Intelligent control for large-scale variable speed variable pitch wind turbines

Large-scale wind turbine generator systems have strong nonlinear multivariable characteristics with many uncertain factors and disturbances. Automatic control is crucial for the efficiency and reliability of wind turbines. On the basis of simplified and proper model of variable speed variable pitch wind turbines, the effective wind speed is estimated using extended Kaiman filter. Intelligent control schemes proposed in the paper include two loops which operate in synchronism with each other. At below-rated wind speed, the inner loop adopts adaptive fuzzy control based on variable universe for generator torque regulation to realize maximum wind energy capture. At above-rated wind speed, a controller based on least square support vector machine is proposed to adjust pitch angle and keep rated output power. The simulation shows the effectiveness of the intelligent control.

Performance analysis of 20 Pole 1.5 KW Three Phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator for low Speed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

This paper gives performance analysis of a three phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) connected to a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). Low speed wind condition (less than 5 m/s) is taken in consideration and the entire simulation is carried in Matlab/Simulink environment. The rated power for the generator is fixed at 1.5 KW and number of pole at 20. It is observed under low wind speed of6 m/s, a turbine having approximately1 mof radius and2.6 mof height develops 150 Nm mechanical torque that can generate power up to 1.5 KW. The generator is designed using modeling tool and is fabricated. The fabricated generator is tested in the laboratory with the simulation result for the error analysis. The range of error is about 5%-27% for the same output power value. The limitations and possible causes for error are presented and discussed.

Turbine speed control system based on a fuzzy-PID

The flexibility demand of marine nuclear power plant is very high,the multiple parameters of the marine nuclear power plant with the once-through steam generator are strongly coupled,and the normal PID control of the turbine speed can't meet the control demand.This paper introduces a turbine speed Fuzzy-PID controller to coordinately control the steam pressure and thus realize the demand for quick tracking and steady state control over the turbine speed by using the Fuzzy control's quick dynamic response and PID control's steady state performance.The simulation shows the improvement of the response time and steady state performance of the control system.

Asymptotic Tracking Control for Wind Turbines in Variable Speed Mode

This paper presents a variable speed control strategy for wind turbines in order to capture maximum wind power.Wind turbines are modeled as a two-mass drive-train system with generator torque control.Based on the obtained wind turbine model,variable speed control schemes are developed.Nonlinear tracking controllers are designed to achieve asymptotic tracking for a prescribed rotor speed reference signal so as to yield maximum wind power capture.Due to the difficulty of torsional angle measurement,an observer-based control scheme that uses only rotor speed information is further developed for global asymptotic output tracking.The effectiveness of the proposed control methods is illustrated by simulation results.

CFD-Based Performance Analysis and Experimental Investigation of Design Factors of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines under Low Wind Speed Conditions in Thailand

This paper presents effects of design factors on mechanical performance of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs), and an experimental investigation of optimal VAWT performance under low wind speed conditions in Thailand. Design factors include types of wind turbines, number of blades, types of materials, height-to-radius ratios, and design modifications. Potential VAWT models with different design factors are numerically analyzed within a virtual wind tunnel at various wind speeds by utilizing XflowTM?Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. The performance curves of each VAWT are obtained as plots of power coefficients against tip speed ratios. It is found that the type of wind turbine, number of blades, and height-to-radius ratio have significant effects on mechanical performance whereas types of materials result in shifts of operating speeds of VAWTs. Accordingly, an optimal VAWT prototype is developed to operate under actual low speed wind conditions. The performance curve from experimental results agrees with the CFD results. The proposed methodology can be used in the computer design of VAWTs to improve mechanical performance before physical fabrication.

Demonstration of a Dynamic Braking System for Reduced Runaway Speed of Hydraulic Turbines

Reducing the overspeed during load rejection would benefit the mechanical and hydraulic systems in a hydropower station. This paper presents some selected results of a pilot installation of a dynamic braking system. The 4 MW dump load was installed and tested on a 10 MW Francis turbine unit. The results show that the overspeed reduction is obtained and compares well with simulation results. Further, a reduction in vibration levels is positive as well as the reduced time for stopping and possible resynchronization. It is argued that a similar system with continuous cooling could be used as an attractive alternative to spillway capacity.

