Patent Application
20120189443
This application claims priority of European Patent Office application No. 1151812.2 EP filed Jan. 24, 2011. All of the applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The present invention relates to a method and to a system for determining a pitch angle offset signal for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine and to a method for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and to a system for determining a pitch angle offset signal for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine, to avoid that the rotor frequency or a harmonic of the rotor frequency coincides with a resonance frequency of an oscillation mode of the turbine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,081 discloses a speed avoidance logic for a variable speed wind turbine, wherein the generator torque (or generator power) is controlled in a manner which maneuvers the rotor tip speed with respect to the wind speed. In particular, a torque command signal (or power reference) is provided to the converter for controlling the power flow to the power grid and hence for controlling the air gap torque in the AC generator for controlling the generator torque.
US 2009/0292397 A1 discloses a method and an apparatus for damping tower oscillation in a wind turbine, wherein the rotor rotational speed is controlled such that a critical rotor speed is avoided. In particular, the power reference is increased such that the power reference and the rotor speed both follow the optimum curve again at the point where the rotational speed is leaving the critical window.
It has however been observed that the conventional method for controlling a rotor frequency may not be accurate enough, may not work in certain conditions, or may even not be possible (in particular during low wind conditions, or during curtailment).
There may be a need for a method and a system for determining a pitch angle offset signal for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine and for a method for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine, wherein at least some of the above-mentioned problems have been overcome. In particular, there may be a need for a method and a system for determining a pitch angle offset signal and for a method for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine, wherein a problems regarding a coincidence of a resonance frequency of an oscillation mode of the wind turbine and a rotor frequency or a harmonic of the rotor frequency are reduced.
This need may be met by the subject matter according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described by the dependent claims.
Methods and systems for speed avoidance control for a variable-speed wind turbine are provided, wherein the methods and systems use a pitch angle offset signal for controlling the rotor frequency of a wind turbine.
According to an embodiment a method for determining a pitch angle offset signal (in particular a signal representing a pitch angle offset, in particular a signal which together with a default pitch angle signal allows a computation of a total pitch angle signal being in particular a sum of the pitch angle offset signal and the default pitch angle signal) for controlling (in particular regulating, adapting, impacting, and/or adjusting) a rotor frequency (as for example measured in revolutions per minute (RPM), in an angular velocity, the rotor frequency representing or being indicative of a rotor speed, a generator speed, or a generator frequency, wherein the generator is mechanically coupled to the rotor, wherein between the rotor and the generator a gear may be provided or wherein, as in a direct-drive turbine, between the rotor and the generator no gear is provided) of a rotor (comprising a rotation shaft at which one or more rotor blades are mounted such that they extend in a rotor plane perpendicular to the rotational shaft of the rotor) of a wind turbine (in particular comprising a wind turbine tower, a nacelle mounted at the top of the tower, a rotor rotatably supported within the nacelle and a generator mechanically coupled to the rotor shaft for generating electric energy upon rotation of the rotor or (generator) shaft) is provided, wherein the method comprises obtaining (in particular comprising measuring the motion quantity, transforming the measured motion quantity into an electric signal representing the motion quantity and/or transferring receiving or transferring an electric signal representing the motion quantity) a motion quantity (such as a rotational speed or a rotational frequency of the rotor or of the generator coupled to the rotor) indicative of a motion (in particular a rotation, in particular indicative of a rotational speed or rotational frequency) of the rotor (or the generator mechanically coupled to the rotor or any other component mechanically coupled to the rotor); determining (in particular comprising deriving, computing, obtaining by processing the motion quantity, computing by using a computer program, wherein the determining may in particular comprise generating the pitch angle offset signal, e.g. in the form as an electric signal) the pitch angle offset signal (in particular an electric signal representing a desired pitch angle offset relative to a standard or default pitch angle of a rotor blade mounted at the rotor) based on the motion quantity (such that the pitch angle offset signal depends on the motion quantity, in particular on a rotor frequency or a generator frequency) such that the pitch angle offset signal is adapted (in particular being suitable or appropriate, in particular computed) to be used for adjusting (in particular changing) a blade pitch angle (or blade pitch angle or blade pitch angles, wherein there might be several blades (e.g. three blades) mounted at the rotor, wherein a collective (identical) pitch angle offset may be applied to all blades, but there could be an individual pitching of the blades) the blade pitch angle being indicative of a rotational amount the rotor blade is adjusted or rotated in relation to the rotation plane of the rotor, wherein a blade pitch angle is defined as the angle between the plane of rotation and the blade cross-section chord, wherein different blade pitch angles represent different orientations of the blade rotated around a longitudinal axis of the blade, wherein in particular the blade pitch angle may be defined as the angle between the plane of rotation and the chord of the blade profile, the chord being the straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of the blade cross-section (airfoil)) of a rotor blade mounted at the rotor (in particular such that the longitudinal axis of the blade is perpendicular to the rotation shaft) for controlling (in particular comprising regulating, impacting, adjusting or adapting) the rotor frequency (or generator frequency or rotor speed or generator speed) in order to reduce a time span (in particular a range in time or a sum of a number of time ranges) during which the rotor is in a critical motion region (in particular in which the rotor or the generator may excite a vibrational mode of the turbine, in particular the turbine tower, in particular, when the frequency of the rotor or the rotor frequency or the generator frequency matches a resonance frequency of a turbine vibration mode).
