Static vs. Dynamic yaw-misalignment correction

One of the primary functions of the Windar Photonics LiDAR optimization solution is the ability to measure and subsequently correct the yawing of the wind turbine, that the turbine is continuously optimally aligned in relation to the oncoming wind. 

The prevalent industry standard for correcting yaw-misalignment is doing static corrections by initiating a measurement campaign for data collection and calculating an offset based on the measurement campaign, which the wind turbine will be adjusted according to. The offset will of course be based on the limited data collected throughout the measurement campaign, and does not reflect any instances or meteorological conditions not part of the measurement campaign; in a worst case scenario this might result in a turbine that is being“corrected” by an offset, which does not correspond to the actual meteorological conditions, hence resulting in a turbine that is still yaw-wise misaligned after being corrected.

The problems inherent to static yaw misalignment correction can be alleviated by ensuring that the turbine is corrected according to actual and continuous measurements; in other words,dynamic correction. The Windar Photonics LiDAR optimization solution, in contrast to the prevalent industry standards, is able to dynamically correct the yaw misalignment of the turbine by utilizing the continuous measurements from the LiDAR sensor. By utilizing a dynamic mode of yaw-alignmentcorrection, the turbine is continuously corrected according to the actual meteorological conditions and not just the offset from a given measurement campaign. 

Control integration with the WindTIMIZER ™ for dynamic yaw-misalignment correction

To facilitate a dynamic and continuous yaw-misalignment correction, it is required that the Windar Photonics LiDAR optimization solution is integrated with the wind turbine controller. The WindTIMIZER ™ is Windar Photonics’ elegant solution to facilitate the integration between the LiDAR system and the wind turbine controller, where the WindTIMIZER ™ functions as a mediator between the controller and the LiDAR system without the necessity of actually altering anything in the wind turbine controller at all. The WindTIMIZER ™ likewise receives data from the legacy anemometry to further enhance the reliability and ensure that the safety chain of the wind turbine is untouched.

Integration and signal conversion

The WindTIMIZER ™ receives the signals from both the legacy wind-sensors and the LiDAR system, converts the signal from the LiDAR system to the protocol of the legacy wind-sensor signals, and sends the signal of the LiDAR system into the wind turbine controller, as long as the LiDAR system signal is available. This makes the LIDAR instrument “appear” as the legacy anemometry to the wind turbine control system, which makes it possible to integrate the LiDAR without any changes to the wind turbine control system.

Furthermore, the WindTIMIZER will compare the converted measurements from both the LiDAR system and the legacy anemometry to check for any faults. In case the LiDAR system gets an unusable datum(e.g. if a blade passes in front of one of the LiDAR’s beams), then the WindTIMIZER will be able to use the datum from the legacy sensor instead.