US 12,345,233 B2
Pitch control of wind turbine blades in a standby mode
Kasper Bitsch Lund, Århus C (DK); Fabio Caponetti, Åbyhøj (DK); and Andre Brandao Martins, Lisbon (PT)
Assigned to VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S, Aarhus N (DK)
Appl. No. 17/292,398
Filed by Vestas Offshore Wind A/S, Aarhus N (DK)
PCT Filed Nov. 7, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/080459
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 7, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/094752, PCT Pub. Date May 14, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 18204859 (EP), filed on Nov. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0010770 A1, Jan. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. F03D 7/02 (2006.01); F03D 7/04 (2006.01); H02J 3/38 (2006.01); H02J 7/34 (2006.01)
CPC F03D 7/0224 (2013.01) [F03D 7/0284 (2013.01); F03D 7/043 (2013.01); H02J 3/381 (2013.01); F05B 2260/76 (2013.01); F05B 2270/327 (2013.01); F05B 2270/337 (2013.01); H02J 7/34 (2013.01); H02J 2300/28 (2020.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a wind turbine generator (WTG) comprising a pitch control system, the method comprising:
a) operating the WTG in a normal mode while the WTG is connected to an external grid;
b) controlling a pitch angle of blades of the WTG using a normal pitch control mode while the WTG is operating in the normal mode;
c) detecting a grid loss;
d) operating the WTG in a standby mode during the grid loss, wherein in operating the WTG in the standby mode during the grid loss, the WTG is operated to generate backup power to power one or more sub-systems of the WTG and/or to charge an energy storage system associated with the WTG; and
e) controlling the pitch angle of the blades in dependence on a monitored speed parameter of the WTG using a standby pitch control mode different to the normal pitch control mode while the WTG is operating in the standby mode, wherein the standby pitch control mode is less responsive than the normal pitch control mode such that power consumption of the pitch control system is reduced when the WTG is operating in the standby mode, and
wherein the standby pitch control mode is less responsive than the normal pitch control mode in that fewer pitch angle adjustment operations are performed in the standby pitch control mode than in the normal pitch control mode for a given set of conditions.