An investigation of variable power collective pitch control for load mitigation of floating offshore wind turbines

This paper investigates the loads on offshore floating wind turbines and a new control method that can be used to reduce these loads. In this variable power collective pitch control method, the rated generator speed, which is the set point that the collective pitch control attempts to drive the actual generator speed towards, is no longer a constant value but instead is a variable that depends on the platform pitch velocity. At a basic physical level, this controller achieves the following: as the rotor of a floating turbine pitches upwind, the controller adjusts so as to extract more energy from the wind by increasing the rated generator speed and thus damps the motion; as the rotor pitches downwind, less energy is extracted because the controller reduces the rated generator speed and again damps the motion. This method is applied to the NREL 5 MW wind turbine model, in above rated conditions where the platform motion is most problematic. The results indicate significant load reductions on key structural components, at the expense of minor increases in power and speed variability. The loads on the blades and tower are investigated more generally, and simple dynamic models are used to gain insight into the behavior of floating wind turbine systems. It is clear that for this particular design, aerodynamic methods for reducing platform motion and tower loads are likely inadequate to allow for a viable design, so new designs or possibly new control degrees of freedom are needed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Individual blade pitch control of floating offshore wind turbines

Floating wind turbines offer a feasible solution for going further offshore into deeper waters. However, using a floating platform introduces additional motions that must be taken into account in the design stage. Therefore, the control system becomes an important component in controlling these motions. Several controllers have been developed specifically for floating wind turbines. Some controllers were designed to avoid structural resonance, while others were used to regulate rotor speed and platform pitching. The development of a periodic state space controller that utilizes individual blade pitching to improve power output and reduce platform motions in above rated wind speed region is presented. Individual blade pitching creates asymmetric aerodynamic loads in addition to the symmetric loads created by collective blade pitching to increase the platform restoring moments. Simulation results using a high‐fidelity non‐linear turbine model show that the individual blade pitch controller reduces power fluctuations, platform rolling rate and platform pitching rate by 44%, 39% and 43%, respectively, relative to a baseline controller (gain scheduled proportional–integral blade pitch controller) developed specifically for floating wind turbine systems. Turbine fatigue loads were also reduced; tower side–side fatigue loads were reduced by 39%. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

载荷优化的海上漂浮式风电机组二阶滑模变桨控制

针对强非线性、强耦合的海上漂浮式风电机组动力学系统,提出一种基于二阶滑模的统一变桨控制策略,解决受海浪风速等随机干扰引起浮式支撑平台运动而产生的疲劳结构载荷及功率波动问题。构建漂浮式风电机组的不确定仿射非线性模型,基于风电机组“额定转速”设计积分滑模面,此“额定转速”不再是恒定值,而是取决于平台纵摇速度的变量,基于超螺旋算法实现二阶滑模变桨控制律。采用FAST和Matlab/Simulink联合仿真,所提出的方案与传统PI控制相比,对稳定高风速时风力发电机功率,抑制浮式支撑平台运动及减少叶根载荷具有更好的控制作用,对塔基也有较好的减载作用。     

Optimal blade pitch control with realistic preview wind measurements

In above‐rated wind speeds, the goal of a wind turbine blade pitch controller is to regulate rotor speed while minimizing structural loads and pitch actuation. This controller is typically feedback only, relying on a generator speed measurement, and sometimes strain gages and accelerometers. A preview measurement of the incoming wind speed (from a turbine‐mounted lidar, for example) allows the addition of feedforward control, which enables improved performance compared with feedback‐only control. The performance improvement depends both on the amount of preview time available in the wind speed measurement and the coherence between the wind measurement and the wind that is actually experienced by the turbine. We show how to design a collective‐pitch optimal controller that takes both of these factors into account. Simulation results show significant improvement compared with baseline controllers and are well correlated with linear model‐based results. Linear model‐based results show the benefit of preview measurements for various preview times and measurement coherences. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LIDAR-assisted feedforward individual pitch control of a 15 MW floating offshore wind turbine

