Grid Integration Techniques for Wind Turbines

Lubrication system for wind turbines that allows the turbine to continue operating with reduced grid power or during grid outages. The lubrication system has a pump that can operate at a lower speed and power in low grid conditions. A fluid release system intermittently discharges lubricant from the storage tank when the pump is in low power mode. This provides enough lubricant to the consumer units like bearings to prevent dry running and damage. The release system avoids needing backup power or complex control systems for low power operation.

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Tower structure for wind turbines that enables taller towers with reduced transportation limitations. The tower is made of stacked sections with additively manufactured sections. Each section has printed concrete layers forming the wall element. A base holds the printed layers. The sections have lift connections for stacking. This allows additive manufacturing of the tower sections on site instead of transporting prefabricated sections. The additively manufactured sections can be taller than transportation limits due to their on-site assembly.

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Self-regulating wind turbine generator that can adjust output voltage without mechanical components like blade pitch control or yaw systems. The generator has a rotor spinning with the wind turbine and a stator that can move inside the rotor's magnetic field. An actuator moves the stator closer to the rotor to increase voltage below a threshold and farther away to limit voltage above the threshold. This self-regulation allows maximum voltage extraction without overloading the system in high winds.

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Control method for wind turbines configured as virtual synchronous machines (VSMs) to improve grid stability and reduce mechanical loads after faults. The method involves controlling the wind turbine's power output based on the synchronous machine angle, using high-pass filtered rotational speed to determine damping power. It also uses comparisons of DC link voltage and grid power to determine chopper power. This allows the wind turbine to provide grid-forming properties similar to a synchronous generator while avoiding power oscillations and excessive mechanical loads after faults.

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A wind energy harvesting system that captures more energy from wind than conventional wind turbines. It uses a unique configuration of wind collectors, boosters, and rotatable exit conduits to extract more mechanical torque from wind. The system collects wind in inner and outer wind collectors, boosts the flow rate through a booster arm, then expels it through a rotatable exit conduit. The thrust force from exiting wind turns the exit conduit, which can be converted to electrical power. This provides a more efficient transformation of wind kinetic energy into usable mechanical torque compared to conventional lift-based wind turbines.

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A mechanical device for converting kinetic energy from wind and waves into electrical power. The device uses a rotatable sail and mast that can translate rotational motion into linear motion. A piston connected to a moveable element moves back and forth as the mast rotates. This linear motion pumps fluid to generate pressure. A power generation system converts the fluid pressure into electricity. The device aims to convert kinetic energy from natural resources like wind and waves into usable electricity.

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A transmission gearing for wind turbines and electric vehicles that is lighter than conventional planetary gears, more robust to shock and impact loads, and has fewer components. The gearing replaces some of the heavy planetary pinions with drive belts. The belts connect the planetary shafts to high-speed shafts instead of using more pinions. This reduces weight and simplifies the gearing. The belts also absorb and dampen shock forces.

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Automatic identification of parameters for wind turbine generators to improve control performance, safety and reduce maintenance costs. The method involves controlling the generator to no-load start and shut down by adjusting blade pitch. During this transient, voltages and flux linkage can be measured to determine generator parameters like rotor angle, pole pairs, and flux linkage. Closing the circuit breaker at shutdown allows measuring stator resistance and inductance. This avoids manual parameter entry errors and reduces software versions compared to static tables.

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Retrofitting existing wind turbine foundations to allow replacing older turbines with newer, larger models without needing new foundations. The retrofit involves adding a perimetral structure around the outer edge of the base that connects to the existing pedestal using lever arms. The perimetral structure provides additional strength and reinforcement to handle the increased loads of modern turbines. It encloses the existing pedestal like a cage to redistribute forces. This allows using the existing base and pedestal with the retrofit to support new taller and heavier turbines.

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An electrical connector for electrically connecting a rotor of a generator to a slip ring without using wires. The connector has multiple fixed conductive bars extending between two isolated support cartridges. This allows the rotor winding to be connected to the bars instead of using separate wires. The bars can be arranged around the connector axis and enclosed in a housing that fits inside the rotor shaft. The housing has an external surface that mates with the slip ring cavity. This eliminates the need for rotor wiring and slip ring contacts, simplifying generator design and reducing costs.

