Wind generating set and clearance control method thereof

Abstract

The clearance control method comprises the steps that in response to the situation that the current clearance of the wind generating set is smaller than a safe clearance threshold value, the rotation direction of an impeller of the wind generating set is determined; the yaw direction is determined according to the rotation direction of the impeller, and the yaw rate is determined according to the clearance information of the wind generating set; and the wind generating set is controlled to perform yaw enabling the impeller to incline upwards according to the yaw direction and the yaw rate, so that the clearance of the wind generating set is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of wind power generation technology, and more particularly, to a wind turbine generator set and a clearance control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the early stage of wind turbine design, the cone angle and elevation angle of the wind turbine structure are generally designed to ensure sufficient clearance. When encountering extreme situations (such as extreme wind speeds), the thrust of the impeller can be reduced by changing the pitch in advance to avoid excessive deformation of the blades and too little clearance, thereby preventing the risk of tower sweeping. At present, it is necessary to trigger the pitch change of the wind turbine to reduce the thrust of the impeller by measuring extreme situations (such as by measuring with radar and other equipment), or to trigger the pitch change of the wind turbine to reduce the thrust of the impeller by measuring and sensing the deformation of the blades (such as by recording videos, lasers, etc.). When extreme situations occur, a faster pitch change rate is usually desired to reduce the thrust of the impeller, but a faster pitch change rate will introduce greater impact, resulting in an increase in loads at other locations of the wind turbine. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wind turbine generator set and a clearance control method thereof, which can effectively solve the problem that the clearance control method in the prior art may cause an increase in the load of the wind turbine generator set.

[0004] In a general aspect, a method for controlling the clearance of a wind turbine is provided, comprising: in response to a current clearance of the wind turbine being less than a safety clearance threshold, determining a rotation direction of an impeller of the wind turbine; determining a yaw direction according to the rotation direction of the impeller, and determining a yaw rate according to clearance information of the wind turbine; and controlling the wind turbine to yaw the impeller upward according to the yaw direction and yaw rate to improve the clearance of the wind turbine.

[0005] Optionally, after controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw in the yaw direction and yaw rate to tilt the blades upward, the method further includes: detecting a first clearance of the wind turbine generator set after yaw; in response to the first clearance being greater than or equal to a safety clearance threshold, maintaining the current yaw state of the wind turbine generator set; in response to the first clearance being still less than the safety clearance threshold, increasing the yaw rate.

[0006] Optionally, after controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw in a yaw direction and at a yaw rate to tilt the blades upward, the method further includes: detecting a second clearance of the wind turbine generator set after the yaw; in response to the second clearance being greater than a predetermined clearance threshold, controlling the wind turbine generator set to return to a normal operating state, wherein the predetermined clearance threshold is greater than a safety clearance threshold.

[0007] Optionally, controlling the wind turbine to yaw in a yaw direction and a yaw rate so that the impeller is tilted upward comprises: determining a predetermined yaw angle according to a current clearance value and an average wind speed; controlling the wind turbine to yaw in a yaw direction and a yaw rate so that the impeller is tilted upward, and yaw to a predetermined yaw angle so that the clearance of the wind turbine is greater than or equal to a safety clearance threshold.

[0008] Optionally, determining the yaw rate according to the clearance information of the wind turbine generator set includes: determining the yaw rate according to a clearance value of a current clearance; or determining the yaw rate according to a clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time period before a current time.

[0009] Optionally, determining the yaw rate according to the clearance value of the current clearance includes: querying the yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance from a relationship library according to the clearance value of the current clearance, wherein the relationship library contains a mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate; or, according to the clearance value of the current clearance, calculating the yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance in real time through the mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate.

[0010] Optionally, the yaw direction is determined according to the impeller rotation direction, including: in the case where the wind turbine is an upwind wind turbine, when the impeller rotation direction is clockwise, the yaw direction is determined as the wind turbine turns right; when the impeller rotation direction is counterclockwise, the yaw direction is determined as the wind turbine turns left, wherein the impeller rotation direction is determined by observing in the downwind direction.

[0011] Optionally, the yaw direction is determined according to the impeller rotation direction, including: in the case where the wind turbine is a downwind wind turbine, when the impeller rotation direction is clockwise, the yaw direction is determined as the wind turbine turns left; when the impeller rotation direction is counterclockwise, the yaw direction is determined as the wind turbine turns right, wherein the impeller rotation direction is determined by observing in the downwind direction.

[0012] Optionally, it is determined that the current clearance of the wind turbine generator set is less than the safety clearance threshold in one of the following ways: the deformation degree of the blades of the wind turbine generator set exceeds the safety deformation threshold; the load of the wind turbine generator set exceeds the safety load threshold; the clearance value of the current clearance is less than the safety clearance threshold.

[0013] In another general aspect, a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions is provided, wherein when the instructions are executed by at least one computing device, the at least one computing device is prompted to perform any of the wind turbine clearance control methods described above.

