Electricity in the air: Insights from two decades of advanced control research and experimental flight testing of airborne wind energy systems

Airborne wind energy systems convert wind energy into electricity using tethered flying devices, typically flexible kites or aircraft. Replacing the tower and foundation of conventional wind turbines can substantially reduce the material use and, consequently, the cost of energy, while providing access to wind at higher altitudes. Because the flight operation of tethered devices can be adjusted to a varying wind resource, the energy availability increases in comparison to conventional wind turbines. Ultimately, this represents a rich topic for the study of real-time optimal control strategies that must function robustly in a spatiotemporally varying environment. With all of the opportunities that airborne wind energy systems bring, however, there are also a host of challenges, particularly those relating to robustness in extreme operating conditions and launching/landing the system (especially in the absence of wind). Thus, airborne wind energy systems can be viewed as a control system designer’s paradise or nightmare, depending on one’s perspective. This survey article explores insights from the development and experimental deployment of control systems for airborne wind energy platforms over approximately the past two decades, highlighting both the optimal control approaches that have been used to extract the maximal amount of power from tethered systems and the robust modal control approaches that have been used to achieve reliable launch, landing, and extreme wind operation. This survey will detail several of the many prototypes that have been deployed over the last decade and will discuss future directions of airborne wind energy technology as well as its nascent adoption in other domains, such as ocean energy.     

Optimization of airborne wind energy generators

This paper presents novel results related to an innovative airborne wind energy technology, named Kitenergy, for the conversion of high‐altitude wind energy into electricity. The research activities carried out in the last five years, including theoretical analyses, numerical simulations, and experimental tests, indicate that Kitenergy could bring forth a revolution in wind energy generation, providing renewable energy in large quantities at a lower cost than fossil energy. This work investigates three important theoretical aspects: the evaluation of the performance achieved by the employed control law, the optimization of the generator operating cycle, and the possibility to generate continuously a constant and maximal power output. These issues are tackled through the combined use of modeling, control, and optimization methods that result to be key technologies for a significant breakthrough in renewable energy generation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

额定风速以上风力发电机组的恒功率H∞鲁棒控制

风力发电机组由于机械结构以及电气负荷承受能力的限制存在着转速限制和功率限制, 额定风速以上时,需要通过控制桨距角来实现额定恒功率输出, 同时保持转速在额定转速处. 本文建立了风力发电机组的详细机理模型, 将H_∞控制理论应用到额定风速以上时风力发电机组的恒功率输出的控制器设计, 建立了标准H_∞恒功率控制问题. 利用LMI方法求解, 得到了桨距角的H_∞控制器. 仿真结果表明该H_∞控制器能够成功实现额定风速以上时的恒功率输出控制, 并且具有良好的鲁棒性.     

巨型风电并网系统的协同自律控制

巨型风电场并网发电的调度和控制是我国电力系统发展亟需解决的关键难题之一．本文提出了风-水-气协同自律控制的理念和理论,给出了消纳巨型风电的两种基本调度和控制策略,即基于智能调度自动化系统（smart energy manage system,SEMS）的集中式控制和基于协同自律控制的调度策略．本文对比分析了上述两种控制策略的适用情景,指出后者更加合理和高效．进一步,本文探讨了发展基于协同自律控制的风-水-气联合调度系统所需关键技术,试图为解决我国巨型风电并网发电调度难题给出一种方略．     

风能转换系统执行器故障主动容错控制

提出了一种新颖的风能转换系统滑模主动容错控制策略.针对风能转换系统执行器故障,运用预测控制思想和迭代算法,设计了一种故障观测器.在设定的优化时域长度内,利用实际系统与故障观测器的输出差值,通过反复迭代运算,不断地对虚拟故障信号进行调整,使其能有效地拟合实际系统执行器故障,并根据故障观测值实时调整滑模容错控制器结构.未发生故障时,故障观测值为零,系统在滑模控制器控制下稳定运行;执行器发生故障时,运用故障观测值实时调整滑模容错控制项,并用双曲正切函数代替符号函数,消除抖动.仿真实验结果表明,滑模容错控制器下的系统具有良好的容错能力,提高了风能转换系统最大风能捕获效率.     

Passivity-based control for variable speed constant frequency operation of a DFIG wind turbine

A standard passivity based control for a double fed induction generator of a wind turbine is presented. The control problem is posed as a variable speed constant frequency operation with the aim to maximise the generated electric power. The controller is designed in such a way that the dual control objective, unity power factor in the stator side and speed tracking in the mechanical port, are satisfied guaranteeing internal stability. The proposed scheme is the first attempt to approach the speed tracking operation from the energy dissipation (passivity) perspective. Simulation results show good performance of the control scheme for wind speeds in different operating regimes.     

