IP Library Granted Patent US 9,909,565
Granted Patent B2
US 9,909,565 · App. 14/758,791 · Granted Mar 6, 2018

Wind turbine rotational system

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,909,565
App. No.
14/758,791
Granted
Mar 6, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

Wind turbine rotational system having several drives and a central control system (CCS), each drive comprising a motor, an electronic converter and an actuator. The CCS sends speed and torque setpoints to the electronic converters which drive the motors according to said setpoints. Operation of the system comprises: designating a drive as master and the other drives as slaves; designating, for each slave, one of the drives as reference drive; the CCS determining master speed and torque setpoints, and sending them to the master; the CCS obtaining real torque of the master; CCS obtaining real speed of each reference drive; and the CCS sending to each slave a slave speed setpoint equal to the master speed setpoint, and a slave torque setpoint equal to the real torque of the master plus a variable offset based on a difference between the master speed setpoint and the real speed of its reference drive.

Claims (35)

1. A method of operating a wind turbine rotational system comprising a plurality of drives and a central control system, each drive comprising: a motor, an electronic converter for driving the motor, and an actuator operatively connected with the motor, wherein

the central control system sends speed setpoints and torque setpoints to the electronic converters and the electronic converters drive the motors in accordance with the received setpoints,

the method comprising

designating one of the drives as a master drive and designating the other drives as slave drives,

designating a drive of reference,

the central control system determining a master speed setpoint and a master torque setpoint,

the central control system sending the master speed setpoint and the master torque setpoint to the master drive,

the central control system obtaining, from the master drive, a value representing the real torque of the motor of the master drive,

the central control system obtaining, from the drive of reference, a value representing the real speed of the motor of the drive of reference, and

the central control system sending a slave speed setpoint and a slave torque setpoint to each of the slave drives, wherein the slave speed setpoint is equal to the master speed setpoint, and wherein the slave torque setpoint is equal to the value representing the real torque of the motor of the master drive plus a variable offset value based on a difference between the master speed setpoint and the value representing the real speed of the motor of the drive of reference.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the slave torque setpoint is the same for all the slave drives.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the master drive is the drive of reference.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the variable offset value is determined in accordance with a PID control based on a difference between the master speed setpoint and the value representing the real speed of the motor of the drive of reference, which is the master drive.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the drive of reference is one of the slave drives.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the variable offset value for each slave drive is determined in accordance with a PID control based on a difference between the master speed setpoint and the value representing the real speed of the motor of the drive of reference, which is the slave drive itself.

7. A wind turbine rotational system comprising a plurality of drives and a central control system, each drive comprising: a motor, an electronic converter for driving the motor, and an actuator operatively connected with the motor, wherein

the wind turbine rotational system is adapted to perform the method of claim 1 .

8. The wind turbine rotational system according to claim 7 , wherein the wind turbine rotational system is a pitch system for pitching a blade.

9. The wind turbine rotational system according to claim 7 , wherein the wind turbine rotational system is a yaw system.

10. A wind turbine comprising a wind turbine rotational system according to claim 7 .

11. A wind turbine rotational system comprising a plurality of drives and a central control system, each drive comprising: a motor, an electronic converter for driving the motor, and an actuator operatively connected with the motor, wherein

the wind turbine rotational system is adapted to perform the method of claim 2 .

12. A wind turbine rotational system comprising a plurality of drives and a central control system, each drive comprising: a motor, an electronic converter for driving the motor, and an actuator operatively connected with the motor, wherein

the wind turbine rotational system is adapted to perform the method of claim 3 .

13. A wind turbine rotational system comprising a plurality of drives and a central control system, each drive comprising: a motor, an electronic converter for driving the motor, and an actuator operatively connected with the motor, wherein

the wind turbine rotational system is adapted to perform the method of claim 4 .

14. A wind turbine rotational system comprising a plurality of drives and a central control system, each drive comprising: a motor, an electronic converter for driving the motor, and an actuator operatively connected with the motor, wherein

the wind turbine rotational system is adapted to perform the method of claim 5 .

15. A wind turbine rotational system comprising a plurality of drives and a central control system, each drive comprising: a motor, an electronic converter for driving the motor, and an actuator operatively connected with the motor, wherein

the wind turbine rotational system is adapted to perform the method of claim 6 .

16. A wind turbine comprising a wind turbine rotational system according to claim 11 .

17. A wind turbine comprising a wind turbine rotational system according to claim 12 .

18. A wind turbine comprising a wind turbine rotational system according to claim 13 .

19. A wind turbine comprising a wind turbine rotational system according to claim 14 .

20. A wind turbine comprising a wind turbine rotational system according to claim 15 .

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 4, 2017
From: GE RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES
To: GE RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES WIND B.V.
Reel/Frame 044117/0056 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 2, 2017
From: ALSTOM RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES
To: GE RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES
Reel/Frame 043749/0761 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2015
From: PALOMARES RENTERO, PEDRO
To: ALSTOM RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES
Reel/Frame 035989/0583 →