Wind turbine generator system
| Title: | Wind turbine generator system |
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| Patent Number: | 8,043,055 |
| Publication Date: | October 25, 2011 |
| Appl. No: | 12/312959 |
| Application Filed: | March 24, 2008 |
| Abstract: | A wind turbine generator system is provided with a nacelle supporting a wind turbine rotor, a nacelle rotation mechanism, an anemometer, and a control apparatus controlling the nacelle rotation mechanism. Said control apparatus calculates the wind direction deviation from the wind direction measured by the anemometer and the direction of the wind turbine rotor. Said control apparatus performs a yaw rotation of the nacelle by the nacelle rotation mechanism when any of conditions (1) and (2) is satisfied; the condition (1) is a condition under which a state where the absolute value of said wind direction deviation is equal to or more than a first threshold value continues for a first duration predetermined, and the condition (2) is a condition under which a state where the absolute value of said wind direction deviation is equal to or more than a second threshold value larger than said first threshold value continues for a second duration shorter than said first duration. |
| Inventors: | Matsuo, Atsushi (Nagasaki, JP); Fukami, Koji (Nagasaki, JP); Noguchi, Toshihide (Nagasaki, JP); Hayashida, Kazuki (Nagasaki, JP); Fujitsuka, Teppei (Nagasaki, JP); Yatomi, Yuji (Nagasaki, JP) |
| Assignees: | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Tokyo, JP) |
| Claim: | 1. A wind turbine generator system comprising: a nacelle for supporting a wind turbine rotor; a rotation mechanism for performing a yaw rotation of the nacelle; a wind direction measurement apparatus for measuring a present wind direction; and a control apparatus for controlling said rotation mechanism, wherein said control apparatus is configured to calculate a wind direction deviation from the present wind direction measured by said wind direction measurement apparatus and a direction of said wind turbine rotor, wherein said control apparatus is configured to perform a yaw rotation of said nacelle by said rotation mechanism when a first condition is satisfied, said first condition being a condition under which a state where an absolute value of said wind direction deviation exceeds a first threshold value and continues for a predetermined first duration, and wherein said control apparatus is configured to perform a yaw rotation of said nacelle when a second condition is satisfied, said second condition being a condition under which a state where the absolute value of said wind direction deviation exceeds a second threshold value smaller than said first threshold value and continues for a second duration longer than said first duration. |
| Claim: | 2. The wind turbine generator system according to claim 1 , wherein said control apparatus is configured to perform the yaw rotation of said nacelle such that said wind direction deviation is reduced to zero when any of said first and second conditions is satisfied. |
| Claim: | 3. The wind turbine generator system according to claim 1 , wherein said control apparatus is configured to perform the yaw rotation of said nacelle such that a sign of said wind direction deviation is reversed before and after the yaw rotation, and the absolute value of said wind direction deviation after the yaw rotation is larger than zero and equal to or less than said second threshold value, when said second condition is satisfied. |
| Claim: | 4. The wind turbine generator system according to claim 3 , wherein said control apparatus is configured to perform the yaw rotation of said nacelle such that the absolute value of said wind direction deviation after the yaw rotation is equal to said second threshold value, when said second condition is satisfied. |
| Claim: | 5. A wind turbine generator system comprising: a nacelle for supporting a wind turbine rotor; a rotation mechanism for performing a yaw rotation of the nacelle; a wind direction measurement apparatus for measuring a wind direction; and a control apparatus for controlling said rotation mechanism, wherein said control apparatus is configured to calculate a wind direction deviation from the wind direction measured by said wind direction measurement apparatus and a direction of said wind turbine rotor, and to determine which of first and second conditions is a present wind condition, the first condition being a condition where a wind direction randomly changes with high degree of randomness, and the second condition being a condition where a wind direction gradually changes over a long time, and wherein, when said present wind condition is determined to be said second condition, and an absolute value of said wind direction deviation is equal to or exceeds a first threshold value for a first duration, said control apparatus is configured to perform a yaw rotation of said nacelle by said rotation mechanism such that a sign of said wind direction deviation, before the yaw rotation, is reversed after the yaw rotation and the absolute value of said wind direction deviation after the yaw rotation is larger than zero and equal to or less than said first threshold value. |
| Claim: | 6. The wind turbine generator system according to claim 5 , wherein when said control apparatus determines said present wind condition is the second condition, and the absolute value of said wind direction deviation is equal to or exceeds said first threshold and continues for said first duration, said control apparatus is configured to command the rotation mechanism to perform the yaw rotation of said nacelle such that the absolute value of said wind direction deviation after the yaw rotation is equal to said first threshold value. |
| Claim: | 7. The wind turbine generator system according to claim 6 , wherein when said control apparatus determines said present wind condition is said first condition and the absolute value of said wind direction deviation is equal to or exceeds a second threshold value and continues for a second duration shorter than said first duration, said control apparatus is configured to command the rotation mechanism to perform the yaw rotation of said nacelle such that said wind direction deviation after the yaw rotation is reduced to zero. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 416/9 |
| Patent References Cited: | 5990568 November 1999 Hildingsson et al. 6946751 September 2005 Yoshida et al. 7520237 April 2009 Dimov Zhekov H11-064131 March 1999 2001-289149 October 2001 2004-285858 October 2004 2005-113899 April 2005 WO 2005-108784 November 2005 |
| Assistant Examiner: | Ellis, Ryan |
| Primary Examiner: | Look, Edward |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Kanesaka, Manabu Hauptman, Benjamin J. Berner, Kenneth M. |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.08043055 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
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