In particular, a wind turbine tower may start oscillating at a critical resonance frequency, if the tower frequency and the rotor frequency or a harmonic (a multiple of the) rotor frequency coincide. In particular, an excitation of the turbine oscillation may occur, if the resonance oscillation frequency of the turbine (or the turbine tower) matches the rotor (or generator) frequency or two times the rotor (or generator) frequency or three times the rotor (or generator) frequency, or four times the rotor (or generator) frequency or five times to ten times the rotor (or generator) frequency. The critical frequencies are in particular mostly 1× or 3× (or 1× 2× 3× and their harmonics) of the rotor frequency. These excitations of the oscillation of the turbine may cause mechanical stress to components of the wind turbine and are avoided according to an embodiment of the invention.
Conventionally, the problem has been solved by providing a mechanical construction which is strong enough to tolerate the increased vibration and increased loading. However, this may be costly and inefficient. Furthermore, a so-called resonance speed avoider (RSA) function has been implemented which ensures that the rotor speed is kept away from the critical speed. Thereby, the generator torque or the generator power is controlled in a way that will keep the generator speed (or rotor speed) away from the critical speed.
Problems with the conventional approaches in particular occur, if the power converter is cut-out or the turbine is controlled only to deliver a small and limited power output (due to low wind speed operation, complying with immediate wind farm power requirements, low noise requirements etc.). In these cases the generator torque or the generator power may not be utilized to achieve a resonance speed avoidance control. These limitations are at least partly overcome according to an embodiment.
According to an embodiment the motion quantity is indicative of a rotational frequency (or rotational speed such as measured in rounds per minute (RPM)) of the rotor (or the generator which may rotate one times (for direct-drive turbines), or multiple times (for geared turbines), such as between 10 times and 200 times, in particular between 90 times and 120 times, faster than the rotor) and wherein the critical motion region is a critical range (ranging in particular from a first rotational frequency to a second rotational frequency larger than the first rotational frequency) of the rotational frequency (or rotational speed) of the rotor (or the generator). In other embodiments the motion quantity is indicative of a quantity which is related or which can be computed from the rotational frequency of the rotor. In particular, the motion quantity may be indicative of a rotational frequency (or rotational speed) of the generator (or rotor) which may be measured in a simple manner. Thereby, obtaining the motion quantity may be simplified.
According to an embodiment, the critical range is a range around a predetermined (or estimated, i.e. online computed) critical rotational frequency (or rotational speed) of the rotor (or the generator). In particular, it is intended to avoid coinciding the tower frequency and the rotor frequency (rotor speed), the tower frequency may be known by a parameter (predetermined value) but may also be estimated/computed online based on the observed tower movement, hence, it might be a predetermined or an estimated value. In particular, the critical range may range from the predetermined or estimated critical rotational frequency diminished by a particular frequency amount to the predetermined critical rotational frequency augmented by the particular frequency amount. In particular, the critical rotational frequency may be known or may be calculated or estimated using a model of the turbine or an estimator, in particular a mechanical model or structural model and/or on measurements of the turbine tower. In particular, the critical rotational frequency may be a fixed critical rotational frequency which may not change during performing the method for determining a pitch angle offset signal.