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Reducing electromagnetic emissions from wind turbines by using absorber elements inside the tower to mitigate unwanted propagation of electromagnetic waves generated by components like inverters. The absorber elements are positioned in areas with high electrical field strength inside the tower to reduce the transport of the electromagnetic waves along the tower. This improves electromagnetic compatibility by preventing emissions from the tower due to waveguide effects.

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Integrating small wind turbines into the nacelles of large wind turbines to provide backup power during grid outages. The nacelle-mounted auxiliary wind turbines generate electricity using the wind flowing through the nacelle shroud. This power can be used to run critical systems like beacons, communication systems, and controllers during grid disconnections. It provides a self-sustaining backup power source that leverages the same wind resource the main turbine uses.

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Wind turbine with multiple transformers inside the nacelle or tower to enable higher power output without needing a large external transformer. The transformers are arranged in a compact layout inside the nacelle to reduce size and weight compared to a single large external transformer. The transformer centers of mass are positioned symmetrically inside the nacelle to balance forces. The multiple transformers allow higher power handling capacity by distributing the load.

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Electrical power system for wind turbine blades that allows safely bringing power into the blade tip region for sensors, actuators, and control. It uses a power transfer unit with a driver and conditioner separated by a dielectric. The driver connects to the hub power and induces a time varying voltage in the conditioner coil to generate DC. This reduces voltage levels in the blade. The conditioned power is transmitted via twisted cables to the blade interior. The system enables powered sensors, actuators, and control in the blade without damage from lightning strikes. It also allows replacing blade sections with powered units.

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Controlling wind turbine power output during frequency events on the grid to avoid the "wind-up" issue where the set point from the grid controller exceeds the turbine's output limits. During grid frequency deviations, the turbine's active power reference is set to the limit if the calculated reference is outside it. After the deviation, the reference ramps back to baseline instead of waiting for the set point to reach the limit. This ensures the turbine's output matches the reference during deviations and ramps immediately after, avoiding delays.

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A wind farm design with onsite hydrogen production and export to mitigate power fluctuations and avoid long-distance transmission costs. The wind turbines have electrolysis units to generate hydrogen using excess wind power. The hydrogen is exported via a shared above-sea-level manifold rather than subsea connections. This allows easier maintenance and prevents corrosion compared to underwater connections. The manifold connects the turbine hydrogen outputs to a common pipeline for transporting the hydrogen produced by the wind farm. This eliminates the need for individual subsea connections from each turbine. The manifold can be housed in a container or installed at the turbine platform or tower.

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Wind turbine design to reduce electromagnetic radiation (EMR) below regulatory limits without major redesigns or costs. The key is adding coaxial impedance members coaxially around the tower, nacelle, and blades. These members are tuned to the natural resonant frequencies of the elements to dampen oscillations and suppress radiated EMR. The coaxial members can be placed at positions with maximum current distribution to further improve suppression.

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Wind turbine with integrated harmonic filters to reduce harmonic distortion in wind farm electrical grids. The filters are mounted inside the turbine tower instead of at the substation. This eliminates the need for large external filters at the farm level, reducing cost and footprint. The filters connect to the high voltage side of the main transformer inside the turbine. When a turbine is disconnected from the grid, the filter remains connected to dampen harmonics on the remaining turbines.

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A plenum resident wind turbine system that leverages the airflow of existing HVAC systems to generate electricity. The system involves installing small wind turbines inside the plenum (air duct) of HVAC systems where the airflow is constant. The turbines spin at a fixed rate due to the airflow from the HVAC blower. The spinning turbine shaft drives a generator to produce electricity. This allows using the HVAC airflow to continuously power the turbines and generate electricity. The system can offset HVAC power consumption and provide a sustainable energy source.

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Optimizing power generation in a wind farm by dynamically adjusting the operating parameters of individual wind turbines based on local wind shear conditions. The method involves measuring or predicting the vertical wind shear profile above the wind farm. This profile is then used to determine optimal adjustments to turbine settings like blade pitch, rotor speed, and yaw angle. These adjustments are made in real-time to optimize overall farm power production considering the non-standard wind shear profile and turbine interactions.

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