Patents Examined by Julio C. Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 11715955
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling a power generating unit such as a wind turbine which is configured as a virtual synchronous machine. Capacitor voltage signals obtained from voltage measurements of output capacitors are filtered in order to reduce a magnitude of an impedance peak and/or shift the impedance peak where the impedance peak is present in an impedance characteristic of the output of the power generating unit. Filter compensated voltage signals obtained from the output capacitors are combined with a voltage magnitude reference to obtain filtered capacitor voltage signals used for controlling the line side converter and thereby affect the impedance peak in a desired way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
    Inventors: John Godsk Nielsen, Torsten Lund, Esmaeil Ebrahimzadehveshareh
  • Patent number: 11686287
    Abstract: A method of operating at least one wind turbine including: receiving a first signal which is indicative of a level of a remuneration for electrical energy, which is fed currently and/or in the future into a grid to which the wind turbine is connected, producing a control signal dependent on the first signal, and controlling the wind turbine with the control signal for generating power of the wind turbine, that is dependent on the control signal. A wind turbine and a central control for carrying out such a method and a system comprising a central control and a plurality of wind turbines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Wobben Properties GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Brombach, Swantje Amelsberg, Christoph Klein
  • Patent number: 11680558
    Abstract: A method for providing grid-forming control of an inverter-based resource connected to an electrical grid includes providing, via a processor, at least one virtual impedance value of the inverter-based resource. The method also includes determining a voltage drop across the at least one virtual impedance value of the inverter-based resource using at least one current feedback signal, the voltage drop comprising a voltage magnitude and a voltage angle. Further, the method includes receiving one or more voltage or current signals of the inverter-based resource. Moreover, the method includes determining a control command for the inverter-based resource as a function of the voltage drop across the virtual impedance value(s) of the inverter-based resource and the one or more voltage or current signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Dustin Howard, Einar Vaughn Larsen
  • Patent number: 11671039
    Abstract: A method for operating an asynchronous inverter-based resource connected to a power grid as a virtual synchronous machine to provide grid-forming control thereof includes receiving a frequency reference command and/or a voltage reference command. The method also includes determining at least one power reference signal for the inverter-based resource based on the frequency reference command and/or the voltage reference command. Further, the method includes generating at least one current vector using the power reference signal(s). Moreover, the method includes determining one or more voltage control commands for the inverter-based resource using the at least one current vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Shan Shine, Kapil Jha, Veena Padmarao, Arvind Kumar Tiwari, Subbarao Tatikonda
  • Patent number: 11637515
    Abstract: The present application relates to a method for controlling a power system connected to a power grid, including: receiving a reactive power instruction and a measured reactive power from a generator; generating a reactive power error signal based on the difference between the reactive power instruction and the measured reactive power; receiving the reactive power error signal; generating a voltage instruction based on reactive power error signal; generating a voltage droop signal based on a reference reactance and a voltage at a point of common coupling; generating a voltage error signal according to at least one of the voltage instruction or the measured terminal voltage of the generator and the voltage droop signal; and producing a reactive current instruction for the converter power path based on the voltage error signal. The present application also discloses a control system for a power system connected to a power grid and a wind farm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yashomani Y Kolhatkar, Jayanti Ganesh, Zhuohui Tan, Arvind Kumar Tiwari
  • Patent number: 11637427
    Abstract: Provided is an arrangement for controlling a converter of a power generation system, for example, a wind turbine, the converter being connected to a connection point to a utility grid, the arrangement including: a measurement section adapted to provide measurement values indicative of values of current and voltage at the connection point, a main converter controller adapted to receive the measurement values and to generate a main converter control signal based on the measurement values, an active filter system adapted to receive the measurement values and to generate an active filter control signal based on the measurement values, an addition element adapted to add the main converter control signal and the active filter control signal and to supply the sum signal as a control signal to the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Emerson Guest, Kim Hoej Jensen
  • Patent number: 11601079
    Abstract: The present application relates to a method for controlling a power system connected to a power grid, including: receiving a reactive power instruction and a measured reactive power from a generator; generating a reactive power error signal based on the difference between the reactive power instruction and the measured reactive power; receiving the reactive power error signal; generating a voltage instruction based on reactive power error signal; generating a voltage droop signal based on a reference reactance and a voltage at a point of common coupling; generating a voltage error signal according to at least one of the voltage instruction or the measured terminal voltage of the generator and the voltage droop signal; and producing a reactive current instruction for the converter power path based on the voltage error signal. The present application also discloses a control system for a power system connected to a power grid and a wind farm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yashomani Y Kolhatkar, Jayanti Ganesh, Zhuohui Tan, Arvind Kumar Tiwari
