Adaptive inverse control for an optimal pitch-angle controlled horizontal-axis wind turbine test rig

Abstract

One of the most relevant issues today is the efficient utilisation of renewable energy resources. For the purpose of research and development of control algorithms, a wind turbine test rig with a varying blade pitch-angle is designed, modelled, and implemented. For obtaining the highest power coefficient at various wind speeds, the maximum power point can be tracked by changing the pitch angle. For this purpose, an adaptive inverse controller is introduced. This controller has the advantage that it can update its parameters without referring to a reference model. The proposed non-model based adaptive (NMAC) algorithm is based on inverting an adaptive filter, which is placed before the plant to be controlled. Simulation results showed a significant improvement of the proposed controller compared to other traditional PID controllers. Experimental results are carried out using a wind tunnel and show the significant effect of changing the pitch angle at various wind speeds.