Effect of wind turbine yaw on rotor rotational speed

[james6008]

Hi

From what I understand as the rotor yaws, there are gyroscopic forces that act upon it and the magnitude of these depends on the speed of yawing (e.g. 10 degrees per second). What happens to the rotor rotational speed during yawing? Does it slow down? Is the aim to slow down the rotor rotational speed to minimise the gyroscopic forces?

 

[berkeman]

Hi

From what I understand as the rotor yaws, there are gyroscopic forces that act upon it and the magnitude of these depends on the speed of yawing (e.g. 10 degrees per second). What happens to the rotor rotational speed during yawing? Does it slow down? Is the aim to slow down the rotor rotational speed to minimise the gyroscopic forces?

With good bearings it shouldn't slow down. The speed of the wind turbine is usually phase-locked to the grid anyway, so the rotational speed will not vary for a typical wind turbine.

 

[james6008]

With good bearings it shouldn't slow down. The speed of the wind turbine is usually phase-locked to the grid anyway, so the rotational speed will not vary for a typical wind turbine.

But I thought gyroscopic forces depend on the rotational speed of the rotor and the angular velocity of yaw movement of the turbine. So in order to minimise the gyroscopic forces you apply brakes or design a system that slows down the rotor rotational speed during rapidly change in wind direction when wind turbine is yawing.