Wind Turbine Safety Parameter Validation for Operating Range Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of wind turbines makes it difficult to change operating ranges without risking errors, requiring specially qualified users and significant effort, and existing monitoring systems are restrictive and prone to conservative, inflexible settings.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a management system and a separate safety system that allows changes to safety parameters through a parameter block with multiple safety features, including checks against wind turbine-specific information, ensuring only suitable parameters are accepted, and enabling updates by any user via a secure interface or remote maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If operating ranges are changed to optimize wind turbine performance, then adaptability improves, but the risk of errors and system reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary validation of parameter blocks before applying them to the wind turbine operation. The validation includes checking checksums, digital signatures, and parameter consistency against the wind turbine's configuration data before allowing operational changes, thus preventing erroneous parameters from compromising system reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the wind turbine's actual configuration data is used to verify the parameter blocks. The control device receives feedback about the wind turbine's identity and configuration, compares it with the parameter block requirements, and only accepts parameters that match the actual system state, preventing mismatches and errors
2Reliability
If parameter changes require specially qualified users with authentication, then system security improves, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wind turbine system performs self-validation of parameter blocks using its own configuration data and identity information. The control device automatically verifies parameter consistency with the actual wind turbine setup without requiring manual authentication or intervention by specially qualified users, simplifying the operation while maintaining security
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses cryptographic parameters (checksums, digital signatures) embedded in the parameter blocks to automatically verify authenticity and integrity. These parameter-based verification mechanisms replace manual authentication processes, maintaining security while eliminating the need for specially qualified users to perform complex verification procedures
Data Source
AI summary
A management system for controlling a wind turbine according to prescribed rules and a safety system, separate from the management system, for monitoring the wind turbine on the basis of operational characteristic values, wherein the safety system transfers the wind turbine to a safe plant state independently of the management system if safety-critical operational characteristic values violate safety parameters stored in the safety system, in order to change at least one safety parameter stored in the safety system a parameter block comprising the at least one safety parameter and at least two safety features is supplied to the safety system and accepted by the safety system only after a positive check on the safety features, wherein the check on at least one of the safety features requires comparison against check information available directly on the wind turbine.