LPV-based torque control for an extreme-scale morphing wind turbine rotor

Abstract

Recent trends in wind turbine design have demonstrated that decreased levelized cost of energy (LCOE) can be achieved by increasing rotor size and therefore the amount of energy a wind turbine can capture. However, as rotor radii increase into extreme scales, it is likely that the increased mass required to maintain the necessary structural strength for three-bladed upwind turbines will drive up costs faster than they can be outweighed by increased energy production. We are part of a team that has been working to design a two-bladed, downwind 13.2 MW wind turbine rotor that maintains structural integrity by using load alignment and active coning. Together with the increased scale and downwind configuration, the active coning provides both additional challenges and opportunities for turbine control. In this paper, we design and evaluate a linear parameter varying (LPV) generator torque control technique that compensates for the changing system dynamics as the rotor coning angle changes.