General Electric Company

Danian Zheng

Xiongzhe Huang

Hua Xia

David Deloyd Anderson

Mohamed Ahmed Ali

Norman Arnold Turnquist

Kevin Thomas McCarthy

Biao Fang

Stephen Bertram Johnson

Brandon Shane Gerber

Kirk Gee Pierce

Scott Charles Evans

Frederick Wilson Wheeler

Wendy Wen-Ling Lin

Vasanth Srinivasa Kothnur

Lawrence Donald Willey

Jay F Leonard

Wei Xiong

Peter John Eisenzopf

William Francis Gevers

Brian Allen Rittenhouse

Kenneth Bradley Leland

Roy Paul Swintek

Robert P Grimley

Balaji Haridasu

Wendy Wenling Lin

William Guy Morris

Darren John Danielsen

Sumit Bose

Cheryl Margaret Surman

Shu Ching Quek

Jignesh Govindlal Gandhi

William E Holley

David So Keung Chan

Juntao Wu

Samuel Bryan Shartzer

Peter Alan Gregg

Samuel Davoust

Conner Brooks Shane

Alexander Seth Ross

Bruce William Brisson

David James Monk

Nurali Virani

Ramy Michael Souri

Yun Li

Timothy Botsford Cribbs

Pritesh Jain

Thomas Ernst Dinjus

David Cole Magnuson

Richard Gawrelski

David Forrest Loy

Shuang Gu

Roman Kolar

Matthew Damian Pietrzykowski

Vijendra Singh Chauhan

Raveendra Penmatsa

Alvaro Enrique Gil

Brian Keith Andreson

Adam Lord

Raul Munoz

Ricardo Zetina

James Huu Phan

Veronica Hernandez-Ortiz

William Edwin Holley

Lawrence D Willey

A method for protecting a wind turbine from extreme and fatigue loads associated with high wind speed events includes receiving, via a wind turbine condition estimator programmed in a turbine controller of the wind turbine, operating data indicative of current wind turbine operation. Further, the method includes determining, via the wind turbine condition estimator, a plurality of estimated wind turbine conditions at the wind turbine by solving a control algorithm having one or more equations using the operating data. The estimated wind turbine conditions include, at least, an estimated wind speed at the wind turbine and a loading proxy of the wind turbine. As such, the method includes implementing, via the turbine controller, a corrective action only when each of the estimated wind turbine conditions indicates that one or more loading conditions of the wind turbine exceeds a predetermined limit.

System and method for protecting wind turbines from extreme and fatigue loads

A method for controlling the operation of a wind turbine may generally include monitoring a current yaw position of a nacelle of the wind turbine, wherein the current yaw position is located within one of a plurality of yaw sectors defined for the nacelle. In addition, the method may include monitoring a wind-dependent parameter of the wind turbine and determining a variance of the wind-dependent parameter over time, wherein the variance is indicative of variations in a wind parameter associated with the wind turbine. Moreover, the method may include determining at least one curtailed operating setpoint for the wind turbine when the variance exceeds a predetermined variance threshold, wherein the curtailed operating setpoint(s) is determined based at least in part on historical wind data for the yaw sector associated with the current yaw position.

System and method for controlling the operation of a wind turbine

A method for assessing or validating wind turbine or wind farm performance produced by one or more upgrades is provided. Measurements of operating data from wind turbines in a wind farm are obtained. Baseline models of performance are generated, and each of the baseline models is developed from a different portion of the operating data. A generating step filters the wind turbines so that they are in a balanced randomized state. An optimal baseline model of performance is selected from the baseline models and the optimal baseline model includes direction. The optimal baseline model of performance and an actual performance of the wind farm or wind turbine is compared. The comparing step determines a difference between an optimal baseline model of power output and an actual power output of the wind farm/turbine. The difference is reflective of a change in the power output produced by the upgrades.

System and method for assessing and validating wind turbine and wind farm performance

A method for evaluating performance of a wind turbine includes operating the wind turbine in a first operational mode. The method also includes generating a first set of operational data relating to the first operational mode. More specifically, the first set of operational data includes, at least, a first parameter and a second parameter. Further, the first and second parameters of the first set are measured during different time periods during the first operational mode. The method further includes changing the first operational mode to a second operational mode. Moreover, the method includes generating a second set of operational data relating to the second operational mode. The second set of operational data also includes, at least, a first parameter and a second parameter. Thus, the method includes determining a performance characteristic of the first and second operational modes based on the first and second sets of operational data.

Offset toggle method for wind turbine operation

A system and method for reducing oscillation loads of a wind turbine induced by high turbulence and/or combined with other environmental conditions are provided. The method includes determining at least one wind parameter at the wind turbine; monitoring an operating condition of the wind turbine; determining, by a processor, a variance of at least one of the monitored operating condition or a plurality of the wind parameters, wherein the variance is indicative of an oscillation occurring at one or more wind turbine components; determining, by a processor, an operating set point based on the variance; and, operating the wind turbine based on the operating set point when the variance indicates that the oscillation has a frequency within a certain frequency band so as to modify the frequency, wherein the modified frequency is outside of the frequency band and reduces oscillation loads occurring at the one or more wind turbine components.

