Wind Turbine Safety Controller Startup Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind turbine safety systems struggle to ensure safe startup and restart of wind turbines, particularly in preventing overspeed events caused by high winds or malfunctioning pitching systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a safety controller to monitor safety parameters, deliver warning signals to the operation controller, and prevent startup if safety thresholds are not met, ensuring that the wind turbine pitching system is not activated until safety conditions are met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety system is implemented to protect the wind turbine from fault conditions, then the reliability of the wind turbine operation is improved, but the complexity of the control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into two distinct controllers: an operation controller that manages normal wind turbine operation, and a safety controller that independently monitors safety parameters. This segmentation allows the safety function to be isolated from the main operation control, improving reliability without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety controller performs preliminary monitoring of safety parameters before the wind turbine starts operation. By checking safety conditions in advance and preventing startup if parameters are outside thresholds, the system proactively prevents unsafe operations without requiring complex real-time intervention mechanisms during operation.
2Reliability
If the wind turbine is shut down to protect from damage, then the reliability is improved, but the productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The safety controller checks safety parameters before allowing startup, preventing the wind turbine from operating in unsafe conditions. This preliminary action avoids the need for emergency shutdowns during operation, thereby protecting the turbine while minimizing interruptions to power production.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety controller continuously monitors safety parameters and provides feedback to prevent startup if conditions are unsafe. This feedback mechanism ensures the wind turbine only operates when safety conditions are met, maintaining reliability while maximizing productive operation time.
3Measurement precision
If a redundant monitoring system is used to detect faults, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring function is segmented and assigned to a dedicated safety controller that independently monitors safety parameters. This separate monitoring system provides precise fault detection without requiring complex integration with the main operation controller, as each controller has a specific, focused function.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety controller performs preliminary checks of safety parameters before startup and continues monitoring during operation. This continuous, focused monitoring of specific safety-critical parameters provides high measurement precision for fault detection without the need for comprehensive complex monitoring of all system parameters.
Data Source
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AI summary
There is described a method for operating a wind turbine, a safety system, and a wind turbine comprising a rotor, at least two pitchable rotor blades, a pitching system, an operation controller and a safety controller. The method comprising the steps of: determine a value for at least one safety paremeters with the safety controller, compare the value of the at least one safety parameters with at least one safety threshold and if the value is different from the at least one safety threshold the safety controller delivers a warning signal to the operation controller and prevents the wind turbine (100) from starting up. Further, a safety system comprising a memory and a processor and means for carrying out the method is also disclosed.