WO2019103621A1 - Détection de l'orientation de pale d'éolienne - Google Patents

Détection de l'orientation de pale d'éolienne Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2019103621A1
WO2019103621A1 PCT/NO2018/050290 NO2018050290W WO2019103621A1 WO 2019103621 A1 WO2019103621 A1 WO 2019103621A1 NO 2018050290 W NO2018050290 W NO 2018050290W WO 2019103621 A1 WO2019103621 A1 WO 2019103621A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
image
wind turbine
wind
orientation
blade disc
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/NO2018/050290
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Richard Hall
Nenad KESERIC
Original Assignee
Equinor Asa
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Equinor Asa filed Critical Equinor Asa
Publication of WO2019103621A1 publication Critical patent/WO2019103621A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
    • G06T7/00—Image analysis
    • G06T7/70—Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras
    • G06T7/73—Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras using feature-based methods
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03D—WIND MOTORS
    • F03D17/00—Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03D—WIND MOTORS
    • F03D7/00—Controlling wind motors 
    • F03D7/02—Controlling wind motors  the wind motors having rotation axis substantially parallel to the air flow entering the rotor
    • F03D7/0204—Controlling wind motors  the wind motors having rotation axis substantially parallel to the air flow entering the rotor for orientation in relation to wind direction
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
    • G06T7/00—Image analysis
    • G06T7/70—Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
    • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
    • F05B2270/00—Control
    • F05B2270/30—Control parameters, e.g. input parameters
    • F05B2270/329—Azimuth or yaw angle
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
    • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
    • F05B2270/00—Control
    • F05B2270/80—Devices generating input signals, e.g. transducers, sensors, cameras or strain gauges
    • F05B2270/804—Optical devices
    • F05B2270/8041—Cameras
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
    • G06T2207/00—Indexing scheme for image analysis or image enhancement
    • G06T2207/10—Image acquisition modality
    • G06T2207/10032—Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
    • G06T2207/00—Indexing scheme for image analysis or image enhancement
    • G06T2207/10—Image acquisition modality
    • G06T2207/10032—Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
    • G06T2207/10044—Radar image
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
    • G06T2207/00—Indexing scheme for image analysis or image enhancement
    • G06T2207/20—Special algorithmic details
    • G06T2207/20081—Training; Learning
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
    • G06T2207/00—Indexing scheme for image analysis or image enhancement
    • G06T2207/30—Subject of image; Context of image processing
    • G06T2207/30108—Industrial image inspection
    • G06T2207/30164—Workpiece; Machine component
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/70—Wind energy
    • Y02E10/72—Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting, verifying and/or adjusting the orientation of the blades of a wind turbine.
  • a typical wind turbine comprises a tower having a nacelle at its upper end.
  • the nacelle houses an electrical generator, gearing and control systems and has mounted to it a rotor that carries a plurality of rotor blades (typically three).
  • the nacelle is able to rotate relative to the tower so that the blades are directed towards the wind (i.e. so that the plane in which they rotate is perpendicular to the wind direction).
  • the wind is stronger and more reliable offshore (in this regard it is relevant that the power obtainable is proportional to the cube of the wind speed) and there may be fewer environmental and aesthetic objections (particularly when they are located some distance offshore).
  • locating wind turbines offshore provides additional challenges in relation to yaw misalignment.
  • wind turbines may be used singly they are generally provided in groups known as farms. It would obviously be expected that the blades of all wind turbines within a given farm would be orientated in substantially the same direction.
  • Offshore wind turbines whether floating or anchored, pose additional difficulties in ensuring the optimum orientation of their rotor blades since there is no fixed datum point because the turbines and any other floating structures are mobile to some extent on their moorings.
  • One approach is to provide instrumentation on top of the turbine structure, in particular, to provide anemometers on the nacelle to provide a measurement of the wind direction (and strength) relative to the nacelle.
  • anemometers on the nacelle to provide a measurement of the wind direction (and strength) relative to the nacelle.
  • the measurement of a post-rotor anemometer has errors influenced by the rotating blades because the anemometer is located in the turbulent air behind the blade disc.
  • nacelle anemometers are not calibrated. There can be significant differences between individual turbines, and even between anemometers on a single turbine.
  • LiDAR is a surveying method that measures distance to a target by illuminating that target with a pulsed laser light and measuring the reflected pulses with a sensor. Differences in laser return times and wavelengths can then be used to make digital 3D-representations of the target.
  • the existing LiDAR technology can only measure one turbine at a time. This makes it impossible to compare turbine performance accurately. It is also relatively costly.
