Transmission of data from wind turbines and wind farms to a control center

The invention relates to data transmissions between wind energy installations and / or wind parks to a control center. Furthermore, the invention relates to a wind energy installation or a wind farm as well as a control center and a system comprising a plurality of wind energy installations or wind parks with a single control center for carrying out the method.

Wind turbines have a variety of sensors that are used to assist the control of the wind power plants during operation. Furthermore, these sensors are used to record historical data which are used during maintenance or during service intervals in order to be able to determine the state of the wind energy installations. In addition, the sensor data are used to display the current operating state of a wind power installation.

In addition to the plant - specific data, such as power and status data, the sensors also record environmental data, such as the wind speed and wind direction, which are used for controlling and controlling the wind energy installation To determine the weather forecast.

Therefore, some wind energy installations are already equipped with a remote sensing facility, which makes it possible to retrieve the data recorded by sensors of the wind energy installation, for example, via a modem connection at a remote location. In addition, wind energy systems are known in which selected sensor data are transmitted to a remote location, for example, a provider, by means of the modem connection at a specific time in the day. This gives an overview of the operation of its wind turbine.

However, such methods have the disadvantage that only historical data, for example, are transmitted from the previous day and current data are not readily available immediately. Current data, however, are very important for use by service personnel, eg in the case of occurring measured values, which deviate from the normal values, so that, for example, the operation of the wind energy installation can be immediately taken.

In addition, current sensor data of the wind power plants, such as the weather data, are also helpful in order to realize the most intelligent control of the network, ie, the generator of electrical energy in the grid.

If, however, the sensor data of all the wind energy systems were to be evaluated continuously, this would lead to an overloading of the evaluating devices as well as of the data lines, which only provide a limited bandwidth.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide the data from sensors of a plurality of wind energy installations and / or wind parks for further use. It is also a further object to receive as current data as possible from the wind energy systems and to take into account the fact that, due to the amount of data, the bandwidth of transmission lines provided is not exceeded.

The invention therefore comprises a method for transmitting data records of a plurality of wind energy installations and / or several wind parks to a control center. The method includes the following steps.

First, a message of the presence of an updated record from one of the wind power plant or one of the wind parks is sent to the control center. It is then decided by the control center whether the updated data record is to be requested. In the event that the updated record is to be requested, a request of the updated record is sent from the control center to the wind turbine or the wind farm which has previously sent the notification of the updated record to the control center. The request is then received by the wind power plant and a response is sent to the control center with the updated data record.

The control center thus collects all sensor data from the connected wind energy installations, which can then be accessed by users, service personnel or other authorized persons, eg by dial-up via a PC via the Internet.

A control center, which can also be called the control room or control room, is a technical device, in particular a computer, for retrieving and collecting the measured values ​​or data records. The control center or control room is set up to store, process or forward the measured values ​​or data records. The control room also provides interfaces for displaying or retrieving the measured values ​​or processed measured values. To display and to retrieve the measured values ​​or data records, further terminals can be connected to the control center via data lines.

Thus, each time an updated data record of a wind energy installation or <?page 3?>Of a wind park, a message is sent to the control center to inform the control center of the existence of this updated data record.

In particular, a data set comprises a single measured value of a sensor of a wind energy installation or a wind park, several measured values ​​of a plurality of sensors of a wind energy installation or a wind park, or several measured values ​​of a plurality of sensors of a plurality of wind energy installations of a wind park. A data record of a wind park thus comprises, for example, a plurality of temperature values ​​which are measured in the region of the generators of all the wind energy installations of a wind park.

Thus, for example, if a data record comprises only a single measured value, and a sensor reports a new measured value, a message about an updated data record is sent to the control center. In the case where several measured values ​​are combined in one data set, the message about an updated data record is sent, for example, only after all sensors have reported new measured values ​​for this data record or at least a predetermined number of new measured values ​​of the data record. However, it is also possible that, in the event that a plurality of measured values ​​are combined in one data record and only a single new measured value is reported by a sensor for the data record, a message about an updated data record is already sent.

This notification about an updated record is therefore just a hint that updated data is available. Measurement data or sensor data itself are not transmitted with this message yet. In essence, therefore, the communication only contains information on which wind turbine or wind farm a updated data record exists and which measurement data contains the data set.

