JP6650330B2 - Wind power generation system or wind power generation system control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wind power generation system or a method for controlling a wind power generation system.

  Wind power generation systems using natural energy to prevent global warming are attracting attention. As a technology of a wind power generation system capable of reducing a load generated by a typhoon or a gust when power is lost, for example, there is a method described in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, the yaw angle is controlled so that the rotor on the upwind side waits on the downwind side, and the rotor of the downwind windmill is passively positioned on the leeward side by the force of the wind, and is stable. An operation method for reducing the deviation angle from the wind direction is described.

WO2003 / 58062

  Initially, wind power installations were primarily on land, but in recent years the number of offshore wind farms has been increasing. There are two types of offshore wind power generation, a landing type and a floating type. The power generated by the wind power generation system is basically connected to a land-based power system through a transmission cable installed on the sea floor.

  It is known that this submarine transmission cable has a risk of cutting. If the submarine cable is disconnected, the power supply from the power system will be interrupted for a long period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the load against a gust caused by a typhoon or the like approached while the power supply is stopped. The above description relates to the case where a wind power station is installed offshore. However, even if it is installed on land, power supply from the power system may be interrupted for a long period of time including a disaster.

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 is effective as a load reduction method, but since the yaw rotation is passive, the rotation angle cannot be controlled, and when the yaw rotation is continued in the same direction, the electric power connecting between the nacelle and the tower is reduced. Excessive twisting of the cable does not eliminate the possibility of damaging the cable.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wind power generation system or a control method of a wind power generation system capable of maintaining the reliability of a power cable between a nacelle and a tower.

  In order to solve the above problems, a wind power generation system according to the present invention includes a rotor that rotates by receiving wind, a nacelle that rotatably supports the rotor, a tower that rotatably supports the nacelle, A horizontal axis wind turbine with a yaw drive for rotating relative to the tower, wherein the upper and lower cables rotate with the nacelle and connect and disconnect the upper and lower cables. It is characterized by having a connection part.

  Further, the control method of the wind power generation system according to the present invention includes a rotor that rotates by receiving wind, a nacelle that rotatably supports the rotor, a tower that rotatably supports the nacelle, and a tower that rotatably supports the nacelle. A yaw drive device that rotates with respect to the, the upper cable that rotates with the nacelle, a method of controlling a horizontal axis wind power generation system including a lower cable connected to the upper cable, wherein the lower cable is When the system-side voltage to be connected decreases for a predetermined period or more, the connection between the upper cable and the lower cable is released.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to maintain the reliability of the power cable between a nacelle and a tower.

It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the wind power generator concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of a cable disconnecting unit 7. It is a figure explaining the state where connector 76A and 76B were separated. It is a figure explaining the state where the nacelle side cable bracket 71 and the tower side cable bracket 73 are mechanically cut off and can freely rotate mutually.

  Preferred embodiments for implementing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following is an example to the last, and it is not the meaning that the embodiment of the present invention is limited to the following specific mode.

  First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, a wind turbine generator according to the present embodiment includes a rotor 1 composed of a blade rotating in response to wind and a hub supporting the blade, and a tower 3 described below while rotatably supporting the rotor 1. A nacelle 2 which rotatably supports the nacelle 2 and a tower 3 which rotatably supports the nacelle 2. The nacelle 2 includes a generator 4 for generating electric power by rotating the rotor, and a yaw driving device 5 for changing the azimuth of the nacelle 2. The yaw driving device 5 can be provided in the tower 3. Further, in order to electrically connect the electric equipment (for example, the generator 4 and the like) in the nacelle 2 and the lower equipment of the tower (for example, the power converter 8 and the step-up transformer 11), the equipment on the nacelle 2 side includes: An upper cable 61 is connected to the equipment on the tower side, and a lower cable 62 is connected to the equipment on the tower side. The lower end of the upper cable 61 is connected to the upper end of the lower cable 62 using the connection means 7 inside the tower. Here, for example, a cable 61 is connected as a main circuit cable to the output terminal of the generator 4, and further connected to the power converter 8 on the lower side of the tower via the cable 62. A power supply terminal of the yaw drive device 5 is connected to an upper cable 61, which is different from the above, as an auxiliary power cable. It is connected to the distribution board 9 for machines. As described above, in this embodiment, two sets of the upper cable 61 and the lower cable 62 which are different for transporting the generated power and transporting the auxiliary power are provided. Of course, the numbers of the upper cable 61 and the lower cable 62 are not limited. The power converter 8 is connected to a power system via a step-up transformer 11. A wind turbine control panel 10 serving as a main control device of the wind power generator is connected to the auxiliary power distribution panel 9. The wind turbine control panel 10 is electrically connected to the connection means 7. The wind turbine control panel 10 outputs a connection or disconnection command to the connection means 7. In the present embodiment, the wind turbine control panel 10 serving as a main control device of the wind power generator functions as a control device of the connection means 7, but the connection means 7 can be controlled by another control device.