基于线性模型跟随的风力发电功率解耦控制

本文首先对包括风力机、无刷双馈发电机的风力发电系统进行建模, 并通过同步坐标变换分解为两个解耦子系统. 在此基础上, 采用双环控制使系统跟随参考模型的特性. 由功率特性曲线可知, 某一风速对应特定的最大功率. 针对无刷双馈发电机的复杂结构, 在控制系统的内环采用自抗扰控制, 可以很好的实现功率解耦控制; 外环采用线性模型跟随控制, 使得发电机能够很好的跟随模型特性. 仿真结果表明, 双环控制器可以使系统的输出功率快速的跟踪给定的功率, 实现完全模型跟踪, 证明了控制算法的有效性.     

Energy-based coordinated control of wind energy conversion system with DFIG

This article presents an energy-based coordinated control of machine- and grid-side converters in a wind energy conversion system (WECS) with a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) based on the theory of port-controlled Hamiltonian (PCH) system. Taking into account energy transmission in the dual PWM converter rather than treating rectification and inversion as separate parts, an integrated PCH model for the whole WECS was established from physical meanings. And depending on the new model, an energy-based coordinated control approach was proposed to meet the control requirements of the WECS with an additional objective which was to limit the DC-link voltage fluctuation. The approach was applied on a 2MW WECS, and compared with the energy-based respective control strategy using MATLAB/Simulink. The results show that the proposed control approach provides faster dynamic performance since the two converters operate with the knowledge of each other's operating status, and thus is able to smooth the power flow in the DC-link more effectively.     

LPV动态补偿的风能转换系统变桨距控制

当风速超过额定值时,风能转换系统需要控制节距角来实现额定恒功率控制.同时控制电机电磁转矩使转速维持在其额定值以减少系统振荡.建立了风能转换系统的机理模型并得到其线性参数变化(LPV)系统模型;在多变量(MV)控制策略的基础上,设计了基于LPV模型的增益调度控制器,对节距角和电磁转矩进行动态补偿;基于dSPACE的风能转换系统硬件在回路仿真平台进行实验研究,结果表明补偿后系统的功率误差更小,电机转速及转矩的波动明显减小,体现了更好的动态性能.     

带有速度观测器的风力发电系统风能捕获控制

为了最大化捕获风能和省去安装机械传感器的花费,提出了基于直接转矩控制理论框架的速度观测器风能捕获控制策略。这个策略能有效克服系统参数变化和风速波动不确定性的影响,实现风速跟踪控制。以2 MW直驱永磁风力发电机组作为研究对象,进行了仿真实验研究。结果表明,提出的控制策略可以实现快速风速跟踪和准确地估计转速,且对于风速变化的未知干扰具有较强的鲁棒性。     

永磁同步发电机风能转换系统滑模控制仿真

针对由于风速的随机波动性而使基于线性定常控制器的风能转换系统稳定性较差的问题,提出了一种基于滑模控制的永磁同步发电机风能转换系统的设计方案;分析了该系统中风力机模型、传动装置模型和永磁同步发电机模型的建立原理,介绍了滑模控制策略的具体实现。仿真结果表明,该系统具有较好的速度跟踪特性,实现了最大风能捕获。     

风能转换系统执行器故障重构与容错控制

针对风能转换系统中执行器故障,论文提出了一种新型的主动容错控制策略.设计滑模故障观测器,实时动态采集执行器故障前后数据信息,对执行器故障进行重构,达到故障诊断的目的.通过补偿控制,保证了滑模控制器对风能转换系统的可靠控制输入,以达到对执行器故障主动容错的功能.仿真结果表明,滑模故障观测器模块能够实时精确地重构风能转换系统执行器故障,主动补偿容错控制器在不影响风能转换系统动态性能的情况下,仍能实现系统的最大风能的捕获.     

Output feedback control of wind energy conversion system involving a doubly fed induction generator

This paper deals with the problem of controlling a wind energy conversion system (WECS) based on the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), by IGBT‐based back‐to‐back rectifier‐inverter. The goal of control is to maximize wind energy extraction letting the wind turbine rotor operate in a variable‐speed mode. Interestingly, the present study features the achievement of the above energetic goal without resorting to sensors for wind velocity. The control strategy involves: (i) an output feedback non‐linear regulator designed by the backstepping technique and based on the use of a high gain observer; (ii) a sensorless online reference‐speed optimizer designed using the turbine power characteristic to achieve the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) requirement. It is formally shown that the proposed controller actually meets its control objectives. This theoretical result is confirmed by several simulations.     

Gain-scheduling control of a floating offshore wind turbine above rated wind speed

This paper presents an application of gain-scheduling(GS) control techniques to a floating offshore wind turbine on a barge platform for above rated wind speed cases. Special emphasis is placed on the dynamics variation of the wind turbine system caused by plant nonlinearity with respect to wind speed. The turbine system with the dynamics variation is represented by a linear parameter-varying(LPV) model, which is derived by interpolating linearized models at various operating wind speeds. To achieve control objectives of regulating power capture and minimizing platform motions, both linear quadratic regulator(LQR) GS and LPV GS controller design techniques are explored. The designed controllers are evaluated in simulations with the NREL 5 MW wind turbine model, and compared with the baseline proportional-integral(PI) GS controller and non-GS controllers. The simulation results demonstrate the performance superiority of LQR GS and LPV GS controllers, as well as the performance trade-off between power regulation and platform movement reduction.     

