EP-4737711-A1 - WIND TURBINE FOUNDATION, WIND GENERATING SET, AND CONTROL METHOD

EP4737711A1EP 4737711 A1EP4737711 A1EP 4737711A1EP-4737711-A1

Abstract

The present application relates to a wind turbine foundation, a wind turbine, and a control method. The wind turbine foundation includes: a floating body, comprising a main column, a plurality of auxiliary columns, and connecting bodies, the main column being used for connecting to a tower, the bottom wall of each auxiliary column being provided with a stabilization device, the stabilization device comprising a drive assembly, a first impeller, and a base connected to the auxiliary column, the base having an inner cavity, and a first opening and a second opening communicating with the inner cavity, the first opening and the second opening having a height difference in a first direction, the first opening, the inner cavity, and the second opening forming a flow channel for seawater, the first impeller being disposed in the inner cavity, the drive assembly driving the first impeller to rotate and causing the seawater to flow within the flow channel, so as to adjust a tilt angle between the floating body as a whole and a reference plane. The present application has a simple structure and relatively low cost.

Inventors

ZHAI, Endi
GAO, YANG
ZHANG, ZHIHONG
ZHANG, GUOMING

Assignees

GOLDWIND SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Zhejiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20231201

Claims (16)

A wind turbine foundation disposed in seawater and used to support a tower, wherein the wind turbine foundation comprises: a floating body comprising a main column, a plurality of auxiliary columns, and connecting bodies, the plurality of auxiliary columns being spaced apart around a circumference of the main column and connected to the main column respectively via the connecting bodies, the main column being used for connecting to the tower, each of the auxiliary columns having a bottom wall capable of being arranged facing the seawater along a first direction; stabilization devices, the bottom wall of each of the auxiliary columns being provided with a respective one of the stabilization devices, the stabilization device comprising a drive assembly, a first impeller, and a base connected to the auxiliary column, the base having an inner cavity, and a first opening and a second opening communicating with the inner cavity, the first opening and the second opening having a height difference in the first direction, the first opening, the inner cavity, and the second opening forming a flow channel for the seawater, the first impeller being disposed in the inner cavity, the drive assembly driving the first impeller to rotate and causing the seawater to flow within the flow channel, so as to adjust a tilt angle between the floating body as a whole and a reference plane.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, wherein the base as a whole is cylindrical, the base has an end wall disposed opposite to the bottom wall in the first direction and a side wall disposed surrounding the end wall, the end wall and the side wall enclose and form the inner cavity, the bottom wall closes the inner cavity, the first opening is disposed on the end wall, and the second opening is disposed on the bottom wall.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 2, wherein along the first direction, a radial dimension of the side wall first decreases and then increases.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, wherein the drive assembly comprises a drive motor, a gearbox, and a drive shaft, the drive shaft extends along the first direction, an input end of the gearbox is connected to the drive motor and an output end of the gearbox is connected to the drive shaft, and the first impeller is connected to the drive shaft.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary column has a hollow cavity, the drive motor and the gearbox are located within the hollow cavity, the drive shaft is inserted through the bottom wall and connected to the output end of the gearbox, and the drive shaft is in dynamic sealing cooperation with the bottom wall.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, wherein the drive assembly comprises a direct drive motor and a drive shaft, the drive shaft extends along the first direction, the first impeller is connected to the drive shaft, the direct drive motor is connected to one of the bottom wall and the base and comprises a rotor and a stator that rotate in cooperation, and the drive shaft is coaxially disposed with the direct drive motor and connected to the rotor.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, wherein the first impeller comprises a first hub, a plurality of first blades, and a pitch system, the first hub is connected to the drive assembly, the plurality of first blades are spaced apart around a circumference of the first hub and connected to the first hub through the pitch system, so as to adjust a pitch angle of the first blades.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, wherein the stabilization device further comprises a flow straightening member disposed in the inner cavity and connected to the base, the flow straightening member is disposed between the first opening and the first impeller, so as to straighten a flow direction of the seawater entering from the first opening.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 8, wherein the flow straightening member comprises a second hub and a plurality of second blades, the plurality of second blades are spaced apart around a circumference of the second hub and connected to the second hub, an end of the second blade away from the second hub is connected to the base, and a flow straightening hole is formed between adjacent two of the second blades.
The wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, wherein connecting lines between centers of the plurality of auxiliary columns form a regular polygon, a center of the main column coincides with a center of the regular polygon, and in a circumference of the main column, adjacent two of the auxiliary columns are connected by the connecting body.
A wind turbine, comprising: the wind turbine foundation according to any of claims 1 to 10; a wind turbine main body disposed on the main column, the wind turbine main body comprising a tower connected to the main column, a nacelle disposed on the tower, and a wind rotor disposed on the nacelle.
The wind turbine according to claim 11, further comprising a controller configured to: acquire current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously exceeds a first threshold for a preset period of time, acquire tilt angle information of the wind turbine foundation; under a condition that the tilt angle information exceeds a preset range, determine a stabilization device connected to a target auxiliary column that needs to be adjusted based on the tilt angle information, a direction of incoming wind, and target attitude information corresponding to a target attitude to which the wind turbine foundation is to be adjusted; control a first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the target auxiliary column to rotate, so as to adjust the wind turbine foundation to the target attitude.
A control method for the wind turbine according to claim 11, comprising: acquiring current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously exceeds a first threshold for a preset period of time, acquiring tilt angle information of the wind turbine foundation; under a condition that the tilt angle information exceeds a preset range, determining a stabilization device connected to a target auxiliary column that needs to be adjusted based on the tilt angle information, a direction of incoming wind, and target attitude information corresponding to a target attitude to which the wind turbine foundation is to be adjusted to; controlling a first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the target auxiliary column to rotate, so as to adjust the wind turbine foundation to the target attitude.
