Wind Turbine Load Control via Dynamic Pitch Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wind turbine control strategies often result in complete shutdown at high wind speeds, which can negatively impact power grid stability and fail to optimize energy production while ensuring structural safety, as they do not dynamically adjust to varying wind conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method and control system that monitor current wind loads and adjust parameters such as pitch angle, rotor speed, or generator power to maintain loads within design limits, allowing for optimized power production by reducing or increasing torque based on load errors, and employing sector control strategies to account for directional wind variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wind turbine is completely shut down at high wind speeds to ensure structural safety, then the loads on the wind turbine are reduced to safe levels, but the power production is significantly reduced and grid stability is negatively impacted
Solution Approach 1:
The control strategy dynamically adjusts turbine operation based on real-time load monitoring. Instead of static shutdown thresholds, the system continuously adapts pitch angles and power output to maintain loads within design limits while maximizing energy production across varying wind conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (pitch angle, rotor speed, generator torque) in response to monitored load conditions. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the turbine can operate safely at high wind speeds without complete shutdown, converting the binary shutdown decision into a continuous parameter optimization problem
2Productivity
If the wind turbine operates aggressively to maximize power production, then the energy conversion efficiency is improved, but the loads on the wind turbine exceed design limits and structural life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control system implements closed-loop feedback by continuously monitoring actual loads on the turbine and comparing them to design limits. Based on this feedback, the system adjusts operational parameters to maintain loads within safe boundaries while optimizing power production, creating a self-regulating control mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The turbine performs self-monitoring and self-adjustment of its operational parameters. The control system autonomously detects when loads approach design limits and automatically adjusts pitch and power output without external intervention, enabling the turbine to serve its own structural protection needs
3Reliability
If simple shutdown strategies are used to ensure structural safety, then the control system complexity is minimized, but the ability to optimize power production under varying wind conditions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The control strategy is segmented into modular components: load monitoring subsystem, load calculation algorithms, and parameter adjustment mechanisms. This modular structure allows the complex control function to be implemented through discrete, manageable modules rather than a monolithic system
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of controlling a wind turbine having a rotor and a generator for producing power, the wind turbine being designed for a nominal load, the method comprising the steps of: determining a current load acting on at least a part of the wind turbine; calculating a load error, the load error representing the difference between the nominal load and the current load; controlling the wind turbine based on the load error; wherein the step of controlling the wind turbine comprises altering a parameter of the wind turbine so that the power or torque produced by the generator is altered.