Wind Turbine Ring Gear Drive Control for Balanced Load Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wind turbines, the variation in backlash between drive devices and the ring gear leads to uneven loads, causing reduced device life and potential breakage, especially during extreme weather conditions.
Innovation Solution
A wind turbine drive system with motor drive and braking portions, along with a state quantity detection unit and control unit that adjusts the load distribution among drive devices by detecting and managing the load between the meshing portions and the ring gear, ensuring a balanced load distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multiple drive devices are used to drive the ring gear, then the drive force is sufficient for pitch and yaw control, but the load distribution among drive devices becomes uneven due to backlash variation
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives load information from each drive device's load detection unit and adjusts the drive force distribution accordingly. The controller modifies the operation of each drive device based on feedback about actual load conditions, ensuring balanced load distribution despite backlash variations among multiple drive devices
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the drive force parameters of individual drive devices based on their specific backlash characteristics and real-time load conditions. By adjusting motor output torque and speed parameters differently for each drive device, the system achieves uniform load distribution across all drive devices
2Power
If the number of drive devices is increased to handle higher wind turbine output, then the power capacity is improved, but the load variation among drive devices becomes more pronounced
Solution Approach 1:
Each drive device is equipped with a load detection unit that provides real-time load information to the controller. The controller uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the drive force of each device, ensuring that even with an increased number of drive devices, the load distribution remains balanced and no single device is overloaded
Solution Approach 2:
The control system divides the total drive force requirement into segmented portions for each drive device based on their individual characteristics. By independently controlling each drive device's contribution to the total drive force, the system manages load distribution effectively across multiple devices
3Power
If excessive load acts on drive devices during extreme weather conditions, then the immediate drive capability is maintained, but the device lifespan is reduced and breakage may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors load conditions and preemptively adjusts drive force distribution to prevent excessive loads before they occur. During extreme weather conditions, the system detects increasing load trends and redistributes drive forces in advance to protect drive devices from overload damage, extending their operational lifespan
Solution Approach 2:
The load detection units provide continuous feedback on actual load conditions to the controller. This real-time monitoring enables the system to detect approaching overload conditions and adjust drive forces accordingly, preventing excessive loads that would reduce device lifespan or cause breakage
Data Source
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AI summary
A wind turbine drive system (5) includes a plurality of drive devices (10), a state quantity detection unit, and a control unit. The plurality of drive devices (10) are provided in a first structure (a nacelle (103)), and a ring gear (107) is provided in a second structure (a tower (102)). Each of the drive devices (10) includes a motor drive portion for outputting power, a speed reducing portion, and a motor braking portion for braking the motor drive portion. The state quantity detection unit detects, for each of the drive devices (10), a load between a meshing portion (24a) of each of the drive devices (10) and the ring gear (107). Based on the above-described load for the each of the drive devices (10) detected by the state quantity detection unit, the control unit controls the motor drive portion and/or the motor braking portion of each of the plurality of drive devices so as to reduce a degree of variation in the above-described load among the drive devices (10).