Vestas Wind Systems A/s

Kasper Zinck

Tobias Gybel Hovgaard

Keld Hammerum

Jacob Deleuran Grunnet

Jesper Sandberg Thomsen

Martin Ansbjerg Kjær

Mu Wei

Kent Tange

Anders Steen Nielsen

Henrik Møller

Damien Castaignet

Gnana Sekaran

Rui Wu

Martin Møller SØRENSEN

Arne Baron

Nils Pelzer

Ulf Clausen

Techniques for controlling loading on a wind turbine blade in the flap-wise direction. A system model has a description of flap loading on the blade and is used to predict flap loading on the blade over a prediction horizon using the system model. A dynamic flap loading limit is determined based on predicted flap loading and a measured flap loading, and a constraint is defined to limit flap loading on the blade based on the dynamic flap loading limit. The predicted flap loading is used in a cost or performance function, and the cost function is optimized subject to the constraint to determine pitch for the blade to control flap loading on the blade. Advantageously, the dynamic limit varies based on discrepancies between predicted and measured flap loading to allow for adaptive back-off from extreme loads prior to such loads building up or being exceeded.

Controlling flap loading on a wind turbine blade based on predicted flap loading

A wind turbine control unit includes an upsampling module that receives a first control signal that includes a current control sample value and a predicted control trajectory. The upsampling module also calculates a second control signal in dependence on the current control sample value and the predicted control trajectory. The second control signal has a higher frequency than the first control signal. The upsampling module further outputs the second control signal for controlling an actuator.

Wind turbine control system comprising improved upsampling technique

Embodiments are generally directed to techniques for operating a wind turbine of a wind power plant. An associated method comprises determining, using one or more sensors of the wind turbine, a first power production level of the wind turbine; determining, during an unconstrained operation of the wind turbine, one or more available power correction factors using the first power production level; determining, using one or more wind power parameters applied to a predefined model for estimating an available power of the wind turbine, an estimated available power value; adjusting the estimated available power value using the one or more available power correction factors to produce the available power value; and controlling, using the available power value, the wind turbine to produce a second power production level.

Adaptive estimation of available power for wind turbine

A wind turbine control unit comprising a control module configured to control an actuator system by outputting a first control signal, wherein the first control signal includes a current control sample value and a predicted control trajectory; the control unit further comprising an upsampling module configured to receive the first control signal from the control module, and to output a second control signal for controlling the actuator system, the second control signal having a higher frequency that the first control signal. The upsampling module calculates the second control signal in dependence on the current control sample value and the predicted control trajectory. The embodiments provide a more accurately reproduced control signal at a higher frequency that is suitable for onward processing which does not suffer from the problems of aliasing and delay that exist with conventional upsampling techniques.

A method of controlling a wind turbine is described. The method comprises calculating a current wear rate for each of the main bearing of a turbine rotor and the blade bearings of rotor blades mounted on the turbine rotor, and calculating a blade pitch adjustment of the rotor blades to achieved a desired ratio between main bearing wear and blade bearing wear in dependence on the calculated current wear rates of the main bearing and the blade bearings.

Controlling bearing wear

A method of operating a wind turbine having a rotor. Sensor data is received from one or more sensors of the wind turbine and maximum load values are obtained on the basis of the sensor data. The maximum load values are indicative of maximum loads acting on a component of the wind turbine such as a rotor blade. An estimated extreme load value, such as a 50-year return load, is obtained on the basis of the maximum load values and compared with a reference value. A maximum thrust limit is set on the basis of the comparison, and the wind turbine is operated in accordance with the maximum thrust limit so that a wind thrust force acting on the rotor does not exceed the maximum thrust limit.

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Fleming, Denmark

Kasper Zinck