According to an embodiment, the predetermined critical rotational frequency comprises a frequency equal (or at least approximately equal) to a fraction or to a integer multiple of a resonance oscillation frequency (such as ⅓ or 3, thereof) of an oscillation mode (an oscillation or a vibration of the whole turbine or at least a portion of the turbine) of the turbine, in particular of a tower of the turbine (wherein in particular the masses or turbine components connected to the tower are taken into account). Thus, the critical rotational frequency may be derivable from a mechanical oscillation analysis of the turbine, in particular of the tower of the turbine.
According to an embodiment, the pitch angle offset signal is generated such that the adjusted rotor blade pitch angle (or the actual pitch angle offset signal itself) is greater for a motion quantity indicative of a rotational frequency lower than the predetermined critical rotational frequency than for a motion quantity indicative of a rotational frequency greater than the predetermined critical rotational frequency. In particular, the rotor blade may be adjusted using the pitch angle offset signal such that when the rotor rotates with a frequency lower than the predetermined critical rotational frequency the rotor blade pitch angle is equal to a first rotor blade pitch angle and when the rotor rotates with a frequency greater than the predetermined critical rotational frequency the rotor blade pitch angle is equal to a second rotor blade pitch angle, wherein the first rotor blade pitch angle is greater than the second rotor blade pitch angle. In particular, while the rotational frequency of the rotor increases from a value lower than the predetermined critical rotational frequency to a value greater than the predetermined critical rotational frequency the adjusted rotor blade pitch angle decreases, to thus facilitate acceleration of the rotor to quickly ride through the critical rotational frequency (reducing the time interval of the rotor or of the generator having the critical rotational frequency). Thereby, damages to components of the wind turbine may be reduced.
According to an embodiment, the pitch angle offset signal is generated such that the adjusted rotor blade pitch angle (or the pitch angle offset signal itself) is greater than zero degrees in the critical motion region (such as generally diminishing an acceleration of the rotor) and decreases (thus facilitating acceleration of the rotor), in particular having a negative slope (−Δy/Δx) (being a derivative of the pitch angle offset signal or a derivative of the adjusted rotor blade pitch angle with respect to a rotational frequency or a rotational speed of the rotor or the generator), in at least a portion (or in the entire critical motion region) of the critical motion region, along increasing rotational frequency of the rotor (or generator) (in particular, the course of the pitch angle offset signal or the course of the adjusted rotor blade pitch angle with respect to the rotational frequency of the rotor may comprise one or more linear sections or may comprise a curve having varying curvature). In particular the pitch angle offset signal is generated such that the adjusted blade pitch angle (or the pitch angle offset signal itself) has a negative slope at the predetermined critical rotational frequency. Having a negative slope at the predetermined critical rotational frequency may cause an acceleration of the rotor such as to quickly ride through the critical predetermined critical rotational frequency. This may apply for some conditions such as increasing wind speeds, wherein the speed will quickly ride through (accelerate through) the critical region. However, for other cases (decreasing wind speeds) the speed may quickly ride through (decelerate through) the critical region. Thereby, damages at components of the turbine may be reduced. Thus, lifetime of the turbine may be increased.
According to an embodiment, the determining the pitch angle offset signal comprises relating (in particular comprising comparing, forming a difference or processing) the motion quantity to the critical motion region. In particular, a deviation of the rotational frequency of the rotor from the critical rotational frequency may be calculated. In particular, the determining the pitch angle offset signal may be based on the computed deviation. Determining the pitch angle offset signal may be based on the motion quantity and on the critical motion region.
In particular, at a rotational frequency of the rotor or the generator far below the critical rotational frequency the pitch angle offset signal may be generated such that the adjusted rotor blade pitch angle is ramped up from zero to a particular maximal pitch angle, such as between 4° and 10°, to denote non-limiting examples, in particular around 7°. In particular, the pitch angle offset signal may then be generated along increasing rotational frequency of the generator to gradually decrease from the maximal value to an intermediate value, such as between 3° and 7°, in particular between 4° and 5°, at the predetermined critical rotational frequency and may then decrease for a rotational frequency above the critical rotational frequency from this intermediate value to zero far above the critical rotational frequency, such as around 50 RPM greater than the critical rotational frequency of the generator. In particular, a shape of the course of the pitch angle offset signal or the course of the adjusted rotor blade pitch angle may depend on the design of the blade, an air density, and other operational parameters.
