A pitch drive controller for a wind turbine having a plurality of rotor blades fixed on a rotor hub for rotational adjustment of the rotor blades on the rotor hub by an electric motor includes a pitch drive control device for each of the rotor blades. The pitch drive control device is in each case configured to actuate a pitch drive motor. The pitch drive control device has in each case an electronic actuation unit for the respective pitch drive motor, a control output to the respective pitch drive motor and a computing unit with a processor configured to operate the respective pitch drive control device. The drive control device has in each case a local communication connection and is connected or connectable to the other pitch drive control devices of the wind turbine in a cross-communication via the local communication connection.

A method for mitigating loads acting on a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes receiving a plurality of loading signals and determining at least one load acting on the rotor blade based on the loading signals. Further, the method includes determining a type of the load(s) acting on the rotor blade. Moreover, the method includes comparing the load(s) to a loading threshold, such as an extreme loading threshold. In addition, the method includes implementing a control scheme when the load(s) exceeds the loading threshold. More specifically, the control scheme includes providing a first pitching mode for reducing a first type of load, providing a different, second pitching mode for reducing a different, second type of load, and coordinating the first and second pitching modes based on the type of the at least one load to mitigate the loads acting on the rotor blade.

The invention relates to a controller for a wind turbine with an operating software for operating the wind turbine, wherein the operating software is set up to regulate or control at least an electrical output of a wind turbine generator, a speed of a wind turbine rotor, an azimuth angle of a wind turbine nacelle, and a pitch angle of at least one rotor blade of the wind turbine rotor, wherein the operating software comprises a core module and at least one customer application. The customer application is set up to determine a parameter, in particular a control variable, in particular a target value, depending on at least one function of the customer application, and provide it for the core module. The core module is set up to detect and/or predict a load acting on the wind turbine during an operation of the wind turbine, and in a case where a detected or predicted load lies below a predefined load limit, to operate the wind turbine as a function of the parameter provided by the customer application, and in a case where a detected or predicted load exceeds the predefined load limit, to adjust the prepared parameter and leave the wind turbine unconsidered as a function of the adjusted parameter or the provided parameter, and operate the wind turbine with a parameter determined in the core module. The controller further has a first programming interface and a second programming interface, wherein the first programming interface is set up to program the core module, in particular the load limits, and wherein the second programming interface is set up to program the customer applications, in particular their function, and prevent the core module from being reprogrammed via the second programming interface. The invention further relates to a method for a controller and a computer program product.

Provided is a method for adapting an operating characteristic of a wind power installation. The installation has a rotor with rotor blades having adjustable blade angles and operable with a variable rotor rotational speed. To control the installation, use is made of an operating characteristic which describes a relationship between the rotor rotational speed and an operating variable. The operating characteristic has a first portion with a first rotational speed range and a second portion with a second rotational speed range. The first rotational speed range has lower rotational speeds than the second rotational speed range, and the operating characteristic is adapted such that values of the operating variable of the first portion are increased values of the variable of the second portion are changed toward higher rotational speeds, and an expected total number of revolutions of the rotor over a predetermined lifetime of the installation remains approximately the same.

Systems, methods, and computer program products for monitoring a wind turbine (10). The system receives a signal (426) indicative of a pitch force being applied to a blade (20) of a wind turbine (10). The signal (426) is sampled to generate a discrete time-domain signal (426) including a plurality of pitch force samples. Samples are selected for analysis using a sampling window (326) that excludes samples obtained under operating conditions determined to be detrimental to obtaining good data. The selected samples are processed to generate a spectral density (150) of the signal (426), and the frequency content of the spectral density (150) analysed to determine the condition of one or more components of the wind turbine (10). If the analysis indicates that a component of the wind turbine (10) needs attention, the system generates an alarm.

In general, the invention relates to wind turbines, the rotor blades of which can be adjusted in terms of their pitch angle. The invention relates in particular to an actuating drive for adjusting the pitch angle of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, comprising a large rolling bearing which comprises two bearing rings that can be rotated relative to each other, and an actuator for rotating the two bearing rings relative to each other. According to the invention, the actuating drive comprises a ring channel cylinder, which is formed in one of the bearing rings, and at least one piston, which is received in the ring channel cylinder in a movable manner and is drivingly connected to the other bearing ring of the two bearing rings.

A method for operating a wind turbine, an associated wind turbine, and an associated wind park are provided. The wind turbine has a tower with tower loads acting thereon and an aerodynamic rotor which generates a rotor thrust. The method has a step of reducing the rotor thrust. The reduction of the rotor thrust is performed while considering the effect of the reduction of the rotor thrust on the tower loads. Thus, the reduction of the rotor thrust is avoided in cases which result in undesirable or even counter-productive effects on the tower loads.

A method for controlling a wind power installation is provided. The method includes operating the installation at a normal operating point at which the installation is not operated in a throttled fashion if there is no request for throttling, and operating the installation at a throttled operating point, in response to a throttle request, with output power which is throttled in comparison with the normal operating point. The method includes changing the operation from the throttled operating point to a reserve operating point at which the installation is operated with higher output power in response to a power increase request. The throttled operating point has a higher tip speed ratio than that of the reserve operating point and is positioned on an associated iso-characteristic curve in the λθ diagram having, at the throttled operating point, a negative characteristic curve gradient.

A method for operating a wind farm having a plurality of wind power installations is provided. The installations each comprise an aerodynamic rotor, and the rotors each have an aerodynamic characteristic value. The method includes: obtaining a setpoint power value of the wind farm, in particular a setpoint value of the electrical power of the wind farm to be fed in, ascertaining an actual power value of the wind farm as the sum of actual electrical powers of the operated wind power installations, determining a permissibility of a power-reduced operating mode of each of the wind power installations of the wind farm on the basis of the associated aerodynamic characteristic value, and operating the wind power installations of the wind farm such that each operated wind power installation is operated in a permissible operating mode and the ascertained actual power value does not exceed the obtained setpoint power value.

A wind turbine control unit includes an upsampling module that receives a first control signal that includes a current control sample value and a predicted control trajectory. The upsampling module also calculates a second control signal in dependence on the current control sample value and the predicted control trajectory. The second control signal has a higher frequency than the first control signal. The upsampling module further outputs the second control signal for controlling an actuator.