Wind Farm Upgrade Assessment Using Load Sensor Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wind farm control technologies are inefficient in optimizing overall wind farm performance due to wake effects from upwind turbines on downwind turbines, leading to sub-optimal power output and longevity issues, and existing upgrade assessment methods are time-consuming and not always accurate.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that determine baseline loading conditions for wind turbines, define threshold values for load sensors, identify turbines suitable for upgrades, and use a physics-based model to verify upgrades, allowing for rapid assessment and classification of additional turbines for upgrades based on ranking comparisons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If load analysis is performed for each wind turbine using load sensors, then upgrade assessment accuracy is improved, but the time required for analysis increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurements and assessments using available load sensor data before committing to full detailed analysis. By pre-screening turbines based on preliminary data evaluation, the system identifies which turbines require comprehensive analysis and which can be assessed through simplified methods, thereby reducing overall analysis time while maintaining accuracy for turbines that need upgrades
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial analysis to turbines where full analysis would be unnecessary. By using simplified assessment methods for turbines that clearly meet or fail upgrade criteria, and reserving detailed load analysis only for borderline cases, the system achieves adequate assessment accuracy without the time cost of analyzing every turbine exhaustively
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
This approach reduces the time required for mechanical loads analysis from days to hours, enables more aggressive testing of configurations, and optimizes wind farm power output while maintaining safe fatigue and load limits, providing immediate commercial advantages.
Implementation Method 1
The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil principles. For example, rotor blades typically have the cross-sectional profile of an airfoil such that, during operation, air flows over the blade producing a pressure difference between the sides. Consequently, a lift force, which is directed from a pressure side towards a suction side, acts on the blade.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for optimizing power output of a wind farm. The method includes determining baseline loading condition(s) for wind turbines of the wind farm and defining a baseline threshold value for the load sensors. Another step includes identifying at least one wind turbine having at least one load sensor operating below the baseline threshold value. An upgrade is then provided to the identified wind turbine. In response to the upgrade, the method includes determining whether the load sensor of the identified wind turbine continues to operate below the baseline threshold value. The method also includes classifying an additional load sensor(s) of an additional wind turbine with respect to the load sensor of the identified wind turbine to determine whether to provide the additional wind turbine with the upgrade.