Classification of lightning damage to wind turbine blades

Lightning damage to wind turbine blades is of great concern to wind power installations. We investigate various issues arising from lightning damage and assess the causes through actual lightning observations as well as from high‐voltage and large‐current experiments. Although installing lightning receptors and down conductors provide a good countermeasure, blade damage can still be caused by lightning still. New techniques are needed to better protect blades from lightning surges; these may include not only better performance and layout of receptors, but also independent lightning towers and new types of blade materials. This paper provides a classification of blade damage sustained in winter lightning, ranked in severity by analyzing the many incidents of damage that have actually occurred in Japan. Moreover, a list of possible causes of damage and relative countermeasures is also presented. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Direct measurement of lightning current through a wind turbine generator structure

The development of a wind turbine generator system in Japan is regarded as a promising source of clean energy, and its popularization is rapidly increasing. In Japan, there are many wind turbine generator systems installed on the Sea of Japan coast, with large wind capacity. However, since the Sea of Japan coast is a region with abundant winter lightning, a phenomenon peculiar to Japan, the wind turbine generator systems are subject to damage from winter lightning. Thus, it is important to observe the lightning currents striking wind turbine generator systems in order to provide lightning protection. The authors therefore installed currents sensors (Rogowski coils) on wind turbine generators installed in Hokkaido and Kagoshima Prefectures, and performed waveform observation of lightning stroke current in the winter of 2002 and the summer of 2003. These observations yielded a few current waveforms for lightning striking wind turbine generators. This paper describes the investigation and presents the observation results. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 157(4): 40– 47, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20250     

An experimental study of lightning overvoltages in wind turbine generation systems using a reduced‐size model

Wind turbine generation systems are built at locations where few tall structures are found nearby so as to obtain good wind conditions, and thus, they are often struck by lightning. To promote wind power generation, lightning‐protection methodologies for such wind turbine generation systems have to be established. This paper presents the result of an experimental study of lightning overvoltages in wind turbine generation systems using a reduced‐size wind turbine model. Overvoltages observed at wavefronts of lightning surges are focused on in this study. In the experiments, lightning strokes to one of the blades and to the nacelle were considered, and voltages and currents at various positions of the wind turbine model were measured. The following points have been deduced from the results: (i) The voltage rise due to the tower footing resistance can cause a significant voltage difference between the tower foot and an incoming conductor led from a distant point. Also, a voltage difference between the bottom of down conductors installed inside the tower and an incoming conductor can be of significance. (ii) The lightning current flowing through the tower body induces voltages in main and control circuits which form loops, and the induced voltages can cause overvoltages and malfunctions. (iii) Traveling‐wave phenomena in a wind turbine generation system for a lightning strike to the tip of a blade and to the nacelle have been clarified from the measured waveforms. This information can be used for developing an EMTP simulation model of wind turbine generation systems. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 158(4): 22– 30, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20466     

A new lightning protection system for wind turbines using two ring‐shaped electrodes

Wind turbines are often struck by lightning because of their special shape, their tall structure and their being placed in the open air. Besides seriously damaging the blades, lightning results in accidents in which low‐voltage and control circuit breakdowns frequently occur in many wind farms worldwide. Although some reports, such as IEC TR61400‐24 and NREL SR‐500‐31115, have indicated a methodology for protection against such accidents, a standard solution to these problems remains to be established. The author, focusing on a method for protection of low‐voltage and control circuits in a wind tower, proposed a new lightning protection system with two ring‐shaped electrodes attached to the wind turbine. The proposed system has two ring‐shaped electrodes of several meters diameter, one vertically attached to the nose cone and the other laterally placed at the top of the wind tower lying just below the nacelle. The pair of rings is arranged with a narrow gap of no more than 1 m in order to avoid mechanical friction during rotation of the blades and the nacelle's circling. When lightning strikes a blade, the current reaches the upper ring from a receptor through a conductive wire. Then, the electric field between the two rings becomes high and finally sparks over and the lightning current flows downwards. The current propagates along the lower ring and the grounding wire, which is arranged outside of the wind tower rather than inside, and is safely led to a grounding electrode placed far enough away from the tower's grounding system. In this paper, the author describes a basic experiment using a 1/100 downsized model, and also discusses the concept behind the present system. The result of the downsized experiment provides evidence of an effective advantage for lightning protection. © 2006 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

