METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING A ROTOR ORIENTATION OF A ROTOR OF A WIND TURBINE

Abstract

A method for determining a rotor orientation of a rotor of a wind turbine, the rotor having a rotor blade, to a method for determining a geographical position of a rotor of a wind turbine, the rotor having a rotor blade, to a wind turbine and to a wind farm. A method for determining a rotor orientation of a rotor of a wind turbine, the rotor having a rotor blade, comprising the steps of: receiving at least two sets of position data of a GNSS receiver arranged in the rotor blade, the two sets of position data representing two different horizontal positions of the GNSS receiver; and ascertaining the rotor orientation of the rotor on the basis of the position data.

Claims

1. A method for determining a rotor orientation of a rotor with a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the method comprising: receiving at least two items of position data from a GNSS (Global navigation satellite system) receiver arranged in the rotor blade, wherein the at least two items of position data represent two different horizontal positions of the GNSS receiver; and determining the rotor orientation of the rotor based on the at least two items of the position data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising: determining a horizontal line of movement of the GNSS receiver by evaluating the at least two items of position data.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, comprising: converting the horizontal line of movement by 90 degrees in order to determine the rotor orientation.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein receiving at least two items of position data comprises receiving a plurality of items of position data from the GNSS receiver, wherein the plurality of items of position data represent different horizontal positions of the GNSS receivers at a frequency of greater than 0.1 Hz (Hertz).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising: monitoring the rotor orientation during operation of the rotor.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising: aligning the rotor with a predefined rotor orientation based on the determined rotor orientation.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising: comparing the determined rotor orientation with an orientation value from an azimuth sensor and/or with the predefined rotor orientation.

8. A method for determining a geographical position of a rotor with a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the method comprising: receiving at least two items of first position data from a GNSS (Global navigation satellite system) receiver arranged in the rotor blade, wherein the at least two items of first position data represent two different horizontal positions of the GNSS receiver, and determining a first rotor orientation based on the first position data; receiving at least two items of second position data from the GNSS receiver and determining a second rotor orientation based on the second position data, wherein the second rotor orientation differs from the first rotor orientation; and determining the geographical position of the rotor based on the first rotor orientation and the second rotor orientation.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, comprising: determining a point of intersection of the first rotor orientation and the second rotor orientation and determining a geographical position of the point of intersection based on the position data.

10. A method for controlling a wind farm, the method comprising: determining a rotor orientation of a rotor with a rotor blade of a first wind turbine as claimed in claim 1, and/or determining a geographical position of the rotor with the rotor blade of the first wind turbine; transmitting the rotor orientation and/or the geographical position to a wind farm controller; and controlling the wind farm taking into account the rotor orientation and/or the geographical position.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, comprising: curtailing a first wind turbine and/or a second wind turbine if the rotor orientation of the first wind turbine and/or of the second wind turbine is in a predefined direction range.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, comprising: capturing the time signal received from the GNSS receiver of the first wind turbine and capturing the time signal received from the GNSS receiver of the second wind turbine, and synchronizing navigation lights of the first and second wind turbines taking into account the captured time signals.

13. A wind turbine comprising: a rotor with a rotor blade having a GNSS receiver at a distance from an axis of rotation of the rotor, and a controller, wherein the GNSS receiver is coupled to the controller using signaling technology, wherein the controller is configured to receive position data from the GNSS receiver, wherein the position data represent at least two different horizontal positions of the GNSS receiver, and wherein the controller is configured to determine the rotor orientation of the rotor based on the position data.

14. The wind turbine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the GNSS receiver is at a distance of more than 3 meters from the axis of rotation of the rotor.

15. A wind farm comprising: a first wind turbine and a second wind turbine as claimed in claim 13, and a wind farm controller configured to receive a first rotor orientation of the first wind turbine and a second rotor orientation of the second wind turbine, and wherein the controller is configured to control the first wind turbine and the second wind turbine based on the first rotor orientation and/or the second rotor orientation.

16. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the frequency is greater than 0.5 Hz.

17. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the frequency is greater than 1 Hz.

18. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the frequency is greater than 2 Hz.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Preferred exemplary embodiments are explained by way of example on the basis of the accompanying figures, in which:

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a wind turbine;

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a wind farm;

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a schematic, two-dimensional view of a rotor of a wind turbine;

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a schematic, two-dimensional plan view of the wind turbine from FIG. 3;

[0049] FIG. 5 shows a further schematic, two-dimensional plan view of the wind turbine from FIG. 3;

[0050] FIG. 6 shows a schematic method for determining a rotor orientation of a rotor with a rotor blade of a wind turbine;

[0051] FIG. 7 shows a further method for determining a rotor orientation of a rotor with a rotor blade of a wind turbine;

[0052] FIG. 8 shows a method for determining a geographical position of a rotor with a rotor blade of a wind turbine; and

[0053] FIG. 9 shows a schematic method for controlling a wind farm.

[0054] In the figures, identical or substantially functionally identical or functionally similar elements are denoted with the same reference signs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a wind turbine 100. The wind turbine 100 has a tower 102 and a nacelle 104 on the tower 102. An aerodynamic rotor 106 having three rotor blades 108 and a spinner 110 is provided on the nacelle 104. The aerodynamic rotor 106 is caused to rotate by the wind during operation of the wind turbine 100, wherein this rotational movement is effected about a rotor axis. As a result of this rotational movement, an electrodynamic rotor of a generator, which is directly or indirectly coupled to the aerodynamic rotor 106, also rotates. The electric generator is arranged in the nacelle 104 and produces electrical energy. The pitch angles of the rotor blades 108 can be changed by means of pitch motors at the rotor blade roots of the respective rotor blades 108.

[0056] A GNSS receiver is arranged at least in one of the rotor blades 108 at a distance from the axis of rotation of the rotor 106. The GNSS receiver may be in the form of a GPS receiver, for example. As a result of the rotation of the rotor 106 about the rotor axis, the GNSS receiver at a distance from the rotor axis moves on a circular path. The wind turbine 100 also has a controller which is configured to receive position data from the GNSS receiver, wherein the position data represent at least two different horizontal positions of the GNSS receiver, and is designed to determine the rotor orientation of the rotor on the basis of the position data. The GNSS receiver may be at a distance of 3 meters, preferably more than 5 meters, from the axis of rotation of the rotor 106, for example.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a wind farm 112 having, by way of example, three wind turbines 100 which may be the same or different. The three wind turbines 100 are therefore representative of fundamentally any desired number of wind turbines in a wind farm 112. The wind turbines 100 provide their power, in particular the current produced, via an electrical farm network 114. The respectively produced currents or powers of the individual wind turbines 100 are generally added, and a transformer 116 is usually provided and steps up the voltage in the farm in order to then feed it into the supply network 120 at the feed-in point 118, also generally referred to as the PCC.

[0058] FIG. 2 is a simplified illustration of a wind farm 112 which does not show a wind farm controller, for example, even though a wind farm controller is naturally present. The farm network 114 may also be configured differently, for example, by virtue of a transformer, for example, also being present at the output of each wind turbine 100, to name just one other exemplary embodiment.

[0059] The wind farm controller is configured, in particular, to receive a first rotor orientation of one of the wind turbines 100 and a second rotor orientation of another wind turbine 100 and to control the first wind turbine 100 and the second wind turbine 100 on the basis of the first rotor orientation and/or the second rotor orientation.

[0060] FIG. 3 shows a schematic, two-dimensional view of a rotor of a wind turbine 200. The wind turbine 200 comprises a rotor 210 which is arranged on the nacelle 212 such that it can rotate about a rotor axis 220. The rotor 210 has a first rotor blade 214, a second rotor blade 216 and a third rotor blade 218. The rotor 210 is caused to move in a direction of rotation 222 about the rotor axis 220 by the wind. As a result of the movement of the rotor 210 about the rotor axis 220, the GNSS receiver 230 arranged at a distance from the rotor axis 220 performs a circular movement on a movement path 232.