According to an embodiment, the method further comprises determining the pitch angle offset signal (and also in particular generating the pitch angle offset signal) while the motion quantity is indicative of a rotation of the rotor below a nominal rotor frequency. Thereby, the nominal rotor frequency may also be referred to as a rated rotor frequency or a (on average) maximal rotor frequency denoting a rotor frequency the rotor is designed or constructed to rotate in a normal operational state. The control system of the wind turbine may (for high wind speeds) try to maintain the rotor speed at the nominal speed, but the nominal speed will in fact be exceeded shortly, since the system may have (small) errors compared to the desired set point of the nominal speed. In particular, the nominal speed or frequency of the rotor may be a speed of the rotor selected such that the rotor (and/or the mechanical components supporting the rotor) last for about (or at least) 20 years and/or such that the acoustic noise emissions meet certain specifications, when the rotor is operated at (or below) the nominal speed.
In particular, the nominal rotor frequency may be a frequency which must not be exceeded for an extended time period on average during continuous operation to avoid mechanical damage to the rotor, to the generator, to the tower, or to other parts of the wind turbine. In particular, during normal operation conditions the turbine is supposed to rotate the rotor with the nominal rotor frequency and is further supposed to provide a nominal electric power to a utility grid. In particular, the nominal rotor frequency may be related to a nominal generator speed which may amount to for example between 1000 RPM and 1600 RPM, according to an exemplary embodiment.
According to an embodiment, the method further comprises determining (and also in particular generating) the pitch angle offset signal while the motion quantity is indicative of a rotation of the rotor below a predetermined threshold rotor frequency lower than the nominal rotor frequency, wherein below the threshold rotor frequency the turbine is supposed to supply zero electric energy or electric power to the utility grid coupled to the wind turbine.
In particular, while the rotor is rotating with a frequency below the predetermined threshold rotor frequency there may be no conversion of mechanical energy provided by the rotating rotor to electric energy, since the generator and/or the converter coupled to the generator are disabled. In particular, in this situation of disabled generator and/or converter it is not possible to use a generator torque to control the rotational frequency of the rotor. Thus, in particular in this operational state, where no electric energy is produced by the turbine, the rotational speed of the rotor may advantageously be controlled by adjusting the pitch angle taking into account the determined pitch angle offset signal.
According to an embodiment, the determining the pitch angle offset signal is further based on one or more operational parameters (such as depending on a mode of the turbine, such as a safe-mode, low-noise mode, a start-up-mode or some other modes), in particular a wind speed, an air density (of the air in the wind) and/or an acceleration signal of the rotor and/or the generator. Taking these additional operational parameters into account may further improve the method of determining a pitch angle offset signal for in particular improving the method for controlling a rotor frequency of the rotor.
According to an embodiment, a method for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine is provided, wherein the method comprises determining (and in particular also generating) a pitch angle offset signal according to one of the aforementioned embodiments; and adjusting (in particular changing, mechanically turning or adapting) the pitch angle (the blade pitch angle being defined as the angle between the plane of rotation and the blade cross-section chord or a plane defined by the chord of the blade, the chord being the straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of the blade cross-section (airfoil)) of the rotor blade (or one or more further rotor blades) mounted at the rotor based on the pitch angle offset signal. In particular, the pitch angle offset signal may be added to a default pitch angle signal provided by a default turbine pitch angle controller. In particular, the pitch angle offset signal may simply be added to the default pitch angle signal.
In particular, the method may further comprise rotating the rotor at which the rotor blade is mounted.
According to an embodiment, the method for controlling a rotor frequency further comprises disabling the adjusting the pitch angle of the rotor blade mounted at the rotor utilizing the pitch angle offset signal while the motion quantity is indicative of a rotation of the rotor at the nominal rotor frequency or above the nominal rotor frequency. In particular, when the rotational frequency of the generator or the rotor is at the nominal rotor frequency but if the electrical power output by the wind turbine is below the nominal power the rotational speed may be controlled by controlling a torque or a power of the generator by setting an appropriate reference signal to the generator and/or to the converter. In this region of operational conditions the adjustment of the pitch angle according to the pitch angle offset signal determined as described above may not be required.
In particular, when the rotor is rotated at (or temporarily slightly above or below) the nominal frequency, a conventional blade pitch control method may be applied for maintaining the rotor speed at the nominal speed. However, this conventional blade pitch control method is not adapted for avoiding a particular frequency of the rotor which coincides with a resonance frequency of the turbine.
