Articles | Volume 10, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-1303-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-1303-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
10 Jul 2025
Research article |
| 10 Jul 2025
| 10 Jul 2025
COFLEX: a novel set point optimiser and feedforward–feedback control scheme for large, flexible wind turbines
Delft Center for Systems and Control, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Jacob Deleuran Grunnet
Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group European Innovation Center, Aarhus, Denmark
Tobias Gybel Hovgaard
Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group European Innovation Center, Aarhus, Denmark
Fabio Caponetti
Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group European Innovation Center, Aarhus, Denmark
Vasu Datta Madireddi
Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group European Innovation Center, Aarhus, Denmark
Delphine De Tavernier
Department of Flow Physics and Technology, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Sebastiaan Paul Mulders
Delft Center for Systems and Control, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
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Atindriyo Kusumo Pamososuryo, Fabio Spagnolo, and Sebastiaan Paul Mulders
Wind Energ. Sci., 10, 987–1006, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-987-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-987-2025, 2025
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As wind turbines grow in size, measuring wind speed accurately becomes challenging, impacting their performance. Traditional sensors cannot capture wind variations across large rotor areas. To address this, a new method is developed to estimate wind speed accurately, accounting for these variations. Using mid-fidelity simulations, our approach showed better tracking, better noise resilience, and easy tuning for different turbine sizes.
Abhyuday Aditya, Delphine De Tavernier, Ferdinand Schrijer, Bas van Oudheusden, and Dominic von Terzi
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2025-65, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2025-65, 2025
Preprint under review for WES
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This study is the first to experimentally test how wind turbine blades behave at near-supersonic speeds, a condition expected in the largest turbines. In the experiments, we observed unstable and potentially detrimental shock waves that become stronger at higher speeds and angles. Basic prediction tools in wind turbine design miss these details, highlighting the need for better tools and experiments to understand the extreme conditions faced by modern wind turbines.
Adhyanth Giri Ajay, David Bensason, and Delphine De Tavernier
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2025-54, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2025-54, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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We studied the airflow around a new type of wind turbine called the X-Rotor, which could help reduce the cost of offshore wind energy. Comparing a computer simulation model and wind tunnel experiments, we found that the model correlates well under normal conditions but becomes less accurate when the blades turn. Our results show that future designs of this turbine category must consider complex three-dimensional flow effects to better predict and improve wind turbine performance.
Maria Cristina Vitulano, Delphine De Tavernier, Giuliano De Stefano, and Dominic von Terzi
Wind Energ. Sci., 10, 103–116, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-103-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-103-2025, 2025
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Next-generation wind turbines are the largest rotating machines ever built, experiencing local flow Mach where the incompressibility assumption is violated, and even transonic flow can occur. This study assesses the transonic features over the FFA-W3-211 wind turbine tip airfoil for selected industrial test cases, defines the subsonic–supersonic flow threshold and evaluates the Reynolds number effects on transonic flow occurrence. Shock wave occurrence is also depicted.
Jesse Ishi Storm Hummel, Jens Kober, and Sebastiaan Paul Mulders
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-153, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-153, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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Wind turbines have grown dramatically over the last decades. Since wind speed increases with height, each blade experiences high wind speed when pointing up and less wind when pointing down, causing oscillations. These oscillations can be reduced with individual pitch control (IPC), at the expense of constant blade actuation, hindering industry adoption. This work proposes two output-constrained IPC methods to facilitate the trade-off between load reduction and actuation increase.
Shyam VimalKumar, Delphine De Tavernier, Dominic von Terzi, Marco Belloli, and Axelle Viré
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1967–1983, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1967-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1967-2024, 2024
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When standing still without a nacelle or blades, the vibrations on a wind turbine tower are of concern to its structural health. This study finds that the air which flows around the tower recirculates behind the tower, forming so-called wakes. These wakes initiate the vibration, and the movement itself causes the vibration to increase or decrease depending on the wind speed. The current study uses a methodology called force partitioning to analyse this in depth.
Livia Brandetti, Sebastiaan Paul Mulders, Roberto Merino-Martinez, Simon Watson, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 471–493, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-471-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-471-2024, 2024
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This research presents a multi-objective optimisation approach to balance vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) performance and noise, comparing the combined wind speed estimator and tip-speed ratio (WSE–TSR) tracking controller with a baseline. Psychoacoustic annoyance is used as a novel metric for human perception of wind turbine noise. Results showcase the WSE–TSR tracking controller’s potential in trading off the considered objectives, thereby fostering the deployment of VAWTs in urban areas.