海上风机一体化电磁暂态模型与雷电暂态过电压研究

为了减小雷击海上风机引发暂态过电压的故障率,需要准确地分析海上风机暂态过电压的影响因素及响应规律。结合海洋接地环境及风机桨叶转动特性,利用电磁场数值计算的方法,建立了一种新型的海上风机一体化电磁暂态模型;利用ATP-EMTP对海上风机进行仿真分析,研究了海水深度、桨叶长度和塔筒高度、雷电流参数、雷击点和桨叶位置对机舱处雷电暂态过电压的影响,并利用波过程理论分析其原因。仿真结果表明,由于雷电流在风机上存在折反射现象,使得机舱处暂态电压存在明显振荡特性;所提影响因素会对暂态电压的峰值和振荡频率产生不同程度的影响。     

风机叶片内部缺陷日光激励动态热成像方法研究

针对在役风力发电机组叶片内部缺陷类型难以区分的问题,本文提出了基于自然日光激励的动态热成像检测理论与方法,并进行有限元仿真模拟与试件实验研析了自然日光激励下风机叶片不同内部缺陷的动态热成像规律。首先,建立风机叶片切片的有限元传热仿真模型,通过数值计算揭示脱粘、积水两类典型内部缺陷在日光激励热传导物理场下热特征的变化规律;其次,对叶片切片进行同质加工,并利用无人机搭载热成像载荷搭建了日光激励热成像检测平台;最后,在自然日光激励条件下进行全天不同时段下的日光激励热成像实验。仿真和实验结果表明,风机叶片内部脱粘、积水两类典型缺陷在日光激励下将导致表面温度场呈现不同的变化趋势,脱粘缺陷会导致风机叶片表面对应区域出现高温异常到低温异常的动态演化,积水则相反,上述规律将为在役风机叶片的智能运维提供新的方法论。     

Experimental and analytical studies of lightning overvoltages in wind turbine generator systems

This paper presents the results of the experimental and analytical studies undertaken for the lightning protection of wind turbine generator systems by using a reduced-size wind turbine model. In the analytical studies, the FDTD (Finite Difference Time Domain) method is used. This study focuses on the overvoltages observed at the wavefronts of lightning surges. The lightning strokes on one of the blades and on the nacelle were considered, and the experiments and analyses were carried out by considering the cases of summer and winter lightning. The voltages and currents at various positions on the wind turbine model were considered.     

风力机叶片的分段直前后缘设计技术与应用

目前风力机叶片的气动设计方法主要依据简化风车模型与Glauert旋涡理论,但这两种方法得到的叶片在叶根及叶尖弦长过大,在叶根附近扭曲严重,对整体性能及加工制造不利。文章在Glauert旋涡理论设计方法基础上,给出了一种前后缘分段直线化设计技术及其在风力机叶片的气动外形设计中的应用。利用该技术对1MW风力机叶片进行气动设计与计算,得到了风力机在浆矩角可调及风速变化情况下的气动性能预测结果,为风力机叶片多参数化建模及优化设计方法奠定了理论基础。     

超、特高压线路雷击杆塔感应过电压仿真技术研究

介绍了一种针对超、特高压输电线路雷击杆塔感应过电压的数字仿真技术,对雷击杆塔感应过电压的机理以及仿真程序的设计原理进行了阐述,给出了程序的设计流程.通过仿真示例证明了此方法比传统的规程计算法有更好的适应性.分别将人工引雷实验的实测数据和经验方程的计算数据与软件的仿真结果进行了对比验证,证明了该软件仿真结果的正确性及其工程应用价值.     

