Effects of actuator faults on large-scale wind turbine dynamics with an industry-standard controller

Abstract

The pitch actuator is a critical component of large-scale wind turbines with a high failure rate. Actuator faults significantly impact the dynamics of wind turbines, leading to increased loads on the turbine structure and reduced power output, thereby affecting wind turbine performance and reliability. This paper investigates the effects of actuator faults on a 5-MW reference wind turbine using the OpenFAST simulation software developed by NREL. The fault cases include dynamic changes in the actuator, performance reduction, and, finally, actuator seizing.