Patents by Inventor Santiago TOMAS
Santiago TOMAS 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).
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Patent number: 11499532Abstract: A nacelle assembly for a wind turbine is connected to a wind turbine tower through a yaw system and includes a front region coupled to a rotor having a rotor hub and at least one rotor blade. The nacelle assembly includes a nacelle having a cover structure to house wind turbine components and an add-on wind flow deflector system that is coupled to an outside of the cover structure. The wind flow deflector system guides wind flowing to the nacelle for reducing a drag of the nacelle when a wind direction is misaligned with respect to the longitudinal wind direction in a yaw system failure event.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2020Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.Inventors: Andreas Herrig, Santiago Tomas Monpol, Benjamin Patrick Hallissy
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Patent number: 11041483Abstract: A method of operating a wind turbine and a method of determining fatigue in a wind turbine component are provided. The method of operating a wind turbine comprises determining a reference accumulated fatigue, determining an operational time, obtaining a partial load indicator, determining a real accumulated fatigue, comparing the real accumulated fatigue and the reference accumulated fatigue and controlling the operation of the wind turbine. The method of determining fatigue in a wind turbine component comprises determining an operational time, obtaining wind speed, obtaining turbulence intensity, determining a time for each combination of wind speed and turbulence intensity and determining a real accumulated fatigue. In a further aspect, this is also provided a wind turbine controller configured to perform any of the methods herein disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2018Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Santiago Tomas, Darren Danielsen, Francesc Xavier Sanz, Ingo Paura, Samuel Davoust, Pranav Agarwal
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Patent number: 10954917Abstract: A method for reducing loads of a wind turbine includes determining a wind speed at the wind turbine. Further, the method includes determining an operational state of the wind turbine. The method also includes determining whether a rotor of the wind turbine is imbalanced beyond a predetermined threshold when the operational state corresponds to a predetermined operational state as a rotor imbalance beyond the predetermined threshold is indicative of a pitch fault in one or more of the rotor blades. In addition, the method includes yawing a nacelle of the wind turbine to a predetermined angular position when the wind speed exceeds a predetermined speed threshold and the rotor is imbalanced beyond the predetermined threshold.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2018Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Hubert Oing, Robert Peter Slack, Darren John Danielsen, Santiago Tomas
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Publication number: 20210033075Abstract: In a first aspect, a nacelle assembly for a wind turbine is provided. The nacelle assembly is connected to a wind turbine tower through a yaw system and comprises a front region coupled to a rotor comprising a rotor hub and at least one rotor blade. The nacelle assembly further comprises a nacelle having a cover structure to house wind turbine components and an add-on wind flow deflector system. The add-on wind flow deflector system is coupled to an outside of the cover structure to guide wind flowing to the nacelle for reducing a drag of the nacelle when a wind direction is misaligned with respect to the longitudinal wind direction in a yaw system failure event.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 28, 2020Publication date: February 4, 2021Inventors: Andreas Herrig, Santiago Tomas Monpol, Benjamin Patrick Hallissy
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Patent number: 10871144Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method for reducing loads of a wind turbine. The method includes monitoring, via a turbine controller, a rotor blade of the wind turbine for faults. If a fault is detected, the method includes determining an operational status of the wind turbine. If a predetermined operational status is present at the same time the fault is present, the method also include actively yawing a nacelle of the wind turbine away from an incoming wind direction until either the fault is corrected or cleared and/or the operational status changes.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2018Date of Patent: December 22, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Santiago Tomas, Jeffrey Alan Melius, Ramy Michael Souri, Jignesh Govindlal Gandhi, Edward Way Hardwicke, Jr., Darren John Danielsen
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Patent number: 10830204Abstract: A counterweight system for mounting a rotor blade on a balanced rotatable hub of a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotatable hub can have at least one blade root region configured to receive a blade root of the rotor blade, and also have a pitch system configured to rotate the rotor blade around a pitch axis. The counterweight system can have at least one support structure having a proximal end spaced apart from a distal end with the proximal end mountable to at least one blade root region of the rotatable hub. The at least one counterweight mass can be at least partially filled with fluid and coupled to the distal end of the at least one support structure. The at least one support structure can be arranged substantially parallel to the pitch axis such that the pitch system rotates the counterweight mass about the pitch axis.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2018Date of Patent: November 10, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ulrich Werner Neumann, Ryan Michael Sunyak, Alexander William Vossler, Darren John Danielsen, Santiago Tomas
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Patent number: 10830208Abstract: A method for identifying a blade run-away condition in the event of a pitch system failure of a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes determining, via one or more sensors, an actual rotor loading of the wind turbine. The method also includes determining, via a turbine controller, an estimated rotor loading of the wind turbine based on at least one of one or more operating conditions of the wind turbine or one or more wind conditions of the wind turbine. Further, the method includes determining a difference between the actual rotor loading and the estimated rotor loading. The method also includes determining whether the blade run-away condition is present based on the difference. The method may also include implementing a corrective action that mitigates loads caused by the blade run-away condition.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2018Date of Patent: November 10, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Santiago Tomas, Raveendra Penmatsa, Soeren Georg, Ramy Michael Souri, Ryan Michael Sunyak, Darren John Danielsen, Robert Peter Slack