玻璃钢／复合材料风力机叶片的开发

随着风机单机容量的增大,对风机叶片的设计、制造提出了更高的要求。由于玻璃钢/复合材料具有强度高、容易成型、耐腐蚀性能好、抗震性能较高等特点,因而目前在大型兆瓦级风机叶片制造中得到了广泛应用。介绍了国内外风机叶片的发展概况,分析了玻璃钢/复合材料风机叶片的特点,并从气动设计、结构设计、工艺设计、认证规范和产业化等方面介绍了风机叶片的开发过程。     

Influence of wind turbulence on yaw‐control gears in wind turbine

This paper describes the influence of wind turbulence on the yaw‐control gears of the nacelle in a wind power station. The site is located on Tappi Cape in Aomori prefecture, where major wind turbulence occurs due to the strong western wind and the steep slope of the cape. This paper discusses two adjacent wind towers out of a total of eleven and clarifies the influence of wind turbulence on the leeward wind power generator. Measurements showed that the turbulence and the standard deviation frequently exceeded IEC Wind Turbine Standards. Consequently, the torque applied to the yaw‐control gears oscillated with a short time period and its magnitude was frequently greater than 4.8 ton‐m (47 kN‐m), regarded as the metal fatigue limit. By a method in which the output of the wind turbine generator is controlled, the magnitude of the oscillating torque can be reduced below the limit of material fatigue. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 176(4): 15–25, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21141     

Imitation of the characteristics of the wind turbine based on DC motor

This paper analyzed the operating principles and power and torque characteristics of the wind turbine and the direct current motor (DC motor), and investigated the operating characteristics of the wind turbine compared to that of the DC motor. The torque imitation scheme, which has good performance and high feasibility, together with the whole wind turbine imitation system, was provided. The wind turbine imitation system includes not only a hardware platform composed of PC, data-collection board and thyristor-based velocity-regulator, but also monitor software of wind turbine imitation. The experimental results of different occasions verify the correctness and feasibility of the wind turbine imitation scheme proposed in this paper, which provided a valid idea for wind turbine imitation and investigation of wind power generation techniques in the laboratory. Translated from proceedings of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering, 2006, 26(7): 134–139 [译自: 中国电机工程学报]     

一种基于CR-CD型电路的直驱风机变流器IGBT过电压保护电路研究

针对直驱风力发电系统中变流器IGBT存在过电压脉冲的问题,基于IGBT的物理模型及C型、钳位二极管、RC型和RCD型四种过电压保护电路提出了一种新型CR-CD(Capacitor resistor and capacitor diode)过电压保护电路。首先,分析了CR-CD过电压保护电路的工作原理,论证了CR-CD过电压保护电路抑制过电压脉冲的优良性能。其次,详细设计了过电压保护电路的参数。最后,基于Matlab/Simulink平台搭建了CR-CD型过电压保护电路仿真模型,分别在恒定和变化负载电感两种工况下进行仿真对比分析。结果表明:CR-CD过电压保护电路不仅可以有效地抑制过电压脉冲,还能起到避免因电容造成的过电压脉冲衰减延迟以及缩短IGBT关断时间的作用。     

风电机组接地网冲击特性的研究

为了准确计算风电机组接地网的雷电冲击暂态特性,在考虑土壤电离特性的基础上,利用场路结合方法建立了接地网暂态分析模型.采用快速傅立叶变换,将频域和时域分析方法相结合,对考虑土壤电离时接地网的暂态特性进行了分析.研究结果表明,发生雷击事故时,埋设在地下的传输、通信和控制电缆的屏蔽层与其周围土壤将产生较高的电位差,这会对电缆...     