Maarten J. van den Broek, Delphine De Tavernier, Paul Hulsman, Daan van der Hoek, Benjamin Sanderse, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1909–1925, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1909-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1909-2023, 2023
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As wind turbines produce power, they leave behind wakes of slow-moving air. We analyse three different models to predict the effects of these wakes on downstream wind turbines. The models are validated with experimental data from wind tunnel studies for steady and time-varying conditions. We demonstrate that the models are suitable for optimally controlling wind turbines to improve power production in large wind farms.
Livia Brandetti, Sebastiaan Paul Mulders, Yichao Liu, Simon Watson, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1553–1573, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1553-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1553-2023, 2023
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This research presents the additional benefits of applying an advanced combined wind speed estimator and tip-speed ratio tracking (WSE–TSR) controller compared to the baseline Kω2. Using a frequency-domain framework and an optimal calibration procedure, the WSE–TSR tracking control scheme shows a more flexible trade-off between conflicting objectives: power maximisation and load minimisation. Therefore, implementing this controller on large-scale wind turbines will facilitate their operation.
Daniel van den Berg, Delphine de Tavernier, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 849–864, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-849-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-849-2023, 2023
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Wind turbines placed in farms interact with their wake, lowering the power production of the wind farm. This can be mitigated using so-called wake mixing techniques. This work investigates the coupling between the pulse wake mixing technique and the motion of floating wind turbines using the pulse. Frequency response experiments and time domain simulations show that extra movement is undesired and that the
optimalexcitation frequency is heavily platform dependent.
Sebastiaan Paul Mulders, Niels Frederik Boudewijn Diepeveen, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 3, 615–638, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-3-615-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-3-615-2018, 2018
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The modeling, operating strategy, and controller design for an actual in-field wind turbine with a fixed-displacement hydraulic drivetrain are presented. An analysis is given on a passive torque control strategy for below-rated operation. The turbine lacks the option to influence the system torque by a generator, so the turbine is regulated by a spear valve in the region between below- and above-rated operation. The control design is evaluated on a real-world 500 kW hydraulic wind turbine.
Edwin van Solingen, Sebastiaan Paul Mulders, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 2, 153–173, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2-153-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2-153-2017, 2017
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The aim of this paper is to show that with an automated tuning strategy, wind turbine control performance can be significantly increased. To this end, iterative feedback tuning (IFT) is applied to two different turbine controllers. The results obtained by high-fidelity simulations indicate significant performance improvements over baseline controllers. It is concluded that IFT of turbine controllers has the potential to become a valuable tool for improving wind turbine performance.
Related subject area
Thematic area: Dynamics and control | Topic: Wind turbine control
Control strategies for multi-rotor wind turbines
LIDAR-assisted nonlinear output regulation of wind turbines for fatigue load reduction
Output-constrained individual pitch control methods using the multiblade coordinate transformation: Trading off actuation effort and blade fatigue load reduction for wind turbines
Obtaining fatigue-based frequency domain specifications for the design of controllers in wind turbines
Brief communication: Real-time estimation of the optimal tip-speed ratio for controlling wind turbines with degraded blades
On the robustness of a blade-load-based wind speed estimator to dynamic pitch control strategies
The potential of wave feedforward control for floating wind turbines: a wave tank experiment
Assessing the impact of waves and platform dynamics on floating wind-turbine energy production
Combining wake redirection and derating strategies in a load-constrained wind farm power maximization
Multi-objective calibration of vertical-axis wind turbine controllers: balancing aero-servo-elastic performance and noise
Feedforward pitch control for a 15 MW wind turbine using a spinner-mounted single-beam lidar
Wind vane correction during yaw misalignment for horizontal-axis wind turbines
Increased power gains from wake steering control using preview wind direction information
Analysis and multi-objective optimisation of wind turbine torque control strategies
Damping analysis of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs): a new control strategy reducing the platform vibrations
Assessing lidar-assisted feedforward and multivariable feedback controls for large floating wind turbines
Prognostics-based adaptive control strategy for lifetime control of wind turbines
Platform yaw drift in upwind floating wind turbines with single-point-mooring system and its mitigation by individual pitch control
Evaluation of lidar-assisted wind turbine control under various turbulence characteristics
FarmConners wind farm flow control benchmark – Part 1: Blind test results
Demonstration of a fault impact reduction control module for wind turbines
Lidar-assisted model predictive control of wind turbine fatigue via online rainflow counting considering stress history
Finn Matras and Morten Dinhoff Pedersen
Wind Energ. Sci., 10, 925–939, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-925-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-925-2025, 2025
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Wind energy has been dominated by ever-increasing single-rotor wind turbines. Structural scaling laws make multi-rotor wind turbines attractive, as they can achieve similar power outputs but work with, rather than against, scaling laws. This work investigates high-level control strategies for a 23-rotor multi-rotor wind turbine, including the aerodynamic interactions between the rotors, and suggests an alternative to pitch control using multi-rotor furling.
