System and Method for Controlling Pitch Angle of a Wind Turbine Rotor Blade

• Main Authors: Hallak, Mahdi, Zheng, Sheng Jia, Angel, Mathew Doyle, Amin, Ziad Mohamed
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.08.2018
• Subjects: BLASTING; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO MACHINES OR ENGINES OTHER THANNON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, TO WIND MOTORS,TO NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMPS, AND TO GENERATING COMBUSTIONPRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGH VELOCITY; INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUSSUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; WEAPONS; WIND MOTORS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS

The present disclosure is directed to a method for controlling a pitch angle of a rotor blade of a wind turbine. The method includes adjusting, with an actuator, the pitch angle of the rotor blade during a start-up sequence of the wind turbine. The actuator adjusts the pitch angle of the rotor blade by rotating the rotor blade about a pitch axis relative to a hub. The method also includes determining, with a controller, a minimum pitch angle threshold of the rotor blade based on a tip speed ratio of the rotor blade. The method further includes comparing, with the controller, a current pitch angle of the rotor blade to the minimum pitch angle threshold. When the pitch angle meets the minimum pitch angle threshold, the method includes preventing, with the actuator, the pitch angle of the rotor blade from exceeding the minimum pitch angle threshold.