Wind Turbine Wake Control Using Operability-Based Settings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for controlling wind turbines in wind farms are computationally expensive and complex when dealing with various combinations of stopped and operating turbines, especially in large wind farms, due to the need to solve numerous optimization problems for each wind condition.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines pre-determined control settings for wind turbines based on whether downstream turbines are operable or non-operable, using a wind direction-specific association data structure to quickly apply optimal settings for the entire wind park or individual turbines, reducing computational complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dedicated model-based optimization problem is solved for each combination of stopped and operating turbines, then optimal control settings are achieved, but computational cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores optimal control settings for all possible wake scenarios in lookup tables before actual operation. When a turbine is stopped, the controller simply queries the pre-computed lookup table based on current wind conditions and turbine configuration, avoiding real-time optimization computations. This preliminary action transforms complex real-time optimization into simple table lookup operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates simplified representations of complex optimization results by storing control settings in lookup tables. Instead of solving full optimization problems online, the system uses pre-computed copies of optimal solutions for different scenarios, which can be quickly retrieved and applied without re-solving the underlying complex optimization models.
2Productivity
If the number of turbines N increases in large wind farms, then total power production capacity increases, but the number of possible stopped/operating combinations (2^N) explodes computationally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wind farm control problem into individual turbine-level decisions based on wake relationships. Instead of solving one massive optimization problem for all N turbines simultaneously, the system divides the problem into N separate control settings that can be independently determined from pre-computed lookup tables, each considering only the relevant wake interactions for that specific turbine.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs all complex computational work offline before operation, pre-computing optimal control settings for every possible combination of stopped and operating turbines and storing them in lookup tables. During actual operation with N turbines, the system only needs to perform simple table lookups based on current conditions, reducing online computational time from exponential to constant time complexity.
3Reliability
If conventional control settings assume all downstream turbines are running, then optimization is valid for full operation, but performance degrades when turbines are stopped
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the control settings dynamic by selecting different pre-computed settings from lookup tables based on the actual operational state of downstream turbines. Instead of using fixed conventional settings that assume all turbines are running, the system dynamically queries and applies the appropriate control settings corresponding to the current configuration of operating and stopped turbines, ensuring optimization accuracy is maintained under all operational conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameters (blade pitch angles, rotor speeds, power setpoints) based on the operational status of downstream turbines. By querying lookup tables with different operational scenarios, the system retrieves and applies parameter sets that are specifically optimized for each configuration, thereby maintaining optimal power production and load management regardless of which turbines are stopped or running.
Data Source
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AI summary
It is described a method for controlling at least one considered wind turbine (5) in a wind park (1), comprising: determining, based on a wind condition (7b), in particular wind direction (7b), whether another wind turbine (9a,...,9e) is in a wake region caused by the considered wind turbine; if another wind turbine (9b) is the closest wind turbine in the wake region (lib) and if the other wind turbine (9b) is in an operable state, applying a first control setting (15) to the considered wind turbine (5); if the other wind turbine (Ob) is in a non-operable state applying a second control setting (17) to the considered wind turbine (5), wherein the first control setting is based on wind park level optimisation and the second control setting is based on wind turbine level optimisation.