Robert H. Moldenhauer and Robert Schmid
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-184, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-184, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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We explore the application of a novel wind turbine control methodology for maximizing power generation while also improving the turbine's lifespan by reducing fatigue load on the tower structure, blades, and rotor. Simulations of the controller against a state-of-the-art baseline controller on a 15-MW reference turbine showed that the controller improves on all considered performance metrics. The reductions were achieved without sacrificing power generation or tracking performance.
Jesse Ishi Storm Hummel, Jens Kober, and Sebastiaan Paul Mulders
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-153, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-153, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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Wind turbines have grown dramatically over the last decades. Since wind speed increases with height, each blade experiences high wind speed when pointing up and less wind when pointing down, causing oscillations. These oscillations can be reduced with individual pitch control (IPC), at the expense of constant blade actuation, hindering industry adoption. This work proposes two output-constrained IPC methods to facilitate the trade-off between load reduction and actuation increase.
Irene Miquelez-Madariaga, Jesús Arellano, Daniel Lacheta-Lecumberri, and Jorge Elso
Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-154, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2024-154, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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This paper presents a method for obtaining mechanical fatigue estimations from linear models and fatigue-based specifications for the design of controllers for wind turbines. The method is validated by the design of controllers for a 15 MW reference wind turbine. The error in the fatigue estimation is smaller than 2 % and fatigue loads are successfully reduced.
Devesh Kumar and Mario A. Rotea
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 2133–2146, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-2133-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-2133-2024, 2024
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The performance of a wind turbine is affected by blade surface degradation due to wear and tear, dirt, bugs, and icing. As blades degrade, optimal operating points such as the tip-speed ratio (TSR) can change. Re-tuning the TSR to its new optimal value can lead to recovery of energy losses under blade degradation. In this work, we utilize a real-time algorithm to re-tune the TSR to its new unknown optimal value under blade degradation and demonstrate energy gains using simulations.
Marion Coquelet, Maxime Lejeune, Laurent Bricteux, Aemilius A. W. van Vondelen, Jan-Willem van Wingerden, and Philippe Chatelain
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1923–1940, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1923-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1923-2024, 2024
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An extended Kalman filter is used to estimate the wind impinging on a wind turbine based on the blade bending moments and a turbine model. Using large-eddy simulations, this paper verifies how robust the estimator is to the turbine control strategy as it impacts loads and operating parameters. It is shown that including dynamics in the turbine model to account for delays between actuation and bending moments is needed to maintain the accuracy of the estimator when dynamic pitch control is used.
Amr Hegazy, Peter Naaijen, Vincent Leroy, Félicien Bonnefoy, Mohammad Rasool Mojallizadeh, Yves Pérignon, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1669–1688, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1669-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1669-2024, 2024
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Successful wave tank experiments were conducted to evaluate the feedforward (FF) control strategy benefits in terms of structural loads and power quality of floating wind turbine components. The wave FF control strategy is effective when it comes to alleviating the effects of the wave forces on the floating offshore wind turbines, whereas wave FF control requires a significant amount of actuation to minimize the platform pitch motion, which makes such technology unfavorable for that objective.
Alessandro Fontanella, Giorgio Colpani, Marco De Pascali, Sara Muggiasca, and Marco Belloli
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1393–1417, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1393-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1393-2024, 2024
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Waves can boost a floating wind turbine's power output by moving its rotor against the wind. Studying this, we used four models to explore the impact of waves and platform dynamics on turbines in the Mediterranean. We found that wind turbulence, not waves, primarily affects power fluctuations. In real conditions, floating wind turbines produce less energy compared to fixed-bottom ones, mainly due to platform tilt.
Alessandro Croce, Stefano Cacciola, and Federico Isella
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1211–1227, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1211-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1211-2024, 2024
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For a few years now, various techniques have been studied to maximize the energy production of a wind farm, that is, from a system consisting of several wind turbines. These wind farm controller techniques are often analyzed individually and can generate loads higher than the design ones on the individual wind turbine. In this paper we study the simultaneous use of two different techniques with the goal of finding the optimal combination that at the same time preserves the design loads.