  • Patent number: 11585320
    Abstract: A method for controlling a multiphase separately excited synchronous generator in a wind turbine is provided. The generator has a stator and an armature having an excitation input, connected to an excitation controller, for inputting an excitation current or an excitation voltage. The stator has a stator output, connected to a rectifier, for delivering stator currents. The rectifier is controllable to control the stator currents by detecting a speed of the armature or rotor, determining a setpoint power to be delivered by the generator or the turbine based on the speed, determining an excitation current or voltage based on the detected speed and determined setpoint power, inputting the excitation current or voltage by excitation controller at the excitation input, determining the stator currents as setpoint stator currents based on the speed and the setpoint power, and controlling the rectifier to set the stator currents to the setpoint stator currents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Wobben Properties GmbH
    Inventors: Roberto Rosso, Jair Cassoli, Sönke Engelken, Amgad Eldeib
  • Patent number: 11581833
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an active damping control method and system for sub-synchronous oscillation of DFIG, and storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: collecting oscillation components of stator current and/or stator voltage; determining each energy branch in DFIG converter according to the flow path of the oscillation component(s) of the stator current and/or the stator voltage in DFIG converter; determining the corresponding function of each energy branch according to oscillation component(s) the stator current and/or the stator voltage; determining the energy compensation branch and its corresponding energy compensation function in DFIG converter according to the corresponding function of each energy branch and converter parameters; controlling the sub-synchronous oscillation of DFIG by controlling the energy compensation branch according to the energy compensation function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventors: Jing Ma, Yaqi Shen, Yuchong Wu, Ruifeng Wang
  • Patent number: 11563390
    Abstract: A braking device for a movable door leaf according to the invention comprises at least one generator, at the output terminals of which, a generator voltage can be generated, by means of which a charging circuit for supplying an open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit may be charged, by means of which an electric braking device, such as, in particular, a braking motor or the like, is controllable, which generates an effective braking force for damping the movement of the door leafs. Therein, the generator shaft of the generator is rotatable for generating the generator voltage with the discharging of a mechanical generator energy storage specifically associated with the generator, which is charged by a respective opening or closing movement of the door, and, during a respective closing or opening movement of the door, is mechanically decoupled from the same or its axis of rotation, and discharges in the state mechanically decoupled from the door leaf or its axis of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: GEZE GMBH
    Inventor: Matthias Hucker
  • Patent number: 11560871
    Abstract: A compression pipe is configured with a wave drawing section and an air compressing section, a gas-liquid introduction on-off valve is disposed in wave drawing section, a gas-liquid introduction on-off valve is opened at an initial stage of a pushing wave, the gas-liquid introduction on-off valve is closed at the same time when a wave that maintains a speed flows into a wave receiving box. Accordingly, the wave is drawn into the air compressing section, is stored in a compressed air storage tank by converting kinetic energy of the wave into compressed air, and can be utilized for power generation and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kensuke Kishishita, Terutsugu Segawa, Fuminori Takami, Isamu Aokura
  • Patent number: 11555484
    Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes an elevator operable to move blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy and from a higher elevation to a lower elevation to generate electricity. A winch assembly is movably coupled to a cable that is coupled to the elevator. The winch assembly has planetary gear assemblies, brakes that selectively engage at least a portion of the planetary gear assemblies, and a spool coupled to the cable. A drive shaft extends between a motor-generator and the winch assembly. A brake is operable so that the spool rotates to reel-in the cable to raise the elevator to move a block from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy or so that the spool rotates to reel-out the cable to lower the elevator to move a block from a higher elevation to a lower elevation to generate electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Energy Vault, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrea Pedretti, Roland Markus Hänni
  • Patent number: 11548394
    Abstract: A system and methods are provided for a wing stabilizer charging system for recharging onboard batteries during operation of an electrically powered vehicle. The wing stabilizer charging system comprises a wing stabilizer configured to be coupled with a rear of the vehicle. One or more air inlets are disposed in the wing stabilizer and configured to receive an airstream during forward motion of the vehicle. Wind turbines are disposed within the wing stabilizer and configured to be turned by the airstream. A circuit box is configured to combine electricity received from the wind turbines into a useable electric current. A power cable extends from the circuit box and is configured to supply the useable electric current to any one or more electronic devices, such as any of an onboard battery for powering the vehicle, mobile phones or smart phones, portable music players, tablet computers, cameras, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: K&N Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Richard Fiello, Steve Williams