In the next step, the control center then decides whether the updated data record, which is now available from a specific wind energy installation or from a wind farm, is to be requested at the current time. If the control center decides that the updated data record is to be requested, the control center sends a request for this data set to the corresponding wind energy installation or wind farm.

With this method, the control center is thus able to request updated measured values ​​of a wind energy installation or a wind park immediately after it is available for further use. At the same time, however, the control center can decide whether this data is needed at all at the present time, or whether a request for the data merely represents a superfluous load on the data lines and therefore would result in a limitation of the bandwidth for data with higher priority.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, when deciding in the control center whether the updated data packet is to be requested, a check is made as to whether a time interval associated with the wind energy installation or the wind park from which the notification of an updated data record originated since the last transmission A request for an updated data record, or since the last response has been received with a data record from this wind energy installation or wind farm.

If the time interval has elapsed, the updated record is requested by sending the request. If the time interval has not expired, the message about the updated record is ignored.

Accordingly, a time interval is stored in the control center for each wind energy installation and / or each wind farm, which can be connected to the control center by means of a data connection. This time interval is therefore advantageously used in order to be able to make a decision of the control center as to whether the updated data is to be requested or not.

It is therefore ensured that even in the case of updated measured values ​​of a wind energy installation or of a wind park being available very frequently or in large numbers, these measured values ​​are only retrieved from data records with a maximum frequency which results from the time interval of the wind energy installation or the wind park .

According to a further embodiment, a time interval is assigned to each wind energy installation and / or to each wind farm, which can be connected by means of a data connection. This time interval is variable according to this embodiment. A variable time interval provides an instrument for prioritizing the updated data sets of different wind energy installations or wind parks.

According to a further embodiment, an adaptation of each time interval, ie, the duration of the time interval, is performed automatically by the control center and / or the time interval is adapted manually.

The time interval can thus be adapted automatically, whereby, in the control center, a variety of program sequences or <?page 4?>Mechanisms. In addition, a user can additionally manually intervene to the time intervals and thus to prioritize.

According to a further embodiment, the time interval of a wind energy installation or a wind park in a standard operation, which can also be called idling operation, comprises a standard duration. This standard duration is shortened by switching from the standard mode to an access mode when a user requests data from the wind energy installation or the wind farm. In this case, the time interval is shortened by the requesting of data by a user, for example, to a predefined minimum value, ie, a minimum time duration.

Thus, when accessing a wind energy installation, a user is already available with the data transmitted to the control center during the latest update or updates. By shortening the time interval, however, the user is informed of the updated wind turbine power station or the wind park of interest from the time of the access to the system continuously or at least as promptly as possible.

According to a further embodiment, the sending of a message about an updated data set as well as the sending of a response with the updated data set is effected by means of a computer, which is respectively a component of a wind energy installation or a wind farm. This computer is, in particular, also part of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System, which is briefly called SCADA System.

Accordingly, a computer is provided for one or more wind energy installations, which is connected, for example, to the wind power installation (s) via a bus system. By means of the connection between the wind energy installation or the wind power installations and the computer, the sensor data of the wind energy installations or the wind energy installations are transmitted to the computer of the wind energy installation or the wind energy installations of a wind park. The computer is therefore part of a wind power plant or a wind park.

The computer is also set up to detect when new measurement data or sensor data are present, for example, differing from the previous values. The computer of the wind energy installation or the wind park then transmits the message to the control center via an updated data record by means of a data connection which, for example, is the TCP / IP connection.

According to a further embodiment, the computer processes incoming requests from the control center serially, that is, in the order of its input. This processing is also called "first in first out" by "FIFO". Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the cycle time or the signal propagation time is determined between the control center and each of the computers of the wind energy installations and / or wind parks.

For this purpose, repetitive runs for determining the round-trip time or the signal run or the signal-running time are executed in the control center at a predefined frequency for each computer. In each pass, a predefined data packet is sent from the control center to the corresponding computer, the computer processing the data packet, due to the serial processing of requests, after previously received data packets have been processed.

After processing or processing the predefined data packet for determining the round-trip time or signal-running time, the computer then sends a response to the control center. The time period between the sending of the data packet and the reception of the response to the data packet is then determined in the control center and the duration of the time interval is adapted as a function of the measured time duration, ie left unchanged, shortened or lengthened.

