General Electric Company

Kirk Gee Pierce

Mark Edward Cardinal

David Lawrence LeMieux

Robert Peter Slack

Emilian Mieczyslaw Moroz

Robert William Delmerico

Ralph Teichmann

Aaron John Avagliano

Danian Zheng

Brandon Shane Gerber

Thomas Frank Fric

William E Holley

Corneliu Barbu

Bharat S Bagepalli

Patrick Lee Jansen

Stefan Herr

Till Hoffmann

Mohamed Ahmed Ali

Leonardo Cesar Kammer

Jignesh Govindlal Gandhi

Gary Randall Barnes

Kevin James Standish

Bernard P Landa

Vasanth Srinivasa Kothnur

Lawrence Donald Willey

Ameet Shridhar Deshpande

David Samuel Pesetsky

Jay F Leonard

Ulrich Uphues

Eric Gebhardt

James Patrick Francis Lyons

Gert Torbohm

Ralph W Blakemore

Peter Gauchel

John Noel Cunningham

Robert P Grimley

Paul David Hopewell

Sukru Alper Eker

Jignesh Gandhi

William Edwin Holley

A technique is provided for operating a wind farm at increased rated power output. The technique includes sensing a plurality of operating parameters of the wind turbine generator, assessing the plurality of operating parameters with respect to respective design ratings for the operating parameters, and intermittently increasing a rated power output of the wind turbine generator based upon the assessment.

System and method for operating a wind farm under high wind speed conditions

A method of validating a wind turbine including a rotor includes intentionally inducing a loading imbalance to the rotor. The method also includes measuring the loading imbalance induced to the rotor, transmitting a signal representative of the measured loading imbalance to a calibration module, and at least one of detecting an error and calibrating at least one component of the wind turbine based on the signal.

Method and system for validating wind turbine

The present invention relates to a method of controlling the aerodynamic load of a wind turbine blade by controlling the tip speed ratio (TSR) and/or blade pitch setting of the wind turbine blade so as to optimize power production. A wind turbine blade undergoes an aero-elastic response including deflection and twist that is a function of the blade loading. The blade loading is dependent on the wind speed, TSR, and pitch setting. The aero-elastic response requires a different TSR and/or pitch to be selected throughout the power curve in order to maintain the optimum power production and to improve energy capture.

Variable tip speed ratio tracking control for wind turbines

A method for operating a wind turbine. The method includes providing a wind turbine having at least one blade having adjustable pitch angle that is adjusted according to an operational parameter schedule. A blade efficiency parameter is determined in response to a wind speed and a rotor speed. A minimum pitch angle is determined in response to the blade efficiency parameter and the pitch angle of the at least one blade in response to the blade efficiency parameter is maintained to an angle equal to or greater than the minimum pitch angle independent of the operational parameter schedule. A wind turbine plant and a method for servicing a wind turbine are also disclosed.

Blade pitch management method and system

A method for operating a wind turbine plant including providing a plurality of wind turbines each having a turbine rotor including at least one blade mounted to a rotatable turbine shaft and an induction generator having a stator and a rotor coupled to the turbine shaft for rotation therewith. The wind turbine is configurable to provide a variable amount of power. A control is provided capable of communicating with the plurality of wind turbines. A wind speed is measured and a power derating factor is determined in response to the measured wind speed. The determined derating factor is communicated to the plurality of wind turbines. The amount of power generated by each of the plurality of wind turbines is adjusted in response to the power derating factor. A system for operating a wind turbine plant is also disclosed.

Wind turbine plant high wind derating control

A method for balancing a rotor of a rotary machine, wherein the rotor includes at least two rotor blades and a rotor shaft, includes receiving at least one measurement of either a load, an acceleration, or a displacement that pertains to at least one bending moment acting on the rotor shaft, determining at least one value of the at least one bending moment acting on the rotor shaft based, at least in part, on the received at least one measurement, and determining a pitch offset angle value of at least one rotor blade that facilitates reducing the at least one bending moment acting on the rotor shaft.

