Drone Flight Coordination in Operating Wind Farms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial drones face challenges in navigating through wind farms due to wake turbulence generated by wind turbines, which exceeds the altitude restrictions set by the Federal Aviation Administration, requiring innovative control systems to ensure safe and efficient operations.
Innovation Solution
An integrated control system that interconnects wind farm control systems with drone flight control systems, allowing for communication and coordinated adjustments to wind turbine operations to mitigate turbulence, such as derating power output or steering wake patterns, to facilitate safe drone flight paths and landings within wind farms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If wind turbines operate at full power output, then energy production is maximized, but wake turbulence increases making drone flight unsafe
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts wind turbine operations in real-time based on drone flight requirements. The control system receives drone location data and dynamically modifies turbine power output or yaw angles to reduce wake turbulence in the drone's flight path while maintaining optimal energy production elsewhere in the wind farm.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies localized adjustments to specific wind turbines rather than the entire wind farm. By identifying which turbines are upwind of the drone's flight path and adjusting only those turbines' operations, the system minimizes the impact on overall energy production while eliminating turbulence in the specific area where the drone is flying.
2Reliability
If drone flight path is adjusted to avoid wake turbulence, then flight safety is improved, but flight efficiency and mission completion time worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary adjustments to wind turbine operations before the drone arrives in the turbulent area. By receiving advance flight plan data and adjusting turbine operations proactively, the system ensures smooth airflows are already in place when the drone reaches critical sections, eliminating the need for reactive flight path changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors drone location and flight conditions, providing real-time feedback to adjust turbine operations. This closed-loop control allows the system to respond to changing flight conditions and maintain optimal conditions for both drone safety and flight efficiency throughout the mission.
3Reliability
If integrated control system coordinates wind turbine operations with drone flights, then drone safety is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system serves multiple functions: it manages normal wind farm operations, processes drone flight plans, coordinates turbine adjustments for drone safety, and monitors flight conditions. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single integrated platform, the system avoids the complexity of separate specialized systems while achieving comprehensive drone-wind farm coordination.
4Reliability
If wind turbines are derated or shut down to reduce wake turbulence, then drone flight safety is improved, but wind farm energy output decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial adjustments to only the specific turbines that are upwind of the drone's flight path, rather than derating or shutting down the entire wind farm. This selective approach reduces wake turbulence where needed while maintaining full power output from turbines that are not affecting the drone, thus minimizing the impact on overall energy production.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods coordinate drone flights in an operating windfarm. A drone flight path that is removed from any location where the drone is conducting observations of a wind turbine and that extends through at least part of a windfarm to a destination location is determined. A respective wake pattern along at least one portion of the drone fight path is determined based on respective operating parameters for each of at least one wind turbine in the windfarm. Flight time commands to adjust at least one respective operating parameter of the respective wind turbine to reduce the effect of the respective wake pattern at a point ahead of the drone on the drone flight path are sent by a windfarm controller controlling the at least one wind turbine.