Vestas Wind Systems A/s

John Bengtson

Niels Erik Danielsen

Bo Lovmand

Ole Mølgaard Jeppesen

Torben Møller Hansen

Lars Rohrmann Andersen

Karl Axel Pétursson

Tage Kristensen

Keld Hammerum

Philip Carne Kjær

Stephen Buggy

Victor Donescu

Arran Wood

Keld Rasmussen

Kenneth Skaug

The present invention relates to a method of identifying an electrical contact fault in a wind turbine blade electrical heating system, comprising inserting a predetermined enforced off cycle between or within a switching duty cycle, wherein the switching duty cycle controls the switching of one or more electrical contacts in the electrical heating system, measuring a current consumption during the predetermined enforced off cycle, determining if the measured current consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold, and wherein if the measured current consumption exceeds the predetermined threshold shutting down at least part of the electrical heating system. The present invention also relates to a wind turbine with one or more wind turbine blades that can identify an electrical contact fault.

Electrical contact fault diagnosis

A method of detecting electrical failures in a wind turbine generator control system is described. The method comprises sending a test pulse through a signal path within the control system and detecting the test pulse once it has passed through the signal path, measuring a current through the signal path, and determining an input status and/or an output status of the signal path. Then, the nature of the electrical failure is identified based on a combination of the detected test pulse, the measured current and the determined input status and/or output status of the signal path.

Detecting electrical failures in a wind turbine generator control system

A method of measuring transducer currents in a wind turbine generator control system is described. The method comprises selectively activating a set of one or more transducers in a group of transducers, taking a first measurement of the current through the group of transducers, selectively activating a different set of one or more transducers in the group of transducers, and taking a second measurement of the current through the group of transducers.

Measuring transducer currents in a wind turbine generator

The present invention relates to control of a wind turbine, and in particular it relates to a distributed control system including a blade controller for each blade of the wind turbine. The electrical connection between each blade controller and the power supply of the blade controller is arranged to be functionally isolated from the electrical connection of each other blade controller and the power supply of the respective blade controllers.

Control system for a wind turbine comprising a blade controller for each blade of the wind turbine

The present invention relates to a fault-tolerant control system for a wind power plant comprising a plurality of power units, the control system comprising control means for generating a replica of essentially concurrent power unit set-point values, a data communication network for transmitting the essentially concurrent power unit set-point values to the plurality of power units and a plurality of decentralised voting means being arranged so that a decentralised voting means is assigned to each power unit, each decentralised voting means being adapted to select one power unit set-point value out of the replica of power unit set-points. The present invention further relates to an associated method.

Wind power plant with highly reliable real-time power control

The present invention relates to a distributed fault-tolerant control system for a modularized wind turbine or wind power plant system comprising sub-assemblies, the control system comprising 1) fault-tolerant control means adapted to generate control set-points and/or data values, said fault-tolerant control means being distributed in sub-assemblies in accordance with the modularization of the wind turbine or wind power plant system, and 2) fault-tolerant communication network for transmitting control set-points and/or data values at essentially the same time to a plurality of nodes in the distributed control system, said plurality of distributed nodes being capable of selecting a valid transmission package out of two or more transmission packages provided on the fault-tolerant communication network.

Distributed fault-tolerant control and protection system

A control system for a wind turbine is provided. The control system includes a plurality of controllers distributed in the wind turbine or the wind power plant; and a plurality of data storage units, each data storage unit being arranged at a respective predetermined position in the wind turbine or the wind power plant and being coupled to the controller arranged at the same position; wherein each data storage unit comprises operational information pertaining to the predetermined position in the wind turbine or the wind power plant; and wherein each controller is configured to read the operational information of the corresponding data storage unit and to determine its function from the operational information.

Control system for a wind turbine

The present invention relates to a fault-tolerant control system for a wind turbine comprising a plurality of controllable wind turbine components, the control system comprising control means for generating a replica of essentially concurrent set-point values, a data communication network for transmitting the replica of essentially concurrent set-point values to the plurality of wind turbine components, and a plurality of decentralized voting means being arranged so that a decentralized voting means is assigned to each wind turbine component, each decentralized voting means being adapted to select one set-point value out of the replica of set-point values. The present invention further relates to a wind turbine and to an associated method.

