Abstract:
A system and method of detecting damage to a wind turbine blade uses one or more fluorescent optical fibers comprising a fluorescent material having an excitation wavelength that is selected such that the material fluoresces upon exposure to ambient radiation at the wind turbine blade, wherein the one or more optical fibers are operatively mounted within the wind turbine blade such that upon damage to the wind turbine blade at least a part of the optical fiber is exposed at the surface of the blade causing the optical fiber to fluoresce; a light detector for receiving a light signal from one or from both ends of the one or more optical fibers upon excitation of the fluorescent material and outputting a signal based on the light signal; and a controller coupled to the light detector to receive the signal.
Abstract:
The invention comprises a wind turbine optical wind sensor10mounted on the rotor 4 of a wind turbine, either on the blades 5 or on the hub 5. The sensor comprises a plurality of light sources, each generating respective sensor beams made up of at least two individual parallel component sensor beams. Transit times for particulate matter carried in the wind breaking the at least two component sensor beams are used to provide one or more of an indication of wind speed and/or a component of vertical wind speed. The data received from the sensor can be used in control processes for the operation of the wind turbine, particularly for temporarily pitching the rotor blades in adverse wind conditions, such as when vertical wind gusts are detected.
Abstract:
A wind turbine (1) includes an optical sensor system (10) comprising one or more optical sensors (12) comprising: a sensor membrane (18); a light source (20) for illuminating a surface of the sensor membrane; an optical dispersive element (26) arranged to disperse the light from the light source (20); and a light detector (30) for receiving a portion of the dispersed light beam after reflection from the surface of the sensor membrane (18)and dispersion of the light beam by the optical dispersive element. The wavelength of the light received at the light detector (30) varies as a function of the displacement of the sensor membrane (18) and the light detector operatively provides an output based on changes in the wavelength of the received light. The wind turbine is operable based on an input to a wind turbine control system received from the optical sensor system.
Abstract:
A sensor system for measuring an operating parameter of a wind turbine component is described. The fiber optic sensor system comprises a light source for outputting light in a predetermined range of wavelengths, and an optical fiber comprising a long Fiber Bragg Grating, extending continuously over a length of the optical fiber to provide a continuous measurement region in the optical fiber. The optical fiber is coupled to the wind turbine component such that the continuous measurement region is located at a region of the wind turbine component to be sensed, and such that the grating period at each location in the continuous measurement period is dependent upon the value of the operating parameter at that location. A light detector receives light from the optical fiber, and provides an output signal to the controller indicating the intensity of the received light; based on the detected light, a value for the operating parameter is determined.
Abstract:
A wind energy power plant optical vibration sensor is described, using two light sources 15, 16 that emit light at different respective frequencies. The light from the first light source falls on a surface 44 of the wind energy power plant at a detection site. Movements in the surface result in changes to the phase of the light reflected back from the surface which can be detected by mixing the first light with the light emitted from the second light source. The difference in frequencies between the two light sources results in a beating of the resulting interference signal, whereas movements in the sensor surface result in changes in the phase timing and frequency of the beats.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method and to a wind turbine for determining the tip angle of a blade of a wind turbine rotor during rotation of the rotor. The method comprising: (a) transmitting a light signal from a first blade of the wind turbine rotor towards a second blade of the rotor; (b) receiving the light signal at the second blade of the rotor; and (c) calculating the tip angle of the first or second blade based upon characteristics of the received light signal.
Abstract:
The rotor blades of a wind turbine each have a plurality of fiber-optic pressure variation sensors which can detect the onset of a stall condition. The output of the stall condition sensors is input to a stall count circuit which increases a stall count signal each time a stall indication is received. The stall count signal is decayed exponentially over time and the current signal is summed with the decayed signal from a previous sampling period to form a value from which a stall margin is determined. An λ:θ curve of tip speed to wind speed ratio λ against pitch angle reference θ is then determined from the stall margin.