• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.232-241
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• 2017

Advanced control algorithms must be used to make wind power generation truly cost effective and reliable. In this study, we develop a new and simple control scheme that employs model predictive control (MPC), which is used in permanent magnet synchronous generators and grid-connected inverters. The proposed control law is based on two points, namely, MPC-based torque-current control loop is used for the generator-side converter to reach the maximum power point of the wind turbine, and MPC-based direct power control loop is used for the grid-side converter to satisfy the grid code and help improve system stability. Moreover, a simple prediction scheme is developed for the direct-drive wind energy conversion system (WECS) to reduce the computation burden for real-time applications. A small-scale WECS laboratory prototype is built and evaluated to verify the validity of the developed control methods. Acceptable results are obtained from the real-time implementation of the proposed MPC methods for WECS.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.30-45
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• 2013

The present work focuses on the unsteady aerodynamics and aeroelastic properties of a small-medium sized wind-turbine blade operating under ideal conditions. A tapered/twisted blade representative of commercial blades used in an experiment setup at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is considered. The aerodynamic loads are computed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques. For this purpose, FLUENT$^{(R)}$, a commercial finite-volume code that solves the Navier-Stokes and the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, is used. Turbulence effects in the 2D simulations are modeled using the Wilcox k-w model for validation of the CFD approach. For the 3D aerodynamic simulations, in a first approximation, and considering that the intent is to present a methodology and workflow philosophy more than highly accurate turbulent simulations, the unsteady laminar Navier-Stokes equations were used to determine the unsteady loads acting on the blades. Five different blade pitch angles were considered and their aerodynamic performance compared. The structural dynamics of the flexible wind-turbine blade undergoing significant elastic displacements has been described by a nonlinear flap-lag-torsion slender-beam differential model. The aerodynamic quasi-steady forcing terms needed for the aeroelastic governing equations have been predicted through a strip-theory based on a simple 2D model, and the pertinent aerodynamic coefficients and the distribution over the blade span of the induced velocity derived using CFD. The resulting unsteady hub loads are achieved by a first space integration of the aeroelastic equations by applying the Galerkin's approach and by a time integration using a harmonic balance scheme. Comparison among two- and three- dimensional computations for the unsteady aerodynamic load, the flap, lag and torsional deflections, forces and moments are presented in the paper. Results, discussions and pertinent conclusions are outlined.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.107-127
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• 2008

Wind turbine blades are increasing in magnitude without a proportional increase of stiffness for which reason geometrical and inertial nonlinearities become increasingly important. Often these effects are analysed using a nonlinear truncated expansion in undamped fixed base mode shapes of a blade, modelling geometrical and inertial nonlinear couplings in the fundamental flap and edge direction. The purpose of this article is to examine the applicability of such a reduced-degree-of-freedom model in predicting the nonlinear response and stability of a blade by comparison to a full model based on a nonlinear co-rotating FE formulation. By use of the reduced-degree-of-freedom model it is shown that under strong resonance excitation of the fundamental flap or edge modes, significant energy is transferred to higher modes due to parametric or nonlinear coupling terms, which influence the response and stability conditions. It is demonstrated that the response predicted by such models in some cases becomes instable or chaotic. However, as a consequence of the energy flow the stability is increased and the tendency of chaotic vibrations is reduced as the number of modes are increased. The FE model representing the case of infinitely many included modes, is shown to predict stable and ordered response for all considered parameters. Further, the analysis shows that the reduced-degree-of-freedom model of relatively low order overestimates the response near resonance peaks, which is a consequence of the small number of included modes. The qualitative erratic response and stability prediction of the reduced order models take place at frequencies slightly above normal operation. However, for normal operation of the wind turbine without resonance excitation 4 modes in the reduced-degree-of-freedom model perform acceptable.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.68-76
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• 2011

Acoustic emission(AE) has emerged as a powerful nondestructive tool to detect any further growth or expansion of preexisting defects or to characterize failure mechanisms. Recently, this kind of technique, that is an in-situ monitoring of inside damages of materials or structures, becomes increasingly popular for monitoring the integrity of large structures like a huge wind turbine blade. Therefore, it is required to find a symptom of damage propagation before catastrophic failure through a continuous monitoring. In this study, a new damage location method has been proposed by using signal mapping algorithm, and an experimental verification is conducted by using small wind turbine blade specimen; a part of 750 kW real blade. The results show that this new signal mapping method has high advantages such as a flexibility for sensor location, improved accuracy, high detectability. The newly proposed method was compared with traditional AE source location method based on arrival time difference.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.50-62
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• 2011