Nacelle-mounted, forward-facing light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology can deliver benefits to rotor speed regulation and loading reductions of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) when assisting with blade pitch control in above-rated wind speed conditions. Large-scale wind turbines may be subject to significant variations in structural loads due to differences in the wind profile across the rotor-swept area. These loading fluctuations can be mitigated by individual pitch control (IPC). This paper presents a novel LIDAR-assisted feedforward IPC approach that uses each blade's rotor azimuth position to allocate an individual pitch command from a multi-beam LIDAR. In this study, the source code of OpenFAST wind turbine modelling software was modified to enable LIDAR simulation and LIDAR-assisted control. The LIDAR simulation modifications were accepted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and are now present within OpenFAST releases from v3.5 onwards. Simulations of a 15 MW FOWT were performed across the above-rated wind spectrum. Under a turbulent wind field with an average wind speed of 17 ms⁻¹, the LIDAR-assisted feedforward IPC delivered up to 54% reductions in the root mean squared errors and standard deviations of key FOWT parameters. Feedforward IPC delivered enhancements of up to 12% over feedforward collective pitch control, relative to the baseline feedback controller. The reductions to the standard deviation and range of the rotor speed may enable structural optimization of the tower, while the reductions in the variations of the loadings present an opportunity for reduced fatigue damage on turbine components and, consequently, a reduction in maintenance expenditure.     

Open‐loop frequency response analysis of a wind turbine using a high‐order linear aeroelastic model

Wind turbine controllers are commonly designed on the basis of low‐order linear models to capture the aeroelastic wind turbine response due to control actions and disturbances. This paper characterizes the aeroelastic wind turbine dynamics that influence the open‐loop frequency response from generator torque and collective pitch control actions of a modern non‐floating wind turbine based on a high‐order linear model. The model is a linearization of a geometrically non‐linear finite beam element model coupled with an unsteady blade element momentum model of aerodynamic forces including effects of shed vorticity and dynamic stall. The main findings are that the lowest collective flap modes have limited influence on the response from generator torque to generator speed, due to large aerodynamic damping. The transfer function from collective pitch to generator speed is affected by two non‐minimum phase zeros below the frequency of the first drivetrain mode. To correctly predict the non‐minimum phase zeros, it is essential to include lateral tower and blade flap degrees of freedom. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CFD simulation of a floating offshore wind turbine system using a variable-speed generator-torque controller

Prediction and control of rotor rotational velocity is critical for accurate aerodynamic loading and generator power predictions. A variable-speed generator-torque controller is combined with the two-phase CFD solver CFDShip-Iowa V4.5. The developed code is utilized in simulations of the 5 MW floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) conceptualized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration (OC3). Fixed platform simulations are first performed to determine baseline rotor velocity and developed torque. A prescribed platform motion simulation is completed to identify effects of platform motion on rotor torque. The OC3’s load case 5.1, with regular wave and steady wind excitation, is performed and results are compared to NREL’s OC3 results. The developed code is shown to functionally control generator speed and torque but requires controller calibration for maximum power extraction. Generator speed variance is observed to be a function of unsteady stream-wise platform motions. The increased mooring forces of the present model are shown to keep the turbine in a more favorable variable-speed control region. Lower overall platform velocity magnitudes and less rotor torque are predicted corresponding to lower rotor rotational velocities and a reduction in generated power. Potential improvements and modifications to the present method are considered.     

