Pitch Control Research Articles

Enhancing wind power with permanent magnet synchronous generator control strategies

AbstractDue to the substantial rise in wind power generation, the direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous generator has emerged as a leading technology for efficient variable speed operation, meeting grid demands effectively. This paper presents a comparative analysis of control strategies for permanent magnet synchronous generator based wind turbine using real variable wind speed data from a 2 MW of Tetouan wind farm in Morocco. The proposed approach is based on evaluating two primary control strategies: the adaptive fuzzy-proportional-integral controller and the conventional proportional-integral controller aimed at enhancing the wind turbine's output power. The simulation performed on MATLAB-Simulink indicates that pitch control mechanisms play a crucial role in optimizing power generation, also demonstrating its ability to achieve satisfactory performance.

Exploring the Potential of Hybrid Excitation Synchronous Generators in Wind Energy: A Comprehensive Analysis and Overview

Due to the unpredictable nature of the wind, uncertainty in the characteristics of wind electrical conversion systems (WECSs), and inefficient management tactics, wind turbines have historically had operational inefficiencies. In order to overcome these drawbacks, the hybrid excitation synchronous generator (HESG), an alternative to traditional generators, is presented in this study along with the suggestion to use robust regulators to regulate HESGs. This research begins with a thorough review of the literature on generators often seen in modern wind systems. Next, a simulation platform that merges a WECS with a HESG tied to an isolated load is built using the MATLAB Simulink environment. Pitch angle control investigation shows a new experimental approach to determine the link between turbine output and the reference pitch angle. Furthermore, an evaluation of the mechanical stability of the WECS is conducted by a comparison of the performance of a H∞ controller and a CRONE controller. The simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the CRONE controller in reducing mechanical vibrations in the WECS. By reducing vibrations, the proposed control technique enhances the overall performance and efficiency of the wind turbine system. The field is extended by the demonstration of how HESGs and reliable control systems can enhance wind turbine performance while eliminating inherent limitations.

Design of an artificial neural network and proportional‐integral‐derivative controller using particle swarm optimization for Boeing 747‐400 aircraft pitch control

AbstractThis paper presents the design of an artificial neural network (ANN) and proportional integral derivative (PID) controller using particle swarm optimization (PSO) for Boeing 747‐400 aircraft pitch control (APC). The combinations of disturbance, open loop unstable and nonlinear dynamics are major problems in a Boeing 747‐400 commercial aircraft. This paper investigates the control mechanism of pitch angle control of Boeing 747‐400 with small disturbance theory linearization methods and ANN based non‐linear controllers. A PID controller is tuned by PSO, whereas the PID is tuned by graphical user interface (GUI) when compared with an ANN controller. The controller for this system was designed using an ANN controller and PID tuned using a recent optimization technique such as the PSO method with integral square error (ISE) as an objective function. A comparative study of the time domain performances of the pitch control of the Boeing 747‐400 commercial aircraft was presented. The ANN controller outperformed the PID‐PSO and PID‐GUI controllers in terms of system performance, including rising time (tr), settling time (ts), percentage overshoot (percent OS), and steady state error, across various elevator deflection angles. Basically, the percentage overshoot and steady state error were 0% and 0 respectively, indicating that the ANN controller achieved an improvement of 100%. Various parameters were compared with the PID‐GUI, PID‐PSO, and ANN controllers for pitch control of the Boeing 747‐400 air craft. The ANN controller architecture comprises of two input neurons, two hidden layer neurons, and one output layer neuron. The simulation was performed using Matlab/Simulink. The results show that the PID‐PSO controller was improved by the ANN controller and the performance specifications of the aircraft obtained by the ANN controller were satisfactory.

Multi-Rotor Wind Turbine Control: Strategies for Pitch Replacement and Mechanical Load Mitigation

This paper presents a two-level control scheme for multi-rotor wind turbines. The first subordinate decentralized controller replaces the active pitch control with oversized generators that achieve the power limitation objective. In combination with this, the second higher-level controller mitigates the mechanical load on the main tower by adjusting the thrust forces acting on the side turbines through coordinated local torque control. The results proved that the decentralized controller managed to replace the pitch control by achieving the same power curve, and the load mitigation controller tended to equate the thrusts on both turbines, which mitigates the mechanical loads on the turbine tower. A high-fidelity QBlade model was developed and showed consistent results to the simplified model in SIMULINK.