[0014] In another general aspect, a wind turbine generator set is provided, comprising: an impeller; a yaw mechanism configured to cause the wind turbine generator set to perform a yaw action; a memory configured to store instructions; and a controller configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to cause the yaw mechanism to perform any of the above-mentioned clearance control methods for the wind turbine generator set.

[0015] According to the wind turbine generator set and the clearance control method thereof of the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the current clearance is less than the safe clearance threshold, the yaw direction is determined according to the rotation direction of the impeller of the wind turbine generator set, the yaw rate is determined according to the clearance information of the wind turbine generator set, and then the yaw is performed according to the determined yaw direction and yaw rate, and the impeller of the wind turbine generator set is driven to tilt upward by the gyroscopic torque generated by the yaw to improve the clearance of the wind turbine generator set, so as to avoid blade damage or tower collapse caused by the wind turbine generator set sweeping the tower. Therefore, through the present disclosure, the problem that the clearance control method in the prior art will cause the load of the wind turbine generator set to increase can be effectively solved.

[0016] Additional aspects and / or advantages of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the following description and in part will be apparent from the description or may be learned through practice of the present general inventive concept. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above and other objects and features of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing the embodiments, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 is a flow chart showing a clearance control method of a wind turbine generator set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an upwind wind turbine generator set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a downwind wind turbine generator set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an execution logic of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the change of clearance under the reference working condition of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the change of the distance from the blade to the tower under comparative working conditions of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the change of clearance under comparative working conditions of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing a clearance control device of a wind turbine generator set according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following specific embodiments are provided to help the reader obtain a comprehensive understanding of the methods, devices and / or systems described herein. However, after understanding the disclosure of the present application, various changes, modifications and equivalents of the methods, devices and / or systems described herein will be clear. For example, the order of operations described herein is only an example and is not limited to those orders set forth herein, but can be changed as will be clear after understanding the disclosure of the present application, except for operations that must occur in a specific order. In addition, for greater clarity and simplicity, the description of features known in the art may be omitted.

[0027] The features described herein can be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein have been provided to illustrate only some of the many possible ways to implement the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein, which will be clear after understanding the disclosure of the present application.

[0028] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one of the associated listed items and any combination of any two or more.

[0029] Although terms such as "first", "second", and "third" may be used herein to describe various members, components, regions, layers, or portions, these members, components, regions, layers, or portions should not be limited by these terms. Instead, these terms are only used to distinguish one member, component, region, layer, or portion from another member, component, region, layer, or portion. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the examples described herein, the first member, first component, first region, first layer, or first portion referred to in the examples may also be referred to as the second member, second component, second region, second layer, or second portion.

[0030] In the specification, when an element (such as a layer, a region, or a substrate) is described as being “on”, “connected to”, or “coupled to” another element, the element may be directly “on”, “connected to”, or “coupled to” another element, or one or more other elements may be present therebetween. Conversely, when an element is described as being “directly on”, “directly connected to”, or “directly coupled to” another element, there may be no other elements present therebetween.

[0031] The terms used herein are only used to describe various examples and are not intended to limit the disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. The terms "comprise", "include" and "have" indicate the presence of the described features, quantities, operations, components, elements and / or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, operations, components, elements and / or combinations thereof.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs after understanding the present disclosure. Unless explicitly defined as such herein, terms (such as those defined in a general dictionary) should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner.

[0033] Furthermore, in the description of examples, when it is considered that a detailed description of a well-known related structure or function would cause vague interpretation of the present disclosure, such a detailed description will be omitted.

[0034] The present disclosure provides a wind turbine generator set and a clearance control method thereof, which can solve the above-mentioned problems. The clearance control method of the wind turbine generator set disclosed in the present disclosure can be applied to a server, or to a controller of a single wind turbine generator, or to a master controller of a wind farm, which is not limited in the present disclosure. The server, the controller and the wind turbine generator set can be connected wirelessly or by wire, which is not limited here. The above-mentioned server can be a single server, or a server cluster composed of several servers, or a cloud computing platform or a virtualization center. The following is an explanation using the controller of a single wind turbine generator as an example.

[0035] In response to the current clearance of the wind turbine being less than a safety clearance threshold, the controller determines the rotation direction of the impeller of the wind turbine; determines the yaw direction according to the rotation direction of the impeller, and determines the yaw rate according to the clearance information of the wind turbine; and controls the wind turbine to yaw the impeller upward according to the yaw direction and yaw rate to increase the clearance of the wind turbine, thereby avoiding blade damage or tower collapse caused by the wind turbine sweeping the tower.

[0036] The wind turbine generator set and the clearance control method thereof disclosed in the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] The present invention provides a clearance control method for a wind turbine generator set. Figure 1 1 is a flow chart showing a clearance control method of a wind turbine generator set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 , the clearance control method of the wind turbine generator set comprises the following steps:

[0038] In step S101 , in response to the current clearance of the wind turbine generator set being less than a safety clearance threshold, the rotation direction of the rotor of the wind turbine generator set is determined.

