Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I, directed to using a pulse forcing control in a first wind turbine to accelerate wake recovery (paragraph [00051] of the specification and Table I of the specification, for example), in the reply filed on November 12, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-12 read on the elected species.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed November 6, 2024, citation number 47 to the thesis of Strouhal, fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(3)(i) because it does not include a concise explanation of the relevance, as it is presently understood by the individual designated in 37 CFR 1.56(c) most knowledgeable about the content of the information, of citation number 47, which is not in the English language. The information in citation number 47 has not been considered.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: Appropriate correction is required.
In paragraph 48, line 5, “)” (second occurrence) should be deleted.
In paragraph 51, equations 2-4 are blurred and unreadable.
In paragraph 56, equation 5 is blurred and unreadable.
In paragraph 67, equation 7 is blurred and unreadable.
In paragraph 67, line 4, “-1and” should be changed to “-1 and”.
In paragraph 68, equation 9 is blurred and unreadable.
In paragraph 83, equation 10 is blurred and unreadable.
In paragraph 84, equation 11 is blurred and unreadable.
Claim Objections
Claims 3-4 and 7-12 are objected to because of the following informalities: Appropriate correction is required.
In claim 3, line 4, “operation” should be deleted.
In claim 7, line 2, -- a -- should be inserted before “non-transitory”.
In claim 9, line 4, “operation” should be deleted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In claim 4, line 2, “the waveform” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 4, line 3, “the time series” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 10, line 2, “the waveform” lacks antecedent basis.
In claim 10, line 3, “the time series” lacks antecedent basis.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 6-8, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by EP 4141253 A1.
Disclosed is an active wake control method, comprising: periodically changing blade pitch of one or more blades 113 of a first upstream wind turbine 110 to accelerate wake recovery. As the rotor blade 113 begins to move backwards with the floater pitch motion, it interacts with its own wake which leads to a development of a turbulence region with circulations in the flow. The turbulence increases the wake recovery rate as it flows downstream (paragraph [0069]). A collective blade pitch or rotor speed offset periodic variation (pulsing) varies the overall thrust of the rotor, in order to increase the turbulence in the wake, which promotes mixing with the surrounding flow and thus recovery of the wake in order to reduce the velocity deficit at the downstream turbine (paragraph [0084]) (claim 1).
The first wind turbine is a member of a wind farm comprising two or more wind turbines 110, 110 of which a second wind turbine is downstream the first wind turbine (paragraph [0006]) (claim 2).
The method further comprises using pulse, rotor speed and/or helix forcing controls (paragraph [0084]). Pulsing of the blade pitch is a form of helix forcing control (claim 6).
Also disclosed is a controller 180, comprising; a module that includes a processor 181 comprising a non-transitory storage medium 182 for providing instructions to a turbine blade pitch actuator (not shown, but present in the blade pitch pulsing paragraph [0084]). Periodically changing blade pitch of one or more blades 113 of a first upstream wind turbine 110 accelerates wake recovery. As the rotor blade 113 begins to move backwards with the floater pitch motion, it interacts with its own wake which leads to a development of a turbulence region with circulations in the flow. The turbulence increases the wake recovery rate as it flows downstream (paragraph [0069]). A collective blade pitch or rotor speed offset periodic variation (pulsing) varies the overall thrust of the rotor, in order to increase the turbulence in the wake, which promotes mixing with the surrounding flow and thus recovery of the wake in order to reduce the velocity deficit at the downstream turbine (paragraph [0084]) (claim 7).
The first wind turbine is a member of a wind farm comprising two or more wind turbines 110, 110 of which a second wind turbine is downstream the first wind turbine (paragraph [0006]) (claim 8).
The controller further uses pulse, rotor speed and/or helix forcing controls in combination with periodically changing blade pitch (paragraph [0084]). Pulsing of the blade pitch is a form of helix forcing control (claim 12).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 3-4 and 9-10 (as far as claims 4 and 10 are definite and understood) are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4141253 A1 in view of Van Wingerden et al. 2022/0412310.
EP 4141253 A1 discloses an active wake control method and a controller substantially as claimed as set forth above, wherein the blade pitch control adjusts at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of frequency and amplitude, and shape of the waveform, the waveform being the time series of the periodic variation in blade pitch (claims 4 and 10). The control specific angular motions may comprise a parameter that is related to the rotor blade pitch angle. The blade pitch angle may comprise the wind turbine’s controlled degrees of freedom, and the rotor blade may thus be moved by the control specific angular motions (paragraph [0018]). The amplitude and/or frequency of a monitored parameter may for example be determined based on a frequency spectrum or its respective amplitude and phase spectrum, the frequency spectrum or its respective amplitude and phase spectrum being derived from a time series of the monitored parameter. It may for example be derived by applying a fast Fourier transform to the time series (paragraph [0021]). Changing the frequency and amplitude result in an adjustment in the shape of the waveform.
However, EP 4141253 A1 does not disclose that the method further comprises: measuring a wind measurement upstream of the first wind turbine or using a measure representing an upstream wind measurement from the first wind turbine; and determining a blade pitch control of the first wind turbine operation to minimize, reduce or eliminate downstream wake produced by the first wind turbine; and determining an optimal pitch schedule (claim 3), and does not disclose that the controller further comprises: measuring a wind measurement upstream of the first wind turbine or using a measure representing an upstream wind measurement from the first wind turbine; and determining a blade pitch control of the first wind turbine operation to minimize, reduce or eliminate downstream wake produced by the first wind turbine; and determining an optimal pitch schedule (claim 9).