In particular, if the rotational frequency of the generator or the rotor is at (or close to) the nominal rotational frequency and if also the power output from the turbine is at the nominal power the pitch angle may be increased for increasing wind speed according to a conventional control method, wherein the pitch angle increases for increasing wind speed such as to maintain the rotor (or generator) frequency at the nominal rotor (or generator) frequency and also to maintain the power at the nominal power. In particular, for these operational conditions, the generator frequency may be well above the critical rotational frequency such that an excitation of an oscillation mode of the turbine or of the turbine tower may not occur.
According to an embodiment, the method further comprises disabling the adjusting the pitch angle of the rotor blade during start-up (such as at rotational frequency of the generator below e.g. 500 RPM) of the rotation of the rotor (or the generator). In particular, during start-up it may be desirable not to include the pitch signal offset to not introduce unnecessary pitch activity or pitch oscillations. Enabling the speed avoidance pitch signal or pitch angle offset signal may be done gradually for example by slowly ramping/scaling it from zero offset to the final offset.
It should be understood that features (individually or in any combination) disclosed, described, explained, used for or employed or mentioned for a method for determining a pitch angle offset signal or for a method for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine may also be applied to, used for or employed for a system for determining a pitch angle offset signal or for a system for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine.
According to an embodiment a system for determining a pitch angle offset signal for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine is provided, wherein the system comprises an input terminal for obtaining a motion quantity indicative of a motion of the rotor; a processing module for determining a pitch angle offset signal based on the obtained motion quantity; and an output terminal at which the pitch angle offset signal is applied to be used for adjusting a blade pitch angle of a rotor blade mounted at the rotor for controlling the rotor frequency in order to reduce a time span during which the rotor is in a critical motion region.
It has to be noted that embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to different subject matters. In particular, some embodiments have been described with reference to method type claims whereas other embodiments have been described with reference to apparatus type claims. However, a person skilled in the art will gather from the above and the following description that, unless other notified, in addition to any combination of features belonging to one type of subject matter also any combination between features relating to different subject matters, in particular between features of the method type claims and features of the apparatus type claims is considered as to be disclosed with this document.
The aspects defined above and further aspects of the present invention are apparent from the examples of embodiment to be described hereinafter and are explained with reference to the examples of embodiment. The invention will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to examples of embodiment but to which the invention is not limited.
Embodiments of the present invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings to which the invention is not limited.
The illustration(s) in the drawings are in schematic form. It is noted that in different figures, similar or identical elements are provided with the same reference signs or with reference signs, which are different from the corresponding reference signs only within the first digit.
Controlling the wind turbine may be different in the four regions 540, 542, 543, and 544. In particular, in the first region 540, the generator of the wind turbine does not produce energy (the power indicated in the third graph is zero) such that the generator of the wind turbine can not be used to control the rotor speed of the wind turbine by providing an appropriate generator torque.
In the second region 542 the wind speed is large enough such that power production starts when the generator speed is above a predetermined threshold rotor or generator frequency 545 indicated in the first graph in
According to an embodiment, the rotor blade pitch angle is controlled using the method for determining a pitch angle offset signal in the hedged region 546 (in the second graph of
For an increasing wind speed the generator speed or generator frequency will reach the nominal generator frequency or generator speed 547 which may denote a nominal generator speed, a rated generator speed, a nominal generator frequency or a rated generator frequency. The rotational speed is typically limited to reduce loads and acoustic noise emissions.
The third region 543 may be defined as a region, where the generator frequency is at the nominal generator frequency 547 but the output power (see third diagram in
Regarding these regions it should be pointed out that not all turbines need necessarily be controlled according to these control regions. Thus, the provided description is representative for a typical operation of a wind turbine to which the invention is not limited. E.g. according to a particular operation region three may be excluded or control may be performed in a different way.
According to an embodiment, the method for determining a pitch angle offset signal and/or the method for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine is performed in the hedged region 546, i.e. for the case that the generator frequency is below the nominal generator frequency 547 and wherein in particular the generator frequency is below the predetermined threshold frequency 545.