[0039] The impeller rotation direction of the above-mentioned wind turbine generator set can be detected by a sensor, or by analyzing and calculating the hardware feedback information, or by manual observation, which is not limited by the present disclosure. The impeller rotation direction of the above-mentioned wind turbine generator set can include clockwise, counterclockwise, etc., which is also not limited by the present disclosure. The above-mentioned safety clearance threshold can be set as needed, which is also not limited by the present disclosure.

[0040] As an example, when an extreme situation (such as gusts) occurs, the operating status of the wind turbine generator set can be detected periodically or in real time. Once it is detected that the clearance of the wind turbine generator set is less than the safe clearance threshold, the operation of determining the rotation direction of the wind turbine generator set's impeller is performed. The process of determining the rotation direction of the wind turbine generator set's impeller will be described in detail later and will not be described in detail here.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it can be determined that the current clearance of the wind turbine is less than the safe clearance threshold in one of the following ways: the deformation degree of the blades of the wind turbine exceeds the safe deformation threshold; the load of the wind turbine exceeds the safe load threshold; the clearance value of the current clearance is less than the safe clearance threshold. According to this embodiment, the way to determine that the current clearance of the wind turbine is less than the safe clearance threshold can be flexibly set, so as to meet various needs of users.

[0042] The above-mentioned safety deformation threshold, safety load threshold and safety clearance threshold can all be set as needed, which is not limited by the present disclosure. The degree of blade deformation of the above-mentioned wind turbine generator set can be detected by sensors, or by analysis and calculation of hardware feedback information, or by manual observation, which is not limited by the present disclosure. The load of the above-mentioned wind turbine generator set can also be detected by sensors, which is not limited by the present disclosure. The clearance value of the clearance of the above-mentioned wind turbine generator set can also be detected by sensors, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0043] As an example, when an extreme situation (such as gusts of wind) occurs, the operating condition of the wind turbine generator set can be detected periodically or in real time, such as the degree of deformation of the blades of the wind turbine generator set. If the degree of deformation of the blades of the wind turbine generator set exceeds a safe deformation threshold, it is determined that the clearance of the wind turbine generator set is less than a safe clearance threshold. For another example, the load of the wind turbine generator set. If the load of the wind turbine generator set exceeds a safe load threshold, it is determined that the clearance of the wind turbine generator set is less than a safe clearance threshold. For another example, the clearance value of the clearance. If the clearance value of the current clearance is less than the safe clearance threshold, it is determined that the clearance of the wind turbine generator set is less than the safe clearance threshold.

[0044] In step S102, the yaw direction is determined according to the rotation direction of the impeller, and the yaw rate is determined according to the clearance information of the wind turbine generator set.

[0045] The determination of the impeller rotation direction is related to the type of wind turbine generator set. For example, for an upwind wind turbine generator set, the impeller rotation direction is determined by observing in the downwind direction, while for a downwind wind turbine generator set, the impeller rotation direction is also determined by observing in the downwind direction. The following describes the determination process of the yaw direction based on the two types of wind turbine generator sets:

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, determining the yaw direction according to the impeller rotation direction may include: in the case where the wind turbine is an upwind wind turbine, when the impeller rotation direction is clockwise, determining the yaw direction as the wind turbine turning right; when the impeller rotation direction is counterclockwise, determining the yaw direction as the wind turbine turning left, wherein the impeller rotation direction is determined by observing in the downwind direction.

[0047] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, determining the yaw direction according to the impeller rotation direction may also include: in the case where the wind turbine is a downwind wind turbine, when the impeller rotation direction is clockwise, determining the yaw direction as the wind turbine turns left; when the impeller rotation direction is counterclockwise, determining the yaw direction as the wind turbine turns right, wherein the impeller rotation direction is determined by observing in the downwind direction.

[0048] According to the above embodiment, the types of wind turbines are distinguished, i.e., upwind wind turbines and downwind wind turbines, so that the determined yaw direction can drive the impellers of the wind turbines to tilt upward rather than downward, thereby avoiding the wind turbines sweeping the tower and causing blade damage or tower collapse.

[0049] As an example, in the case of an upwind wind turbine, if the impeller of the wind turbine is determined to rotate clockwise from the upwind direction toward the wind turbine, the yaw direction should be that the wind turbine turns right; if the impeller of the wind turbine is determined to rotate counterclockwise from the upwind direction toward the wind turbine, the yaw direction should be that the wind turbine turns left. The yaw direction determined in this way can drive the impeller of the wind turbine to tilt upward instead of downward, avoiding the wind turbine sweeping the tower, resulting in blade damage or tower collapse.