Van Wingerden et al. shows a wind turbine wake mixing method and arrangement, comprising measuring a wind measurement upstream of a first wind turbine 101 or using a measure representing an upstream wind measurement from the first wind turbine (Generally, the induction factor is determined by dividing the difference of the velocity of the wind upstream of a rotor plane V∞ and the velocity of the wind at the rotor plane (i.e., rotor disc) Vd by the velocity of the wind upstream V∞, paragraph [0012]); and determining a blade pitch control of the first wind turbine operation to minimize, reduce or eliminate downstream wake produced by the first wind turbine; and determining an optimal pitch schedule. By also displacing the respective rotational positions of the first blade at which the blade is at the first pitch angle and, preferably, second pitch angle in time, the induction-variations (i.e. the varying induction factor) of the blade occur at different angular positions in the rotor plane over time. Hereby the location of a wake formed downstream of the wind turbine is also dynamically changing with respect to the rotor of the wind turbine. Such variations of the location of the wake increase the turbulent mixing, such that the distance required to transfer the kinetic energy into the wake is decreased and any turbines that might be arranged downstream of the wind turbine are thereby much less affected by the wake. The arrangement is provided for the purpose of reducing the wake effects downstream of the wind turbine (paragraph [0047]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to provide the active wake control method of EP 4141253 A1 with measuring a wind measurement upstream of the first wind turbine or using a measure representing an upstream wind measurement from the first wind turbine; and determining a blade pitch control of the first wind turbine operation to minimize, reduce or eliminate downstream wake produced by the first wind turbine; and determining an optimal pitch schedule, and to form the controller such that it further comprises: measuring a wind measurement upstream of the first wind turbine or using a measure representing an upstream wind measurement from the first wind turbine; and determining a blade pitch control of the first wind turbine operation to minimize, reduce or eliminate downstream wake produced by the first wind turbine; and determining an optimal pitch schedule, as taught by Van Wingerden et al., for the purpose of reducing the wake effects downstream of the wind turbine
Claims 5 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4141253 A1 in view of Van Wingerden et al. 2022/0412310.
EP 4141253 A1 discloses an active wake control method and a controller substantially as claimed as set forth above, but does not disclose that the periodically changing blade pitch is determined by the following steps: a. determining frequency and amplitude of blade pitch periodic changes by measurements of inflow or emulations of inflow at the first wind turbine; b. employing individual pitch control (IPC) to the one or more blades to excite perturbations in wind flow to improve downstream wake recovery while minimizing blade loading (claim 5), and does not disclose that the periodically changing blade pitch is determined by the following steps: a. determining frequency and amplitude of blade pitch periodic changes by measurements of inflow or emulations of inflow at the first wind turbine; b. employing individual pitch control (IPC) to the one or more blades to excite perturbations in wind flow to improve downstream wake recovery while minimizing blade loading (claim 11).
Van Wingerden et al. shows a wind turbine 1, 101, 102 with variable pitch blades 51, 52, 53, with periodically changing blade pitch which is determined by the following steps: determining frequency and amplitude of blade pitch periodic changes by measurements of inflow or emulations of inflow at the first wind turbine. The predetermined frequency is preferably determined at least in dependence of an inflow wind speed that is determined upstream of the wind turbine. The predefined periodic function is customized to different operational conditions or turbine sizes, such that an increased wake mixing can be obtained for the different operational conditions and turbine sizes (paragraph [0024]). The controller is arranged for varying an induction factor of the first blade over time by dynamically changing a pitch angle of the first blade according to a predefined periodic function such that the pitch angle of the first blade periodically varies between a first pitch angle and a second pitch angle while the first blade is rotating, wherein the first pitch angle is different from the second pitch angle (paragraph [0027]); employing individual pitch control (IPC) to the one or more blades to excite perturbations in wind flow to improve downstream wake recovery while minimizing blade loading. Pitch drives 81, 82, 83 are arranged to individually drive the pitch rotations of the respective blades 51, 52, 53, such that the blades 51, 52, 53 can all have different pitch angles at any given time. A pitch mechanism 8 is also referred to as an individual pitch mechanism and controlling the individual pitch mechanism for minimizing the fatigue loading on a turbine is referred to as Individual Pitch Control (IPC), (paragraph [0042]). The arrangement is for the purpose of controlling the wind turbine such that the wake effects downstream of the wind turbine are reduced (paragraph [0007]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to provide the active wake control method and the controller of EP 4141253 A1 with the periodically changing blade pitch which is determined by the following steps: a. determining frequency and amplitude of blade pitch periodic changes by measurements of inflow or emulations of inflow at the first wind turbine; b. employing individual pitch control (IPC) to the one or more blades to excite perturbations in wind flow to improve downstream wake recovery while minimizing blade loading, as taught by Van Wingerden et al., for the purpose of controlling the wind turbine such that the wake effects downstream of the wind turbine are reduced
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Westergaard is cited to show a wind farm having cyclic pitching of rotor blades for wake control. This reference could also have been applied as it anticipates at least claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102, but is not applied at this time in order to avoid multiple rejections.
Brown is cited to show a wind farm having periodic pitching of rotor blades for wake control. This reference could also have been applied as it anticipates at least claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102, but is not applied at this time in order to avoid multiple rejections.
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/Christopher Verdier/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745