Robust Control Design for Load Reduction on a Liberty Wind Turbine

The increasing size of modern wind turbines also increases the structural loads on the turbine caused by effects like turbulence or asymmetries in the inflowing wind field. Consequently, the use of advanced control algorithms for active load reduction has become a relevant part of current wind turbine control systems. In this paper, an H_∞-norm optimal multivariable control design approach for an individual blade-pitch control law is presented. It reduces the structural loads both on the rotating and non-rotating parts of the turbine. Classical individual blade-pitch control strategies rely on single control loops with low bandwidth. The proposed approach makes it possible to use a higher bandwidth since it takes into account coupling at higher frequencies. A controller is designed for the utility-scale 2.5 MW Liberty research turbine operated by the University of Minnesota. Stability and performance are verified using a high-fidelity nonlinear benchmark model.