Patents by Inventor NUNO MIGUEL AMARAL FREIRE

NUNO MIGUEL AMARAL FREIRE has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240030848
    Abstract: A controller, a wind turbine and a method of operating an electrical synchronous machine, includes a rotor and a stator having a first winding set, the method including: using a first position observer configured to observe the first winding set in order to observe a first value of the rotor position; synchronizing the machine based on the first observed value or an external initial value of the rotor position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Paul Godridge, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Patent number: 11863114
    Abstract: Provided is a method of generating a converter control signal for a generator side converter portion, in particular of a wind turbine, being coupled to a generator, in particular a permanent magnet synchronous machine, the method including: deriving at least one harmonic torque reference, in particular based on a harmonic torque demand and/or a torque indicating feedback signal; deriving at least one harmonic flux reference, in particular based on a harmonic stator voltage demand and/or a stator voltage indicating feedback signal; adding all of the at least one harmonic torque reference to a fundamental torque reference and subtracting an estimated generator torque to derive a torque error; adding all of the at least one harmonic flux reference to a fundamental flux reference and subtracting an estimated generator flux to derive a flux error; and deriving the converter control signal based on the torque error and the flux error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Publication number: 20230246577
    Abstract: An arrangement for controlling a DC-link-voltage of a DC-link-connected between a generator side converter portion and a utility grid side converter portion of a wind turbine includes: a generalized predictive control module adapted: to receive as control module input values a current value of the DC-link-voltage and a reference value of the DC-link-voltage and to derive a reference value of a DC current based on the control module input value, the reference value of a DC current defining the DC current to be injected into the DC-link, wherein the arrangement is adapted to control the generator side converter portion and/or the utility grid side converter portion based on the reference value of the DC current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Tao Wang, Zi-Qiang Zhu
  • Publication number: 20220357397
    Abstract: A method for detecting an electrical fault in the stator of an electric machine is provided, wherein the stator includes multiple groups of windings, wherein the windings of each group are assigned to a respective phase of the electric machine, including the steps of: determining a respective current firstly between a subgroup of one of the groups of windings and a distinct further subgroup of the same group of windings and/or secondly between a subgroup of one of the groups of windings and a neutral point, and/or thirdly between a neutral point and either a further neutral point or to a common neutral point connected to at least the neutral point and the further neutral point, evaluating a fault condition, wherein the fulfilment of the fault condition depends on the respective determined current, and outputting a fault signal to personal and/or a device when the fault condition is fulfilled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Inventors: Ravindra Bhide, Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Rahul R Pillai, Ireneusz Grzegorz Szczesny
  • Patent number: 11496081
    Abstract: Provided is a method of estimating a rotor operational parameter of an electrical machine including multiple winding sets wound to have a phase-shift between winding sets, the rotor operational parameter including rotor position and/or rotor speed, the method including: deriving, for each winding set, a preliminary rotor operational parameter based on a current and a voltage of the respective winding set; calculating for at least two winding sets and for at least one predefined harmonic, a rotor operational parameter harmonic correction term based on the preliminary rotor operational parameter of at least two winding sets; calculating for at least one winding set, a corrected rotor operational parameter based on the preliminary operational parameter of this winding set and the rotor operational parameter harmonic correction term of this winding set, wherein in particular the corrected rotor operational parameter has at least one predefined harmonic removed or at least attenuated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Publication number: 20220200495
    Abstract: Provided is a method of generating a converter control signal for a generator side converter portion, in particular of a wind turbine, being coupled to a generator, in particular a permanent magnet synchronous machine, the method including: deriving at least one harmonic torque reference, in particular based on a harmonic torque demand and/or a torque indicating feedback signal; deriving at least one harmonic flux reference, in particular based on a harmonic stator voltage demand and/or a stator voltage indicating feedback signal; adding all of the at least one harmonic torque reference to a fundamental torque reference and subtracting an estimated generator torque to derive a torque error; adding all of the at least one harmonic flux reference to a fundamental flux reference and subtracting an estimated generator flux to derive a flux error; and deriving the converter control signal based on the torque error and the flux error.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Patent number: 11365717