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Patent number: 10738767Abstract: A method for estimating consumed battery life of at least one battery of a pitch drive mechanism of a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes monitoring, via at least one sensor, an actual temperature of the battery over a predetermined time period. The method also includes storing, via a turbine controller, the monitored actual temperatures of the battery during the predetermined time period. Further, the method includes determining, via the turbine controller, the consumed battery life as a function of the monitored actual temperatures.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2018Date of Patent: August 11, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Santiago Tomas, Jeffrey Alan Melius, Darren John Danielsen
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Publication number: 20200025170Abstract: A method for reducing loads of a wind turbine includes determining a wind speed at the wind turbine. Further, the method includes determining an operational state of the wind turbine. The method also includes determining whether a rotor of the wind turbine is imbalanced beyond a predetermined threshold when the operational state corresponds to a predetermined operational state as a rotor imbalance beyond the predetermined threshold is indicative of a pitch fault in one or more of the rotor blades. In addition, the method includes yawing a nacelle of the wind turbine to a predetermined angular position when the wind speed exceeds a predetermined speed threshold and the rotor is imbalanced beyond the predetermined threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2018Publication date: January 23, 2020Inventors: Hubert Oing, Robert Peter Slack, Darren John Danielsen, Santiago Tomas
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Publication number: 20190178231Abstract: A method of operating a wind turbine and a method of determining fatigue in a wind turbine component are provided. The method of operating a wind turbine comprises determining a reference accumulated fatigue, determining an operational time, obtaining a partial load indicator, determining a real accumulated fatigue, comparing the real accumulated fatigue and the reference accumulated fatigue and controlling the operation of the wind turbine. The method of determining fatigue in a wind turbine component comprises determining an operational time, obtaining wind speed, obtaining turbulence intensity, determining a time for each combination of wind speed and turbulence intensity and determining a real accumulated fatigue. In a further aspect, this is also provided a wind turbine controller configured to perform any of the methods herein disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2018Publication date: June 13, 2019Inventors: Santiago Tomas, Darren Danielsen, Francisco Javier Sanz Cano, Ingo Paura, Samuel Davoust, Pranav Agarwal
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Publication number: 20190113021Abstract: A method for identifying a blade run-away condition in the event of a pitch system failure of a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes determining, via one or more sensors, an actual rotor loading of the wind turbine. The method also includes determining, via a turbine controller, an estimated rotor loading of the wind turbine based on at least one of one or more operating conditions of the wind turbine or one or more wind conditions of the wind turbine. Further, the method includes determining a difference between the actual rotor loading and the estimated rotor loading. The method also includes determining whether the blade run-away condition is present based on the difference. The method may also include implementing a corrective action that mitigates loads caused by the blade run-away condition.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2018Publication date: April 18, 2019Inventors: Santiago Tomas, Raveendra Penmatsa, Soeren Georg, Ramy Michael Souri, Ryan Michael Sunyak, Darren John Danielsen, Robert Peter Slack
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Publication number: 20190085818Abstract: A counterweight system for mounting a rotor blade on a balanced rotatable hub of a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotatable hub can have at least one blade root region configured to receive a blade root of the rotor blade, and also have a pitch system configured to rotate the rotor blade around a pitch axis. The counterweight system can have at least one support structure having a proximal end spaced apart from a distal end with the proximal end mountable to at least one blade root region of the rotatable hub. The at least one counterweight mass can be at least partially filled with fluid and coupled to the distal end of the at least one support structure. The at least one support structure can be arranged substantially parallel to the pitch axis such that the pitch system rotates the counterweight mass about the pitch axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2018Publication date: March 21, 2019Inventors: Ulrich Werner NEUMANN, Ryan Michael SUNYAK, Alexander William VOSSLER, Darren John DANIELSEN, Santiago TOMAS
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Publication number: 20180347542Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method for reducing loads of a wind turbine. The method includes monitoring, via a turbine controller, a rotor blade of the wind turbine for faults. If a fault is detected, the method includes determining an operational status of the wind turbine. If a predetermined operational status is present at the same time the fault is present, the method also include actively yawing a nacelle of the wind turbine away from an incoming wind direction until either the fault is corrected or cleared and/or the operational status changes.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2018Publication date: December 6, 2018Inventors: Santiago TOMAS, Jeffrey Alan MELIUS, Ramy Michael SOURI, Jignesh Govindlal GANDHI, Edward Way HARDWICKE, JR., Darren John DANIELSEN
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Publication number: 20180340517Abstract: A method for estimating consumed battery life of at least one battery of a pitch drive mechanism of a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes monitoring, via at least one sensor, an actual temperature of the battery over a predetermined time period. The method also includes storing, via a turbine controller, the monitored actual temperatures of the battery during the predetermined time period. Further, the method includes determining, via the turbine controller, the consumed battery life as a function of the monitored actual temperatures.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2018Publication date: November 29, 2018Inventors: Santiago TOMAS, Jeffrey Alan MELIUS, Darren John DANIELSEN