Vestas Wind Systems A/s

Mhi Vestas Offshore Wind A/s

Vestas Offshore Wind A/s

Creaby, Justin

Chris Spruce

Kelvin Hales

Judith Turner

Robert Bowyer

Chakradhar Byreddy

Christopher Palmer

Martin Evans

Carsten Hein Westergaard

Yu Zhou

Eik Herbsleb

Justin Creaby

Jens Jakob Wedel-Heinen

Nicholas Hucker

Poul Oslo Rasmussen

Niels Anker Olesen

John Amundsen

Anders Vejby

Søren Lund Bjerregaard

Jenny Goodman

Generating a control schedule for a wind turbine, the control schedule indicating how the turbine maximum power level varies over time. Generating the control schedule includes determining a value indicative of the current remaining fatigue lifetime of the turbine, or one or more turbine components, based on measured wind turbine site and/or operating data; applying an optimisation function that varies an initial control schedule to determine an optimised control schedule by varying the trade off between energy capture and fatigue life consumed by the turbine or the one or more turbine components until an optimised control schedule is determined.

Methods and systems for generating wind turbine control schedules

A method of generating a control schedule for a wind turbine is provided, the control schedule indicating how the turbine maximum power level varies over time, the method comprising: receiving input indicative of a target minimum wind turbine lifetime; determining a value indicative of the current remaining fatigue lifetime of the wind turbine or one or more turbine components, based on measured wind turbine site and/or operating data; and varying a parameter of an initial predefined control schedule that specifies how the turbine maximum power level varies over time. The parameter is varied by: (i) adjusting the parameter of the initial predefined control schedule; (ii) estimating the future fatigue lifetime consumed by the wind turbine or the one or more turbine components, over the duration of the varied control schedule, based upon the varied control schedule; and (iii) repeating steps (i) and (ii) until the estimated future fatigue lifetime consumed by the wind turbine or each of the one or more turbine components is sufficient to allow the target minimum wind turbine life to be reached.

A wind turbine, power plant and associated method of controlling a wind turbine is provided. Data is obtained that identifies, based on forecast data, one or more future periods of time during which it would be desirable to over-rate the wind turbine, and measures of the fatigue life consumed by one or more turbine components are determined. The total fatigue life consumed by the one or more turbine components is limited prior to the one or more periods of time by controlling the power output of the wind turbine, in advance of the one or more periods of time, based upon the measure of the fatigue life consumed by the one or more turbine components.

Wind turbine control based on forecasts

A method is provided of controlling a wind turbine that is operating according to a control signal causing the wind turbine to be over-rated above the wind turbine's rated power. The method comprises: obtaining one or more signals, or values of variables, that indicate the fatigue lifetime of one or more of the wind turbine's components from turbine sensors; applying a lifetime usage estimator algorithm to the signals or values to determine measures of the fatigue life consumed by each of the turbine components; calculating, for each of the turbine components, a rate of consumption of fatigue life based on the measures of the fatigue life consumed by each of the turbine components; and controlling the turbine to reduce the amount of power by which the wind turbine is over-rated based on the rate of consumption of fatigue life for at least one of the turbine components.

Control method and system for protection of wind turbines

A control schedule for a wind turbine indicates how the turbine maximum power level varies over time. Generating the schedule includes determining a value indicative of the current remaining fatigue lifetime of the turbine, or one or more turbine components, based on measured wind turbine site and/or operating data; applying an optimisation function that varies an initial control schedule to determine an optimised control schedule by varying the trade-off between energy capture and fatigue life consumed by the turbine or the one or more turbine components until an optimised control schedule is determined.

Aspects described herein include a method of generating a control schedule for a wind turbine. The control schedule specifies a maximum power level that varies over time. The method comprises determining a value indicative of a current remaining fatigue lifetime of the wind turbine or of one or more components. The method further comprises applying an optimization function to perform an optimization to determine an optimized control schedule. The optimization comprises varying a plurality of parameters of an initial control schedule to produce a varied control schedule, estimating a future fatigue lifetime to be consumed by the wind turbine or the one or more components over the duration of the varied control schedule, and constraining the optimization according to one or more input constraints.

A method of generating a control schedule for a wind turbine is provided, the control schedule indicating how the turbine maximum power level varies over time, the method comprising: receiving input indicative of the maximum number of times that each of one or more turbine components are to be replaced over the remaining lifetime of the turbine; determining a value indicative of the current remaining fatigue lifetime of the turbine, or one or more of the turbine components, based on measured wind turbine site and/or operating data; and varying a parameter of an initial predefined control schedule that specifies how the turbine maximum power level varies over time. The varying is performed by: (i) adjusting the parameter of the initial predefined control schedule; (ii) estimating the future fatigue lifetime consumed by the wind turbine, or one or more turbine components, over the duration of the varied control schedule, based upon the varied control schedule and accounting for the replacements of the one or more turbine components; and (iii) repeating steps (i) and (ii) until the estimated future fatigue lifetime consumed by the wind turbine or each of the one or more turbine components is sufficient to allow a target minimum wind turbine life to be reached.