爆炸气流灭弧防雷装置试验研究与应用

为了提高高压架空线路的耐雷水平,解决电网防雷难题,基于“疏导式”防雷技术基础上研制了一种利用高速气流熄灭电弧的爆炸气流灭弧防雷装置。该装置允许空气间隙击穿形成电弧通道,并同时利用雷电脉冲信号在电弧形成瞬间同步触发灭弧气丸,以产生高速气流在工频电弧建弧初期就将其完全熄灭,并且强气流能快速恢复空气介质强度,防止电弧重燃。文中首先对该装置的灭弧原理进行了详细论述;然后通过雷电冲击试验、测试装置触发响应时间试验和工频大电流灭弧试验,检验了该装置的电气性能和灭弧效果,经试验发现其均满足试验要求;最后根据实际运行效果发现该装置在线路上运行工况良好,防雷效果十分优异。     

兆瓦级风电机组变桨系统的设计与应用

详细分析了变桨距系统的设计原理和组成,并在此基础上以非线性PID算法为控制核心,用Profibus总线和CAN总线通讯,以超级电容作为后备电源,设计了兆瓦级风电机组变桨距系统,对变桨系统软件开发所涉及的运行模式划分为5类,并将研究结果应用于国内某风场,结果表明该系统满足风电机组对变桨系统位置和精度控制的要求。     

A study of generator system selection for large wind turbine generator system

This paper focuses on selection of wind turbine generation systems that include generators, converters, and gears. We study three systems: a permanent magnet generator (PMG) system, a doubly‐fed generator (DFG) system, and a synchronous generator (SYG) system in terms of the system efficiencies and running costs. The system efficiencies and running costs are calculated by considering the relationship between wind power and wind conditions. According to these results, the one‐step gear PMG system is the best choice for a large wind turbine system. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 161(1): 51–57, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20506     

风力发电机在线监测与诊断系统研究

在线监测和诊断系统对风力机故障能够快速的监测,从而有利于进行及时的维护.但该系统在风力发电机组上的应用目前还处于初始阶段.介绍了状态监测的发展背景,指出了状态监测应用在风力发电机上的必要性.介绍了风机在线监测系统的构成及功能,对SKF公司的Marlin状态监测系统在风力发电机上的应用做了简要介绍.针对风力发电机的实际情况和振动故障信号的频率,对现场测量点的选择进行了研究,并提出了在线监测在风力发电应用上还需进一步研究的课题,研究表明在线监测和诊断在风力机应用上具有广阔的前景.     

基于风力机特性的风电机组潮流计算

在风力机特性方程和异步发电机的稳态等值模型基础上,建立了基于风力机特性的风电机组潮流计算数学模型。考虑风力机特性方程中的风力机机械力矩和发电机电磁力矩平衡,将风电机组引入处作为功率可变的PQ节点,异步发电机则作为RX等值电路模型,进行了风电机组的潮流计算。该方法引入定子电压,定子电流和转子滑差的修正量,将风力机特性方程中的风速、风能利用系数、尖速比等相关参数引入到潮流计算过程中,通过与常规的牛顿-拉夫逊潮流计算相结合,修正相应的雅可比矩阵来完成,从而保证了潮流计算迭代过程的完整性。该模型既具有传统风电机组RX模型的优点,又可以保证牛顿-拉夫逊方法的平方收敛性。最后,通过2个算例进行了潮流计算,证明了其正确性。     

提高双馈风电机组动态无功协调控制能力的实验研究

随着风电场规模不断增加,风电机组并网对电网的影响逐渐增大,故充分挖掘风电机组的无功电压调节能力和提高机组的无功响应速度对增强电力系统的电压稳定性具有重要作用。定量分析了蒙西电网某风电场单台双馈感应风力发电机(Doubly Fed Induction Generator, DFIG)的无功电压调节能力及限制因素,根据其单台机组的无功调节机理制定动态无功补偿协调控制策略。若系统无功需求超过DFIG无功出力极限时,在保证机组最大发电效益的基础上,提出基于无功差值的双馈感应风力发电机组有功附加控制。并且通过改进的遗传控制算法辨识得到附加控制器参数,该控制在降低机组最小出力的同时确保提高机组无功出力极限,进而满足系统无功需求。最后通过实验验证了所提出的双馈风电机组动态无功协调控制的可行性和准确性,增强了机组的电压稳定能力。