Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker Control via Yaw Area Calculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for controlling shadow flickers from wind turbines are inadequate, as they do not accurately account for the spatial intersection of the rotor swept area and sensitive areas, leading to potential impacts on residents and farmed animals, and existing solutions only offer limited adjustments or shutdowns without comprehensive real-time control strategies.
Innovation Solution
A method that calculates the yaw-prohibited area affected by shadow flickers, determines the current yaw angle, and adjusts the yaw angle to avoid interference, incorporating a reference coordinate system and light intensity thresholds to ensure the wind turbine operates within safe parameters, either shutting down or adjusting the turbine as necessary to prevent shadow flickers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the wind turbine operates continuously, then energy production is maintained, but shadow flickers may impact sensitive areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the wind turbine yaw angle based on real-time calculation of the yaw-prohibited area. The system continuously adjusts the yaw angle to ensure the rotor swept area projection does not intersect with sensitive areas, allowing continuous operation while avoiding shadow flicker impacts through adaptive positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback control by calculating the yaw-prohibited area based on current operational parameters and comparing it with the yaw-allowable area. The system uses this feedback to determine whether to adjust or shut down the wind turbine, creating a closed-loop control system that responds to changing conditions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the yaw angle is adjusted to avoid shadow flickers, then sensitive areas are protected, but wind turbine operation may be disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the yaw angle within the yaw-allowable area to avoid the yaw-prohibited area. By calculating the intersection between the rotor swept area projection and sensitive areas, the system determines optimal yaw angles that protect sensitive areas while maintaining wind turbine operation, rather than simply shutting down.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters (yaw angle) based on calculated prohibited and allowable areas. The system adjusts the yaw angle parameter to ensure the rotor swept area projection does not intersect with sensitive areas, allowing continuous operation under modified parameters rather than complete shutdown.
3Measurement precision
If real-time calculation of yaw-prohibited area is performed, then accurate shadow flicker control is achieved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control problem into distinct calculations: determining the yaw-prohibited area based on light intensity and geometric constraints, calculating the yaw-allowable area based on operational parameters, and comparing these areas to determine control actions. This segmentation simplifies the overall algorithm while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional area calculations to three-dimensional spatial analysis by considering the rotor swept area projection in 3D space. By projecting the rotor swept area onto the ground plane and analyzing its intersection with sensitive areas, the system achieves accurate control while managing computational complexity through geometric simplification.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a method for controlling shadow flickers of a wind turbine, comprising: in Step 1, acquiring a current time of a wind farm; in Step 2, calculating a yaw-prohibited area that is affected by shadow flickers at the current moment; in Step 3, acquiring a current yaw angle of the wind turbine, and calculating a yaw-allowable area according to the yaw angle; and in Step 4, determining and selecting measures to avoid the influence of shadow flickers according to the current yaw angle as well as the relationship between the yaw-prohibited area and the yaw-allowable area. Taking into consideration the influence of an actual spatial intersection of a rotor swept area projection area and a sensitive area, the present disclosure selects a reasonable control strategy by calculating the yaw-prohibited area causing the light and shadow influence at the time t, determining a current yaw angle, and a relationship between the yaw-allowable area and the yaw-prohibited area, so as to keep in line with the actual running of the wind turbine.