Wind Turbine Rotor Blade Deformation Margin Estimation

The patent creates a virtual model (copy) of the rotor blade that replicates its structural characteristics and response to loads. This digital twin is updated in real-time using data from existing sensors and aerodynamic models, allowing accurate load estimation without installing additional physical sensors on the blade itself. The virtual model serves as a surrogate for direct measurement, achieving high measurement precision while avoiding the complexity of new sensor systems.

The patent replaces the mechanical sensor system with a computational approach combining aerodynamic models, structural models, and data processing algorithms. Instead of using physical sensors to directly measure blade loads, the system uses mathematical models to calculate loads from aerodynamic forces and structural responses, substituting a mechanical measurement system with an information-processing system.

By creating and maintaining a virtual model of the rotor blade, the system eliminates the need for physical sensors on the blade that could fail or require maintenance. The virtual model is updated through computational methods using data from existing, more reliable sensors located on the turbine structure, thereby achieving high reliability without the vulnerabilities of installed blade sensors.

The system uses existing turbine operational data and embedded computational models to self-determine blade loads without requiring external sensor installations or maintenance. The virtual model continuously self-updates using available information from the turbine's control system, making the monitoring system autonomous and maintenance-free.

The patent segments the load estimation process into distinct computational components: aerodynamic force calculation, structural response modeling, and virtual model updating. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system simplicity. The aerodynamic model calculates forces from wind conditions, the structural model computes blade responses, and these are integrated to update the virtual model, achieving precision through modular computation without complex hardware.

The system maintains a virtual copy of the rotor blade that is continuously updated with accurate load information derived from combining aerodynamic models with structural models. This virtual model provides direct and accurate load estimates at any location on the blade, improving precision over thrust-based methods while keeping the physical system simple by using existing computational infrastructure.

The patent transitions from point-based or integrated load measurements to distributed span-wise load information by creating a virtual model that provides load data at multiple locations along the blade span. This dimensional expansion transforms limited measurement data into comprehensive spatial distribution of loads, enabling detailed analysis of loading patterns without adding physical measurement points or complexity.

The virtual model of the rotor blade acts as an information-rich copy that contains detailed span-wise loading characteristics. By updating this virtual representation with computational estimates at multiple locations, the system recovers and provides complete spatial load distribution information that would otherwise be lost, all while using only existing hardware and software resources.