Wind Turbine Generator Temperature Control via Closed-Loop Regulation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbines face significant thermal stress due to varying operational and climatic conditions, leading to overheating and reduced component lifetime, particularly in generators, where existing control strategies either derate power production or fail to accurately monitor rotor temperatures, resulting in suboptimal performance and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A closed-loop regulation system for wind turbine generators that uses computation means to estimate temperatures from measurable parameters like rotor current, stator temperature, and cooling fluid temperature, feeding control outputs to controllers to adjust operational parameters such as blade pitch, power, and torque, thereby maintaining optimal temperature levels and reducing fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heating and cooling system is used to maintain generator temperature, then the generator temperature can be kept at optimal operational temperature, but the system becomes extremely large, heavy, and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The wind turbine generator uses its own operational parameters (rotor current, stator temperature, cooling fluid temperature) to self-regulate its temperature through closed-loop control, eliminating the need for external heating and cooling systems. The system adjusts its own operational parameters to maintain optimal temperature ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system changes operational parameters (such as rotor current, blade pitch, power output) to regulate generator temperature. By dynamically adjusting these parameters based on feedback from temperature sensors, the system maintains optimal temperature without requiring dedicated thermal control hardware.
2Measurement precision
If temperature sensors are installed in the rotor to monitor rotor temperature, then accurate rotor temperature monitoring is achieved, but the system complexity increases due to slip rings and signal transmission issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses stator temperature and cooling fluid temperature as intermediary measurements to indirectly infer rotor temperature. Instead of directly measuring rotor temperature through complex slip ring connections, the system uses readily available stator and cooling fluid temperature data combined with rotor current to calculate and estimate rotor temperature through computational models.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical slip ring system with an electrical/computational solution. Instead of physically transmitting sensor signals from the rotating rotor through slip rings, the system uses electrical current measurements and computational algorithms to determine rotor temperature, eliminating the mechanical transmission complexity.
3Temperature
If power production is derated to prevent overheating, then generator temperature is controlled, but productivity and power output are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements closed-loop feedback control where temperature measurements from sensors continuously inform the control system, which then adjusts operational parameters to maintain optimal temperature. This feedback mechanism allows the system to operate at maximum power output while staying within safe temperature limits, avoiding unnecessary derating.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system dynamically adjusts operational parameters in real-time based on changing conditions. Rather than static derating, the system continuously optimizes power output while maintaining temperature control, allowing maximum productivity when conditions permit and making only necessary adjustments when temperature limits are approached.
Data Source
AI summary
A wind turbine and a method for controlling the temperature of a wind turbine generator are disclosed, the wind turbine comprising a generator, generator temperature control means and means for providing input representative of at least one temperature of the generator to the generator temperature control means, the generator temperature control means including a closed-loop regulation arranged to determine a deviation of the input from at least one desired value, compute the magnitude of at least one control output in dependency of the determined deviation, and feed the control output to at least one controller of the wind turbine in order to reduce the deviation, the controller comprising control means for controlling the operation of the wind turbine in response to the at least one control output by changing one or more operational parameters of the wind turbine, which parameters influence the at least one temperature of the generator.