Thus the method for determining the pitch angle offset signal and the method for controlling the rotor frequency of the rotor is in particular applied at low wind speed operation (region 540 and/or region 542 in
As it is seen from
According to an embodiment, a pitch angle offset signal or pitch angle offset is added to this value to make it possible to control the rotor speed without requiring a controller that will track a certain speed reference or using the generator torque or generator power for control. Thereby the adjusted blade pitch angle may lie in the hatched region 546.
Again referring to
Based on the rotational frequency of the generator or of the rotor of the wind turbine 103 the speed avoidance system 100 determines a pitch angle offset signal and supplies this signal at the output terminal 111. The pitch angle offset signal is added to a default pitch angle signal provided at an output 113 of the conventional controller 109 using an adder 115 to derive a total pitch angle signal (blade pitch reference) at a control line 117.
The total pitch angle signal is supplied to the wind turbine 103 which comprises an actuator to turn the blade according to the total pitch angle signal such as to adjust the blade pitch angle of the blade for controlling the rotor frequency of the rotor of the wind turbine. Typically, each blade has an actuator and there is typically multiple (three) blades mounted at the rotor. According to an embodiment, a wind turbine controller 112 comprising the speed avoidance system 100 and the conventional controller 109 is provided, wherein the wind turbine controller 112 generates the total pitch angle signal at the control line 117 based on measurement signals 104 (measurement vector) obtained from the wind turbine 103.
The rotor blade 219 comprises an upper surface 225 and a lower surface 227, wherein the lower surface 227 faces the wind propagating in a wind direction 229. A so-called chord line 239 is definable representing the straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of the blade airfoil. The chord line 231 lies in a plane 232. An angle β between the rotation plane 223 and the chord plane 232 defines the blade pitch angle of the rotor blade 219. When the chord plane 232 coincides with the plane of rotation 223 the blade pitch angle is zero, when the chord plane 232 rotates clockwise the blade pitch angle increases from zero to positive values. In particular, increasing pitch angle results in pitching towards feather, while decreasing pitch angle results in pitching towards stall.
According to an embodiment, a time span during which these two frequencies are equal or matched is reduced by performing a method for controlling a rotor frequency of a rotor of a wind turbine by adjusting the pitch angle of the rotor blade such as to quickly ride through the critical frequency (critical interval).
By decreasing the pitch angle offset in the critical region 450 acceleration or deceleration of the rotor is facilitated to quickly ride through the critical rotational frequency. In particular, if reading left-to-right in the figure (increasing rotational speeds) the rotor is accelerated in the critical region. Otherwise it will decelerate. Thereby loads on components of the wind turbine may be reduced. Adding a pitch angle offset to a default pitch angle signal makes it possible to control the rotor speed without requiring a controller that will track a certain speed reference or using the generator torque or generator power for speed avoidance control. In particular, the pitch angle offset 439 may be supplied to the output terminal 111 of the speed avoidance system 100 illustrated in
It may be optional that the signal supplied to the output terminal 111 may also depend on additional parameters or variables. According to an embodiment the pitch angle offset signal is a function of the generator speed or the rotor speed. In particular, the pitch angle offset signal 439 supplied to the output terminal 111 (
In general, the pitch angle offset signal or the pitch signal should have a negative slope in the critical region 450 (which is an interval around the critical speed or critical frequency). The shape of the signal 439 may vary. In order to have the negative slope in the critical region 450, the pitch angle offset signal needs to be ramped up from zero offset with a certain slope (e.g. for generator speed offsets between −70 RPM to −50 RPM). The exact shape of the speed avoidance pitch signal (also referred to as pitch angle offset signal) may depend on operational parameters such as air density and/or wind speed.
Further, the speed avoidance pitch signal or pitch angle offset signal may be enabled (momentarily) as a function of turbine state or other signals such as acceleration measurements. An application of a turbine state could be disabling the pitch signal offset, if the turbine is in a start-up state, where it might be desirable not to include the pitch signal offset to avoid introducing unnecessary pitch activity. Enabling the speed avoidance pitch signal or pitch angle offset signal (curve) may be done gradually for example by slowing ramping/scaling it from zero offset (curve) to the final offset (curve).
The second graph in
In particular, the method of controlling a rotor frequency may reduce loads of the wind turbine which makes speed avoidance an important feature.
Furthermore, some logic to change the speed reference (which will be set point for a controller controlling the pitch angle) can alternatively be used to avoid a critical frequency.
It should be noted that the term “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps and “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. Also elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined. It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP11151812 | Jan 2011 | EP | regional |