[0050] As an example, in the case of a downwind wind turbine, if the impeller of the wind turbine is determined to rotate clockwise from the downwind direction toward the wind turbine, the yaw direction should be that the wind turbine turns left; if the impeller of the wind turbine is determined to rotate counterclockwise from the downwind direction toward the wind turbine, the yaw direction should be that the wind turbine turns right. Similarly, the yaw direction determined in this way can drive the impeller of the wind turbine to tilt upward instead of downward, avoiding the wind turbine sweeping the tower, resulting in blade damage or tower collapse.

[0051] It should be noted that an upwind wind turbine refers to a wind turbine in which the wind first passes through the rotating impeller and then passes through the horizontal axis of the tower; a downwind wind turbine refers to a wind turbine in which the wind first passes through the tower and then passes through the impeller.

[0052] The yaw rate in the above step S102 can be determined according to the clearance value of the current clearance, or according to the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time period, which is not limited in the present disclosure. The following describes the yaw rate determination process from two perspectives:

[0053] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, determining the yaw rate according to the clearance information of the wind turbine generator set may include: determining the yaw rate according to the clearance value of the current clearance; or determining the yaw rate according to the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time period before the current time. According to this embodiment, the corresponding yaw rate can be determined by both the clearance value and the clearance reduction rate, which improves the flexibility of operation, and determining the yaw rate according to the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time period can avoid the clearance changing too fast, and the upward tilt caused by the yaw cannot keep up with the rhythm of the clearance change, resulting in dangers such as tower sweeping of the wind turbine generator set; and determining the yaw rate according to the clearance value of the current clearance can simplify the determination process without the need to obtain the clearance reduction rate additionally.

[0054] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw rate is determined according to the clearance value of the current clearance, which can be a query of the yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance from a relationship library according to the clearance value of the current clearance, wherein the relationship library contains a mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate; or, according to the clearance value of the current clearance, the yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance is calculated in real time through the mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate. According to this embodiment, the mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate is stored in advance, so that when the clearance value of the clearance is known, the corresponding yaw rate can be directly and quickly queried through the relationship library storing the mapping relationship, or the corresponding accurate yaw rate can be obtained through real-time calculation of the mapping relationship.

[0055] As an example, multiple clearance values ​​and the yaw rates corresponding to the clearance values ​​can be obtained through experiments, and the obtained multiple clearance values ​​and the yaw rates corresponding to the clearance values ​​can be stored in a relationship library, so that when the clearance value of the clearance is known, the corresponding yaw rate can be directly and quickly queried through the relationship library.

[0056] As an example, after obtaining a plurality of headroom values ​​and the yaw rates corresponding to each headroom value, a relationship model may be determined based on the mapping relationship between these headroom values ​​and the corresponding yaw rates, and when the headroom value of the headroom is known, the corresponding accurate yaw rate may be calculated in real time according to the relationship model. Specifically, the plurality of headroom values ​​and the yaw rates corresponding to each headroom value are used as training samples, and the initial relationship model is trained by the training samples to obtain a trained relationship model, and then when the headroom value of a headroom is known, the headroom value is input into the relationship model to calculate in real time the yaw rate corresponding to the headroom value.

[0057] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw rate is determined according to the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time length before the current time. The yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance reduction rate may be queried from a relationship library according to the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time length before the current time, wherein the relationship library contains a mapping relationship between the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time length and the yaw rate; or, the yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance may be calculated in real time according to the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time length before the current time through the mapping relationship between the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time length and the yaw rate.

[0058] As an example, multiple clearance reduction rates within a predetermined time period and the yaw rates corresponding to each clearance reduction rate can be obtained through experiments, and the multiple clearance reduction rates and the yaw rates corresponding to each clearance reduction rate obtained are stored in a relationship library, so that when the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time period before the current time is known, the corresponding yaw rate can be directly and quickly queried through the relationship library.

[0059] As an example, after obtaining a plurality of clearance reduction rates within a predetermined time period and the yaw rates corresponding to each clearance reduction rate, a relationship model can be determined based on the mapping relationship between these clearance reduction rates and the corresponding yaw rates. When the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time period before the current time is known, the corresponding accurate yaw rate can be calculated in real time according to the relationship model. Specifically, the clearance reduction rates within a predetermined time period and the yaw rates corresponding to each clearance reduction rate are used as training samples, and the initial relationship model is trained through these training samples to obtain a trained relationship model. Then, when the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time period before the current time is known, the clearance reduction rate is input into the relationship model to calculate in real time the yaw rate corresponding to the clearance reduction rate.

[0060] It should be noted that the scheduled time between the above-mentioned current times can be the scheduled time closest to the current time, or the scheduled time before the current time. For example, assuming that the current time is 3 o'clock and the scheduled time is 2 hours, the scheduled time before the current time can be 1 o'clock to 3 o'clock, or 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock, or 12:30 to 2:30. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0061] In step S103, the wind turbine generator set is controlled to yaw in a yaw direction and at a yaw rate so as to tilt the impeller upward, so as to increase the clearance of the wind turbine generator set.