Optimal Feedback Control of Nonlinear Variable-Speed Marine Current Turbine Using a Two-Mass Model

This paper presents a contribution related to the control of nonlinear variable-speed marine current turbine(MCT)without pitch operating below the rated marine current speed.Given that the operation of the MCT can be divided into several operating zones on the basis of the marine current speed,the system control objectives are different for each zone.To deal with this issue,we develop a new control approach based on a linear quadratic regulator with variable generator torque.Our proposed approach enables the optimization of the rotational speed of the turbine,which maximizes the power extracted by the MCT and minimizes the transient loads on the drivetrain.The novelty of our study is the use of a real profile of marine current speed from the northern coasts of Morocco.The simulation results obtained using MATLAB Simulink indicate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control approach on the electrical and mechanical parameters with the variations of marine current speed.

A Preliminary Feasibility Study on Wind Resource and Assessment of a Novel Low Speed Wind Turbine for Application in Africa

This paper posits that a low-speed wind turbine design is suitable for harnessing wind energy in Africa.Conventional wind turbines consisting of propeller designs are commonly used across the world.A major hurdle to utilizing wind energy in Africa is that conventional commercial wind turbines are designed to operate at wind speeds greater than those prevalent in most of the continent,especially in sub-Sahara Africa(SSA).They are heavy and expensive to purchase,install,and maintain.As a result,only a few countries in Africa have been able to include wind energy in their energy mix.In this paper,the feasibility of a novel low-speed wind turbine based on a Ferris wheel is demonstrated for low wind speed applications in Africa.The performance of Ferris wheel wind turbines(FWT)with 61m(200 ft),73m(240 ft)and 104m(341 ft)diameter rims and an 800kW generator are evaluated for selected African cities.The research also compares the Weibull wind distribution of the African cities of interest.A comparison between the FWT and the conventional commercial wind turbines in terms of efficiency,rated wind speed,cost,performance,and power to weight is included.Results show that the FWT has the potential for economic power generation at rated wind speeds of 6.74m/s,which are lower than the average of 12 m/s for conventional wind turbines and have lower power to weight ratios of 5.2 kW/tonne as compared to 6.0-9.2 kW/tonne for conventional wind turbines.

PID-Type Fuzzy Controller for Grid-Supporting Inverter of Battery in Embedded Small Variable Speed Wind Turbine

Frequency and voltage of embedded variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) driving a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) is strongly affected by wind speed fluctuations. In practice, power imbalance between supply and demand is also common, especially when VSWT-PMSG is connected to a weak micro grid (MG). If load demand fluctuations become high, isolated MG may be unable to stabilize the frequency and voltage so that battery storage needs to be installed into the MG to adjust energy supply and demand. To allow flexible control of active and reactive power flow from/to battery storage, grid-supporting inverters are used. For a system that contains highly nonlinear components, the use of conventional linear proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers may cause system performance deterioration. Additionally, these controllers show slow, oscillating responses, and complex equations are required to obtain optimum responses in other controllers. To cope with these limitations, this paper proposes PID-type fuzzy controller (PIDfc) design to control grid-supporting inverter of battery. To ensure safe battery operating limits, we also propose a new controller scheme called intelligent battery protection (IBP). This IBP is integrated into PIDfc. Several simulation tests are performed to verify the scheme’s effectiveness. The results show that the proposed PIDfc controller exhibits improved performance and acceptable responses, and can be used instead of conventional controllers.

Performance Assessment of Darrieus Turbine with Modified Trailing Edge Airfoil for Low Wind Speeds