Thus, on the one hand, the quality of the connecting lines between the control center and a computer and, on the other hand, the utilization of the computer itself are determined. Depending on these two factors, the time interval is then adapted so that, in turn, neither the bandwidth of the data connection nor the computer capacity of the computer is overused.

It is avoided by the last-mentioned embodiment that data are continually requested from a computer of a wind energy installation or a wind park, although previously sent inquiries have not yet been answered at all. A jam of unanswered inquiries would lead to the fact that the actuality of the data transmitted to the control center is no longer available as of a certain request.

According to a further embodiment, in the control center for adapting the time interval of one of the wind energy installations or one of the wind parks, the difference between the requirements sent to this wind energy installation or this wind farm, in particular the computer of the wind energy installation or wind park, and the number of wind energy installations or the wind farm Received responses. This difference corresponds<?page 5?>To the unanswered requested updated records. On the basis of this difference, the time interval is then adapted, ie left unchanged, shortened or lengthened.

Thus, the response speed to the requested data is determined alternatively or in addition to the determination of the cycle time or signal propagation time described in the previous embodiment. Accordingly, the utilization of the computers as well as of the connecting lines between the computers and the control center can also be taken into account by means of the method mentioned in the last embodiment, so that an overload can be counteracted by lengthening the time interval and by shortening the time intervals again as current as possible in the control center Data can be guaranteed.

According to a further embodiment, repeated runs for determining the differences in the control center are repeated for each computer. Such a pass for determining the differences is repeatedly performed for the wind energy installations or wind parks either each time upon receiving a notification of an updated data set or at a predefined frequency. Thus, a regular adjustment of the time interval takes place.

According to a further embodiment, the duration of the wind energy installation or of the wind park is adapted to the determined difference in each run in which the difference for one of the wind energy installations or for one of the wind parks is determined.

For this purpose, the difference is compared, after it has been determined, with an upper threshold value and a lower threshold value. When the upper threshold value is reached or exceeded, the time interval is extended by a predefined step width, and upon reaching or lowering the lower threshold value, the time interval is shortened by a predefined step width. A gradual adaptation of the time interval is thus possible.

According to a further embodiment, it is additionally checked in each pass, during which the difference is determined, whether the time interval corresponds to or even exceeds a predefined maximum value, ie a maximum time duration. If the maximum value is reached or exceeded, a warning message is issued by the control center. This warning message is issued, for example, directly to service personnel, who can perform a check of the data line to the wind energy installation or to the wind park and / or the computer of the wind energy installation or the wind park due to the warning.

Furthermore, the invention comprises at least one wind energy installation or at least one wind farm for carrying out an embodiment of the aforementioned method. In addition, the invention includes a control center as well as a system with several wind energy plants and / or wind parks for carrying out an embodiment of the method.

Further embodiments will be explained with reference to the embodiments described in more detail below. In the drawings:

<figref>1</figref> A wind energy installation,

<figref>2</figref> A wind farm comprising a computer connected to a control center,

<figref>3</figref> 12 is a schematic flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the method for transmitting and

<figref>4</figref> 4 shows a flow of an exemplary embodiment for the adaptation of time intervals.

<figref>1</figref> 10 is a schematic representation of a wind power installation according to the invention. The wind power plant<figref>100</figref> Has a tower <figref>102</figref> And a gondola <figref>104</figref> on the tower <figref>102</figref> on. At the gondola<figref>104</figref> Is an aerodynamic rotor <figref>106</figref> With three rotor blades <figref>108</figref> And a spinner <figref>110</figref> intended. The aerodynamic rotor<figref>106</figref> Is caused to rotate by the wind during the operation of the wind energy installation and thus also rotates a rotor or rotor of a generator which is connected directly or indirectly to the aerodynamic rotor <figref>106</figref> Is coupled. The electric generator is in the gondola<figref>104</figref> And generates electrical energy. The pitch angles of the rotor blades<figref>108</figref> Can be driven by pitch motors at the rotor blade roots <figref>108b</figref> Of the respective rotor blades <figref>108</figref> to be changed.