Combined Individual Pitch and Flap Control for Load Reduction of Wind Turbines

In this paper individual pitch control is combined with trailing-edge flap (TEF) control, both designed as multi-loop proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers, to significantly reduce blade damage equivalent loads. OpenFAST NREL 5MW aerodynamics are enhanced with dedicated aerodynamic polars of TEF blade elements. The NREL 5MW model, including the TEF extension, is incorporated into Simulink, and PID controller parameters are optimized in a closed-loop optimization setup. The DEL decrease is confirmed via an extensive simulation campaign using the non-linear wind turbine simulation environment.

Comparison of 25 MW downwind and upwind turbine designs with individual pitch control

As conventional upwind wind turbines grow larger, the increased mass and flexibility of the longer blades present challenges concerning costs, structural loads, and safety constraints such as tower clearance. At extreme scales, wind turbines in a downwind configuration may provide a feasible alternative to address these challenges by allowing lightweight, flexible blades that can reduce capital costs and blade loads while maintaining safety margins. Downwind turbine blades suffer from increased fatigue loading due to the tower shadow effect. In this study, novel downwind, three-bladed wind turbine designs at 25 MW rating with lightweight, flexible blades are evaluated and compared in terms of power production and structural loading. To obtain a baseline performance, a standard collective blade pitch wind turbine controller is implemented for the two downwind and one upwind turbine designs. Individual pitch control is then added for the downwind turbines to reduce structural fatigue on the turbine blades. In summary, the two downwind turbine designs that differ in rotor pre-coning and shaft tilt angles using collective and individual pitch control are compared against a conventional upwind turbine with collective pitch control at the same scale under turbulent wind conditions.

Observer based pitch control for load mitigation and power regulation of floating offshore wind turbines

Abstract Most commercial wind turbines use proportional-integral (PI) collective blade-pitch control to regulate rotor speed in the above-rated wind speed regime. A significant drawback of this type of controller is that it assumes that the blades have identical structural properties and are subject to similar aerodynamic loads, which is seldom the case. Also, these controllers are designed to regulate the rotor speed and are not designed for structural vibration/load reduction. However, it is well known that blade pitch control can reduce structural loads on wind turbines. This opens up the possibility of designing controllers that use existing actuators and sensors like the blade pitch actuators to reduce structural loads/vibrations while maintaining the required rotor speed. Recent studies have investigated individual blade pitch control (IPC) to address these shortcomings. However, the vast majority of studies published in the literature depend on the availability of state measurement. Although sensors are commonly placed on all wind turbines, and some information is readily available, the measurement required by the typical state-feedback controllers is usually not available. Displacements and velocities of the blade, the tower and the floating platform are difficult to measure. This paper develops an observer-based individual blade pitch controller for load mitigation and power regulation of floating offshore wind turbines. We propose to use a Kalman filter to estimate the state from the accelerometer and strain gauge measurement for use in the state-feedback controller. The state-feedback controller was proposed previously by the authors that showed excellent performance. This paper extends the capability of the state-feedback controller by designing an observer (Kalman filter) to estimate the state from limited measurements. The proposed observer based controller is compared against a baseline proportional integral collective blade pitch controller and full state-feedback controllers to evaluate its performance. Numerical results show that the proposed output feedback controller offers performance improvements over the baseline controller, similar to the full state-feedback controller.

Impact of Blade Pitch Actuation System on Wind Turbine Cost and Energy Production

To minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of wind turbines, advanced co-design strategies are required that also consider the contribution of active blade pitch control to overall energy production and wind turbine cost. Thereby, the demanded closed-loop performance drives the requirements on the blade pitch actuation system, which needs to be carefully balanced. To enable this, an extended LCOE measure is developed in this paper using stochastic estimates for quantifying pitch actuation cost in terms of pitch power and closed-loop performance in terms of net energy production. Additionally, the impact of blade pitch deflections on structural loads and hence cost is evaluated considering both collective and individual pitch control. The interdependencies between the different design objectives are revealed in a case study carried out on a 25MW wind turbine, demonstrating the guidance for engineers toward cost-effective and efficient wind turbine designs.

Generalization of single wake surrogates for multiple and farm-farm wake analysis

Wind farm efficiency is influenced by atmospheric turbulence and wake interactions from preceding turbines. Optimal performance necessitates effective control strategies, encompassing collective/individual pitch (and/or torque) control, yaw control, and innovative techniques, significantly boosting energy capture. Wake effects are crucial, impacting downstream turbines and reducing overall energy extraction. For this purpose, the study of wind farm flow control (WFFC) holds significant relevance in this context. In this study, a Deep Neural Network predicts downstream flow features of a wind turbine under diverse control scenarios, including varying thrust coefficient and yaw control. A feed-forward neural network models the deficit and added turbulent intensity of a single wake, trained using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations as reference data. Linear superposition establishes the wind farm flow field, allowing examination of downstream effects. Another feedforward neural network encompasses wind farm physics such as blockage and wake recovery in and around wind turbine arrays which are overlooked by the single wake model. The methodology employed in this study yields results that are more time-efficient compared to traditional CFD models while maintaining a higher level of accuracy (ideally) than the engineering models, especially when implemented for WFFC without calibration.