Darrieus wind turbines are simple lift based machines with exceptionally high efficiencies in terms of power coefficient compared to similar drag based vertical axis turbines. However, in low Reynolds numbers, a notable performance loss was reported. As a potential solution, truncated NACA 0018 airfoil (NACA 0018TC-39) has been introduced with baseline cavity modification to achieve better start-up characteristics and to enhance the low wind speed performance. The baseline cavity will provide an additional benefit of reverse drag at low TSR which is obligatory for low wind speed start-up. Numerical optimization has been carried out on the conceived airfoil NACA 0018TC-39 to find out the effective truncation percentage in terms of the chord. The numerical study has been extended to compare NACA 0018 and NACA 0018TC-39 airfoil for their aerodynamic performances in terms of lift, drag coefficients and separation characteristics. The NACA 0018TC-39 airfoil was incorporated within a non-swept straight bladed Darrieus turbine miniature to experimentally evaluate the performance in terms of dynamic power coefficient, dynamic torque coefficient and static torque coefficient and compared with conventional NACA 0018 airfoil at six different Reynolds numbers 178917, 193827, 208737, 223646, 238556 and 268376. The experimental contrast implied that NACA 0018TC-39 airfoil turbine yielded almost double power coefficients at low Reynolds number compared to conventional NACA 0018 airfoil without hampering its performance at higher Reynolds number.

Increasing the Efficiency of Grid Tied Micro Wind Turbines in Low Wind Speed Regimes

Major problem with grid tied micro wind turbine is synchronization and wind variability. Due to this problem the stability of available grid gets reduced. The stability can be achieved by output power control of the turbine. Major part of many countries like India, the annual mean wind speed is not high. The rated wind speed of turbine remain around 11 m/s and cut in is around 3.5 m/s. Due to this problem we aimed to develop a sustainable wind energy system that can provide stable power supply even at the locations of low wind speed of 2 - 4 m/s. To address this issue, a momentary impulse or external torque to the rotor by external motor is one of the good options to maintain the momentum of blades and thus provide stability for sufficient time. Various theoretical calculations and experiments are conducted on the above method. This would increase the output power and also the efficiency of wind turbine. We show that Return-On-Investment will be high as compared with other grid connected turbines. Our proposed concept in the present study, if implemented properly, can help the installation of number of wind turbines even at domestic level. It also makes the consumers energy independent and promotes the use of wind as a source of energy and may enter as a rooftop energy supply system similar to solar.

基于E-Wind Turbine实验平台的风力发电控制系统

风力发电系统具有规模大、实际现场培训成本高、危险系数高等特点,因此基于风力发电仿真设备的风力发电控制研究是十分必要的。以E-Wind Turbine实验平台为例,详细介绍了变速、变桨距双馈风力发电系统实验平台的构成与控制策略的实现方法。基于S7-1200系列的PLC控制器,利用PORTAL STEP 7集成开发环境,实现了风机的偏航、转速控制以及功率控制。仿真实验结果表明,设计的风力发电控制系统可以有效地模拟实际风力发电机的各种控制要求,为风力发电控制策略的研究提供了一种有效手段。

Nonlinear Dynamic Characteristic Analysis of the Shaft System in Water Turbine Generator Set

A 3D finite element vibration model of water turbine generator set is constructed considering the coupling with hydropower house foundation. The method of determining guide bearing dynamic characteristic coefficients according to the swing of the shaft is proposed, which can be used for studying the self-vibration characteristic and stability of the water turbine generator set. The method fully considers the complex supporting boundary and loading conditions; especially the nonlinear variation of guide bearing dynamic characteristic coefficients and the coupling effect of the whole power-house foundation. The swing and critical rotating speed of an actual generator set shaft system are calculated. The simulated results of the generator set indicate that the coupling vibration model and calculation method presented in this paper are suitable for stability analysis of the water turbine generator set.

Numerical Simulation of Wind Turbine Wake Characteristics in Uniform Inflow

Flow field around a two-bladed horizontal-axis wind turbine(HAWT)is simulated at various tip speed ratios to investigate its wake characteristics by analyzing the tip and root vortex trajectories in the nearwake,as well as the vertical profiles of the axial velocity.Results show that the pitch of the tip vortex varies inversely with the tip speed ratio.Radial expansion of the tip vortices becomes more obvious as the tip speed ratio increases.Tip vortices shed not exactly from the blade tip but from the blade span of 96.5%—99%radius of the rotor.The axial velocity profiles are transformed into V-shape from W-shape at the distance downstream of eight rotor diameters due to the momentum recovery.

