turbine (10, 11) including a drive train (64) including a generator (42) and a rotor shaft (44) mechanically connected with the generator (42) and having an axis (30) of rotation, and a rotor (18) having rotor blades (22-22c). The rotor (18) is mechanically connected with the rotor shaft (44) and rotatable about the axis (30) of rotation. The method (1000-1004) includes determining (1100) that the generator (42) is not operating in a power generating mode, and operating (1200) the rotor (18) to move around a predefined desired angular orientation (α.sub.des) with respect to the axis (30) of rotation in an alternating fashion.