Wind Turbine Stator Segmentation for Torque Discontinuity Control

Solution Overview

Problem

Wind power turbines face malfunctions leading to torque breaches, causing severe stress and oscillation on rotor blades, necessitating reinforced and oversized designs that increase weight and cost.

Innovation Solution

A wind power turbine design with a stator divided into subsystems, each connected to an independent electric transmission assembly, and a control device that adjusts torque reference values to minimize torque discontinuity and selectively deactivates malfunctioning assemblies, allowing for lighter and cheaper blade assemblies and reduced oscillation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the rotor and blades are designed to withstand severe stress and oscillation from torque breaches, then the reliability is improved, but the weight and cost increase due to reinforced and oversized structures

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovereliabilityVSAvoidweight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The stator is divided into multiple independent stator subsystems, each connected to the rotor through a separate electric transmission assembly. This segmentation allows the system to isolate malfunctions to individual assemblies rather than affecting the entire system, reducing torque breaches and oscillations that would otherwise require heavier reinforced structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the rotor and blades are designed to withstand severe stress and oscillation from torque breaches, then the reliability is improved, but the cost increases due to reinforced and oversized structures

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovereliabilityVSAvoidcost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The stator is divided into multiple independent stator subsystems, each connected to the rotor through a separate electric transmission assembly. This segmentation allows the system to isolate malfunctions to individual assemblies rather than affecting the entire system, reducing torque breaches and oscillations that would otherwise require heavier reinforced structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If a malfunction occurs in the electric transmission system, then the torque breach causes severe stress on the rotor, but the system can continue operating with reduced discontinuity by deactivating only the malfunctioning assembly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous operationVSAvoidtorque discontinuity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The stator is divided into multiple independent stator subsystems, each connected to the rotor through a separate electric transmission assembly. This segmentation allows the system to isolate malfunctions to individual assemblies rather than affecting the entire system, reducing torque breaches and oscillations that would otherwise require heavier reinforced structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

When a malfunction occurs in one electric transmission assembly, the control device deactivates only that specific assembly while maintaining operation of the other assemblies. This ensures continuous power generation with reduced torque discontinuity, as the remaining assemblies continue to contribute to the total output.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution reduces stress and oscillation on rotor blades by limiting torque variations and enabling continuous operation with reduced weight and cost, maintaining constant torque during malfunctions.

Implementation Method 1

at least one electric machine connected to the blade assembly to generate electric energy, and comprising a rotor, and a stator

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP4054073A1Wind power turbine for generating electric energy

Publication Date: 2022.09.07 LEITNER SPA VIPITENO

Figure 1
Figure 2

AI summary

A wind power turbine for producing and feeding electric energy to an electric power grid (9); the wind power turbine (1) having : a blade assembly (5); at least one electric machine (6) connected to the blade assembly (5) to generate electric energy, and having a rotor (11), and a stator (10) divided into a number (N) of stator subsystems (13); and an electric transmission system (7) for connecting the number of stator subsystems (13) to the electric power grid (9), and having an electric transmission assembly (14) for, and connected to, each stator subsystem (13); the wind power turbine being characterized by having a control device (8) connected to, and for receiving malfunction signals from, the electric transmission assemblies (14), and designed to define an individual target torque reference value (CND) on the basis of the malfunction signals from the electric transmission assemblies (14), so as to reduce discontinuity in the torque of the rotor (11).