  • Patent number: 11545921
    Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods relate to active damping of mechanical oscillations of a synchronous generator's drivetrain by modulating an excitation signal provided to the synchronous generator in proper phase relation with detected mechanical oscillations so as to dampen these oscillations. The excitation signal includes a superposition of a voltage-regulation signal and an active-damping signal. The voltage-regulation signal is configured to regulate an output voltage of electrical power provided by the synchronous generator, and the active-damping signal is configured to provide active damping to the drivetrain of the mechanical system that includes the synchronous generator. The active-damping signal is generated by detecting mechanical oscillations of the drivetrain, filter such detected mechanical oscillations such that the active-damping signal has a proper phase relationship with the mechanical oscillations over a predetermined range of frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Albert Markunas
  • Patent number: 11536251
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining power set points of a power plant comprising a plurality of power generating units with at least one wind turbine generator. The determination of the power set points are based on a prioritization of the power generating units, where the power generating units are prioritized with respect to individual power levels or fatigue levels obtained for the power generating units. The prioritization is adjusted so that the adjusted prioritization depends both on the power and fatigue levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
    Inventors: Mu Wei, Karthik Krishnan Jamuna, Jacob Quan Kidmose, Søren Sønderbo Andersen, Søren Kappelgaard
  • Patent number: 11536240
    Abstract: An aquifer storage and recovery system can include a pump, an electric motor coupled to the pump, a drive unit configured to control operation of the electric motor, and a controller. The controller can be configured to flow water into a well bore from a source reservoir through the pump such that the pump rotates in a reverse direction and drives the electric motor coupled to the pump in the reverse direction to operate as a generator, determine a power output of the electric motor, determine a difference between the power output of the electric motor and a power output set point, and operate the drive unit to control a rotational speed of the electric motor based at least in part on the difference between the power output of the electric motor and the power output set point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: 3R Valve, LLC
    Inventors: Kent R. Madison, Matthew F. Johnson
  • Patent number: 11539317
    Abstract: A method for preventing damage in a bearing of a generator includes monitoring, via a controller, one or more electrical signals of the power conversion assembly. The method also includes converting the electricals signal(s) to a frequency domain. Further, the method includes extracting one or more spectral components in frequency bands of the frequency domain around one or more known characteristic frequencies of the bearing. Moreover, the method includes determining at least one characteristic of the spectral component(s) in the frequency bands. In addition, the method includes comparing the characteristic(s) of the spectral component(s) in the frequency bands to at least one baseline value. The method further includes generating a fault signal or a baseline signal for the bearing based on the comparison. In response to the fault signal being generated, the method includes implementing a control action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Rupam Mukherjee, Arvind Kumar Tiwari, Shahid Ali
  • Patent number: 11530687
    Abstract: This system includes a belt drive system for a wind turbine generator comprising: a tower having a wind turbine wheel rotatably attached to the tower; a generator platform attached to the tower; a generator supported by the generator platform; and, a turbine drive belt adapted to engaged with the wind turbine wheel and the generator to transfer rotational energy from the wind turbine wheel to the generator to generate electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Inventor: Gerald L. Barber
  • Patent number: 11525437
    Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes an elevator operable to move blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy and from a higher elevation to a lower elevation to generate electricity. A winch assembly is movably coupled to a cable that is coupled to the elevator. The winch assembly has planetary gear assemblies, brakes that selectively engage at least a portion of the planetary gear assemblies, and a spool coupled to the cable. A drive shaft extends between a motor-generator and the winch assembly. A brake is operable so that the spool rotates to reel-in the cable to raise the elevator to move a block from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy or so that the spool rotates to reel-out the cable to lower the elevator to move a block from a higher elevation to a lower elevation to generate electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Energy Vault, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrea Pedretti, Roland Markus Hänni
  • Patent number: 11506178
    Abstract: A friction limiting turbine gyroscope is a compact and efficient means to convert the energy of a moving fluid into electrical energy. The gyroscope's flywheel rotates when a fluid passes through its spokes while magnets located along the perimeter act upon proximate movable field coils to produce electricity. The spokes of the flywheel are optimized for the flow and density of the fluid with the ability to trans mutate using shaped memory alloys as well as rotate about their center of pressure allowing the flywheel to capture more of the energy from the fluid passing over their surfaces in all conditions. Mechanical energy losses are reduced because of the inherent stabilizing effects created by the gyroscope. Because of the stabilization, a magnetic bearing field effectively supports the gyroscope eliminating mechanical interference in rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Airborne Motor Works Inc.
    Inventors: Jesse Antoine Marcel, Jeffrey Scott Chimenti