Wind Turbine Blade Tip Height Control for Restricted Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbines face challenges in operating near areas with tip height restrictions, such as airports or bird migration routes, where shutting down to avoid collisions with airborne objects leads to power loss, and existing solutions either reduce power production or require complex control mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A method for wind turbines with hinged blades that detects airborne objects and adjusts the pivot angle to decrease tip height below maximum allowable values, allowing continuous operation while avoiding collisions and maintaining power production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wind turbine shuts down to avoid collisions with airborne objects, then safety is improved, but power production is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The wind turbine blade tip height is made dynamically adjustable through pivot movement of the blades relative to the blade carrying structure. The control system dynamically changes the pivot angle between minimum and maximum values to adjust tip height in real-time, allowing the turbine to maintain operation while avoiding collisions by lowering blades when airborne objects are detected and returning to normal operation when safe
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the wind turbine by adjusting the pivot angle of the blades, which directly alters the tip height. This parameter change allows the turbine to adapt its physical configuration to avoid collisions with airborne objects while maintaining continuous operation and power production
2Productivity
If the wind turbine operates with large rotor diameter, then power production is improved, but tip height restrictions are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The wind turbine employs dynamic adjustment of blade pivot angles to temporarily reduce tip height when approaching restricted zones while maintaining large rotor diameter for optimal power production during normal operation. The blades can pivot between minimum and maximum angles, enabling the turbine to alternate between high-power mode and restriction-compliance mode as needed
Solution Approach 2:
The wind turbine performs periodic adjustments of blade pivot angles in response to detected airborne objects or approaching restricted zones. The blades are positioned at maximum pivot angle (lower tip height) when objects are detected, then return to minimum pivot angle (higher tip height, maximum power) when safe, creating a periodic action that alternates between compliance and optimal power production
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for operating a wind turbine (1). The wind turbine (1) comprises one or more wind turbine blades (5), each wind turbine blade (5) being connected to a blade carrying structure (4) mounted on a hub (3), via a hinge (6) at a hinge position of the wind turbine blade (5), each wind turbine blade (5) thereby being arranged to perform pivot movements relative to the blade carrying structure (4) between a minimum pivot angle and a maximum pivot angle. The method comprises the steps of detecting an airborne object entering a predefined zone around the wind turbine (1), comparing a current tip height (H) of the wind turbine (1) to a maximum tip height value, the maximum tip height value representing a maximum allowable tip height under currently prevailing conditions. In the case that the current tip height (H) exceeds the maximum tip height value, a pivot angle (P) of wind turbine blades (5) is adjusted in order to decrease the tip height (H) of the wind turbine (1) to a value below the maximum tip height value.