The control method according to claim 13, wherein the first impeller comprises a first hub, a plurality of first blades, and a pitch system, the plurality of first blades are spaced apart around a circumference of the first hub and connected to the first hub through the pitch system; before the step of controlling the first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the target auxiliary column to rotate, so as to adjust the wind turbine foundation to the target attitude, the method further comprises: determining rotation information required for the target auxiliary column according to a height difference between a draft of the target auxiliary column and a set waterline; the rotation information comprises at least one of a rotational speed of the first impeller and an angle between the first blade and the first hub; the step of controlling the first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the target auxiliary column to rotate comprises: acquiring the rotation information; controlling the first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the target auxiliary column to rotate according to the rotation information.
The control method according to claim 14, wherein a rotation angle A of the first blade relative to the first hub satisfies 0° < A ≤ 90°, the step of determining the rotation information required for the target auxiliary column according to the height difference between the draft of the target auxiliary column and the set waterline comprises: under a condition that a value range of the height difference H is 0 < H ≤ h1, rotating the first blade relative to the first hub to A = 90°, or rotating the first blade relative to the first hub to 50° < A ≤ 60°, with the rotational speed of the first impeller being 800rpm-1500rpm; under a condition that the value range of the height difference H is h1 < H ≤ h2, rotating the first blade relative to the first hub to 30° < A ≤ 50°, with the rotational speed of the first impeller being 1500rpm-2500rpm; under a condition that the value range of the height difference H is h2 < H ≤ h3, rotating the first blade relative to the first hub to 0° < A ≤ 20°, with the rotational speed of the first impeller being 2500rpm-3500rpm.
The control method according to claim 14, wherein after the step of adjusting a volume of seawater in the target floating body until the wind turbine foundation reaches the target attitude, the control method further comprises: acquiring the current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously remains below the first threshold for a preset period of time, controlling the first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the target auxiliary column to perform a reverse action, so as to adjust the wind turbine foundation back to an initial state; or, acquiring the current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously remains below the first threshold for a preset period of time, reducing the rotational speed of the first impeller in the stabilization device connected to the target auxiliary column; feathering the first impeller in the target floating body and stopping the rotation of the first impeller, so as to adjust the wind turbine foundation back to the initial state.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310818717.6 filed on June 30, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to the technical field of wind power, and in particular, to a wind turbine foundation, a wind turbine, and a control method. BACKGROUND The wind power industry continues to contribute to the achievement of dual carbon goals. Currently, wind turbines are developing towards larger single-unit capacity, lighter overall weight, intelligence, and oceanization. Statistics show that the cumulative installed capacity of offshore wind power is increasing year by year. With the large-scale development of nearshore resources, the development and utilization of deep-sea resources are attracting much attention. In this business scenario, floating wind turbines are gradually developing and will become a major force in subsequent offshore wind power. The wind turbine foundation is used to support components such as a tower and a nacelle of a floating wind turbine. Under a condition that the wind turbine faces loads such as wind, waves, ocean currents, and ice, from the perspective of overall dynamics, due to the "floating" characteristic of the floating wind turbine, the wind turbine foundation has full six degrees of freedom. Under the interwoven and coupled effects of the randomness of external loads and the complexity of the wind turbine's own motion, the nonlinear characteristics of the entire floating wind turbine become more complex. The motion stability of the floating wind turbine is one of the most important indicators for ensuring the continuous, stable, safe, and efficient power output and power generation of the wind turbine. Therefore, how to ensure the stability of the floating wind turbine is one of the problems urgently needing solution in the wind power field. In related art, the wind turbine foundation mainly adjust the overall tilt angle of the wind turbine foundation by controlling the mutual flow of fluid between different floating columns, thereby ensuring the stability of the floating wind turbine where the wind turbine foundation is located. However, this design approach makes the overall structure of the wind turbine foundation complex and costly. SUMMARY Embodiments of the present application provide a wind turbine foundation, a wind turbine, and a control method. The wind turbine foundation has a simple structure and relatively low cost. In one aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wind turbine foundation disposed in seawater and used to support a tower, wherein the wind turbine foundation comprises: a floating body comprising a main column, a plurality of auxiliary columns, and connecting bodies, the plurality of auxiliary columns being spaced apart around a circumference of the main column and connected to the main column respectively via the connecting bodies, the main column being used for connecting to the tower, each of the auxiliary columns having a bottom wall capable of being arranged facing the seawater along a first direction; stabilization devices, the bottom wall of each of the auxiliary columns being provided with a respective one of the stabilization devices, the stabilization device comprising a drive assembly, a first impeller, and a base connected to the auxiliary column, the base having an inner cavity, and a first opening and a second opening communicating with the inner cavity, the first opening and the second opening having a height difference in the first direction, the first opening, the inner cavity, and the second opening forming a flow channel for the seawater, the first impeller being disposed in the inner cavity, the drive assembly driving the first impeller to rotate and causing the seawater to flow within the flow channel, so as to adjust a tilt angle between the floating body as a whole and a reference plane. In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wind turbine including: the aforementioned wind turbine foundation; and a wind turbine main body disposed on the main column, the wind turbine main body comprising a tower connected to the main column, a nacelle disposed on the tower, and a wind rotor disposed on the nacelle. In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control method for the aforementioned wind turbine, including: acquiring current power information of the wind turbine; under a condition that the current power information continuously exceeds a first threshold for a preset period of time, acquiring tilt angle information of the wind turbine foundation; under a condition that the tilt angle information exceeds a preset range, determining a stabilization device connected to a target auxiliary column that needs to be adjusted based on the tilt angle information, a direction of incoming wind, and target attitude informa