<figref>2</figref> Shows a wind farm <figref>112</figref> With exemplary three wind power plants <figref>100</figref>, Which may be the same or different. The three wind power plants<figref>100</figref> Are therefore representative of basically any number of wind energy installations of a wind park <figref>112</figref>. Wind turbines<figref>100</figref> Provide their power, in particular the generated electricity via an electric parking network <figref>114</figref> ready. The respectively generated currents or powers of the individual wind energy plants are thereby determined<figref>100</figref> And is usually a transformer <figref>116</figref> Is provided, which transforms the voltage in the park high, then at the feed point <figref>118</figref>, Also commonly referred to as PCC, into the utility network <figref>120</figref> . <figref>2</figref> Is only a simplified representation of a wind park <figref>112</figref>, Which, for example, does not show any control, although, of course, a controller is present. Also, for example, the parking network<figref>114</figref> To be different in which &lt;?page 6?&gt;For example a transformer at the output of each wind energy installation <figref>100</figref> Is present, to name only another embodiment.

Furthermore, FIG <figref>2</figref> a computer <figref>10</figref>, Which is also referred to as a SCADA computer or SCADA computer and via a bus system <figref>12</figref> With each wind turbine <figref>100</figref> connected is. Furthermore,<figref>2</figref> A control center <figref>14</figref> , Whereby the control center <figref>14</figref> And the computer <figref>10</figref> Over a connection <figref>16</figref> Are connected to each other. The connection<figref>16</figref> Corresponds, for example, to a TCP / IP connection.

In <figref>2</figref> Is with the control center <figref>14</figref> As an example only a single wind farm <figref>112</figref> connected. In fact, are with the control center<figref>14</figref> Several wind parks <figref>112</figref> Each with several wind turbines <figref>100</figref> connected. Furthermore,<figref>2</figref> Three wind turbines <figref>100</figref> Illustrated with a computer <figref>10</figref> are connected. There are next to the wind farm<figref>112</figref> Also individual wind power plants <figref>100</figref> Conceivable, each having its own computer <figref>10</figref> Connected via a connection <figref>16</figref> Again with the control center <figref>14</figref> connected is. The connection<figref>16</figref> Between the computer <figref>10</figref> And the control center <figref>14</figref> Is shown very briefly here, but can actually be several hundred or even a thousand kilometers long.

Further, the compound <figref>16</figref> As a direct connection between the computer <figref>10</figref> And the control center <figref>14</figref> , Wherein, of course, a plurality of further electronic components from the area of ​​message transmission or data transmission are interposed in a real transmission line. The connection<figref>16</figref> Is shown here as a line, this representation also being exemplary and a connection <figref>16</figref> May also include radio links.

<figref>3</figref> 10 shows an exemplary embodiment of a transmission of data between a wind energy installation <figref>100</figref> To an electronic device <figref>20</figref> Of a user with which the user, for example a person commissioned with the maintenance, can display the sensor data.

Between the not shown sensors of the wind energy installation <figref>100</figref> And the electronic device <figref>20</figref> Is a computer <figref>12</figref> Of the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> Which is located in the area of ​​the wind power plant, ie either directly in the tower of the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> Or within a few meters to a few kilometers around the wind power plant <figref>100</figref>, For example in a parking node. The computer<figref>12</figref> Is with the control center <figref>14</figref> Connected, in turn, with the electronic device <figref>20</figref> connected is.

In a registration step <figref>22</figref> The control center logs on to the computer <figref>12</figref> Of the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> at. In the event that booking details<figref>23</figref> in the computer <figref>12</figref> Can be verified, confirmation is given <figref>24</figref> Of the application to the control center <figref>14</figref>.

Now a data connection is established between the computer and the control center, which is continuous within a loop <figref>26</figref> Is kept upright. Within this loop<figref>26</figref> Calls <figref>28</figref> the computer <figref>12</figref> Continuously, eg clocked with a predefined frequency, from the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> New sensor data. Thereupon sends the wind power plant<figref>100</figref> The requested data <figref>30</figref> To the computer <figref>12</figref>. The computer<figref>12</figref> Reports in the event that this data is the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> From the previous received data of the same sensor, by sending <figref>31</figref> A communication <figref>32</figref> To the control center <figref>14</figref>In that an updated record from the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> Is present.