Studying the Role Played by Evaporative Cooler on the Performance of GE Gas Turbine Existed in Shuaiba North Electric Generator Power Plant

It’s well known that the performance of a gas turbine (efficiency, heat rate and power generated) is largely dependent on mass flow rate of air, inlet air temperature and turbine inlet temperature (TIT). As turbine inlet temperature is dependent on quantity of burned fuel so that this factor is dropped out from this paper. It’s also known that gas turbines are constant volume machines i.e. at a given shaft speed they always move the same volume of air, but the power out-put of a turbine depends on the flow of mass through it. This is precisely the reason why on hot days, when air is less dense, power output falls off. A rise of one degree Centigrade temperature of inlet air decreases the power output by 1% and at the same time heat rate of the turbine also goes up. This is a matter of great concern to power producers. Many techniques have been developed to cool the inlet air to gas turbine. Some of these techniques to decrease the inlet air temperature are discussed here. The evaporative cooling technique is taken as a case study in this paper. A comparative studying is carried out between a unit using this technique and the same unit when the evaporative cooler is idle. The results advert to an increase in power output by 11.07% and a decrease in heat rate by approximately 4% when inlet air temperature drops from 50°C to 26°C.

Design and Experimentation of a 1 MW Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

In this work was carried out the aerodynamics design of a 1 MW horizontal axis wind turbine by using blade element momentum theory (BEM). The generated design was scaled and built for testing purposes in the discharge of an axial flow fan of 80 cm in diameter. Strip theory was used for the aerodynamic performance evaluation. In the numerical calculations was conducted a comparative analysis of the performance curves adding increasingly correction factors to the original equation of ideal flow to reduce the error regarding real operating values got by the experimental tests. Correction factors introduced in the ideal flow equation were the tip loss factor and drag coefficient. BEM results showed good approximation using experimental data for the tip speed ratio less than design. The best approximation of the power coefficient calculation was for tip speed ratio less than 6. BEM method is a tool for practical calculation and can be used for the design and evaluation of wind turbines when the flow rate is not too turbulent and radial velocity components are negligible.

A Summary Study of Wind Turbine with Related Control

One specific issue associated with the wind turbine is how to manage and adjust the rotor speed and pitch angle in the turbine with the wind increasing to achieve the maximum power extraction from the wind. The aim of this paper is to provide a summary study of the impact of related controls and operating strategies on the wind turbine which mean how parameters affect the wind turbine operation. The software of “GH bladed” produced by GL Garrad Hassan will be used to model wind turbine and to perform the analysis. Following two strategies, control of rotor speed and control of blade pitch angle, are applied to the model of the wind turbine to see how output power are adjusted and optimized. The final part proposes the operating strategy of the wind turbine to understand the running procedure of wind turbine inside.

Design of Circular Arc Blade Hydrokinetic Turbine—A Case of Rural Electrification in Zambia

The rate of electrification in rural areas in Zambia is very low, currently standing at less than 5% despite having abundant flowing water resources. Hydrokinetic technology is an alternative among other promising technologies for rural area electrification because of availability of abundant flowing Rivers and low population in rural settlement. In this paper, the author designed and numerically simulated a circular arc blade hydrokinetic turbine system. The design power for the horizontal axis hydrokinetic turbine was 3 kW at water velocity of 3 m/s with the tip speed ratio of 2.5, angle of attack of 10 degrees and power coefficient of 0.4. In this work, a numerical simulation was employed to characterize and develop the horizontal axis hydrokinetic turbine. The prototype circular arc blade horizontal axis hydrokinetic turbine was tested in one of stream in Zambia and the results were compared with the numerical simulation results.

SIMULATION STUDY OF GENERALIZED MINIMUM VARIANCE CONTROL FOR AN EXTRACTION TURBINE

In an extraction turbine, pressure of the extracted steam and rotate speed of the rotor are two important controlled quantities. The traditional linear state feedback control method is not perfect enough to control the two quantities accurately because of existence of nonlinearity and coupling. A generalized minimum variance control method is studied for an extraction turbine. Firstly, a nonlinear mathematical model of the control system about the two quantities is transformed into a linear system with two white noises. Secondly, a generalized minimum variance control law is applied to the system. A comparative simulation is done. The simulation results indicate that precision and dynamic quality of the regulating system under the new control law are both better than those under the state feedback control law.