Wind Farm Wake Steering via Net Energy Gain Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wind farm control schemes that aim to mitigate wake effects by adjusting the yaw position of upwind turbines often result in suboptimal power output due to excessive energy costs and wear on machinery.
Innovation Solution
A method for operating a wind farm that uses a controller to determine the wind direction, identify clusters of turbines affected by wake effects, and calculate the optimal yaw steer for upwind turbines to maximize net energy gain while considering energy costs and machinery wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional control schemes adjust the yaw position of upwind turbines to mitigate wake effects, then the power output of downwind turbines is improved, but the energy cost increases and machinery wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the yaw angle parameter of upwind turbines dynamically based on real-time wind conditions and wake impact assessment. By adjusting the yaw angle to an optimized value rather than using fixed or excessive adjustments, the system mitigates wake effects on downwind turbines while minimizing the energy cost of the adjustment itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system implements feedback by continuously monitoring wind direction, wind speed, and the actual wake impact on downwind turbines. This feedback loop allows the system to determine the optimal yaw adjustment needed and verify whether the adjustment achieved the desired power output improvement without excessive energy consumption, enabling adaptive optimization.
2Productivity
If conventional control schemes adjust the yaw position of upwind turbines to mitigate wake effects, then the power output of downwind turbines is improved, but the wear on yaw drive system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes the yaw angle parameter to achieve the minimum necessary adjustment for wake mitigation. By calculating the precise optimal yaw angle rather than applying large or frequent adjustments, the system reduces the mechanical stress and wear on the yaw drive system components, thereby extending their operational life and improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by making only the necessary degree of yaw adjustment to achieve wake mitigation benefits. Rather than applying excessive yaw adjustments that would guarantee wake reduction but cause unnecessary machinery wear, the system calculates and implements the minimal effective adjustment, balancing power output improvement with equipment preservation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If excessive yaw adjustments are made to wind turbines, then wake effects are reduced, but the energy production cost increases due to machinery wear
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the yaw angle parameter to an optimized value that achieves adequate wake effect reduction without excessive adjustment. By optimizing this parameter based on real-time conditions, the system reduces wake impacts on downwind turbines while minimizing the energy consumed by the yaw adjustment process itself, thereby reducing overall energy production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system uses feedback from wind conditions and wake impact measurements to determine the optimal yaw adjustment. This feedback mechanism ensures that yaw adjustments are made only when and to the extent necessary for wake mitigation, avoiding excessive adjustments that would increase energy production costs through unnecessary machinery operation and wear.
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 optimizes power output by reducing wake effects and minimizing energy costs and machinery wear, thereby improving the overall efficiency and longevity of wind farm operations.
Implementation Method 1
The one or more rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy
Implementation Method 2
The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method operate a wind farm having a plurality of wind turbines, and include determining a wind direction of a wind affecting the wind farm. Based on the wind direction, at least one upwind turbine is identified that produces a wake effect on one or more downwind wind turbines, the upwind wind turbine and affected downwind wind turbines defining a cluster. Based on a current yaw position of the upwind turbine and the wind direction, a yaw steer is determined for the upwind turbine to reduce the wake effect on the downstream wind turbines in the cluster. The yaw steer is based on increasing a net energy gain from the cluster, the net energy gain determined by subtracting an energy cost of the yaw steer from an increased energy production of the cluster resulting from the yaw steer. The upwind wind turbine is controlled to change yaw position in accordance with the yaw steer when the net energy gain satisfies a minimum threshold level.