  • iSpin A still further technique is known as iSpin. This involves the use of three ultrasonic sensors mounted on the spinner of the rotor. (The spinner is the roughly cone-shaped cover that is provided at the centre of the rotor.) This can be effective but requires the use of expensive instrumentation which must be provided on the turbine itself.
  • a method of determining the orientation of the rotor blade disc of a wind turbine comprising the steps of:
  • a convenient method of determining the orientation of the rotor blade disc of a wind turbine is provided. Whilst it may be used for a solitary turbine, it is particularly advantageous for use with a plurality of turbines and preferably a farm of wind turbines since preferably the entire farm may be included within the image.
  • the image may be any suitable image from which the rotor blade disc may be resolved and its orientation determined relative to the frame of reference of the image - e.g. relative to the known orientation of the imaging system itself or to some external datum. (Where a plurality of wind turbines are imaged, the relative orientation of their blade discs may be determined.).
  • Such images may most conveniently be provided from an elevated location, for example from an aerial craft (whether a conventional aircraft, drone/UAV, etc.), from a satellite, or even a suitable fixed platform.
  • Such images may conveniently comprise a plurality of wind turbines, for example an entire wind farm.
  • An elevated image of a wind farm may be termed a synoptic image because it provides information about the overall state of the orientation of the wind turbines within the farm.
  • the invention is therefore based upon the recognition by the inventors that suitable elevated images may be used for this purpose and, in particular, that it is both possible and convenient to extract the blade disc orientation from them.
  • the recognition that such information may be extracted from satellite images is particularly significant as this facilitates the determination of blade orientation in remote or difficult-to-access locations.
  • the yaw measurements may be integrated with additional data, including but not limited to: meteorological, oceanographic, operations and maintenance, and production data.
  • the method of the invention is useful for measuring a plurality of wind turbines and it is preferred that the satellite image covers an entire farm or several wind farms. Thus, all turbines in a given wind farm may be measured at the same instant in time, which allows the measurements to be compared to each other.
  • the invention may therefore provide some or all of the following advantages:-
  • the invention may be performed manually.
  • an engineer may obtain suitable image data, e.g. from a satellite, from which he or she may identify wind turbine(s) and measure the orientations of their blades.
  • suitable image data e.g. from a satellite
  • computer is used herein to refer to any suitable system which, as is notoriously well known, will be provided with a processor, storage, memory, input and output means.
  • the method preferably includes the step of inputting image data into the computer.
  • the image data may comprise optical images, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), etc. in the case of satellite image data, the data may be downloaded from any provider of such data. Alternatively, it may be obtained by means of aerial photography from a drone/UAV or (manned) aircraft.
  • SAR synthetic aperture radar
  • an image may be sufficiently clear to use in its“raw” state, preferably it is pre-processed to remove noise and artefacts. It may also be convenient to normalise the image to a given size and scale.
  • The, or each, wind turbine may then be identified in the image. This may be done by means of any known pattern/image recognition algorithm such as the known types machine-learning based algorithms used for facial recognition.
  • the algorithm may be trained to identify wind turbines from such images.
  • a human operator may identify wind turbines from within the image, or he/she may verify those identified by the algorithm.
  • the blade disc may then be identified from within the (sub) image of the wind turbine in the case of satellite images, which are substantially from above, this will appear as a line (depending of course on the relative location of the satellite - if it is further from the overhead position, the disc will appear more elliptical).
  • its orientation may then be determined - i e the angle of the line” with respect to north or some other predefined direction.
  • the diameter of the blade disc i.e. the length of the“line” may also be determined.
  • the orientation of the rotor blade disc of each of the plurality of wind turbines is preferably determined.
  • the orientation of the rotor blade discs may then be compared to determine if one of the wind turbines is significantly misaligned.
  • the comparison comprises determining the average (e.g. the mean) orientation and determining whether any of the blade disc orientations deviates from the average by more than a predetermined threshold amount.
  • the threshold may be a predetermined angle (e.g. more than 3 degrees, 5 degrees, 8 degrees, etc.) or more than a given fraction of the standard deviation of the angles.
  • the method preferably further comprises the step of performing remedial action in respect of a wind turbine identified as misaligned.
  • a list of underperforming turbines and list of turbines with deviations may be combined to produce a list of turbines that are misaligned.
  • the list will in turn be an O&M plan for the wind farm’s maintenance.
  • a preferred application of the invention is to provide a decision-based tool to link to a revenue model for planning O&M activities so as to increase revenue and extend lifetime.
