Wind Turbine Tower Load Analysis by Circumferential Section
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine towers in wind farms face reduced useful life due to varying wind loads, which current placement and orientation methods fail to accurately predict and mitigate effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for planning wind farm placement and orientation using a computer-implemented tool that divides the tower into circumferential sections, determines load sustainment parameters for each section based on predicted wind conditions, and adjusts the position or orientation of wind turbines to prevent excessive load, thereby extending the life of the towers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If wind turbines are placed and oriented using conventional methods, then the wind farm can be established with initial operational capability, but the tower useful life is reduced due to excessive and unmitigated wind loads
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is divided into multiple circumferential sections (e.g., 12 sections of 30 degrees each) to enable granular load analysis. This segmentation allows the system to evaluate wind loads on specific portions of the tower rather than treating the entire tower uniformly, facilitating more precise placement and orientation decisions that account for localized stress patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary determination of load sustainment parameters for each circumferential section before finalizing wind turbine placement and orientation. By analyzing predicted wind conditions and calculating load parameters in advance, the system identifies optimal configurations that prevent excessive loads before the wind turbine is installed and operational.
2Measurement precision
If the tower is analyzed as a whole structure, then the analysis process is simpler, but the precision of load prediction is insufficient to effectively mitigate wind load damage
Solution Approach 1:
The tower is divided into multiple circumferential sections (e.g., 12 sections of 30 degrees each) to enable granular load analysis. This segmentation allows the system to evaluate wind loads on specific portions of the tower rather than treating the entire tower uniformly, facilitating more precise placement and orientation decisions that account for localized stress patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system determines load sustainment parameters for each circumferential section and uses this information to iteratively optimize wind turbine placement and orientation. The feedback loop allows the system to adjust configurations based on predicted load patterns, improving prediction accuracy by evaluating how different placements affect loads on specific tower sections.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems 500 and methods 400 for planning a wind farm 100 are provided. One example aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method 400 for planning a wind farm 100. The method 400 includes determining 402, by one or more processors 504, a load for a plurality of wind conditions for a plurality of circumferential sections for a tower 212 of a wind turbine 210. The method 400 includes accessing 404, by the one or more processors 504, a model that predicts wind conditions over a time period. The method 400 includes determining 406, by the one or more processors 504, a load sustainment parameter for the plurality of circumferential sections for the predicted wind conditions over the time period.