[0062] The above-mentioned yaw rate can be determined according to the clearance value of the current clearance, or according to the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined clearance time. Regardless of the method for determining the yaw rate, the wind turbine can be subsequently controlled to yaw the impeller upward according to the yaw direction and yaw rate to increase the clearance of the wind turbine.

[0063] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw in a yaw direction and a yaw rate to tilt the impeller upward, the first clearance of the wind turbine generator set after yaw can be detected; in response to the first clearance being greater than or equal to the safety clearance threshold, the current yaw state of the wind turbine generator set is maintained; in response to the first clearance being still less than the safety clearance threshold, the yaw rate is increased. According to this embodiment, after yaw, the clearance can continue to be monitored, and when the clearance after yaw reaches the safety clearance threshold, the current yaw state of the wind turbine generator set can be maintained. If the clearance after yaw is still less than the safety clearance threshold, the yaw rate is increased to increase the impeller tilt angle, thereby improving the clearance of the wind turbine generator set, and avoiding the risk of the unit sweeping the tower when the safety clearance threshold is not reached after one adjustment.

[0064] As an example, after the wind turbine has yawed in a yaw direction and yaw rate to tilt the blades upward, the clearance of the wind turbine after the yaw can be detected periodically or in real time. When the clearance after the yaw is greater than or equal to the safety clearance threshold, the current yaw state of the wind turbine can be maintained without the need for a larger yaw angle, thereby avoiding prolonged yaw at too large an angle that results in loss of power generation efficiency.

[0065] As an example, after the wind turbine generator set yaws according to the yaw direction and yaw rate to tilt the blades upward, the clearance of the wind turbine generator set after the yaw can be detected periodically or in real time. When the clearance after the yaw is still less than the safe clearance threshold, the yaw rate can be increased and the yaw can be accelerated to avoid the risk of the wind turbine generator set sweeping the tower when the safe clearance threshold is not reached for a long time.

[0066] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw in a yaw direction and at a yaw rate to tilt the blades upward, a second clearance of the wind turbine generator set after the yaw can be detected; in response to the second clearance being greater than a predetermined clearance threshold, the wind turbine generator set is controlled to return to a normal operating state, wherein the predetermined clearance threshold is greater than a safety clearance threshold.

[0067] According to this embodiment, when the clearance of the wind turbine after yaw is greater than a predetermined clearance threshold (such as no longer in an extreme situation), the wind turbine no longer needs to yaw and can return to normal operation, thereby avoiding the loss of power generation efficiency caused by long-term yaw.

[0068] The above-mentioned predetermined clearance threshold can be set as needed, and the present disclosure does not limit this. However, the predetermined clearance threshold must be greater than the safe clearance threshold, because the predetermined clearance threshold is used to indicate that the clearance is large enough and is no longer at the clearance safety limit. Even if the subsequent clearance becomes slightly smaller, the wind turbine generator set will not face the risk of tower sweeping.

[0069] The second clearance and the first clearance are both clearances after the wind turbine generator set performs yaw to tilt the impeller upward. The two clearances may be clearances detected at the same time or at different times, and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0070] As an example, if the first clearance and the second clearance are clearances detected at different times, the second clearance may be detected after the first clearance, such as after the first yaw, the detected first clearance is greater than or equal to the safety clearance threshold, and the current yaw state of the wind turbine is maintained. When the extreme situation becomes weaker and weaker, the clearance will gradually recover. At this time, the clearance, that is, the second clearance, can be detected in real time until the second clearance is greater than the predetermined clearance threshold, and the wind turbine is controlled to recover to the normal operating state, that is, the second clearance is detected when the clearance is gradually recovered, and the first clearance is detected after the first yaw; for another example, after the first yaw, the detected first clearance is still less than the safety clearance threshold, the yaw rate is increased, and the yaw is performed at the increased yaw rate. At this time, the clearance, that is, the second clearance, can also be detected in real time until it is found that the second clearance is greater than the predetermined clearance threshold, and the wind turbine is controlled to recover to the normal operating state, that is, the second clearance is detected after the clearance rate is increased, and the first clearance is detected after the first yaw.

[0071] As an example, after the wind turbine generator set yaws in the yaw direction and yaw rate to tilt the blades upward, the clearance of the wind turbine generator set after the yaw can be detected periodically or in real time. When the clearance after the yaw is greater than a predetermined clearance threshold, it indicates that the clearance is large enough and the wind turbine generator set does not need to yaw anymore and can return to normal operation, thus avoiding the loss of power generation efficiency caused by long-term yaw.

