L₁ adaptive pitch angle controller of wind energy conversion systems.

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Control Systems
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Wind turbines require stable power output and generator speed, especially above rated wind speeds, to prevent system damage and shutdowns.
• Turbulent wind conditions pose significant challenges to maintaining consistent performance in wind energy conversion systems (WECS).
• Existing industrial methods may lack robustness and optimal transient control in variable wind environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate a novel L1 adaptive controller for blade pitch control in WECS.
• To achieve stable output power and generator speed under uncertain and turbulent wind conditions.
• To demonstrate superior robustness and transient performance compared to conventional control strategies.

Main Methods:

• Modeling the pitch-regulated variable-speed wind turbine as a non-affine nonlinear system with uncertainties.
• Developing an L1 adaptive controller comprising a state predictor, adaptive law, and control law.
• Verifying the controller's feasibility through extensive simulations using the GH Bladed software package.

Main Results:

• The L1 adaptive controller ensures uniformly bounded transient power response without requiring exact system dynamics or wind speed measurements.
• The proposed controller demonstrates enhanced robustness and superior transient control performance compared to traditional industrial methods.
• Simulation studies confirm the effectiveness and feasibility of the L1 adaptive control scheme for WECS.

Conclusions:

• The novel L1 adaptive controller offers a robust and effective solution for stabilizing WECS performance amidst turbulent wind conditions.
• This approach enhances the reliability and efficiency of wind power generation by maintaining stable output power and generator speed.
• The controller's ability to perform without precise system knowledge makes it a practical advancement for the wind energy industry.