    Abstract: An arrangement for determining an operation parameter reference for controlling a generator side converter portion coupled to a generator is provided, including: at least one arithmetic element configured to derive at least one harmonic current error by subtracting a generator output current from at least one harmonic current reference; at least one harmonic current controller configured to determine at least one harmonic reference current deviation based on the harmonic current error; another arithmetic element configured to derive a fundamental current error by subtracting the generator output current from a sum of a fundamental current reference and the at least one harmonic current reference; still another arithmetic element configured to determine a modified fundamental current error as a sum of the fundamental current error and the harmonic reference current deviation; a fundamental current controller adapted to determine the operation parameter reference based on the modified fundamental current error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Publication number: 20220006414
    Abstract: Provided is a method for determination of a location of a short circuit fault in a generator arrangement, wherein the generator arrangement includes an electrical machine and at least one channel, wherein the or each channel includes a breaker, a converter unit and a set of stator windings of the electrical machine connected to the converter unit via the breaker, wherein upon an occurrence of a short circuit in a channel, the connection between the set of stator windings and the converter unit interrupted by opening the breaker, wherein depending on at least one measured signal of a measurand, wherein the measured signal is measured by at least one sensor of the electric machine and wherein the measurand describes a torque ripple of the electrical machine, either the electrical machine or the converter unit of the channel is determined as location of the short circuit fault.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Rahul R Pillai, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Patent number: 11165379
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a first winding set and at least one second winding set of a stator of a generator during operation is provided. The method includes: obtaining a first strength of a second harmonic of a first power produced from the first winding set; obtaining a second strength of a second harmonic of a second power produced from the second winding set; diagnosing the first winding set and/or the second winding set based on a second harmonic power difference between the first strength and the second strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire
  • Publication number: 20210104966
    Abstract: Provided is a method of estimating a rotor operational parameter of an electrical machine including multiple winding sets wound to have a phase-shift between winding sets, the rotor operational parameter including rotor position and/or rotor speed, the method including: deriving, for each winding set, a preliminary rotor operational parameter based on a current and a voltage of the respective winding set; calculating for at least two winding sets and for at least one predefined harmonic, a rotor operational parameter harmonic correction term based on the preliminary rotor operational parameter of at least two winding sets; calculating for at least one winding set, a corrected rotor operational parameter based on the preliminary operational parameter of this winding set and the rotor operational parameter harmonic correction term of this winding set, wherein in particular the corrected rotor operational parameter has at least one predefined harmonic removed or at least attenuated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Patent number: 10944345
    Abstract: Provided is a method and arrangement for controlling a multi winding set permanent magnet electrical machine in case of a fault in a first group of the winding sets leaving a second group of the winding sets functional, the method comprising: determining a value of a torque generated by all winding sets; and controlling values of currents of the second group of winding sets based on the value of a torque, in order to reduce a damaging torque and/or a torque oscillation occurring and/or to break the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Ziad Azar, Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Arwyn Thomas
  • Publication number: 20210028731
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a first winding set and at least one second winding set of a stator of a generator during operation is provided. The method includes: obtaining a first strength of a second harmonic of a first power produced from the first winding set; obtaining a second strength of a second harmonic of a second power produced from the second winding set; diagnosing the first winding set and/or the second winding set based on a second harmonic power difference between the first strength and the second strength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventor: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire
  • Publication number: 20200358384
    Abstract: A circuit for calculating position and/or speed of a rotor of an electric generator, is provided. The circuit includes: an input port for receiving a vibration input signal representing a cogging torque of the electric generator, a speed observer module connected to the input port and generating a cogging position signal and a cogging frequency signal as outputs, a rotor speed module receiving the cogging position signal and the cogging frequency signal as inputs and generating a rotor position signal and a rotor speed signal as outputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventor: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire
  • Patent number: 10804829
    Abstract: Provided is a method of assessing rotor temperature during operation of a permanent magnet synchronous machine, including a stator having at least one winding set, the method including: providing reference flux linkage values for different rotor and stator temperature values and current values of an operating winding set; measuring an actual rotor temperature value; measuring an actual stator temperature value; measuring an actual current value of an operating winding set; deriving and storing reference flux linkage values for a given set of operating conditions, in particular, by means of a reference run; deriving a reference flux linkage value (for the measured actual rotor and stator temperature values and the measured actual current value of the operating winding set) using the flux model; obtaining a voltage value; deriving an estimated flux linkage value; deriving a rotor temperature offset; and assessing the rotor temperature based on the rotor temperature offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Patent number: 10782351