[0061] If the vertical coordinate of the movement path 232 is disregarded, the GNSS receiver 230 performs the horizontal movement shown in FIG. 4 on the horizontal line of movement 308. For example, the GNSS receiver 230 may transmit a first horizontal position 300, a second horizontal position 302, a third horizontal position 304 and a fourth horizontal position 306 to a controller or may provide these positions. These positions 300, 302, 304, 306 are provided in the form of position data. A controller can determine the horizontal line of movement 308 on the basis of these position data. The rotor orientation 310 can be determined by converting the horizontal line of movement 308 by 90 degrees.

[0062] A mean value 312 can be determined, as schematically shown in FIG. 5, by determining horizontal lines of movement 308 in the long term, in particular in the case of different rotor orientations 310. The mean value 312 represents a geographical position of the rotor 210.

[0063] FIG. 6 shows a schematic method for determining a rotor orientation 310 of a rotor 106, 210 with a rotor blade 108, 218 of a wind turbine 100, 200. In step 400, at least two items of position data from a GNSS receiver 230 arranged in the rotor blade 108, 218 are received, wherein the two items of position data represent two different horizontal positions 300, 302, 304, 306 of the GNSS receiver 230. The rotor orientation 310 is determined on the basis of these position data in step 402.

[0064] FIG. 7 shows a further method for determining a rotor orientation 310 of a rotor 106, 210 with a rotor blade 108, 218 of a wind turbine 100, 200. The method for determining the rotor orientation 310 of the rotor 106, 210 with a rotor blade 108, 218 of a wind turbine 100 is supplemented with further steps here. In step 404, a horizontal line of movement 308 of the GNSS receiver 230 is determined by evaluating the at least two items of position data. In step 406, this horizontal line of movement is converted by 90 degrees in order to determine the rotor orientation 310.

[0065] In step 406, the rotor orientation 310 is monitored during operation of the rotor 106, 210. In step 408, the rotor is aligned with a predefined rotor orientation on the basis of the determined rotor orientation 310. In step 410, the determined rotor orientation 310 is compared with an orientation value from an azimuth sensor and/or with a predefined rotor orientation.

[0066] FIG. 8 shows a method for determining a geographical position of a rotor 106, 210 with a rotor blade 108, 218 of a wind turbine 100, 200. In step 500, at least two items of first position data from the GNSS receiver 230 arranged in the rotor blade 108, 218 are received, wherein the two items of first position data represent two different horizontal positions of the GNSS receiver 230. A first rotor orientation is determined on the basis of these first position data.

[0067] In step 502, this step is repeated for a second rotor orientation, wherein the rotor 106, 210 has preferably rotated about a vertical axis.

[0068] In step 504, the geographical position of the rotor 106, 210 is determined on the basis of the first rotor orientation and the second rotor orientation.

[0069] FIG. 9 shows a schematic method for controlling a wind farm 112. In step 600, a rotor orientation 310 of a rotor 106, 210 with a rotor blade 108, 218 of a first wind turbine 100 is determined according to one of the embodiment variants described above. In step 602, a geographical position of the rotor 106, 210 with a rotor blade 108, 218 of a or the first wind turbine 100 is determined, in addition or as an alternative to step 600, according to one of the embodiment variants described above.

[0070] In step 604, the rotor orientation and/or the geographical position is/are transmitted to a wind farm controller. In step 606, the wind farm 112 is controlled on the basis of the rotor orientation and/or the geographical position.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0071] 100 Wind turbine [0072] 102 Tower [0073] 104 Nacelle [0074] 106 Rotor [0075] 108 Rotor blades [0076] 110 Spinner [0077] 112 Wind farm [0078] 114 Electrical farm network [0079] 116 Transformer [0080] 118 Feed-in point [0081] 120 Supply network [0082] 200 Wind turbine [0083] 210 Rotor [0084] 212 Nacelle [0085] 214 First rotor blade [0086] 216 Second rotor blade [0087] 218 Third rotor blade [0088] 220 Rotor axis [0089] 222 Direction of rotation [0090] 230 GNSS receiver [0091] 232 Movement path [0092] 300 First horizontal position [0093] 302 Second horizontal position [0094] 304 Third horizontal position [0095] 306 Fourth horizontal position [0096] 308 Horizontal line of movement [0097] 310 Rotor orientation [0098] 312 Mean value