Wind Turbine Hub Positioning With Oscillation-Aware Speed Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for mounting rotor blades on wind turbines face challenges in accurately positioning and fixing the hub due to oscillations during the mounting process, which can lead to damage and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A method and arrangement that utilize a generator's torque to rotate the hub, monitoring oscillations, and adjusting the rotational speed based on frequency thresholds to prevent critical oscillations, allowing safe and precise positioning of the rotor blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the hub is rotated using generator torque at reference rotational speed, then the positioning efficiency is improved, but oscillations occur that can lead to damage and positioning errors
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors oscillation quantities during hub rotation and uses this feedback to detect critical situations. When oscillations exceed thresholds, the control system automatically responds by reducing or stopping the rotational speed, thereby maintaining positioning accuracy while allowing efficient operation under normal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference rotational speed is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The system adapts the rotational speed in real-time based on monitored oscillation levels, reducing speed when critical oscillations are detected and restoring it when safe, thus balancing efficiency and reliability.
2Reliability
If the rotational speed is reduced to prevent oscillations, then positioning safety is improved, but the mounting process becomes slower
Solution Approach 1:
The system operates in periodic cycles of normal-speed rotation interrupted by brief pauses or speed reductions when critical oscillations are detected. This allows the majority of the positioning process to proceed at high efficiency while only momentarily reducing speed when necessary for safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system rapidly detects critical oscillation conditions and quickly reduces speed only for the minimum necessary duration to dampen oscillations, then resumes normal operation. This minimizes the time spent at reduced speed while still ensuring safety.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively mitigates oscillations, ensuring safe and efficient mounting of rotor blades by damping oscillations, reducing the risk of damage, and enhancing the mounting process's reliability.
Implementation Method 1
controlling the generator, in order to turn the hub using torque generated by the generator
Implementation Method 2
monitoring a quantity indicative of an oscillation of the hub and/or a drive train; processing the quantity in order to derive a strength of the oscillation at at least one frequency
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
It is described a method of preparing for mounting a rotor blade (8) to a hub (4) of a wind turbine (1), the hub being mechanically coupled to a rotor (5) of a generator (2), the method comprising: controlling the generator (2), in order to turn the hub (4) using torque generated by the generator (2), in particular according to a reference rotational speed; monitoring a quantity (14) indicative of an oscillation of the hub and/or a drive train; processing the quantity (14) in order to derive a strength (16) of the oscillation at at least one frequency; detecting when the strength (16) of the oscillation at at least one frequency exceeds a first, in particular frequency dependent, threshold (44), thereby indicating a critical situation; if the critical situation is indicated: reducing the reference rotational speed (18) for turning the hub (4) by generator produced torque; controlling the generator (2) based on the reduced reference rotational speed (18_1, 18_2,...).