System and method for reducing oscillation loads of wind turbine

A wind turbine tower includes a door access opening in a down tower area of the tower. A hinged door panel covers the door access opening, with a ventilation opening defined through the door panel. A multi-sided intake structure, such as a box-like structure, is connected to an exterior of the door panel over the first ventilation opening. The intake structure extends transversely from the door panel and includes a top side, a bottom side, and at least two vertical sides extending between the top side and the bottom side. The vertical sides are open to air flow therethrough. The top and bottom sides may also be open to air flow therethrough. Air from multiple directions is drawn into an interior of the wind turbine tower through the intake structure and ventilation opening. A filtering system with first and second stage filters may be incorporated with any of the intake structures.

Multi-sided ventilation assembly for wind turbine tower access door

A method for stopping the operation of a wind turbine is disclosed. The method may generally include receiving signals associated with at least one operating condition of the wind turbine, analyzing the at least one operating condition with a controller of the wind turbine, implementing a first stopping procedure in order to stop operation of the wind turbine when analysis of the at least one operating condition indicates that a pitch system failure has occurred and implementing a second stopping procedure in order to stop operation of the wind turbine when analysis of the at least one operating condition indicates that a different wind turbine stop event has occurred.

System and method for stopping the operation of wind turbine

A method of operating a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine includes a rotor that is rotatably coupled to a generator that is positioned within a nacelle. The rotor includes one or more rotor blades that are coupled to a hub. The method includes transmitting, from a first sensor to a control system, at least a first monitoring signal indicative of a first wind condition at a first distance from the wind turbine. A second sensor transmits at least a second monitoring signal that is indicative of a second wind condition at a second distance from the wind turbine that is longer than the first distance to the control system. The control system calculates a wind turbine operating command based at least in part on the first monitoring signal and the second monitoring signal. One or more wind turbine components are operated based on the calculated wind turbine operating command.

System and methods for controlling wind turbine

In one aspect, a system for monitoring load-related parameters of a rotor blade of a wind turbine is disclosed. The system may generally include a plurality of reflective targets positioned within the rotor blade. Each reflective target may include a unique visual identifier. In addition, the system may include a light source configured to illuminate the reflective targets and a sensor configured to detect light reflected from the reflective targets.

System and method for monitoring load-related parameters of a wind turbine rotor blade

A bolt connection assembly is provided that is particularly suited for connecting components of a lattice structure wind tower. The assembly includes a pin component having a head and a shaft, with the shaft having a textured friction-fit outer circumferential surface. The shaft further includes a threaded internal bore. A bolt component having a threaded shaft engages within the threaded internal bore. In an assembled state of the pin component and bolt component, the threaded shaft has a free length section that extends into the threaded internal bore for increased distribution of a specified pretension of the bolt component.

Bolt connection for a wind tower lattice structure

A boiling water reactor includes a reactor pressure vessel having a feedwater inlet for the introduction of recycled steam condensate and/or makeup coolant into the vessel, and a steam outlet for the discharge of produced steam for appropriate work. A fuel core is located within a lower area of the pressure vessel. The fuel core is surrounded by a core shroud spaced inward from the wall of the pressure vessel to provide an annular downcomer forming a coolant flow path between the vessel wall and the core shroud. A probe system that includes a combination of conductivity/resistivity probes and/or one or more time-domain reflectometer (TDR) probes is at least partially located within the downcomer. The probe system measures the coolant level and flow velocity within the downcomer.

System and method for determining coolant level and flow velocity in a nuclear reactor

A tower assembly for use with a modular tower is provided. The tower assembly includes a plurality of assembly panels each including a pair of opposing circumferential edges, and, a plurality of connectors for use in coupling adjacent assembly panels of the plurality of assembly panels to one another, each connector of the plurality of connectors including an outer flange, an inner flange, and a spacer extending therebetween, the outer flange is spaced a distance from the inner flange such that a first slot and a second slot are defined between the outer and inner flanges, each of the first and the second slots is sized to receive one of the assembly panel circumferential edges therein to enable the adjacent assembly panels to be coupled to one another.

Modular tower and methods of assembling same

A wind turbine has a nacelle mounted atop a tower, with a support system configured around a base portion of the tower. The support system includes a plurality of support fins spaced radially around the base portion. Each of the support fins has a continuous header member secured to the tower and a continuous face member extending radially outward and downward from the header member towards ground. The support fins include a web extending between the header member and face member. The support fins extend from the tower with a length and at an acute extension angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the tower so as to provide vertical and lateral support around the circumference of the tower.

Wind turbine with tower support system and associated method of construction

A device includes a stationary, rotary component, and a fiber optic sensing system. The fiber optic sensing system includes a cable having one or more fiber optic sensors disposed on the stationary component, the rotary component, or combinations thereof. The fiber optic sensing system is configured to detect one or more first parameters including temperature, strain, pressure, vibration, torque; or combinations thereof related to the stationary component, the rotary component, or combinations thereof. The one or more first parameters is used to determine one or more second parameters including thermal expansion, clearance, fluid flow rate variation, condensation, fluid leakage, thermal loss, life, thermal stress, or combinations thereof related to the stationary component, the rotary component, or combinations thereof.

Fiber optic sensing device and method

A method for fabricating a tower or component thereof for use with a wind turbine is disclosed. The method comprises weaving a fibrous tow in a shape corresponding to the shape of the tower or component to form a flexible textile preform; and laminating the flexible textile preform to form a composite shell. Also disclosed is a wind turbine assembly comprising a composite wind turbine tower and a wind turbine coupled to the tower.

Composite wind turbine tower and a method for fabricating same

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Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

Danian Zheng