Guidance system for rescue workers to locate a wind turbine

Abstract

Guidance system for rescue services to locate a wind turbine that is part of a group of two or more wind turbines, wherein the spatial extent of the group is defined by the shortest convex perimeter line in plan view, which includes all wind turbines of the group, characterized in that each wind turbine of the group has one or more optical emergency signaling devices and in a normal state of the respective wind turbine none and in a signal state at least one of the respective emergency signaling devices emits an emergency signal which, in clear visibility and direct sunlight, has a visibility range that is at least the distance of the point on the perimeter line furthest from the respective wind turbine in plan view plus 50 m.

Description

[0001] Wind turbines, abbreviated to WEA, are often built as so-called wind parks, also known as wind farms, for economic reasons or for landscape protection. While the exact allocation of individual wind turbines to such a collection of wind turbines may be difficult in individual cases for permit purposes, in this case only the grouping of at least two WEA by rescue services will be considered. It cannot be ruled out that maintenance technicians in particular, some of whom work on wind turbines at great heights, may suffer accidents and become dependent on external assistance. It is not always possible for the person involved in an accident to make an emergency call by mobile phone, possibly even with the coordinates of their own location or a designation specific to the location, i.e. usually the wind turbine on or in which the accident occurred.Furthermore, it is possible for an emergency call system to automatically inform a control center responsible for the group about the exact location of the wind turbine within a group, so that the wind turbine can initially be identified on a plan.

[0002] What is problematic for rescue workers, however, is that despite the information provided, the wind turbine in or near which the injured person is located cannot be located quickly enough, as this could result in the loss of crucial time on site to locate the correct wind turbine within the group, which is crucial for a timely rescue. Furthermore, an emergency call via the mobile phone of the person to be rescued is only possible with reliable reception and sufficient battery power. Furthermore, an emergency call made to a control center via a standalone system, e.g. via appropriate cabling, may only contain the location coordinates of the wind turbine in question. These coordinates can then be located on site using technical aids such as GPS receivers, on a map or by means of acoustic direction finding. This is time-consuming, particularly for larger groups, and therefore not practical on site.The same applies to numbering or similar labeling of the wind turbines in a group, since in larger groups, the systematic structure is not immediately apparent to an observer of a large number of wind turbines, depending on the direction from which they approach the group. The exact location of wind turbines at sea in so-called offshore parks is problematic, as a large number of wind turbines often form a group, and clarity, coupled with limited accessibility, is reduced compared to smaller groups.

[0003] The task therefore arises to provide a guidance system for rescue teams to locate a wind turbine that is part of a grouping of two or more wind turbines, which enables the rescue teams to locate the wind turbine easily and quickly.

[0004] This object is achieved by means of a guidance system according to claim 1, wherein advantageous embodiments of the guidance system emerge from the subclaims. A guidance system for rescue workers is proposed for locating a wind turbine that is part of a grouping of two or more wind turbines, wherein the spatial perimeter of the grouping is defined by the shortest convex perimeter line in plan view, which encompasses all wind turbines in the grouping. The guidance system is based on the fact that each wind turbine in the grouping has one or more optical emergency signaling devices. In a normal state of the respective wind turbine, none of the respective emergency signaling devices emits an emergency signal, and in a signaling state at least one of the respective emergency signaling devices emits an emergency signal.The emergency signal must be selected by the specialist so that, in clear visibility and direct sunlight, it has a visibility range that is at least the distance from the furthest point on the circumference in plan view from the respective wind turbine plus 50 meters. If, in a simple case, the group consists of three wind turbines marking the points of an equilateral triangle with a side length of 1000 m, for example, the furthest point on the circumference for each of the three wind turbines is at a distance of 1000 m, to which a further 50 m must be added in order to achieve a minimum visibility range of the optical emergency signal of 1050 m under the aforementioned conditions. For four wind turbines marking the corners of a square with an edge length of 1000 m, the minimum range would be the diagonal of the square plus 50 m, i.e. 1464 m.In practice, the luminous intensity of the emergency signal will often result in a greater visibility range of the emergency signal than the minimum estimated.

[0005] In practice, the emergency signal will usually have a luminous intensity of at least 10 candelas or more, up to the three-digit kilocandela range. Since maintenance and repair work may also be required on the electrical system of a wind turbine, or it may at least have to be shut down temporarily, it is advantageous if each emergency signaling device, or at least all emergency signaling devices in a wind turbine, are connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to ensure the emergency signaling device's constant readiness in an emergency. The emergency signaling devices are preferably equipped with LEDs, as these have proven to be particularly long-lasting compared to other light sources and can thus contribute to the reliability of the control system.

[0006] It is preferable that the emergency signal be clearly distinguishable from all other lights within the group to ensure that no confusion occurs. To ensure this is the case, the emergency signaling device should preferably be configured so that the emergency signal is emitted intermittently, preferably with a flashing frequency of 2 seconds or less. The perceived color of the emergency signal can also help distinguish it from the rest of the wind turbine's lights. A wavelength of the emergency signal in the range of 566 nm to 780 nm is advantageous, which roughly corresponds to the color range from yellow to red, although orange is included and is a good option.