Determination of Wind Turbine Configuration The present invention relates to a method and computer system for determining a configuration of a wind turbine of a given wind turbine type, the method comprising the steps of: storing in a database a plurality of combinations of physical and control parameters of the wind turbine that can be varied; determining a plurality of wind flow characteristics at a target location; applying a function which defines a relationship between a performance parameter, a fatigue life estimation, the combination of physical and control parameters and the plurality of wind flow characteristics, to at least some of the plurality of combinations in the database to determine values of the performance parameter and the fatigue life estimation for those combinations; and selecting one of the combinations of physical and control parameters as the configuration of the wind turbine for the target location on the basis of the performance parameter and fatigue life estimation values.

Determination of wind turbine configuration

Methods for calculating a maximum safe over-rated power demand for a wind turbine operating in non-standard conditions include the steps of determining a value indicative of a risk of exceeding an ultimate design load during operation in a standard operating condition, and establishing a maximum over-rated power demand corresponding to a maximum power that the turbine may produce under the non-standard operating condition without incurring an increased risk of exceeding the ultimate design load, with respect to operation in the standard condition. A method of over-rating a wind turbine, a wind turbine controller, a wind turbine and a wind power plant are also claimed.

Extreme load control

A method for controlling a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine is a turbine of the type that is operated to perform a control function that controls the amount of power produced based upon measures of fatigue life consumption of one or more turbine components. The method comprises initialising the control function by: over-riding or bypassing () the control function for a predetermined period of time, such that power produced by the wind turbine is not altered based upon the determined measures of fatigue life consumption; during the predetermined period of time, operating () one or more fatigue lifetime usage estimation algorithms, to determine a measure of the fatigue life consumed by each of the one or more turbine components; and after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, activating () the control function and using, in the control function, at least one of the measures of fatigue life consumption determined during the predetermined period of time. A corresponding wind turbine controller and wind power plant controller are also provided.

Initialisation of wind turbine control functions

A method is disclosed for controlling a wind turbine generator to provide power above a rated level. The wind turbine includes one or more electrical components that conduct current from the internal generator to supply the external grid. The control method calculates the maximum current that the electrical components can carry at the ambient temperature. The calculated current is combined with a measurement of the voltage and an estimate of reactive power in the system to give a maximum power at which the wind turbine can operate without the maximum allowable current being exceeded for the electrical components. The electrical components may be housed in the main electrical panel of the wind turbine.

Over-rating control of a wind turbine generator

The present invention relates to a method and control system comprising at least one cable temperature sensor for measuring cable temperature values for at least one power collection cable () connected to a wind turbine () and a controller () arranged to generate and output an overrating control signal to the wind turbine (). The output overrating control signal sets an amount by which the power output of the wind turbine () is to be overrated. It is determined whether the measured cable temperature values exceed a temperature set point and modifying the overrating control signal to reduce the amount of overrating if the temperature set point is exceeded.

Control of wind turbines

A method is disclosed for controlling a wind turbine generator to provide power above a rated level based upon operational constraints. The wind turbine includes an over-rating controller that calculates an over-rating power demand in response to the values of one or more operating parameters, and communicates this demand to the generator. An over-rating command value is calculated according to set points of the operating parameter(s), the calculation taking into account the extent to which the operating parameter differs from these set points. The over-rating command value may vary proportionately with the difference between the operating parameter and the associated set point. If multiple operating parameters are used then the over-rating power demand may correspond to the minimum over-rating command value. Furthermore, the power demand maybe communicated to wind turbine generators individually, or may be calculated for a wind turbine park.

Wind turbine with over-rating control

A method of controlling a wind turbine is provided. The method comprises determining a target fatigue life consumption for each of one or more components of the wind turbine; comparing the target fatigue life consumption with a measure of fatigue life consumption for each of the one or more turbine components; and controlling the turbine power output based upon the comparison. The target fatigue life consumption is determined by combining data indicative of a target rate of accumulation of fatigue damage over at least a portion of the operating life of the wind turbine and data indicative of an expected rate of accumulation of fatigue damage caused by seasonal variations in turbine operating conditions. A corresponding wind turbine controller and wind power plant controller is also provided.

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Leatherhead, United Kingdom

Chris Spruce