Method and system for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine

Abstract

A method for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine is disclosed. The method includes determining a load parameter indicative of a mechanical load of the wind turbine; estimating a turbulence of a wind speed based on the determined load parameter; and adjusting the power parameter relating to a power of the wind turbine based on the estimated turbulence. A system for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine is also described.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting an electrical power parameter of a wind turbine, the method comprising: determining a load parameter indicative of a mechanical load of the wind turbine; estimating a turbulence of a wind speed based on the determined load parameter; updating a power lookup table defining a power of the wind turbine depending on the rotor speed, the power lookup table is updated by using the estimated turbulence; adjusting the electrical power parameter based on the load parameter, the estimated turbulence and a minimal power supplied from the power lookup table.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical power parameter is adjusted such that the mechanical load of the wind turbine is maintained below a threshold load.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical power parameter is adjusted such that the electrical power of the wind turbine is optimized.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the load parameter comprises measuring a wind speed or measuring a rotor speed of a rotor of the wind turbine.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the load parameter comprises measuring a wind speed and measuring a rotor speed of a rotor of the wind turbine.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting the electrical power parameter comprises adjusting a electrical power output of a generator of the wind turbine.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein adjusting the electrical power output comprises adjusting a rotor speed of the wind turbine.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising simulating a dependency of the mechanical load of the turbine from the rotor speed and simulating a dependency of the electrical power of the turbine from the rotor speed.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising simulating a dependency of the electrical power of the turbine from the rotor speed.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the rotor speed is increased when the mechanical load of the wind turbine increases.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the electrical power output decreases when the mechanical load of the wind turbine increases.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein adjusting the electrical power output comprises adjusting a blade pitch angle of a rotor blade of the wind turbine, updating a pitch lookup table defining a dependency of an optimum pitch angle depending on the generator power, wherein the pitch lookup table is updated using the estimated turbulence, wherein the adjusting the pitch angle is based on a minimum pitch angle supplied from the lookup table.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising simulating a dependency of the mechanical load of the turbine from the blade pitch angle and/or simulating a dependency of the electrical power of the turbine from the blade pitch angle.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the blade pitch angle is changed towards a stop position of the rotor blade when the mechanical load of the wind turbine increases.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the estimated turbulence is computed as the standard deviation of the wind speed divided by an average of the wind speed.

16. A system for adjusting an electrical power parameter of a wind turbine, the system comprising: a module configured for determining a load parameter indicative of a mechanical load of the wind turbine; a rotor speed sensor configured for detecting a rotor speed; a power lookup table defining a power of the wind turbine via a relationship between the rotor speed and an estimated turbulence, the estimated turbulence based on the determined load parameter, the power lookup table configured to receive the rotor speed and the estimated turbulence in order to update the power lookup table; and a controller configured for adjusting the electrical power parameter relating to an electrical power of the wind turbine based on the determined load parameter, the estimated turbulence and a minimal power supplied from the power lookup table.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the present invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings components or elements similar in structure and/or function care designated with like reference symbols differing only in the first digit.

(2) FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine according to an embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a system for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine according to another embodiment;

(4) FIGS. 3-6 illustrate graphs showing dependencies of parameters related to a wind turbine depending on a wind speed;

(5) FIG. 7 illustrates a graph depicting a dependency of a generator power demand from a rotor speed according to an embodiment; and

(6) FIG. 8 illustrates a graph showing a dependency of a minimum blade pitch angle depending on a generator power.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) The illustration in the drawing is schematically. It is noted that in different figures, similar or identical elements are provided with the same reference signs or with reference signs, which are different from the corresponding reference signs only within the first digit.

(8) FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine according to an embodiment. The system 100 comprises a wind speed sensor 101 for measuring the wind speed at one or more positions close to or at the wind turbine. Further, the system 100 comprises a rotor speed sensor 103 for measuring the rotor speed of the wind turbine. Further, the system 100 comprises a data storage 105 comprising a value for the maximal turbine power.

(9) The measured wind speed measured by the wind speed sensor 101 is supplied to a module 107 for estimating a turbulence of a wind speed (also referred to as turbulence estimator) which is adapted to derive a turbulence of the wind speed based on the wind speed supplied from the wind speed sensor 101. The turbulence derived by the module 107 may also be a measure for a mechanical load of the wind turbine.

(10) The system 100 further comprises a lookup table 109 defining an optimum power depending on the rotor speed. Further, the system 100 comprises a lookup table or graph 111 defining or establishing a dependency of the optimum pitch angle depending on the generator power. Using the turbulence value estimated by the module 107 the lookup tables 109 and 111 are updated. Thus, the minimum pitch angle output from the lookup table 111 is changed in dependence of the turbulence supplied from the module 107. Further, the minimal power output from the lookup table 109 is adjusted or changed in dependence of the turbulence supplied from the module 107 to the lookup table 109. The minimal power supplied from the lookup table 109 is input into the power controller 113 which is adapted to derive a power reference based on the minimal power, the rotor speed and the maximum turbine power obtained from the storage 105.