[0072] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw in a yaw direction and a yaw rate so as to tilt the impeller upward may include: determining a predetermined yaw angle according to the clearance value of the current clearance and the average wind speed; controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw in a yaw direction and a yaw rate so as to tilt the impeller upward, and yaw to a predetermined yaw angle so that the clearance of the wind turbine generator set is greater than or equal to a safe clearance threshold. According to this embodiment, when yaw is performed using a suitable yaw direction and a yaw rate, the yaw angle at which the clearance reaches the safe clearance threshold is also determined. In this way, it can be ensured that the clearance of the wind turbine generator set after yaw will not fail to reach the safe clearance threshold, and other operations are avoided when the clearance after yaw does not reach the safe clearance threshold, thereby reducing the complexity of the operation.

[0073] The above-mentioned predetermined yaw angle can be obtained according to experiments, such as obtaining multiple clearance values, average wind speeds and corresponding yaw angles through experiments, and storing the obtained multiple clearance values, average wind speeds and corresponding yaw angles in a predetermined database, so that when the clearance value of the clearance and the average wind speed at this time are known, the corresponding yaw angle can be directly and quickly queried through the predetermined database. The above-mentioned predetermined yaw angle can also be calculated in real time, such as after obtaining multiple clearance values, average wind speeds and corresponding yaw angles through experiments, based on the mapping relationship between these multiple clearance values, average wind speeds and corresponding yaw angles, an angle determination model can be determined, and when the clearance value of the clearance and the average wind speed at this time are known, the corresponding accurate yaw angle can be calculated in real time according to the angle determination model. Specifically, multiple clearance values, average wind speeds and corresponding yaw angles are used as training samples, and the initial angle determination model is trained through these training samples to obtain a trained angle determination model. Then, when the clearance value of the clearance and the average wind speed at this time are known, the clearance value and the average wind speed are input into the angle determination model to calculate in real time the predetermined yaw angle corresponding to the clearance value.

[0074] As an example, after the yaw direction and yaw rate are determined, the predetermined yaw angle can be determined according to the clearance value of the current clearance and the average wind speed, so that the wind turbine can be controlled to yaw the blades upward according to the yaw direction and yaw rate, and yaw to the determined predetermined yaw angle, so that the clearance of the wind turbine is greater than or equal to the safety clearance threshold.

[0075] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a wind turbine generator set, which includes: an impeller; a yaw mechanism configured to cause the wind turbine generator set to perform a yaw action; a memory configured to store instructions; and a controller configured to execute the stored instructions stored in the memory, causing the yaw mechanism to perform a clearance control method for any wind turbine generator set as described above.

[0076] The wind turbine generator set in the above embodiment may be a two-blade wind turbine generator set, a three-blade wind turbine generator set, or a wind turbine generator set with other number of blades, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0077] The following is an illustration using a two-blade wind turbine as an example.

[0078] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a wind turbine generator set, which includes: an impeller, the impeller including a first blade and a second blade; a yaw mechanism, configured to cause the wind turbine generator set to perform a yaw action; a memory, configured to store instructions; and a controller, configured to execute the stored instructions stored in the memory, causing the yaw mechanism to execute a clearance control method for any wind turbine generator set as described above.

[0079] As an example, Figure 2 As shown, taking the wind turbine generator set in the above wind direction as an example, the impeller rotation direction is observed along the wind direction, and it is determined that the impeller rotation direction of the wind turbine generator set is clockwise. When extreme conditions (such as gusts) occur, the yaw rate can be determined according to the current clearance value, so that the yaw mechanism drives the wind turbine generator set to turn right at the determined yaw rate. At this time, the gyroscopic torque generated by the yaw will drive the impeller to raise its head, so that the impeller is away from the tower, the clearance becomes larger, and the risk of wind turbine generator set sweeping the tower is reduced.

[0080] As an example, Figure 3 As shown, taking the downwind wind turbine as an example, the impeller rotation direction is still observed along the wind direction, and it is determined that the impeller rotation direction of the wind turbine is clockwise. When extreme conditions (such as gusts) occur, the yaw rate can be determined according to the current clearance value, so that the yaw mechanism drives the wind turbine to turn left at the determined yaw rate. At this time, the gyroscopic torque generated by the yaw will drive the impeller to raise its head, so that the impeller is away from the tower, the clearance becomes larger, and the risk of the wind turbine sweeping the tower is reduced.

[0081] It should be noted that the wind turbine generator set of the present disclosure may also include a conventional yaw system. When the yaw mechanism of the present disclosure is not started, the yaw operation is performed by the yaw system as in the past. However, when the scheme of the present disclosure is executed, that is, when the yaw mechanism of the present disclosure is started, the conventional yaw system included in the wind turbine generator set will be turned off, and the yaw mechanism of the present disclosure will preferentially execute the scheme of the present disclosure. The specific execution logic can be as follows: Figure 4As shown: If the technical solution of the present invention is not enabled, that is, when the clearance is not controlled by yaw, if an extreme situation occurs, the yaw operation will be performed through the conventional yaw system. At this time, it is also necessary to determine the yaw direction and yaw rate, but it will not be calculated based on the clearance. Generally, the change in wind direction is transmitted to the processor of the yaw motor control loop of the yaw system through the wind sensor, and the yaw direction and yaw angle are determined after judgment, so as to finally achieve the purpose of wind control; if the technical solution of the present invention is enabled, the yaw mechanism of the present invention is used preferentially to make the wind turbine perform yaw action. At this time, it is also necessary to determine the yaw direction and yaw rate, but here it needs to be determined based on the clearance-related information to avoid the problems caused by too small clearance.