[0007] The emergency signaling device can be triggered automatically, for example after a time previously defined by the maintenance personnel, within which the maintenance person is expected to have completed the work and logged out of the system, for example in the case of a turnstile with entry and exit control via transponder scan. It is advantageous if immediate activation of the emergency signaling device is also possible, preferably by equipping each wind turbine in the group with one or more trigger devices for the emergency signaling device. The trigger device should be configured to allow simple manual activation, for example by being designed as a so-called buzzer or panic button. To make accidental activation more difficult, such a trigger button can be arranged behind a thin glass pane, as is common with fire alarms.It is advantageous if the emergency signaling device of a wind turbine is functionally connected to several triggering devices that are arranged at different positions on and in the wind turbine.

[0008] Wind turbines usually have certain design features, which are listed below, but not all of them have to be present in every wind turbine: An entrance door, an interior entrance area, a control cabinet in the entrance area, a tower, an access ladder in or on the tower, a maintenance platform, a ladder access to the maintenance platform, an elevator in or on the tower, a nacelle, another control cabinet in the nacelle, a hub, an entrance to the hub, a pitch box in the hub. Triggering devices for the emergency signaling device are advantageously arranged on or in the listed design features, where present.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the control system, the emergency signaling device of each wind turbine in the group is connected wirelessly or via a cable to a remote monitoring unit, via which the emergency signaling device of a specific wind turbine in the group can be initialized. This can be helpful if the injured person was able to make an emergency call but is no longer able to activate one of the trigger devices for the respective emergency signal. This can then be done by the control center via the remote monitoring unit, so that the emergency signal is triggered at the correct wind turbine, enabling rescue workers to quickly locate the wind turbine on site.

[0010] It is advantageous to install multiple emergency signaling devices on a wind turbine, particularly four emergency signaling devices on the upper third of the tower and / or two emergency signaling devices on opposite outer sides of the nacelle. The four emergency signaling devices on the upper third of the tower should each be positioned at the same height and at a 90° angle to the nearest, i.e., neighboring, emergency signaling device. This provides a simple way to ensure that at least one emergency signaling device is visible to rescue personnel, regardless of the direction from which they approach the wind turbine group.

[0011] It is also advantageous if the emergency signaling device can emit an acoustic alarm signal in addition to the visual emergency signal, or if the visual emergency signal is coupled with the alarm signal of an acoustic alarm signaling device located on or in the respective wind turbine. The alarm signal should preferably have the same minimum range as the emergency signal. The additional alarm signal signals, especially to the injured person, that the triggering device has been successfully activated and also contributes to better orientation for rescue workers.

[0012] To facilitate the retrofitting of control systems on existing wind turbines, existing wind turbine lights, such as a demand-based nighttime marking (DNH), can be used for control and as an emergency signal and equipped with appropriate triggering devices. The emergency signaling device must then be configured or programmed to ensure clear differentiation from the original lights, for example, through an increased flashing frequency, and to give priority over the normal light function.

Claims

[1] Guidance system for rescue teams to locate a wind turbine that is part of a grouping of two or more wind turbines, where the spatial perimeter of the grouping is defined by the shortest convex perimeter line in plan view that includes all the wind turbines in the grouping, characterized by that each wind turbine in the group has one or more optical emergency signaling devices and, in a normal state of the respective wind turbine, none of the respective emergency signaling devices emits an emergency signal and, in a signal state, at least one of the respective emergency signaling devices emits an emergency signal which, in clear visibility and direct sunlight, has a visibility range which is at least the distance of the furthest point of the circumferential line from the respective wind turbine in the plan view plus 50 m. [2] Guidance system according to claim 1, characterized by that the emergency signal has a luminous intensity of 10 candelas or more. [3] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the emergency signaling device is connected to an uninterruptible power supply. [4] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the emergency signal device has LEDs. [5] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the emergency signal is clearly distinguishable from all other lights on the wind turbines in the group. [6] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that in the signal state the emergency signal transmitter transmits the emergency signal intermittently. [7] Guidance system according to claim 6, characterized by that when the emergency signal is transmitted intermittently in the signal state, an emergency signal is emitted at least every two seconds. [8] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the emergency signal has a wavelength in the range of 566 nm to 780 nm. [9] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that each wind turbine in the group is equipped with one or more triggering devices for the emergency signalling device. [10] Guidance system according to claim 9, characterized by that the triggering device can be triggered manually. [11] Guidance system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized bythat the wind turbines of the group each have, as a design feature, at least one entrance door, an interior entrance area, a switch cabinet in the entrance area, a tower, an access ladder in or on the tower, a maintenance platform, a ladder access to the maintenance platform, a lift in or on the tower, a machine house, a switch cabinet in the machine house, a hub, an entry into the hub, a pitch box in the hub or all of these design features, and that at least one triggering device of the respective wind turbine is arranged on or in at least one of these design features of the respective wind turbine. [12] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the emergency signaling device is connected wirelessly or wired to a remote monitoring unit and can be initialized via the remote monitoring unit. [13] Guidance system according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized by that for each wind turbine, four emergency signalling devices are arranged on the upper third of the tower of the respective wind turbine and / or two emergency signalling devices are arranged on opposite outer sides of the respective nacelle of the wind turbine. [14] Guidance system according to claim 13, characterized by that the emergency signalling devices are arranged on the upper third of the tower at the same height and at an angular distance of 90° from the nearest emergency signalling device. [15] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the emergency signal device can emit an acoustic alarm signal in addition to the optical emergency signal or that the optical emergency signal is coupled to the alarm signal of an acoustic alarm signal device arranged on or in the respective wind turbine. [16] Guidance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the emergency signalling device has lamps which are designed to emit a signal other than the emergency signal in the normal state.