  • Satellite imagery may also be used to produce information on instantaneous wind direction and speed measurements throughout the wind farm co-incident with the turbine yaw measurements.
  • the invention may be performed using historic data and may do so using several sets of data over time to identify consistent misalignment issues.
  • the invention may be done using (substantially) real time image data - i.e. using the most recent available image data.
  • the invention is preferably performed using a computer and therefore, viewed from another aspect, the invention provides a computing apparatus configured to perform the method of any preceding claim.
  • the invention also extends to a wind turbine (and indeed to a farm of wind turbines) controlled by means of the method described above.
  • the computer preferably performs the method according to the preferred features of the invention set out above.
  • Figure 1 is a flow chart showing a method of obtaining wind turbine rotor axis and length data according to an embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 2 is an optical satellite image showing turbine axis measurement by means of the embodiment.
  • Figure 3 is a synthetic aperture radar satellite image showing turbine axis measurement by means of a variant embodiment.
  • the described embodiment is performed on conventional computing apparatus (not shown) using satellite image data.
  • satellite image data This may be an optical image or other types of image, such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR).
  • SAR synthetic aperture radar
  • the images used may be obtained by downloading them from a commercial provider of such data. They may be substantially in real time or historic.
  • the image data is input into the system for processing by means of an algorithm embodied in software running on the computer.
  • the next stage (box 2) is for the image to be pre-processed, to normalise the image to a standard size and format, filter out artefacts and noise, etc.
  • the pre-processed images are then processed at box 3 to identify images of wind turbines within them. This may be done by means of known image recognition algorithms, such as those based on machine learning systems. Additionally or alternatively, a human operator may identify and/or verify the wind turbines in the image. The number and location within the image of each wind turbine is stored.
  • the long axis of the wind turbine - i.e. the plane of the blade disc - is identified from within the image portion identified as showing a wind turbine. Since the wind turbines are being viewed substantially from above, this appears as a line in the image.
  • the next step - shown in box 5 - is for the orientation of the disc (i.e. the orientation of the line relative to north in the image) is determined and stored.
  • the diameter of the disc i.e. length of that line
  • the latter step is performed by scaling the length of the line in the image based upon the known scale of the image.
  • the algorithm provides a loop whereby the steps of boxes 4 and 5 are repeated for each turbine identified.
  • box 6 provides a counter and determines whether there are further wind turbines to measure (“Yes”) or whether the last wind turbine has been measured (“No”).
  • the data is output into a table whereby for each turbine, its measured blade disc diameter (“blade length”) and orientation (“angle”) are provided.
  • Figure 2 shows an example of a portion of an optical satellite image 10 showing a wind turbine 11. The identified blade disc has been superimposed on the image as a line“a”.
  • Figure 3 shows a corresponding view of an SAR image.
  • the identified blade disc is line“ ”.
  • the data may be studied to identify if any of the wind turbines appears to be significantly misaligned. This is done on the basis that the wind direction should be substantially identical across a relatively small area such as a wind farm and therefore a wind turbine whose orientation is an“outlier” is likely to be misaligned. Thus, the average of the orientation angles is determined and the deviation from that average of each wind turbine is determined.
  • a threshold is set - either in terms of a predetermined angle or a predetermined percentage of the standard deviation - any wind turbine having an angle which exceeds that threshold is identified as misaligned.
  • Table 1 shows an example of data obtained using an optical satellite image in respect of a wind turbine farm comprising seven turbines.
  • turbine 4 is an“outlier" in that its angle (125 degrees) is significantly different form all of the others, which lie in the 132 to 140 degree range.
  • turbine 4 is again shown as an outlier since at 187 degrees, its blade disc orientation differs significantly from the others, which are all in the 182 to 185 degree range. Having identified a turbine as being misaligned, remedial action can then be taken to determine and address the cause of the problem.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Indicating Or Recording The Presence, Absence, Or Direction Of Movement (AREA)
  • Wind Motors (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé et un appareil pour détecter, vérifier et/ou ajuster l'orientation des pales d'une éolienne (11). L'invention concerne un procédé dans lequel une image d'une éolienne (11) est obtenue, le disque de pale de rotor de l'éolienne (11) est identifié à partir de l'image, et l'orientation du disque de pale de rotor est déterminée à partir de l'image. L'invention concerne également un appareil informatique configuré pour mettre en œuvre le procédé et un produit logiciel contenant un code permettant à un ordinateur d'exécuter le procédé.
PCT/NO2018/050290 2017-11-21 2018-11-21 Détection de l'orientation de pale d'éolienne WO2019103621A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1719324.4 2017-11-21
GB1719324.4A GB2568676A (en) 2017-11-21 2017-11-21 Wind turbine blade orientation detection

