Wind Farm Available Power Shading Matrix

Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for determining available power in wind farms overestimate the available power due to the lack of consideration for farm effects, leading to inaccurate assessments and potential financial losses, as they do not account for the wake effects caused by other wind power installations.

Innovation Solution

A method using a shading matrix to determine the effective wind speed of each wind power installation within a wind farm, taking into account wind speed, wind direction, and farm throttling, which allows for the accurate calculation of available power by simulating the wake effects using a farm wake model, thereby providing a precise and timely assessment of the wind farm's available power.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If available power is estimated based on measured wind speeds without considering farm effects, then the calculation is simple and fast, but the available power is overestimated due to wake effects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavailable power determination accuracyVSAvoidcalculation system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shading matrix is pre-calculated offline for all possible combinations of wind speeds, wind directions, and farm configurations. This preliminary computation stores the wake effect characteristics in a lookup table format, allowing the system to quickly retrieve pre-computed shading factors during operation without performing complex real-time simulations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The shading matrix acts as an intermediary between the complex farm wake model and the simple power estimation calculation. Instead of directly applying complex wake models during real-time operation, the system uses the shading matrix to translate measured wind speeds into effective wind speeds that already account for wake effects, thereby simplifying the real-time calculation while maintaining accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If complex wake models are simulated in real-time to account for farm effects, then measurement precision improves, but time consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavailable power determination accuracyVSAvoidcalculation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The shading matrix is pre-calculated offline for all possible combinations of wind speeds, wind directions, and farm configurations. This preliminary computation stores the wake effect characteristics in a lookup table format, allowing the system to quickly retrieve pre-computed shading factors during operation without performing complex real-time simulations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of performing complex wake model simulations in real-time, the system creates a simplified copy of the wake effects through the shading matrix. The matrix contains pre-computed multiplication factors that replicate the influence of wake effects without requiring the full computational complexity of the original wake models during operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Measurement precision

If the shading matrix is used to determine effective wind speeds, then available power accuracy improves, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeffective wind speed determination accuracyVSAvoidcontroller system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shading matrix acts as an intermediary between the complex farm wake model and the simple power estimation calculation. Instead of directly applying complex wake models during real-time operation, the system uses the shading matrix to translate measured wind speeds into effective wind speeds that already account for wake effects, thereby simplifying the real-time calculation while maintaining accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms the raw measured wind speed parameter into an effective wind speed parameter by applying the shading matrix. This parameter transformation automatically incorporates wake effects without requiring the controller to directly handle complex wake model parameters, thereby maintaining simplicity while improving accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11578696B2Method for determining the available power of a wind park, and corresponding wind park

Publication Date: 2023.02.14 WOBBEN PROPERTIES GMBH

AI summary

A method for determining an available power of a wind farm, wherein the wind farm comprises a plurality of wind power installations with a rotor having rotor blades, the blade angle of which can be adjusted is provided. A wind farm which is set up to carry out the method for determining an available power is provided. The method comprises providing a shading matrix which determines at least one effective wind speed of each of the wind power installations in the wind farm as a function of at least one wind speed and wind direction and wind farm throttling using a park wake model. The method makes it possible to accurately determine an available power of a wind farm even when the wind farm is operated with throttled power.