Wind Turbine Management Module for Automatic Fault Reset
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wind turbine management systems require significant downtime and increased maintenance costs due to the need for human intervention to assess and reset tripped turbines, especially in large wind farms, as they rely on manual analysis and intervention for fault detection and reset, leading to inefficiencies and productivity losses.
Innovation Solution
A wind turbine management system that includes a control server with a management module capable of receiving and analyzing operational data based on configurable rules to determine if a fault is resettable, allowing for automatic resetting of soft faults and generating detailed diagnostic logs for hard faults, thereby reducing downtime and maintenance needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual analysis and human intervention are used to assess and reset tripped wind turbines, then fault detection accuracy is improved, but downtime and maintenance costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through automated fault detection and reset capabilities. The management module automatically analyzes operational information, determines resettable faults using configurable rules, and executes reset commands without human intervention, allowing the wind turbine to service itself for common faults
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical human intervention process with an automated electronic system. The management module substitutes human engineers' manual analysis and reset actions with automated computational processes that analyze operational data and execute control commands
2Ease of operation
If multiple service engineers are maintained to handle multiple tripped wind turbines, then fault response capability is improved, but maintenance costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system eliminates the need for multiple service engineers by implementing self-service automation. The management module handles fault assessment and reset operations automatically, reducing maintenance staff requirements while maintaining adequate fault response capability
Solution Approach 2:
The management module serves multiple wind turbines simultaneously with a single system instance, providing universal fault detection and reset capabilities across the entire wind farm rather than requiring dedicated engineers for each turbine
3Measurement precision
If physical inspection is conducted to identify fault causes, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but turnaround time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces physical inspection with remote electronic analysis. The management module retrieves and analyzes operational information from the wind turbine remotely, substituting the need for service engineers to physically travel to and inspect each turbine
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary fault assessment automatically before dispatching service personnel. The management module analyzes operational information and determines resettable faults in advance, so that when service engineers do arrive, they only need to handle complex cases rather than performing initial diagnostics
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of wind turbine management includes receiving operational information (130) on operational characteristics of a wind turbine (102). The operational information (130) is analyzed based on a set of rules (240), and a determination is made as to whether a fault of the wind turbine (102) is resettable. The set of rules (240) may be configured based on operating configuration of the wind turbine (102).