[0082] When the impeller of the wind turbine generator set rotates clockwise, the clearance change is analyzed in the following two cases: left turn or right turn of the wind turbine generator set:

[0083] Baseline conditions: Assume that wind gusts begin to appear at 40 seconds, and the wind speed gradually increases. The speed and pitch angle of the wind turbine start to increase after a delay of several seconds. During this process, the clearance reaches the minimum value, such as Figure 5 shown.

[0084] Comparison conditions (performing left or right turn conditions): Assuming that the wind speed starts to gust at 40s, the clearance will be affected by a delay of several seconds. The clearance is larger before the gust (i.e., the distance between the blade and the tower is farther, such as Figure 6 As shown in the figure, before the gust of wind, the blade clearance becomes smaller under the influence of the gust of wind. When it is detected that the clearance is less than the safe clearance threshold or the clearance continues to decrease (such as the blade deformation degree continues to increase or the load continues to increase), the yaw direction can be determined according to the rotation direction of the impeller, and the yaw rate can be determined based on the clearance information to trigger the yaw of the wind turbine to generate a favorable gyroscopic torque to avoid further deterioration of the clearance, such as Figure 6 In the gust effect shown in the figure, the blue solid line (clearance 1) indicates the clearance when the wind turbine does not rotate at the moment of minimum clearance, the green solid line (clearance 2) indicates that the clearance is increased when the wind turbine turns right at the moment of minimum clearance, and the black solid line (clearance 3) indicates that the clearance is reduced when the wind turbine turns left at the moment of minimum clearance. Figure 6 As shown in , after being affected by gusts, it can be seen that the clearance is better restored after adopting the solution of the present disclosure, that is, the clearance is relatively larger.

[0085] Specifically, if the wind turbine turns right at the moment when the clearance is minimum, the blade clearance increases (e.g. Figure 7 If the wind turbine turns left at the moment of minimum clearance, the blade clearance will deteriorate due to the gyroscopic torque (e.g. Figure 7If the wind turbine does not rotate at the moment of minimum clearance, it is not affected by the gyroscopic torque and the blade clearance also deteriorates, but the degree of deterioration is less than that of the case where the wind turbine turns left (such as Figure 7 Middle clearance 1).

[0086] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing a clearance control device of a wind turbine generator set disclosed in the present invention, such as Figure 8 As shown, the device includes an impeller rotation direction determining unit 80 , a yaw direction and yaw rate determining unit 82 and a yaw unit 84 .

[0087] The impeller rotation direction determining unit 80 is configured to determine the impeller rotation direction of the wind turbine in response to the current clearance of the wind turbine being less than the safety clearance threshold; the yaw direction and yaw rate determining unit 82 is configured to determine the yaw direction according to the impeller rotation direction, and determine the yaw rate according to the clearance information of the wind turbine; the yaw unit 84 is configured to control the wind turbine to yaw the impeller upward according to the yaw direction and yaw rate to improve the clearance of the wind turbine.

[0088] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw unit 84 is further configured to, after controlling the wind turbine to yaw in a yaw direction and at a yaw rate to tilt the blades upward, detect a first clearance of the wind turbine after yaw; in response to the first clearance being greater than or equal to a safety clearance threshold, maintain the current yaw state of the wind turbine; in response to the first clearance being still less than the safety clearance threshold, increase the yaw rate.

[0089] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw unit 84 is further configured to, after controlling the wind turbine to yaw in a yaw direction and at a yaw rate to tilt the blades upward, detect a second clearance of the wind turbine after yaw; in response to the second clearance being greater than a predetermined clearance threshold, control the wind turbine to return to a normal operating state, wherein the predetermined clearance threshold is greater than a safety clearance threshold.

[0090] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw unit 84 is further configured to determine a predetermined yaw angle based on the clearance value of the current clearance and the average wind speed; control the wind turbine to yaw the impeller upward according to the yaw direction and yaw rate, and yaw to a predetermined yaw angle so that the clearance of the wind turbine is greater than or equal to the safety clearance threshold.

[0091] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw direction and yaw rate determination unit 82 is further configured to determine the yaw rate according to the clearance value of the current clearance; or determine the yaw rate according to the clearance reduction rate within a predetermined time period before the current time.

[0092] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw direction and yaw rate determination unit 82 is further configured to, in the case where the wind turbine is an upwind wind turbine, when the impeller rotates in a clockwise direction, determine the yaw direction as the wind turbine turning right; and when the impeller rotates in a counterclockwise direction, determine the yaw direction as the wind turbine turning left, wherein the impeller rotation direction is determined by observing in the downwind direction.