  In FIG. 1, the azimuth (yaw angle) of the nacelle 2 is rotated by a yaw driving device 5. The cable 61, the connecting means 7, and the cable 62 are fixed to the tower 3 so that a twist may be caused by a change in the yaw angle.

  Here, when the system power supply is reduced for a long time (for example, several days) (for example, the voltage is reduced by more than 10% from the normal voltage), it becomes difficult to maintain the rotation by the yaw driving device 5. Also in this case, in order to reduce the load received from the wind, the rotor 1 and the nacelle 2 are passively moved by the wind force so that the rotor 1 is positioned leeward (at the downwind position) with respect to the nacelle 2. It is effective to shift to the rotating mode. In this mode, since the yaw rotation is passive, the rotation angle cannot be controlled, and the yaw rotation may continue in the same direction. In that case, the upper cable 61 and the lower cable 62 connecting the nacelle 2 and the tower 3 may be excessively twisted.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the connection between the upper cable 61 and the lower cable 62 can be cut off by the connecting means 7 when the system power supply is stopped for a long time. By disconnecting the upper cable 61 and the lower cable 62 by the connecting means 7, it is possible to set a standby operation mode in which twisting does not occur even when the yaw rotation is performed. Note that if the connection is released after the connection between the upper cable 61 and the lower cable 62 is released, even if the rotor 1 is switched to be located on the leeward side with respect to the nacelle 2 in response to the release of the connection, the connection is not released. The rotor 1 may be switched so as to be located on the leeward side of the nacelle 2 beforehand, and the state may be maintained.

  This disconnection operation may be performed by a worker who disconnects the connection at the connection means 7 or remotely by an electrical connection signal from a control device such as the windmill control panel 10. In some cases, the worker may directly disconnect inside the wind power generation system. Alternatively, an alarm means (not shown) for notifying an abnormality to a remote location may be provided. It is also possible to issue a disconnect command.

  The timing of the disconnection or the alarm notification is, for example, when the system side voltage drops for a predetermined period or more, or when the system side voltage drops, the remaining amount of the battery (not shown) for operating the yaw actuator drops below the predetermined amount. And the like. This battery can be used not only for long-term voltage drop but also for instantaneous voltage drop of several seconds. Here, the system voltage is used as the system voltage instead of the system voltage, not only when the system voltage itself drops, but also when the system voltage is normal, but a cable (for example, a submarine cable) connecting the system to the wind power generation system. This is because there is a case where the power transmission system is abnormal due to damage or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating details of the connection means 7. The connection means 7 connects an upper cable bracket 71 for fixing a plurality of upper cables 61, a lower cable bracket 73 for fixing a plurality of lower cables 62, and a connection between the upper cable bracket 71 and the lower cable bracket 73, The rotation preventing means 72 which bears the torque load due to the twist between the upper cable bracket 71 and the lower cable bracket 73, the motor 74 and the rotating shaft 75 which bear the tensile load between the cable bracket 71 and the cable bracket 73, and the cable 61 It is composed of connection connectors 76A and 76B for electrically connecting and disconnecting the cable 62.

  The rotation preventing means 72 will be described. The rotation preventing means 72 is fixed to the cable bracket 71. The lower side of the anti-rotation means 72 is inserted into a hole (or concave portion) formed in the cable bracket 73, so that the cable bracket 71 and the cable bracket 73 are not separately twisted even when torque due to twisting is applied. To do.

  The motor 74 and the rotating shaft 75 will be described. In the present embodiment, the motor 74 and the rotating shaft 75 are detachably connected to both brackets, and constitute bracket connection means. The motor 74 is an actuator that generates a driving force. The rotary shaft 75 has a thread groove formed therein, and has a screw hole corresponding to the cable bracket 73 side. As a result, the rotational movement of the motor 74 is converted into a linear movement as in a known ball screw mechanism, and the position of the cable bracket 73 with respect to the cable bracket 71 can be changed.

  FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing a case where the rotating shaft 75 is rotated by the motor 74 and the position of the cable bracket 73 is moved downward in the drawing. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the cable bracket 73 moves downward, a tensile load is applied between the cable 61 and the cable 62, and the connectors 76A and 76B are separated. The connector used is a connector that is released by a pulling force. Thereby, the cable 61 and the cable 62 are electrically disconnected. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the cable bracket 73 has been moved further downward as compared to FIG. In this state, the rotation preventing means 72 is completely pulled out of the hole of the cable bracket 73. In addition, since the cable bracket 73 comes to a position where the diameter under the rotation shaft 75 is small, the cable bracket 73 can freely rotate regardless of the cable bracket 71 side. Thereby, twisting does not occur even when the yaw rotation is performed.