Effect of platform disturbance on the performance of offshore wind turbine under pitch control

The aerodynamic performance of offshore floating wind turbines (OFWTs) is more complicated than onshore wind turbines due to 6‐degree of freedom (DOF) motion of the floating platform. In the current study, the aerodynamic analysis of a horizontal‐axis floating offshore wind turbine is performed with the aim of studying the effects of floating platform movement on the aerodynamic characteristics of the turbine in the presence of a pitch angle control system. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5‐MW offshore wind turbine is selected as the baseline wind turbine. For this sake, the unsteady blade element momentum method with dynamic stall and dynamic inflow models have been employed to obtain the unsteady aerodynamic loads. The baseline pitch angle control system is assumed to be coupled with the aerodynamic model to maintain the rated condition of the wind turbine and also to approach a closer model of wind turbine. In case of pitching motion input, the reduction of mean power coefficient for tip speed ratios (TSRs) less that 7 is expected by an amount of 16% to 20% at pitch amplitude of 2° and frequency of 0.1 Hz. For high TSRs, the trend is reverse with respect to fixed‐platform case. The mean thrust coefficient is reduced for almost all range of TSRs with maximum loss of 37%. Moreover, the mean control pitch angle that is an index of control system effort is increased. The results also represent the importance of considering the pitch control system for aerodynamic analysis of disturbed OFWT.     

Simulating Feedback Linearization control of wind turbines using high‐order models

As wind turbines are becoming larger, wind turbine control must now encompass load control objectives as well as power and speed control to achieve a low cost of energy. Due to the inherent non‐linearities in a wind turbine system, the use of non‐linear model‐based controllers has the potential to increase control performance. A non‐linear feedback linearization controller with an Extended Kalman Filter is successfully used to control a FAST model of the controls advanced research turbine with active blade, tower and drive‐train dynamics in above rated wind conditions. The controller exhibits reductions in low speed shaft fatigue damage equivalent loads, power regulation and speed regulation when compared to a Gain Scheduled Proportional Integral controller, designed for speed regulation alone. The feedback linearization controller shows better rotor speed regulation than a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) at close to rated wind speeds, but poorer rotor speed regulation at higher wind speeds. This is due to modeling inaccuracies and the addition of unmodeled dynamics during simulation. Similar performance between the feedback linearization controller and the LQR in reducing drive‐train fatigue damage and power regulation is observed. Improvements in control performance may be achieved through increasing the accuracy of the non‐linear model used for controller design. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling,control, and simulation of dual rotor wind turbine generator system

A new wind turbine generator system (WTGS) is introduced, and its mathematical model, blade pitch control scheme, and nonlinear simulation software for the performance prediction are presented. The notable feature of WTGS is that it consists of two rotor systems positioned horizontally at upwind and downwind locations, and a generator installed vertically inside the tower. In this paper, this new WTGS is treated as a constrained multi-body system, and the equations of motion are obtained by using the multi-body dynamics approach. Aerodynamic forces and torques generated from each of rotor blades are calculated using the blade element theory. Various pitch control schemes depending on the wind speed and the main rotor's rotational speed are implemented. A relatively simple model for the load torque is obtained by using the test data of the doubly fed induction generator adopted in the new WTGS. Finally, FORTRAN and Matlab/Simulink-based hybrid simulation software is developed and used to predict and analyze the performance of the WTGS.     

Wind turbine load reduction by rejecting the periodic load disturbances

For the cost per kilowatt hour to be decreased, the trend in offshore wind turbines is to increase the rotor diameter as much as possible. The increasing dimensions have led to a relative increase of the loads on the wind turbine structure; thus, it is necessary to react to disturbances in a more detailed way, e.g. each blade separately. The disturbances acting on an individual wind turbine blade are to a large extent deterministic; for instance, tower shadow, wind shear, yawed error and gravity are depending on the rotational speed and azimuth angle and will change slowly over time. This paper aims to contribute to the development of individually pitch‐controlled blades by proposing a lifted repetitive controller that can reject these periodic load disturbances for modern fixed‐speed wind turbines and modern variable‐speed wind turbines operating above‐rated. The performance of the repetitive control method is evaluated on the UPWIND 5 MW wind turbine model and compared with typical individual pitch control. Simulation results indicate that for relatively slow changing periodic wind disturbances, this lifted repetitive control method can significantly reduce the vibrations in the wind turbine structure with considerably less high‐frequent control action. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Design of closed loop controllers for wind turbines