In this paper, analytical techniques for performance characteristics analysis of wind power generator with outer permanent magnet rotor are proposed. Furthermore, the proposed analytical techniques are validated by performance experiments of the manufactured generator. In this part, characteristic equations of losses such as copper loss, core loss are derived. Using the derived loss characteristic equations, electrical parameters obtained in [15] and d-q axes method, constant load and constant speed characteristics of wind power generator are analyzed. And then, to analyze performance of wind power system according to wind speed, d-q analysis model considering wind turbine characteristics is proposed. Finally, the obtained performance characteristics results are validated in comparison with those by experiments.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.245-253
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• 2020

In this study, natural frequencies are compared using several pile-soil interaction (PSI) models to evaluate the effects of each model on resonance safety checks for a monopile type of wind turbine structure. Base spring, distributed spring, and three-dimensional brick-shell models represented the PSIs in the finite element model. To analyze the effects of the PSI models on a natural frequency, after a stiffness matrix calculation and Winkler-based beam model for base spring and distributed spring models were presented, respectively; natural frequencies from these models were investigated for monopiles with different geometries and soil properties. These results were compared with those from the brick-shell model. The results show that differences in the first natural frequency of the monopiles from each model are small when the small diameter of monopile penetrates hard soil and rock, while the distributed spring model can over-estimate the natural frequency for large monopiles installed in weak soil. Thus, an appropriate PSI model for natural frequency analyses should be adopted by considering soil conditions and structure scale.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.1808-1818
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• 2015

Recently, the wind power has experienced great attentions and growths among many renewable energy sources. To increase the power generation performance and economic feasibility, the size of wind turbine (WT) is getting bigger and most of wind power plants are being constructed on offshore. Therefore, the maintenance cost is relatively high because boats or helicopters are needed operators to reach the WT. In order to combat this kind of problem, remote monitoring and control system for the WT is needed. In this paper, the small-scale WT monitoring and control system is implemented using wireless sensor network technologies. To do this, sensor devices are installed to measure and send the WT status and control device is installed to receive control message for specific operation. The WT is managed by control center through graphic user interface (GUI) based monitoring and control software. Also, smart device based web-program is implemented to make the remote monitoring of the WT possible even though operators are not in control room.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2015

Sensitivity studies of blade angle and twisted angle are numerically investigated to optimize the Savonius blade. As blade angle increases, the contact area between blade and wind decreases, showing the suppression of the vortex generation near blade. Compared to the blade angle of 0 degree, the blade angle of 20 degree shows about 2.6% increment of power efficiency. Based on the blade angle of 20 degree, sensitivity studies of the twisted angle are performed. The result indicates that the adjustment of the twisted angle causes the torque of blade to increase. Optimized blade can suppress the formation of the vortex structure in rear region. Also, wind flows without disturbance of vortex when passing through the optimized blade. The 1kw vertical wind turbine system with optimized blade can generate 4442.2kWh per year and have 53% capacity factor.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2012

This paper describes a new design of small-scale horizontal wind blade, called spiral wind turbine blade. Theoretical and numerical approaches on the prediction of aerodynamic performance of the blade have been conducted. A theoretical equation is successfully derived using the angular momentum equation to predict aerodynamic characteristics according to the design shape parameters of spiral blade. To be compared with the theoretical value, a numerical simulation using ANSYS CFX v12.1 is performed on the same design with the theoretical one. Large scale tip vortex is captured and graphically presented in this paper. The TSR-$C_p$ diagram shows a typical parabolic relation in which the maximum efficiency of the blade approximately 25% exists at TSR=2.5. The numerical simulation agrees well with that of the theoretical result except at the low rotational speed region of 0~20 rad/s.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.117-124
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• 2012

In this paper, an analysis of the joint that transmits power from the blades to the generator is performed using the FEM (finite element method). The mode shapes and natural frequencies were extracted using experimental modal analysis in order to establish the FEM model. Then, the model was verified by comparing the mode shapes and natural frequencies to those obtained from the ANSYS modal analysis. Dynamic stress analysis was performed at the rated and limited wind speeds considering the wind load and gravity.