Fault-Tolerant Neuro Adaptive Constrained Control of Wind Turbines for Power Regulation with Uncertain Wind Speed Variation

Wind Turbine Pitch Actuator Regulation for Efficient and Reliable Energy Conversion: A Fault-Tolerant Constrained Control Solution

Motivated for improving the efficiency and reliability of wind turbine energy conversion, this paper presents an advanced control design that enhances the power regulation efficiency and reliability. The constrained behavior of the wind turbine is taken into account, by using the barrier Lyapunov function in the analysis of the Lyapunov direct method. This, consequently, guarantees that the generated power remains within the desired bounds to satisfy the grid power demand. Moreover, a Nussbaum-type function is utilized in the control scheme, to cope with the unpredictable wind speed. This eliminates the need for accurate wind speed measurement or estimation. Furthermore, via properly designed adaptive laws, a robust actuator fault-tolerant capability is integrated into the scheme, handling the model uncertainty. Numerical simulations are performed on a high-fidelity wind turbine benchmark model, under different fault scenarios, to verify the effectiveness of the developed design. Furthermore, a Monte-Carlo analysis is exploited for the evaluation of the reliability and robustness characteristics against the model-reality mismatch, measurement errors and disturbance effects.

Approaches for Modelling the Physical Behavior of Technical Systems on the Example of Wind Turbines

Models of technical systems are an essential means in design and product-development processes. A large share of technical systems, or at least subsystems, are directly or indirectly connected with the generation or transformation of energies. In design science, elaborated modelling approaches were developed for different levels of product concretization, for instance, requirement models and function models, which support innovation and new product-development processes, as well as for energy-generating or -transforming systems. However, on one product-concretization level, the abstract level that describes the physical behavior, research is less mature, and an overview of the approaches, their respective advantages, and the connection possibilities between them and other modelling forms is difficult to achieve. This paper proposes a novel discussion structure based on modelling perspectives and digital-engineering frameworks. In this structure, current approaches are described and illustrated on the basis of an example of a technical system, a wind turbine. The approaches were compared, and their specific advantages were elaborated. It is a central conclusion that all perspectives could contribute to holistic product modelling. Consequently, combination and integration possibilities were discussed as well. Another contribution is the derivation of future research directions in this field; these were derived both from the identification of “white spots” and the most promising modelling approaches.