Patent ID: 9528494
Filing Date: 2016-12-27
CPC Classification: F03D,F05B,Y02E

Claim Text:
1. A method for responding to faults in a control system in a wind turbine including a rotor coupled to at least one rotor blade, at least two pitch sensors coupled to the rotor blade, at least one pitch drive, and a controller communicatively coupled to the pitch sensors and the pitch drive, said method comprising: determining, with the controller, that a fault has occurred in the control system; determining, with the controller, a speed of wind in the vicinity of the wind turbine; rotating the rotor blade using the pitch drive to a set point if the wind speed is greater than or equal to the maximum rated velocity of the wind turbine, the set point being an angular position of the rotor blade where the rotor blade is feathered; applying a brake to prevent further rotation of the rotor blade once the rotor blade is rotated to the set point; releasing the brake when the controller determines that the fault in the control system is cleared and the wind speed is less than the maximum rate velocity of the wind turbine; and returning control of the rotation of the pitch drive to the controller to facilitate continued operation of the wind turbine.