Comparison between the NMPC and EOR control of wind turbines using LIDAR wind measurements

Abstract

The upstream wind is known as the main source of disturbance to the wind turbine. Therefore, having the wind information before it hits the turbine, allows the wind turbine controller to take necessary actions to proper rejection of the disturbances. Several advanced control methods have been proposed to exploit the LIDAR wind measurements to enhance the wind turbine control. To date, the Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC), has been one of the most successful methods in using wind data to improve the control performance. However, due to the immense computational burden, its real-time application is still challenging. Very recently, an implementation of the Exact Output Regulation (EOR) scheme for wind turbines control has been proposed. In this paper, the performances of the two model-based controllers, namely the NMPC controller and the EOR controller, in mitigating mechanical loads on the DTU10MW wind turbine are compared against each other. The results are also compared against the classic baseline feedback controller. Simulation results indicate that both controllers show significant improvement in reducing fatigue loads on the wind turbine structure, whilst maintaining the power production at the desired rated level in comparison to the baseline controller. It is also shown that the EOR controller can closely compete with the disturbance rejection performance of the NMPC controller. The simulation running times are considerably lower for the EOR scheme, potentially making EOR more suitable for real-time applications.