This article reviews the design of algorithms for wind turbine pitch control and also for generator torque control in the case of variable speed turbines. Some recent and possible future developments are discussed. Although pitch control is used primarily to limit power in high winds, it also has a significant effect on various loads. Particularly as turbines become larger, there is increasing interest in designing controllers to mitigate loads as far as possible. Torque control in variable speed turbines is used primarily to maximize energy capture below rated wind speed and to limit the torque above rated. Once again there are opportunities for designing these controllers so as to mitigate certain loads. In addition to improving the design of the control algorithms, it is also possible to use additional sensors to help the controller to achieve its objectives more effectively. The use of additional actuators in the form of individual pitch controllers for each blade is also discussed. It is important to be able to quantify the benefits of any new controller. Although computer simulations are useful, field trials are also vital. The variability of the real wind means that particular care is needed in the design of the trials. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Model improvements for evaluating the effect of tower tilting on the aerodynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine

If a vertical axis wind turbine is mounted offshore on a semi‐submersible, the pitch motion of the platform will dominate the static pitch and dynamic motion of the platform and wind turbine such that the effect of tower tilting on the aerodynamics of the vertical axis wind turbine should be investigated to more accurately predict the aerodynamic loads. This paper proposes certain modifications to the double multiple‐streamtube (DMS) model to include the component of wind speed parallel to the rotating shaft. The model is validated against experimental data collected on an H‐Darrieus wind turbine in skewed flow conditions. Three different dynamic stall models are also integrated into the DMS model: Gormont's model with the adaptation of Strickland, Gormont's model with the modification of Berg and the Beddoes–Leishman dynamic stall model. Both the small Sandia 17 m wind turbine and the large DeepWind 5 MW are modelled. According to the experimental data, the DMS model with the inclusion of the dynamic stall model is also well validated. On the basis of the assumption that the velocity component parallel to the rotor shaft is small in the downstream part of the rotor, the effect of tower tilting is quantified with respect to power, rotor torque, thrust force and the normal force and tangential force coefficients on the blades. Additionally, applications of Glauert momentum theory and pure axial momentum theory are compared to evaluate the effect of the velocity component parallel to the rotor shaft on the accuracy of the model. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Augmented LQG controller for enhancement of online dynamic performance for WTG system

Operation of variable speed wind turbine generator (WTG) in the above-rated region characterized by high turbulence intensities demands a trade-off between two performance metrics: maximization of energy harvested from the wind and minimization of damage caused by mechanical fatigue. This paper presents a learning adaptive controller for output power leveling and decrementing cyclic loads on the drive train. The proposed controller incorporates a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) augmented by a neurocontroller (NC) and regulates rotational speed by specifying the demanded generator torque. Pitch control ensures rated power output. A second-order model and a stochastic wind field model are used in the analysis. The LQG is used as a basis upon which the performance of the proposed paradigm in the trade-off studies is assessed. Simulation results indicate the proposed control scheme effectively harmonizes the relation between rotor speed and the highly turbulent wind speed thereby regulating shaft moments and maintaining rated power.     

Regulation of WTG dynamic response to parameter variations of analytic wind stochasticity

Although variable‐speed operation can reduce the impact of transient wind gusts and subsequent component fatigue, this is still an unknown factor that must now be quantified. Reduction in drive‐train stresses caused by fatigue loads in high wind turbulence is fundamental to realizing both output power leveling and long service life for a wind turbine generator (WTG). This paper presents an evolutionary controller comprising a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) and neurocontroller acting in tandem to effect optimal performance under high turbulence intensities, for a variable‐speed, fixed‐pitch WTG. The control objectives are maximum energy conversion and reduction in mechanical stresses on the system components. The proposed paradigm utilizes generator torque in controlling the rotor speed in relation to the highly turbulent wind speed, thereby ensuring the extracted aerodynamic power is maintained at a constant value, while shaft moments are regulated. The performance of the proposed controller is compared with that of the LQG and it is found that the former is more efficient in maintaining rated power, minimizing shaft torque variations, and shows robustness to parameter variations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparative study on dynamic responses of spar‐type floating horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines

Interest in the exploitation of offshore wind resources using floating wind turbines has increased. Commercial development of floating horizontal axis wind turbines (FHAWTs) is emerging because of their commercial success in onshore and near‐shore areas. Floating vertical axis wind turbines (FVAWTs) are also promising because of their low installation and maintenance costs. Therefore, a comparative study on the dynamic responses of FHAWTs and FVAWTs is of great interest. In the present study, a FHAWT employing the 5MW wind turbine developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a FVAWT employing a Darrieus rotor, both mounted on the OC3 spar buoy, were considered. An improved control strategy was introduced for FVAWTs to achieve an approximately constant mean generator power for the above rated wind speeds. Fully coupled time domain simulations were carried out using identical, directional aligned and correlated wind and wave conditions. Because of different aerodynamic load characteristics and control strategies, the FVAWT results in larger mean tower base bending moments and mooring line tensions above the rated wind speed. Because significant two‐per‐revolution aerodynamic loads act on the FVAWT, the generator power, tower base bending moments and delta line tensions show prominent two‐per‐revolution variation. Consequently, the FVAWT suffers from severe fatigue damage at the tower bottom. However, the dynamic performance of the FVAWT could be improved by increasing the number of blades, using helical blades or employing a more advanced control strategy, which requires additional research. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Field testing of linear individual pitch control on the two‐bladed controls advanced research turbine

This paper presents the results of field tests using linear individual pitch control (LIPC) on the two‐bladed Controls Advanced Research Turbine 2 (CART2) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). LIPC has recently been introduced as an alternative to the conventional individual pitch control (IPC) strategy for two‐bladed wind turbines. The main advantage of LIPC over conventional IPC is that it requires, at most, only two feedback loops to potentially reduce the periodic blade loads. In previous work, LIPC was designed to implement blade pitch angles at a fixed frequency [e.g., the once‐per‐revolution (1P) frequency], which made it only applicable in above‐rated wind turbine operating conditions. In this study, LIPC is extended to below‐rated operating conditions by gain scheduling the controller on the rotor speed. With this extension, LIPC and conventional IPC are successfully applied to the NREL CART2 wind turbine. The field‐test results obtained during the measurement campaign indicate that LIPC significantly reduces the wind turbine loads for both below‐rated and above‐rated operation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Platform stabilization and load reduction of floating offshore wind turbines with tension‐leg platform using dynamic vibration absorbers

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT) are subject to significant increases in structural loads due to the platform motion under turbulent wind and wave. The under‐actuation challenge in FOWT control demands for development of extra actuators for platform stabilization. For FOWT with tension‐leg platform (TLP), this paper presents a comprehensive study on design and control simulation for realizing active mooring line control via the deployment of vertically operated dynamic vibration absorbers (DVAs) at the spokes of TLP structure. The DVA is designed based on the suppression of the primary modes of platform pitch and roll motion. In addition to the enhancement of FAST‐based simulation module, an 11 degrees‐of‐freedom (DOFs) control‐oriented model is derived for the TLP‐FOWT‐DVA system. Based on the control‐oriented model, a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller is designed. Simulations are performed for 9 m/s and 18 m/s turbulent winds with different wind and wave directions. The wind turbine performance, platform motions, and structural fatigue loads are evaluated. The results show that the platform motion and tower loads in the lateral direction are significantly reduced, while the tower load in the fore‐aft direction can be moderately reduced. Also, significant reduction in the mooring line tension loads is observed. For achieving the performance in platform motion stabilization and load reduction, the average power consumption of the DVA actuators is less than 0.27% of the wind turbine power generated during the simulated periods. The figures of merits promise significant potential for the feasibility of DVA based control for TLP‐FOWT.