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2019103621A1 true WO2019103621A1 (fr) 2019-05-31

Family

ID=60805569

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/NO2018/050290 WO2019103621A1 (fr) 2017-11-21 2018-11-21 Détection de l'orientation de pale d'éolienne

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2568676A (fr)
WO (1) WO2019103621A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN110985309A (zh) * 2019-12-09 2020-04-10 远景智能国际私人投资有限公司 偏航对风异常检测方法、装置、设备和存储介质

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3770426A1 (fr) * 2019-07-26 2021-01-27 Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S Procédé et appareil pour la surveillance mise en uvre par ordinateur d'un ou de plusieurs éoliennes dans un parc éolien
EP3907402A1 (fr) * 2020-05-06 2021-11-10 Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S Procédé et appareil de surveillance d'une éolienne mise en uvre par ordinateur

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20090266160A1 (en) * 2008-04-24 2009-10-29 Mike Jeffrey Method and system for determining an imbalance of a wind turbine rotor
DE102008031484A1 (de) * 2008-07-03 2010-01-14 Energy-Consult Projektgesellschaft Mbh Verfahren zur Ermittlung und Nachjustierung des relativen Flügeleinstellwinkels an Windenergieanlagen mit horizontalen Antriebsachsen
US20110135442A1 (en) * 2009-12-09 2011-06-09 Lutz Kerber System, device, and method for acoustic and visual monitoring of a wind turbine

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3581792A1 (fr) * 2011-05-03 2019-12-18 Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S Procédé de vérification d'un désalignement de lacet d'une éolienne dans un parc éolien, procédé de surveillance d'une éolienne dans un parc éolien et appareil de surveillance
US20120045330A1 (en) * 2011-07-29 2012-02-23 General Electric Company System and method for monitoring and controlling physical structures
DE102013201163A1 (de) * 2013-01-24 2014-08-07 Wobben Properties Gmbh Verfahren zum Ausmessen eines Rotorblattwinkels

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20090266160A1 (en) * 2008-04-24 2009-10-29 Mike Jeffrey Method and system for determining an imbalance of a wind turbine rotor
DE102008031484A1 (de) * 2008-07-03 2010-01-14 Energy-Consult Projektgesellschaft Mbh Verfahren zur Ermittlung und Nachjustierung des relativen Flügeleinstellwinkels an Windenergieanlagen mit horizontalen Antriebsachsen
US20110135442A1 (en) * 2009-12-09 2011-06-09 Lutz Kerber System, device, and method for acoustic and visual monitoring of a wind turbine

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
MARTIN STOKKELAND: "A Computer Vision Approach for Autonomous Wind Turbine Inspection using a Multicopter", DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING CYBERNETICS, June 2014 (2014-06-01), XP055543687 *

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN110985309A (zh) * 2019-12-09 2020-04-10 远景智能国际私人投资有限公司 偏航对风异常检测方法、装置、设备和存储介质
CN110985309B (zh) * 2019-12-09 2022-03-11 远景智能国际私人投资有限公司 偏航对风异常检测方法、装置、设备和存储介质

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2568676A (en) 2019-05-29
GB201719324D0 (en) 2018-01-03

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US11549492B2 (en) Method of condition monitoring one or more wind turbines and parts thereof and performing instant alarm when needed
CN112267980B (zh) 风力发电机组的叶片净空监测系统和方法
US9759200B2 (en) Wind tower and wind farm inspections via unmanned aircraft systems
CN110282143B (zh) 一种海上风电场无人机巡检方法
US20160377056A1 (en) Method and system for improving energy capture efficiency from an energy capture device
WO2019103621A1 (fr) Détection de l'orientation de pale d'éolienne
US20150252789A1 (en) Method for Detecting Deflection of the Blades of a Wind Turbine
WO2012044161A2 (fr) Procédé et système pour la détection de rafales de vent dans une éolienne
US20180171985A1 (en) System for monitoring a wind turbine blade
WO2009102001A1 (fr) Système de recherche d'oiseau, procédé de recherche d'oiseau et programme d'ordinateur
US11421651B2 (en) Method of determining wind direction by means of a LiDAR sensor
US20230196612A1 (en) Method and system for object detection
CN110632346A (zh) 风向标安装误差校正方法、装置及系统
EP4097354A1 (fr) Procédé d'imagerie d'une pale de rotor d'éolienne
CN115713558A (zh) 一种基于机器视觉地面测风电机组净空的方法
EP4009272A1 (fr) Diagnostic visuel d'un générateur d'éolienne en fonctionnement depuis un véhicule aérien sans pilote
CN116050201B (zh) 基于智能传感器实时采集的三维风场建模方法及装置
Wagner et al. Power performance verification in complex terrain using nacelle lidars: the Ogorje campaign
Wagenaar et al. ECN-NORCOWE wake LiDAR measurement campaign at ECN test site
CN116246178A (zh) 基于卫星图片识别技术生成区域高精度风向的方法
CN117889786A (zh) 一种基于视觉的风电场站自动巡检方法及系统

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 18880555

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 18880555

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1