[0093] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw direction and yaw rate determination unit 82 is further configured to, in the case where the wind turbine is a downwind wind turbine, when the impeller rotates in a clockwise direction, determine the yaw direction as the wind turbine turning left; and when the impeller rotates in a counterclockwise direction, determine the yaw direction as the wind turbine turning right, wherein the impeller rotation direction is determined by observing in the downwind direction.

[0094] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the yaw direction and yaw rate determination unit 82 is further configured to query the yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance from the relationship library according to the clearance value of the current clearance, wherein the relationship library contains a mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate; or, according to the clearance value of the current clearance, calculate the yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance in real time through the mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate.

[0095] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions is provided, wherein when the instructions are executed by at least one computing device, the at least one computing device is prompted to execute the clearance control method of a wind turbine generator set as any of the above embodiments.

[0096] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a system is provided comprising at least one computing device and at least one storage device storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one computing device, prompt the at least one computing device to execute a clearance control method for a wind turbine generator set as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0097] Although some embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A clearance control method for a wind turbine generator set, characterized in that: include: In response to a current clearance of the wind turbine generator set being less than a safety clearance threshold, determining a rotation direction of a rotor of the wind turbine generator set; Determining a yaw direction according to the rotation direction of the impeller, and determining a yaw rate according to the clearance information of the wind turbine generator set; The wind turbine generator set is controlled to yaw in the yaw direction and at the yaw rate so as to tilt the impeller upward, so as to increase the clearance of the wind turbine generator set.

2. The clearance control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw in the yaw direction and at the yaw rate so as to tilt the impeller upward, the method further comprises: Detecting a first clearance of the wind turbine generator set after yaw; In response to the first clearance being greater than or equal to the safety clearance threshold, maintaining a current yaw state of the wind turbine generator set; In response to the first clearance still being less than the safety clearance threshold, the yaw rate is increased.

3. The clearance control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw in the yaw direction and at the yaw rate so as to tilt the impeller upward, the method further comprises: Detecting the second clearance of the wind turbine generator set after yaw; In response to the second clearance being greater than a predetermined clearance threshold, the wind turbine generator set is controlled to recover to a normal operating state, wherein the predetermined clearance threshold is greater than the safety clearance threshold.

4. The clearance control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controlling the wind turbine generator set to yaw the impeller upward according to the yaw direction and the yaw rate comprises: determining a predetermined yaw angle based on a clearance value of the current clearance and an average wind speed; The wind turbine generator set is controlled to yaw in the yaw direction and at the yaw rate to tilt the impeller upward, and to yaw to the predetermined yaw angle, so that the clearance of the wind turbine generator set is greater than or equal to a safety clearance threshold.

5. The clearance control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determining the yaw rate according to the clearance information of the wind turbine generator set comprises: determining a yaw rate based on the clearance value of the current clearance; or, The yaw rate is determined based on a rate of decrease in clearance within a predetermined period of time prior to the current time.

6. The clearance control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The determining the yaw rate according to the clearance value of the current clearance comprises: According to the clearance value of the current clearance, querying a yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance from a relationship library, wherein the relationship library contains a mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate; or, According to the clearance value of the current clearance, the yaw rate corresponding to the current clearance is calculated in real time through a mapping relationship between the clearance value and the yaw rate.

7. The clearance control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Determining the yaw direction according to the impeller rotation direction includes: In the case where the wind turbine generator set is an upwind wind turbine generator set, When the impeller rotates clockwise, the yaw direction is determined to be the right turn of the wind turbine generator set; When the impeller rotates counterclockwise, the yaw direction is determined to be the left turn of the wind turbine generator set. The impeller rotation direction is determined by observing along the wind direction.

8. The clearance control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Determining the yaw direction according to the impeller rotation direction includes: In the case where the wind turbine generator set is a downwind wind turbine generator set, When the impeller rotates clockwise, the yaw direction is determined to be the left turn of the wind turbine generator set; When the impeller rotates counterclockwise, the yaw direction is determined to be the right turn of the wind turbine generator set. The impeller rotation direction is determined by observing along the wind direction.

9. The clearance control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Determine that the current clearance of the wind turbine generator set is less than the safety clearance threshold by one of the following methods: The deformation degree of the blades of the wind turbine generator set exceeds the safety deformation threshold; The load of the wind turbine generator set exceeds a safety load threshold; The clearance value of the current clearance is less than the safety clearance threshold.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that: When the instructions are executed by at least one computing device, the at least one computing device is prompted to execute the clearance control method for a wind turbine generator set according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A wind turbine generator set, characterized in that: The wind turbine generator set comprises: impeller; A yaw mechanism, configured to enable the wind turbine generator set to perform a yaw action; a memory configured to store instructions; The controller is configured to execute the stored instructions stored in the memory to cause the yaw mechanism to perform the clearance control method of the wind turbine generator set in claims 1 to 9.

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