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 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.

A method for operating a wind turbine for generating electrical power from wind, wherein the wind turbine has an aerodynamic rotor with a rotor hub and rotor blades of which the blade angle is adjustable, and the aerodynamic rotor can be operated with a variable rotation speed, and the wind turbine has a generator, which is coupled to the aerodynamic rotor, for the purpose of generating a generator power, wherein the generator can be operated with a variable generator torque, comprising the steps of: determining a loading variable which indicates a loading on the wind turbine by the wind, and reducing the rotation speed and/or the generator power in a loading mode depending on the loading variable, wherein at least one force variable that acts on the wind turbine is used for determining the loading variable or as the loading variable.

A power control method and apparatus for a wind power generator. The power control method comprises: predicting, according to historical wind resource data, wind resource data within a predetermined future time period (S10); estimating, according to the remaining design lifetime of a wind power generator, the maximum design lifetime allowed to be consumed within the predetermined future time period (S20); determining, according to the predicted wind resource data and the estimated maximum design lifetime, optimal output powers of the wind power generator in respective wind velocity ranges within the predetermined future time period (S30); and controlling operation of the wind power generator according to the determined optimal output powers of the wind power generator in the respective wind velocity ranges within the predetermined future time period (S40).

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 for operating a wind turbine includes determining one or more loading and travel metrics or functions thereof for one or more components of the wind turbine during operation of the wind turbine. The method also includes generating, at least in part, at least one distribution of cumulative loading data for the one or more components using the one or more loading and travel metrics during operation of the wind turbine. Further, the method includes applying a life model of the one or more components to the at least one distribution of cumulative loading data to determine an actual damage accumulation for the one or more components of the wind turbine to date. Moreover, the method includes implementing a corrective action for the wind turbine based on the damage accumulation.

A system and method are provided for controlling a wind turbine in response to a blade liberation event. Accordingly, estimated response signatures for the wind turbine are determined. Sensor data indicative of at least two actual response signatures of components of the wind turbine to a rotor loading are collected. The actual response signatures are compared to the estimated response signatures. The two or more actual response signatures meeting or exceeding the estimated response signatures is indicative of a blade liberation event. In response to detecting the blade liberation event, a rapid shutdown control logic is initiated to decelerate the rotor at a rate which exceeds a nominal deceleration rate of the rotor.

A method for controlling a wind turbine connected to an electrical grid includes receiving, via a controller, a state estimate of the wind turbine. The method also includes determining, via the controller, a current condition of the wind turbine using, at least, the state estimate, the current condition defining a set of condition parameters of the wind turbine. Further, the method includes receiving, via the controller, a control function from a supervisory controller, the control function defining a relationship of the set of condition parameters with at least one operational parameter of the wind turbine. Moreover, the method includes dynamically controlling, via the controller, the wind turbine based on the current condition and the control function for multiple dynamic control intervals.

A method of designing a wind turbine rotor blade. The method includes selecting a gravity load safety factor associated with wind turbine rotor blade fatigue loading due to gravity, that is selected to be less than a defined wind load safety factor associated with wind turbine rotor blade fatigue loading that is not due to gravity. The method includes determining a gravity-corrected design load for wind turbine rotor blade deflection, that is determined based on the selected gravity load safety factor and the defined wind load safety factor. The method includes designing a gravity-corrected wind turbine rotor blade in accordance with the determined gravity-corrected design load.

It is provided a wind turbine and methods of operating a wind turbine as described herein.