(11) Further, the minimum pitch is supplied to the pitch controller 115 which derives the pitch reference 117 based on the rotor speed and the minimal pitch. In particular, the power reference 116 obtained from the power controller 113 changes with changing turbulence estimated by the module 107. Further, the pitch reference 117 output from the pitch controller 115 changes with changing turbulence output from the module 107. In particular, the power reference 116 and the pitch reference 117 are adjusted such that the load of the wind turbine is below a threshold load and/or such that the power output from the wind turbine is maximized. Using the power reference 116 and the pitch reference 117 a wind turbine may be appropriately controlled by the system 100 for decreasing the load and/or for maximizing the power output.

(12) FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a system 200 for adjusting a power parameter of a wind turbine according to another embodiment. The system 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 has similarities with the system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, but dispenses with the wind speed sensor 101. Further, the rotor speed (instead of the wind speed) measured by the rotor speed sensor 203 is supplied to the module 207 for estimating a turbulence (also referred to as turbulence estimator). From the rotor speed obtained from the rotor speed sensor 203 the turbulence estimator 207 estimates the wind turbulence. Again, the wind turbulence is supplied to the lookup table 209 (relating rotor speed to optimum power) and to the lookup table 211 (relating a power to an optimum pitch angle). In accordance with the supplied turbulence the lookup tables 209 and 211 are updated. Similarly as in the embodiment 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 the updated values of the lookup tables 209 and 211 are supplied to the power controller 213 and the pitch controller 215, respectively. The power controller 213 derives a power reference 216 from the maximum power derived from the data storage 205, the rotor speed and the minimum power obtained from the updated lookup table 209. Further, the pitch controller 215 generates the pitch reference 217 based on the rotor speed and the minimum pitch obtained from the updated lookup table 211. The power reference 216 and the pitch reference 217 may be supplied to a wind turbine, in order to control the wind turbine for reduced mechanical load and/or for maximized electrical power output.

(13) FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate graphs showing a dependency of a generator speed (FIG. 3), a pitch angle (FIG. 4), a power (FIG. 5), and a wind pdf (i.e. the probability distribution of the wind speed) (FIG. 6) in dependence of a wind speed. Thereby, an abscissa in the FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 denotes the wind speed in m/s which may be measured by e.g. the wind speed sensor 101 illustrated in FIG. 1. Different wind speeds may be categorized into a first region 120 (comprising the wind speed range from about 3 m/s-9 m/s), a second region 122 (comprising wind speeds in the range between about 9 m/s and 11 m/s), and a third region 124 (comprising wind speeds in the range above about 11 m/s). As can be seen in FIG. 3 the generator speed 319 measured in rounds per minute (rpm) increases in the first region 120 from about 500 rpm-1500 rpm. In regions 2 and 3 (regions 122 and 124) the generator speed stays constant at about 1500 rpm.

(14) As can be seen from FIG. 4, the pitch angle 420 (the blade pitch angle of one or more rotor blades of the wind turbine) amounts to about 0° in the first region 120 and the second region 122. In contrast, in the third region 124 the pitch angle denoted by curve 420 increases from 0° to around 23° at very high wind speed.

(15) As can be seen from FIG. 5, the power (in particular power output of the wind turbine generator) increases in the first region 120 and the second region 122 according to an approximately quadratic behaviour and stays about constant at a value of about 2.2 kW in the third region 124.

(16) In FIG. 6 the probability distribution 626 of the wind speed (wind pdf) is depicted, to get an idea about how often the wind speed is e.g. 6 m/s (an approximate average of the wind speed) compared to e.g. 25 m/s. The wind pdf has a maximum in the first region indicating that the wind most probable has a speed in the first region 120. The probability is lower in the second region 122 and still lower in the third region 124.

(17) FIG. 7 illustrates a graph showing a dependency of the generator power demand from the rotor speed for different values of turbulences. On an abscissa the rotor speed is indicated, while on an ordinate the generator power demand is indicated. As a curve 729 the case of no turbulence is indicated, while as a curve 731 a case of very high turbulence is indicated. As can be seen from FIG. 7 the curve for a high turbulence (curve 731) lies below the curve 729 of no turbulence. Thus, at high turbulence the generator power demand is decreased relative to the case of no turbulence. Thereby, the mechanical load of the wind turbine may be decreased for increasing the lifetime of the wind turbine.

(18) FIG. 8 shows a graph depicting a dependency of the minimum pitch angle and the generator power for different degrees of turbulence. On an abscissa in FIG. 8 the generator power is indicated, while on an ordinate the minimum pitch angle (of a rotor blade) is indicated. A curve 829 illustrates the dependency for the case of no turbulence, while the curve 831 illustrates the case of a high turbulence. As can be taken from FIG. 8, the minimum pitch angle for high turbulence is higher than the minimum pitch angle for no turbulence. Since the higher the minimum pitch angle the lower the resistance of the blade, adjusting the pitch angle to a higher value at high turbulence may decrease the mechanical load of the wind turbine, thus prolonging the lifetime of the wind turbine. Further, the power output of the wind turbine may be maximized by appropriately adjusting the pitch angle (in particular minimum pitch angle) according to the FIG. 8.

(19) In particular FIG. 7 may represent (in particular for the case of high turbulence) the lookup table 109 or 209 illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, respectively and FIG. 8 may represent (in particular for the case of high turbulence) the lookup table 111 illustrated in FIG. 1 or the lookup table 211 illustrated in FIG. 2, according to an embodiment.

(20) It should be noted that the term “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps and “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. Also elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined. It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.