General Electric Company

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc

Amy Marlene Ridenour

Jeffrey Alan Melius

Cyrus David Harbourt

Howard Ross Edmunds

Andrew Scott Wilkinson

Robert Gregory Wagoner

William John Bonneau

Harold Robert Schnetzka

Govardhan Ganireddy

Arvind Kumar Tiwari

Kapil Jha

Jih-Sheng Lai

Brian Nedward Meyer

Yashomani Yashodhan Kolhatkar

Christopher Todd Moore

Brian Matthew Aiken

Brian Eric Lindholm

Christopher James McMenamin

Christopher Lee Tschappatt

Changrong Liu

David Gerard Wanner, Jr

David Gerard Wanner

Christopher L Tschappatt

Jeffrey Alan Mulius

An electrical power system connected to a power grid can include a generator having a stator and a rotor and a power converter. The stator is connected to the power grid via a stator power path. The power converter can include a line-side converter coupled to the power grid via a converter power path and a rotor-side converter coupled to a rotor bus of the rotor and the line-side converter via a DC link. The rotor-side converter is configured to convert a DC power on the DC link to an AC signal for the rotor bus. The power system can also include an active filter having one or more active controlled components. The active filter is coupled in parallel with the rotor-side converter to reduce harmonics of the electrical power system.

DFIG converter with active filter

Wind turbine systems and methods for operating wind turbine systems are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes gating on a dynamic brake switch of a dynamic brake in a wind turbine power converter when an experienced direct current (DC) bus voltage is equal to or greater than a threshold DC bus voltage. The method further includes disabling a threshold temperature rating for the dynamic brake switch when the dynamic brake switch is gated on, and gating off the dynamic brake switch when the experienced DC bus voltage is less than the threshold DC bus voltage.

Methods for operating wind turbine system having dynamic brake

A method for controlling a pitch control system of a wind turbine includes providing a charged backup battery configured to supply no energy to a DC link when full AC input power is available, wherein the DC link includes a DC link capacitor. The method further includes using energy stored in the DC link capacitor to operate a pitch control system during a loss or dip of AC input power, and maintaining charge on the DC link capacitor using the charged backup battery as voltage across the DC link capacitor drops during the operation of the pitch control system.

Pitch control battery backup methods and system

DC/DC converter has a transformer having primary coils connected to an input side and secondary coils connected to an output side. Each primary coil connects a full-bridge circuit comprising two switches on two legs, the primary coil being connected between the switches on each leg, each full-bridge circuit being connected in parallel wherein each leg is disposed parallel to one another, and the secondary coils connected to a rectifying circuit. An outer loop control circuit that reduces ripple in a voltage reference has a first resistor connected in series with a second resistor connected in series with a first capacitor which are connected in parallel with a second capacitor. An inner loop control circuit that reduces ripple in a current reference has a third resistor connected in series with a fourth resistor connected in series with a third capacitor which are connected in parallel with a fourth capacitor.

Multiphase soft switched DC/DC converter and active control technique for fuel cell ripple current elimination

A rotor for a wind turbine generator includes a rotatable hub forming a cavity. A plurality of rotor blades is connected to the hub. A heat sink is at least partially positioned within the cavity and extends along a portion of a corresponding rotor blade. The heat sink includes a bottom surface mounted on a thermal energy generating component of the wind turbine generator. An opposing top planar surface includes a plurality of pins extending therefrom. The pins form an air flow path through the pins to dissipate the generated thermal energy from the thermal energy generating component.

Method and apparatus for gravity induced thermal energy dissipation

A method for powering a pitch motor drive system for at least one DC pitch motor of a wind turbine includes rectifying a voltage using a bridge circuit to thereby supply a DC link voltage to a bridge comprising active switching devices, and utilizing at least one link capacitor to smooth the DC link voltage and act as an energy sink and source for the DC pitch motor or motors.

Methods and apparatus for pitch control power conversion

Growing community of inventors

Salem, VA, United States of America

Amy Marlene Ridenour