Methods and apparatus for balancing a rotor

A fluid dynamic polymer-based contact sensor measures ambient pressure based on the resistivity changes across the sensor under different ambient pressures. The pressure sensor may applied to airfoil structures such as wind turbine blades without impacting the blade structure and fluid dynamic characteristics. The sensor may also be applied to fluid measurements. The pressure measurements are used to measure blade performance with high fidelity. The pressure measurements are transmitted to processing to determine blade characteristics and environment including flow separation, stagnation point, angle of attack, lift and drag and wind speed. Further processing of the pressure distribution may identify wind shear, up-flow and yaw error.

Resistive contact sensors for large blade and airfoil pressure and flow separation measurements

A system and method for controlling power ramp rate of a wind farm is provided. The wind farm includes a plurality of wind turbine generators and a wind farm control system. The wind farm control system is operable to monitor rate of change of collective power output of the wind turbine generators, and to limit the rate of change of collective power output by generating a power output rate limiting signal based on the monitored rate of change of collective power output of the wind turbine generators and a desired collective power ramp of the wind turbine generators and applying the power output rate limiting signal to the plurality of wind turbine generators.

Wind farm power ramp rate control system and method

A control system for a rotary machine is provided. The rotary machine has at least one rotating member and at least one substantially stationary member positioned such that a clearance gap is defined between a portion of the rotating member and a portion of the substantially stationary member. The control system includes at least one clearance gap dimension measurement apparatus and at least one clearance gap adjustment assembly. The adjustment assembly is coupled in electronic data communication with the measurement apparatus. The control system is configured to process a clearance gap dimension signal and modulate the clearance gap dimension.

Methods and apparatus for controlling rotary machines

A method for braking a wind turbine including at least one rotor blade coupled to a rotor. The method includes selectively controlling an angle of pitch of the at least one rotor blade with respect to a wind direction based on a design parameter of a component of the wind turbine to facilitate reducing a force induced into the wind turbine component as a result of braking.

Method and apparatus for wind turbine braking

A method for controlling a rotational speed of a rotor having at least one rotor blade, a rotor shaft, and an electrical generator coupled thereto. The method includes controlling a torque of the rotor shaft by controlling a torque of the electrical generator, alternating between changing an angle of pitch of the at least one rotor blade and maintaining the angle of pitch of the at least one rotor blade substantially constant, and maintaining a substantially constant rotational speed of the rotor during variable wind speeds above a predetermined rated wind speed.

Methods and apparatus for controlling rotational speed of a rotor

A system and method of operating a wind farm, having multiple wind turbine generators, at high wind speeds is provided. Wind speeds at individual wind turbine generators are monitored and a signal is transmitted from the wind turbine generators to a wind farm control system based on the monitored wind speeds. Rate of change of collective power output of the wind farm is temporally monitored and is controlled by coordinating of operational states of the wind turbine generators based upon the signals transmitted by the one or more wind turbine generators, operating conditions of the wind turbine generators and the monitored rate of change of power output of the wind farm.

A wind turbine includes a tower, a nacelle supported at an upper end of a tower, a rotor having at least one blade and being arranged at the nacelle, and a vibration load reduction system disposed at either the tower or the nacelle. The vibration load reduction system includes a base, at least two columns extending from the base, and a flowable mass located within the base and the at least two columns.

Vibration reduction system for a wind turbine

Vertical and horizontal wind shears, yaw misalignment and/or turbulence act together to produce asymmetric loading across a wind turbine rotor. The resultant load produces bending moments in the blades that are reacted through the hub and subsequently to the low-speed shaft. As a result, the main shaft and main shaft flange are displaced from their at rest or non-aerodynamic load positions. The amount of shaft flange displacement is measured using one or more sensors. The output signals from the sensors are used to determine the magnitude and/or the orientation of the resultant rotor load. This information is used to effect the blade pitch change needed to reduce the load and thereby reduce fatigue and loading on various turbine components.

Growing community of inventors

Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

Kirk Gee Pierce