  The motor 74 described in the present embodiment may be automatically driven by a control device such as the wind turbine control panel 10 or may be driven by an operator on site or at a remote location upon receiving an alarm notification.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described connection means has been described as one embodiment, but needless to say, the present invention is not limited to this, and various different means may be used without changing the idea of the invention. Is possible.

1: rotor, 2: nacelle, 3: tower, 4: generator, 5: yaw drive, 61: cable (nacelle side), 62: cable (tower side), 7: cable disconnecting means, 8: power converter , 9: distribution board for auxiliary equipment, 10: control device, 71: cable bracket (nacelle side), 72: rotation prevention means, 73: cable bracket (tower side), 74: motor, 75: motor rotating shaft, 76A , 76B: Connector

Claims (11)

A rotor that rotates in response to the wind,
A nacelle that rotatably supports the rotor,
A tower rotatably supporting the nacelle,
A horizontal axis wind power generation system including a yaw drive device that rotates the nacelle with respect to the tower,
An upper cable that rotates with the nacelle, a lower cable, and a connection unit that connects and disconnects the upper cable and the lower cable,
A wind power generation system comprising: a control device that outputs a command to release the connection portion when a system-side voltage to which the lower cable is connected drops for a predetermined period or more. A rotor that rotates in response to the wind,
A nacelle that rotatably supports the rotor,
A tower rotatably supporting the nacelle,
A horizontal axis wind power generation system including a yaw drive device that rotates the nacelle with respect to the tower,
An upper cable that rotates with the nacelle, a lower cable, and a connection unit that connects and disconnects the upper cable and the lower cable,
A wind power generation system comprising: an alarm unit for notifying an abnormality when a system side voltage to which the lower cable is connected drops for a predetermined period or more. A rotor that rotates in response to the wind,
A nacelle that rotatably supports the rotor,
A tower rotatably supporting the nacelle,
A horizontal axis wind power generation system including a yaw drive device that rotates the nacelle with respect to the tower,
An upper cable that rotates with the nacelle, a lower cable, and a connection unit that connects and disconnects the upper cable and the lower cable,
A battery that drives the yaw drive device when the system side voltage to which the lower cable is connected drops.
A wind power generation system, comprising: a control device that outputs a command to release the connection portion when the remaining amount of the battery falls below a predetermined remaining amount. A rotor that rotates in response to the wind,
A nacelle that rotatably supports the rotor,
A tower rotatably supporting the nacelle,
A horizontal axis wind power generation system including a yaw drive device that rotates the nacelle with respect to the tower,
An upper cable that rotates with the nacelle, a lower cable, and a connection unit that connects and disconnects the upper cable and the lower cable,
A battery that drives the yaw drive device when the system side voltage to which the lower cable is connected drops.
A wind power generation system comprising: an alarm unit for notifying an abnormality when the remaining amount of the battery falls below a predetermined remaining amount. The wind power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein
The upper cable and the lower cable are provided in plurality, respectively.
A bracket for fixing each of the cables such that a distance between the plurality of upper cables and the lower cables is substantially constant;
A wind power generation system comprising a connector for connecting and disconnecting the plurality of upper cables and the plurality of lower cables. It is a wind power generation system according to claim 5 ,
A first bracket supporting the plurality of upper cables;
A second bracket supporting the plurality of lower cables;
A wind power generation system comprising: a bracket connecting means for detachably connecting the first bracket and the second bracket. It is a wind power generation system according to claim 6 ,
The bracket connecting means includes an actuator that is generated with a thrust for moving the first bracket and the second bracket closer to or away from each other,
Wherein the connector is a connector that is released by a pulling force. The wind power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The wind power generation system, wherein after the connection is released, the nacelle rotates with respect to the tower using wind force so that the rotor is located on the leeward side with respect to the nacelle. A rotor that rotates in response to the wind,
A nacelle that rotatably supports the rotor,
A tower rotatably supporting the nacelle,
A yaw drive for rotating the nacelle relative to the tower,
An upper cable rotating with the nacelle, a method for controlling a horizontal axis wind power generation system including a lower cable connected to the upper cable,
A method for controlling a wind power generation system, comprising disconnecting the connection between the upper cable and the lower cable when a system voltage to which the lower cable is connected drops for a predetermined period or more. It is a control method of the wind power generation system of Claim 9 , Comprising:
The wind power generation system includes a battery that drives the yaw drive device when the system-side voltage decreases,
A method for controlling a wind power generation system, comprising: disconnecting the upper cable and the lower cable when the remaining amount of the battery falls below a predetermined remaining amount. It is a control method of the wind power generation system according to claim 9 or 10 ,
After the disconnection of the upper cable and the lower cable, the nacelle rotates with respect to the tower using wind force, such that the rotor is positioned leeward with respect to the nacelle. Wind Power System Control Method

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