An innovative segmented blade concept with a partial pitch control for large wind turbine systems

This study investigates the feasibility of a segmented blade with a partial pitch concept. Three different cases were considered where the pitch bearing is positioned at 33%R, 50%R and 66%R, respectively. The PI controller is used with different controller gains corresponding to the blade design. Wind step case and DLC1.1 are applied to analyse its performances. From the wind step case, general controller behaviours and wind turbine responses are investigated. From DLC1.1, the statistics and ultimate loads are studied. From this study, it could be concluded that the segmented blade with a partial pitch could benefit to maintain power without increasing extra loads too much.

Dynamic individual pitch control for wake mitigation: Why does the helix handedness in the wake matter?

Wind farm flow control aims at mitigating wake effects in order to maximize power production in wind farms. This work mostly focuses on the Helix strategy, which relies on individual pitch control to radially offset the application point of the thrust force from the rotor center and to dynamically change its azimuthal position. Previous studies have shown that power gains for a downstream turbine are higher for a counter-clockwise (CCW) rotation of the application point than for a clockwise (CW) one. In the CCW case, the wake develops as a right-handed helix, while in the CW case, a left-handed helix is observed. Using Large Eddy Simulations, this paper shows that the helix handedness in the wake matters due to its interaction with the wake swirl. Results of the CCW and CW helix first highlight the formation of streamwise vorticity in the near wake, which is transformed into strong coherent vortices in the far wake. Those vortex structures, to some extent similar to the counter-rotating vortex pair in the wake of yawed wind turbines, are responsible for (i) displacing the wake thanks to their induced velocities and (ii) deforming the shape of the wake.

Active control of yaw drift of single-point moored wind turbines

Single-point moored floating wind turbines can benefit from the self-alignment of the structure with the prevailing wind direction. However, to be successful, the effects of yaw-drift must be mitigated using effective control strategies during power production. In this work, we investigate sources contributing to yaw drift and propose active control solutions to the problem. The analyses utilize the IEA 15 MW wind turbine mounted on a single-point moored floating foundation. Aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations using the software 3DFloat are performed under various conditions of wind, waves and current. The results indicate that yaw drift can be actively controlled using nacelle-yaw actuation techniques and individual pitch control of the blades. These approaches effectively align the rotor with the wind direction, increasing the robustness of single-point wind turbines by ensuring increased power production, and maintaining the structural life.

Surge motion-induced dynamic inflow effects in floating offshore wind turbines: A State Prediction Model

The impact of surge motion on aerodynamic unsteadiness in modern floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT) is a well-recognized phenomenon. When coupled with advanced controllers integrated into these turbines, it can lead to fluctuations in power output. This paper introduces a state-space model that incorporates dynamic inflow effects resulting from surge motion and a PID pitch controller. Additionally, an observation equation is formulated to predict the system power output. Through time series validations, the proposed state-space model demonstrates its ability to accurately capture power responses influenced by surge motions. The developed model serves as a valuable tool for the comprehensive analysis of FOWT, allowing for the exploration of the intricate interplay between unsteady aerodynamics, advanced control mechanisms, and power output.

Experimental comparison of induction control methods for wind farm power maximization on a scaled two-turbine setup

Induction control methods offer a potential solution to minimizing wake effects that occur in large wind farms. This paper presents an experimental study on multiple induction control methods for wind farm power maximization. Wind tunnel experiments were conducted on two aligned scaled wind turbines. The upstream turbine was operated with static induction control, periodic dynamic induction control with collective pitch actuation, and dynamic individual pitch control (the helix approach). All wind farm control implementations were compared to a baseline case, which optimized the individual power extraction of both turbines. Tomographic particle image velocimetry was used to measure the wake of the upstream turbine. Based on turbine measurements, grid searches were employed to discover the optimal frequency and amplitude of the pitch actuation in the dynamic induction control cases. While static induction control showed increased wake velocities in the near wake, it did not provide an overall increase in power production of the two-turbine array. Dynamic induction control methods, especially the helix approach in the counterclockwise direction, were seen to significantly increase the total power output compared to the baseline control case. However, this improvement came with a larger amount of pitch actuation and increased fatigue loading of structural components in the fore-aft direction.

