Method and system for determining an imbalance of a wind turbine rotor

• Main Authors: JEFFREY MIKE, LIERSCH JAN, MELSHEIMER MICHAEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 11.09.2012
• 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; MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC ORINFRASONIC WAVES; MEASURING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMPS; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PHYSICS; POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS; 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; TESTING; TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES ORSTRUCTURES; TESTING STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; WEAPONS; WIND MOTORS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS

The present disclosure provides a method and system of determining aerodynamic imbalances of a wind turbine rotor and optionally correcting such imbalances, as well as a method and system for determining mass imbalances of a wind turbine rotor and optionally correcting such imbalances. The aerodynamic imbalances may be detected and corrected using optical analysis of images of the wind turbine rotor. The mass imbalances may be detected and corrected using vibration analysis of the wind turbine rotor, typically using accelerometers or possibly other vibration sensors.