This communication <figref>32</figref> Is sent to the control center <figref>14</figref> Posted <figref>31</figref> And received from it <figref>33</figref>. The control center<figref>14</figref> Decides whether the updated record is to be requested. In the event that the record is to be requested, becomes a request<figref>34</figref> To the computer <figref>12</figref> From the control center <figref>14</figref> sent <figref>35</figref> And upon receiving <figref>36</figref> Of the requirement <figref>34</figref> an answer <figref>38</figref> With the updated record from the computer <figref>12</figref> Of the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> To the control center <figref>14</figref> sent <figref>39</figref>. The updated record is then from the control center<figref>14</figref> receive <figref>40</figref> And can now connect to an electronic device <figref>20</figref> By another message <figref>41</figref> to get redirected.

Every time the computer <figref>12</figref> new data <figref>30</figref> From the wind power plant, a despatch is made <figref>31</figref> A communication <figref>32</figref> About an updated record. The others in<figref>3</figref> Or data transfer steps <figref>31</figref> to <figref>35</figref> But only if the control center decides that the updated data record is to be requested.

To make the decision in the control center <figref>14</figref> To determine whether the updated data is to be requested or whether it should not be requested, is used for each wind turbine <figref>100</figref> Or any wind farm <figref>112</figref> A time interval predefined. In the control center is with the time interval at the receiving<figref>33</figref> Of the Communication <figref>32</figref> Via an updated record, checked to see if the time interval since last received <figref>40</figref> Of an updated data record, the time interval has already elapsed. If the time interval has elapsed, the new updated record is requested<figref>35</figref> And otherwise the communication <figref>32</figref> Over an updated record.

The time interval for each wind turbine <figref>100</figref> Or any wind farm <figref>112</figref> Is in the control center <figref>14</figref>, As described in the following <figref>4</figref> Is varied.

In <figref>4</figref> A variation or adaptation of the time interval of a wind energy installation is now shown. As already explained, the time interval, which is adapted, is used by the control center<figref>14</figref> To decide whether to update data from the wind turbine <figref>100</figref> Or the wind farm <figref>112</figref>, To which the time interval is assigned.

The time interval is in the state <figref>42</figref> Is selected to correspond to a predefined standard duration. This standard duration of the time interval is maintained until one step<figref>43</figref> An access to the data of the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> Or the wind park <figref>112</figref>, To which the time interval considered here is assigned, eg by a user.

In the event that data is requested, a loop is generated <figref>44</figref> As long as, for example, with a predefined frequency, until no more access is desired. Then the stand state again<figref>42</figref> With the default time or standard time.

Before the loop <figref>44</figref> The first time, the time interval is set to a minimum value in one step <figref>46</figref> set. In the next step<figref>48</figref>, The first step of the loop <figref>44</figref>, Then the difference between the currently being sent to the computer <figref>12</figref> Of the wind power plant <figref>100</figref> Or the wind park <figref>112</figref> Sent requirements <figref>34</figref> As well as the received responses <figref>38</figref> To these requirements <figref>34</figref> certainly. So it will be the number of not yet answered requests<figref>34</figref> Which correspond to this difference.

The difference is then first compared with a lower threshold value <figref>50</figref> And in the event that the lower threshold value is undershot, in a step <figref>52</figref> The time interval is shortened. Then, in the step<figref>48</figref> The difference is determined again. The difference will continue in step<figref>52</figref> As the lower threshold value is fallen below. If the lower threshold value is no longer below the value, the difference is compared with an upper threshold value<figref>54</figref> And if this upper threshold is not exceeded, the difference is again determined and the comparisons <figref>50</figref> as <figref>54</figref> Again.

Done when comparing <figref>54</figref> Of the difference with the upper threshold value that the upper threshold value is exceeded, then in a step <figref>56</figref> Checks whether the interval duration has reached or exceeded a maximum value. If the maximum value is not exceeded, returns to step<figref>48</figref> The difference is determined again.

In the event that a maximum time interval, ie a maximum duration of the time interval, is reached, a warning is sent <figref>60</figref>. After sending<figref>60</figref> The warning then becomes, for example, the connection to the wind energy installation, that is, the computer <figref>12</figref> Of the wind power plant <figref>100</figref>, Completely separated <figref>62</figref> And rebuilt <figref>64</figref> And in the event that a new connection is not possible, the connection is terminated completely <figref>66</figref>.

The invention thus allows the transferred data volumes between computers <figref>12</figref> And the control center <figref>14</figref> So as to avoid overloading of the data lines.