风电系统最大风能追踪的智能模型预测控制

根据最大风能捕获原理,额定风速以下风能的最大追踪可以通过控制双馈感应发电机（DFIG）跟踪最优转速来实现。以变速恒频双馈风力发电系统为研究对象,研究了额定风速以下风能的最大追踪控制问题。首先针对双馈发电机强耦合、强非线性、机理模型复杂的特点,采用支持向量机（SVM）理论建立了智能预测模型;然后利用反馈校正的方法对预测输出进行修正,构成控制闭环;最后利用粒子群优化算法（PSO）调整参数少、演化群体小、计算速度快的优点容易地求出最优控制序列,较好地解决了滚动优化计算中的“瓶颈问题”。仿真结果验证了所采用的预测模型具有比较好的抗干扰能力和泛化能力,预测控制算法能够实现控制目标。     

基于参考输入优化的变速风电机组最大化风能捕获方法

变速风电机组在额定风速以下应用最大功率点跟踪实现最大化风能捕获. 然而, 大惯量风电机组在面对快速波动的湍流风速时, 因转速调节慢而难以保持运行于最大功率点. 本文研究进一步发现, 平均转速跟踪误差与整体的风能捕获效率并非单调关系, 这使得当前以减小转速跟踪误差为目标的控制器设计难以有效提升风电机组的发电效率. 为此, 本文以提升风能捕获效率(而非减小转速跟踪误差)为目标, 提出一种基于参考输入优化的风电机组最大化风能捕获方法. 考虑到参考转速对风能捕获效率的复杂影响难以准确建模, 本文借助深度确定性策略梯度(DDPG)强化学习算法实现参考输入优化. 仿真结果表明该方法能够有效提升湍流风下变速风电机组的风能捕获效率.     

A control strategy for variable-speed variable-pitch wind turbines within the regions of partial- and full-load operation without wind speed feedback

In this paper, the control of a variable-speed variable-pitch wind turbine in the whole wind speed range is addressed, without any feedback measurement of wind speed. In addition to an aerodynamic torque observer able to ensure the tracking of the maximum delivered power in the partial-load region, a novel wind speed observer is proposed for power regulation in the full-load region, along with a sliding surface ensuring finite-time set-point stabilization of the speed tracking error. The proposed control solution has been validated on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5-MW three-blade wind turbine model using the recognized high-fidelity simulation tool FAST.     

Adjoint-based model predictive control for optimal energy extraction in waked wind farms

In this paper, a model predictive control (MPC) is proposed for wind farms to minimize wake-induced power losses. A constrained optimization problem is formulated to maximize the total power production of a wind farm. The developed controller employs a two-dimensional dynamic wind farm model to predict wake interactions in advance. An adjoint approach as an efficient tool is utilized to compute the gradient of the performance index for such a large-scale system. The wind turbine axial induction factors are considered as the control inputs to influence the overall performance by taking the wake interactions into account. A layout of a 2 × 3 wind farm is considered in this study. The parameterization of the controller is discussed in detail for a practical optimal energy extraction. The performance of the adjoint-based model predictive control (AMPC) is investigated with time-varying changes in wind direction. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The computational complexity of the developed AMPC is also outlined with respect to the real time control implementation.     

低风速风力机最大风能追踪的互补滑模控制

针对风力机系统在最大功率点跟踪(MPPT)阶段易受风速等不确定因素的影响,为了进一步提高风力机的风能捕获效率,本文在滑模控制的基础上提出了一种互补滑模控制方法.首先,建立了含有干扰项的风力机系统的线性化模型,采用广义滑模面与互补滑模面相结合的方法设计了互补滑模控制器,并在理论上证明了此控制方法能够有效保证风力机转速跟踪误差的收敛性,且能提高转速跟踪精度.其次,采用风力机专业仿真软件FAST对美国可再生能源实验室(NREL)的600 kW风力机进行了仿真实验,结果表明本文所提出的控制方法不但能提高风力机的风能捕获效率,而且能有效减小转速跟踪误差.最后,将本文所提方法与现有常见的几种控制方法相比较发现:风力机系统在互补滑模控制策略下,具有更高的风能捕获效率和更小的转速跟踪误差.     

Fully sensorless robust control of variable-speed wind turbines for efficiency maximization

This paper focuses on a sensorless robust power generation control strategy for a variable speed wind energy conversion system based on a permanent magnet synchronous generator. The proposed control strategy combines a robust observer of the aerodynamic torque, a simple technique for extracting rotor position using electrical signals, a robust observer of rotor speed, and a sliding mode based field oriented control strategy. The robust vanishing of the observation errors and tracking error is proved. Reported numerical simulations show that the proposed control policy is effective in terms of efficiency maximization and it is robust with respect to bounded parameter variations affecting the mechanical system.