A method for controlling a wind turbine having a rotor with at least two rotor blades, a 1P individual blade controller for individually adjusting the rotor blades in cycles about the respective longitudinal axis of the rotor blades using a first rotor assembly, and partial and full load ranges which adjoin each other in a nominal operating point. The method includes activating the controller, in particular by gradually increasing the controller, if the value of a first operating variable of the wind turbine exceeds a specified lower threshold which the operating variable has at a first operating point of the wind turbine, the first operating point lying in the partial or full load range or being the nominal operating point; and/or deactivating the controller, in particular by gradually reducing the controller, if the value of the first or a second operating variable of the wind turbine exceeds a specified upper threshold which the operating variable has below a switch-off wind speed of the wind turbine, in particular at a second wind turbine operating point which lies in the full load range.

One object is to promptly and accurately sense an abnormal state of a wind turbine driving device. The wind turbine driving device includes a driving device body and a sensor. The driving device body is installed in one structure at a movable section of a wind turbine. The driving device body includes a meshing portion meshing with a ring gear installed in the other structure at the movable section of the wind turbine. The sensor measures a change in installation state of the driving device body with respect to the one structure.

A wind turbine controller includes a thrust limiter for controlling the thrust of the blades of wind turbine using an estimate of the air density at the wind turbine. In one embodiment, the controller receives the blade flap load indicating the current load on one of the blades which varies linearly to the air density experienced by the wind turbine. In one embodiment, the controller determines the mean of a plurality of the blade flap load values measured during a predefined time period. Using a transfer function, the controller converts the mean of the blade flap loads to an estimate of the air density at the turbine. Generally, higher air density results in greater loads on the blades while lower air density results in lower loads on the blades.

The disclosure relates to a method for operating a wind turbine wherein the method includes: operating the wind turbine over an operating period in accordance with a control strategy, providing one or more input values representing a load acting on at least one component of the wind turbine and providing uncertainties of the input values, determining, based on the input values, an aggregated load value representing an aggregated load acting on the at least one component of the wind turbine over an aggregation period, determining, based on the uncertainties of the input values, an uncertainty of the aggregated load value, determining a statistical load aggregate from the aggregated load value and the uncertainty of the aggregated load value, adjusting the control strategy based on the statistical load aggregate. The disclosure further relates to a wind turbine and a wind farm configured to perform the above method.

A system and method employing wear debris sensors to monitor the operation of a lubricated mechanical system such as a gearbox (e.g., in a wind turbine), a transmission or an engine in order to control operation of the gearbox in order to reduce damage and/or extend the useful life of the gearbox.

A method for preventing catastrophic damage in a drivetrain of a wind turbine includes receiving, via a controller, a speed measurement of the generator of the drivetrain. The method also includes determining an electrical torque of a generator of the drivetrain of the wind turbine. The method further includes estimating, via the controller, a mechanical torque of the rotor as a function of at least one of the electrical torque and the speed measurement of the generator. Further, the method includes comparing, via the controller, the estimated mechanical torque to an implausible torque threshold, wherein torque values above the implausible torque threshold speed values greater that the implausible speed threshold. Moreover, the method includes implementing, via the controller, a control action for the wind turbine when the estimated mechanical torque exceeds the implausible torque threshold.

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.

A method of controlling a wind turbine having one or more blades comprising a LIDAR system is also provided, the method comprising determining a wind parameter based on LIDAR measurements, determining a control parameter of the wind turbine based on the wind parameter, and controlling the wind turbine in accordance with the wind parameter.

The disclosure concerns a wind power installation with an azimuth bearing having an azimuth gearing, and at least one azimuth drive, which is coupled to an azimuth gear mechanism corresponding to the azimuth gearing, wherein the azimuth gear mechanism has a drive pinion which is rotatable about a pinion axis, wherein the drive pinion is configured to engage in the corresponding azimuth gearing of the azimuth bearing, wherein the pinion axis has a predefined reference orientation. The disclosure proposes that the wind power installation comprises at least one sensor device which is configured to detect a deviation of the orientation of the pinion axis relative to the reference orientation.

A method for reducing extreme loads acting on a component of a wind turbine includes measuring, via one or more sensors, a plurality of operating parameters of the wind turbine. Further, the method includes predicting at least one blade moment of at least one rotor blade of the wind turbine based on the plurality of operating parameters. The method also includes predicting a load and an associated load angle of the at least one rotor blade as a function of the at least one blade moment. Moreover, the method includes predicting a pitch angle of the at least one rotor blade of the wind turbine. In addition, the method includes generating a load envelope for the component that comprises at least one load value for the pitch angle and the load angle. Thus, the method includes implementing a control action when the load is outside of the load envelope.