    Abstract: Provided is a method of diagnosing at least one winding set of a stator of a generator during operation, the winding set having plural wires for plural phases, the method including: obtaining, for each of the plural wires of the winding set, an individual strength of an individual power output from the respective wire of the plural wires of the winding set; obtaining a sum strength of power; forming, for each considered wire of the plural wires of the winding set, an individual ratio between the individual strength of the considered wire and the sum strength; forming, for each considered wire of the plural wires of the winding set, a diagnostic value by subtracting from an individual ratio not corresponding to the considered wire a term depending on the individual ratio corresponding to the considered wire; diagnosing at least one wire based on comparing the diagnostic values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S
    Inventor: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire
  • Publication number: 20200256315
    Abstract: An arrangement for determining an operation parameter reference for controlling a generator side converter portion coupled to a generator is provided, including: at least one arithmetic element configured to derive at least one harmonic current error by subtracting a generator output current from at least one harmonic current reference; at least one harmonic current controller configured to determine at least one harmonic reference current deviation based on the harmonic current error; another arithmetic element configured to derive a fundamental current error by subtracting the generator output current from a sum of a fundamental current reference and the at least one harmonic current reference; still another arithmetic element configured to determine a modified fundamental current error as a sum of the fundamental current error and the harmonic reference current deviation; a fundamental current controller adapted to determine the operation parameter reference based on the modified fundamental current error.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Publication number: 20200036311
    Abstract: Provided is a method of assessing rotor temperature during operation of a permanent magnet synchronous machine, including a stator having at least one winding set, the method including: providing reference flux linkage values for different rotor and stator temperature values and current values of an operating winding set; measuring an actual rotor temperature value; measuring an actual stator temperature value; measuring an actual current value of an operating winding set; deriving and storing reference flux linkage values for a given set of operating conditions, in particular, by means of a reference run; deriving a reference flux linkage value (for the measured actual rotor and stator temperature values and the measured actual current value of the operating winding set) using the flux model; obtaining a voltage value; deriving an estimated flux linkage value; deriving a rotor temperature offset; and assessing the rotor temperature based on the rotor temperature offset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Publication number: 20190273457
    Abstract: Provided is a control arrangement for controlling an electrical machine, including: a fundamental current controller, at least one harmonic flux controller related to a harmonic of an electrical frequency of the electrical machine, a summation system for adding voltage commands to obtain a summed voltage command based on which the electrical machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Publication date: September 5, 2019
    Inventors: Heng Deng, Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Zhan-Yuan Wu
  • Patent number: 10389284
    Abstract: A control arrangement of a multiple-stator machine, comprising a frequency converter for each of the plurality of stators and a controller for each frequency converter, wherein a controller of a frequency converter is realized to generate control signals for that frequency converter on the basis of current values relating to that stator, and to generate a compensation current value for a further controller on the basis of the received current values in the event of an open-circuit fault in a frequency converter; to receive a compensation current value from a further controller; and to compute a voltage reference for a subsequent transform stage of the controller on the basis of the received current values is provided. The invention further describes a current control module of a frequency converter controller of such a multi-stator machine; a multi-stator machine; and a method of performing fault-tolerant control of a multi-stator machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventor: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire
  • Patent number: 10374538
    Abstract: Provided is an arrangement for determining an operation parameter reference for controlling a generator side converter portion coupled to a generator, in particular of a wind turbine, the arrangement comprising: an arithmetic element configured to derive a fundamental current error by subtracting a, in particular unfiltered, generator output current from a sum of a fundamental current reference and at least one harmonic current reference; a fundamental current controller adapted to determine a fundamental operation parameter reference based on the fundamental current error; at least one other arithmetic element configured to derive at least one harmonic current error by subtracting a, in particular band pass filtered according to the harmonics, generator output current from the at least one harmonic current reference; at least one harmonic current controller configured to determine at least one harmonic operation parameter reference based on the harmonic current error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S
    Inventors: Nuno Miguel Amaral Freire, Yashan Hu, Zhan-Yuan Wu