블레이드 피치 제어용 전기-기계식 작동기 부품 신뢰성 수명 분석

블레이드 피치 제어용 전기-기계식 작동기 부품 신뢰성 수명 분석

Wind tunnel investigations of an individual pitch control strategy for wind farm power optimization

Abstract. This article presents the results of an experimental wind tunnel study which investigates a new control strategy named Helix. The Helix control employs individual pitch control for sinusoidally varying yaw and tilt moments to induce an additional rotational component in the wake, aiming to enhance wake mixing. The experiments are conducted in a closed-loop wind tunnel under low-turbulence conditions to emphasize wake effects. Highly sensorized model wind turbines with control capabilities similar to full-scale machines are employed in a two-turbine setup to assess wake recovery potential and explore loads on both upstream and downstream turbines. In a single-turbine study, detailed wake measurements are carried out using a fast-response five-hole pressure probe. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in energy content within the wake, with distinct peaks for clockwise and counterclockwise movements at Strouhal numbers of approximately 0.47. Both upstream and downstream turbine dynamic equivalent loads increase when applying the Helix control. The time-averaged wake flow streamwise velocity and rms value reveal a faster wake recovery for actuated cases in comparison to the baseline. Phase-locked results with azimuthal position display a leapfrogging behavior in the baseline case in contrast to the actuated cases, where distorted shedding structures in the longitudinal direction are observed due to a changed thrust coefficient and an accompanying lateral vortex shedding location. Additionally, phase-locked results with the additional frequency reveal a tip vortex meandering, which enhances faster wake recovery. Comparing the Helix cases with clockwise and counterclockwise rotations, the latter exhibits slightly higher gains and faster wake recovery. This difference is attributed to Helix' additional rotational component acting in either the same or the opposite direction as the wake rotation. Overall, both Helix cases exhibit significantly faster wake recovery compared to the baseline, indicating the potential of this technique for improved wind farm control.

Novel Fuzzy Logic Controls to Enhance Dynamic Frequency Control and Pitch Angle Regulation in Variable-Speed Wind Turbines

This study introduced a novel control approach based on fuzzy logic control (FLC) to enhance the frequency regulation capacity of variable-speed wind turbines (VSWTs). The proposed method integrates FLC within droop and inertia control loops. Real-time measurements of the system frequency and the rate of change of frequency (ROCOF) serve as inputs to the FLC, enabling the method to improve the frequency response by VSWTs. In addition, the method employs FLC for pitch angle frequency control, optimizing reserve power for frequency regulation under varying wind speed levels. The innovative aspect of this study lies in the simultaneous application of FLC to pitch angle frequency control and droop/inertia control, leading to the enhanced frequency regulation capability of VSWTs and smoother operation across a range of wind speeds. Compared with traditional methods, the proposed approach provides a comprehensive and effective solution to the challenges associated with frequency regulation in VSWTs. Through simulations across different wind speed scenarios, the proposed control method demonstrated the best performance among various mature methods, highlighting the efficacy of the proposed method on the frequency regulation of VSWTs under different wind speeds. This study’s findings highlight the potential of the proposed FLC-based method to optimize frequency regulation and contribute to more reliable and efficient wind energy systems.

New Adaptive Super-Twisting Extended-State Observer-Based Sliding Mode Scheme with Application to FOWT Pitch Control

This paper details the transformation of the velocity or position-tracking problem of a class of uncertain systems using finite time stability control for first-order uncertain systems. A new composite extended-state observer sliding mode (ESOSM) scheme is proposed, which includes an adaptive super-twisting-like ESO and an adaptive super-twisting controller. The adaptive super-twisting controller is implemented through a barrier function-based second-order sliding mode algorithm. To further reduce control chattering and improve control performance, the adaptive super-twisting-like ESO, which employs high-order terms in the super-twisting algorithm to accelerate convergence, is designed to observe the lumped uncertainty in real time. The advantages of the proposed scheme are verified by a numerical example and application with regard to floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) pitch control. Compared with proportional integral (PI) and adaptive super-twisting sliding mode (ASTSM) schemes, better results are obtained in velocity tracking and fatigue load suppression. For the FOWT pitch control application, the platform roll, pitch, and yaw are decreased by 3%, 2%, and 4%, respectively, compared to the PI scheme at an average turbulent wind speed of 17 m/s and turbulence intensity of 17.27%.

Submarine depth and pitch control based on closed-loop gain shaping algorithm

Submarine depth and pitch control based on closed-loop gain shaping algorithm

Observer-based single-phase robustness sliding mode controller for the pitch control of a variable speed wind turbine

Observer-based single-phase robustness sliding mode controller for the pitch control of a variable speed wind turbine