Wind Farm Control via Wake State and Lifetime Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wind energy farms face challenges in maximizing power production without causing undesired wake effects that can lead to fatigue and reduced energy extraction in downstream turbines.

Innovation Solution

A method for controlling a wind energy farm that involves determining wake states, estimating lifetime usage for turbines, monitoring wake effects, and generating control signals to adjust the operation of upstream turbines to reduce wake impacts, allowing for overrated operation while ensuring turbine longevity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If upstream wind turbines operate at nominal power to maximize individual power production, then power output is improved, but wake effects increase causing fatigue and reduced energy extraction in downstream turbines

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower productionVSAvoidwake effects

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically changes operational parameters of upstream wind turbines based on real-time wake conditions. By monitoring wake effects and adjusting turbine parameters (such as rotor speed, pitch angle, or power output), the system optimizes the balance between power production and wake mitigation, allowing flexible adaptation to varying wind and wake conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The control system implements feedback mechanisms where wake effects detected by downstream turbines are communicated back to upstream turbines. This feedback loop enables real-time adjustments to upstream turbine operation, creating a coordinated control strategy that considers the cumulative impact on the entire wind farm while maximizing overall power production

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Object-affected harmful factors

If upstream wind turbines are derated to reduce wake effects for downstream turbines, then wake effects are reduced, but total power production of the wind energy farm decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewake effectsVSAvoidtotal power production

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from static derating strategies to dynamic control where upstream turbines adjust their power output in real-time based on actual wake conditions. This dynamic approach allows turbines to operate at higher power levels when wake effects are manageable and reduce output only when necessary, optimizing the trade-off between wake mitigation and power production

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of uniformly derating all upstream turbines, the system applies partial derating only to specific turbines that have significant impact on downstream performance. This selective approach maintains higher overall power production while still providing sufficient wake relief to downstream turbines, avoiding excessive reduction in total farm output

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If wind turbines operate in an overrated state to increase power production, then power output is improved, but design loads and fatigue loads increase reducing expected lifetime

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower productionVSAvoidexpected lifetime

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessment of lifetime usage and fatigue loads before allowing overrated operation. By evaluating the current state of the turbine and predicting the impact of increased loading, the control system can authorize temporary overrated operation only when it will not compromise the expected lifetime, preventing excessive fatigue accumulation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11674500B2Method for controlling a wind energy farm taking wake effects into account

Publication Date: 2023.06.13 VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS AS

AI summary

A method for controlling a wind energy farm is disclosed. A wake state of the wind energy farm is determined, including determining wake chains defining wake relationships among the wind turbines of the wind farm under the current wind conditions. For at least one of the wind turbines of the wind energy farm, a lifetime usage is estimated, based on an accumulated load measure for the wind turbine. In the case that the estimated lifetime usage is below a predefined lifetime usage limit, the wind turbine is operated in an overrated state, while monitoring wake effects at each of the wind turbines. In the case that a downstream wind turbine detects wake effects above a predefined wake threshold level, at least one wind turbine having an upstream wake relationship with the downstream wind turbine is requested to decrease the generated wake, e.g. by decreasing power production.