Wind turbine control system with decentralized voting

The invention relates to a central controller adapted for controlling a number of wind turbines. The wind turbines being controlled and monitored by the central controller via a first monitoring and control network and a second monitoring and control network. The term monitoring and control network is in accordance with an embodiment of the invention understood as a data communication network which communicates at least control data for control of wind turbines, but may also communicate monitoring data, i.e. measure data. A typical example of a control of wind turbines is that the central controller sets the power set-point (the power to be produced) of each wind turbine in the wind power plant. The important control signals may be separated from high-bandwidth requiring monitoring data, such as analysis data in the communication network.

System and method of controlling a wind turbine in a wind power plant

A wind turbine () comprising equipment under control is presented, which comprises at least one control system (A,B) for one or more of said main components, () of the wind turbine. The control system (A) is multiplied by at least one further control system (B) for controlling the same of said equipment under control. A control arrangement, a method as well as uses hereof are also presented.

Wind turbine comprising a multiplied redundancy control system and method of controlling a wind turbine

Methods of registering events in a wind power system comprising at least two data processors. The data processors of said wind power system are mutually time synchronized. Events are registered in said at least two data processors. The timing of said events registered in different of said at least two data processors is established according to said time synchronization. Events may be registered and preferably analyzed according to a common timing. The event analysis makes it possible to establish an analysis where events of different wind turbines are basically interrelated and where information regarding such interrelation may be important or crucial for establishment of control or fault detection based on correctly timed events from different wind turbines.

Method and system for registering events in wind turbines of a wind power system

Method of controlling a wind power system including a plurality of system elements, the wind power system including a plurality of data processors distributed in the system elements, the method including the steps of: synchronizing at least a part of the data processors to at least one reference signal distributed to the data processors from a time synchronization arrangement, associating the data processors with local clock generation circuitries, wherein the local clock generation circuitries associated with data processors of a first subset of the data processors have a peak-to-peak tracking jitter higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold value and wherein a second subset of the data processors have a peak-to-peak tracking jitter less than the predetermined threshold value, controlling at least one of the system elements at least partly by means of a data processor from the first or second subset of data processors.

One global precise time and one maximum transmission time

A method of controlling at least one wind turbine blade during the stopping process of the rotor in a wind turbine system is disclosed. The method optimizes the control velocity of the process in response to one or more feedback values of the system and/or one or more feedback values from the surroundings of the system by altering the angular pitch velocity from 10&#xb0;/sec during the initial stage of the stopping process to 5&#xb0;/sec at the final stage of the stopping process. A control system and a wind turbine as well as use hereof are also disclosed.

Method of controlling the pitch velocity of a wind turbine blade and control system therefore

The invention relates to a method of registering events in a wind power system comprising at least two data processors, wherein the data processors of said wind power system are mutually time synchronized, wherein events are registered in said at least two data processors, wherein the timing of said events registered in different of said at least two data processors is established according to said time synchronization. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, events may be registered and preferably analyzed according to a common timing. This analyzing makes it possible to establish an analysis where events of different wind turbines are basically interrelated and where information regarding such interrelation is important or crucial for establishment of control or fault detection based on correctly timed events from different wind turbines.

Method of controlling a wind power system comprising a plurality of system elements, the wind power system including a plurality of data processors distributed in the system elements, the method includes the steps of: synchronizing at least a part of the data processors to at least one reference signal distributed to the data processors from a time synchronization arrangement, associating the data processors with local clock generation circuitries, wherein the local clock generation circuitries associated with data processors of a first subset of the data processors have a peak-to-peak tracking jitter higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold value and wherein a second subset of the data processors have a peak-to-peak tracking jitter less than the predetermined threshold value, controlling at least one of said system elements at least partly by mechanism of a data processor from said first or second subset of data processors.

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Højbjerg, Denmark

John Bengtson