Livia Brandetti, Sebastiaan Paul Mulders, Roberto Merino-Martinez, Simon Watson, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 471–493, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-471-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-471-2024, 2024
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This research presents a multi-objective optimisation approach to balance vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) performance and noise, comparing the combined wind speed estimator and tip-speed ratio (WSE–TSR) tracking controller with a baseline. Psychoacoustic annoyance is used as a novel metric for human perception of wind turbine noise. Results showcase the WSE–TSR tracking controller’s potential in trading off the considered objectives, thereby fostering the deployment of VAWTs in urban areas.
Wei Fu, Feng Guo, David Schlipf, and Alfredo Peña
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1893–1907, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1893-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1893-2023, 2023
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A high-quality preview of the rotor-effective wind speed is a key element of the benefits of feedforward pitch control. We model a one-beam lidar in the spinner of a 15 MW wind turbine. The lidar rotates with the wind turbine and scans the inflow in a circular pattern, mimicking a multiple-beam lidar at a lower cost. We found that a spinner-based one-beam lidar provides many more control benefits than the one on the nacelle, which is similar to a four-beam nacelle lidar for feedforward control.
Andreas Rott, Leo Höning, Paul Hulsman, Laura J. Lukassen, Christof Moldenhauer, and Martin Kühn
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1755–1770, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1755-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1755-2023, 2023
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This study examines wind vane measurements of commercial wind turbines and their impact on yaw control. The authors discovered that rotor interference can cause an overestimation of wind vane measurements, leading to overcorrection of the yaw controller. A correction function that improves the yaw behaviour is presented and validated in free-field experiments on a commercial wind turbine. This work provides new insights into wind direction measurements and suggests ways to optimize yaw control.
Balthazar Arnoldus Maria Sengers, Andreas Rott, Eric Simley, Michael Sinner, Gerald Steinfeld, and Martin Kühn
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1693–1710, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1693-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1693-2023, 2023
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Unexpected wind direction changes are undesirable, especially when performing wake steering. This study explores whether the yaw controller can benefit from accessing wind direction information before a change reaches the turbine. Results from two models with different fidelities demonstrate that wake steering can indeed benefit from preview information.
Livia Brandetti, Sebastiaan Paul Mulders, Yichao Liu, Simon Watson, and Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1553–1573, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1553-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1553-2023, 2023
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This research presents the additional benefits of applying an advanced combined wind speed estimator and tip-speed ratio tracking (WSE–TSR) controller compared to the baseline Kω2. Using a frequency-domain framework and an optimal calibration procedure, the WSE–TSR tracking control scheme shows a more flexible trade-off between conflicting objectives: power maximisation and load minimisation. Therefore, implementing this controller on large-scale wind turbines will facilitate their operation.
Matteo Capaldo and Paul Mella
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1319–1339, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1319-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1319-2023, 2023
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The controller impacts the movements, loads and yield of wind turbines.
Standard controllers are not adapted for floating, and they can lead to underperformances and overloads. New control strategies, considering the coupling between the floating dynamics and the rotor dynamics, are necessary to reduce platform movements and to improve performances. This work proposes a new control strategy adapted to floating wind, showing a reduction in loads without affecting the power production.
Feng Guo and David Schlipf
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1299–1317, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1299-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1299-2023, 2023
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This paper assesses lidar-assisted collective pitch feedforward (LACPF) and multi-variable feedback (MVFB) controls for the IEA 15.0 MW reference turbine. The main contributions of this work include (a) optimizing a four-beam pulsed lidar for a large turbine, (b) optimal tuning of speed regulation gains and platform feedback gains for the MVFB and LACPF controllers, and (c) assessing the benefits of the two control strategies using realistic offshore turbulence spectral characteristics.
Edwin Kipchirchir, M. Hung Do, Jackson G. Njiri, and Dirk Söffker
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 575–588, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-575-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-575-2023, 2023
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In this work, an adaptive control strategy for controlling the lifetime of wind turbine components is proposed. Performance of the lifetime controller is adapted based on real-time health status of the rotor blades to guarantee a predefined lifetime. It shows promising results in lifetime control of blades without speed regulation and tower load mitigation trade-off. It can be applied in optimizing maintenance scheduling of wind farms, which increases reliability and reduces maintenance costs.
Iñaki Sandua-Fernández, Felipe Vittori, Raquel Martín-San-Román, Irene Eguinoa, and José Azcona-Armendáriz
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 277–288, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-277-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-277-2023, 2023
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This work analyses in detail the causes of the yaw drift in floating offshore wind turbines with a single-point-mooring system induced by an upwind wind turbine. The ability of an individual pitch control strategy based on yaw misalignment is demonstrated through simulations using the NREL 5 MW wind turbine mounted on a single-point-mooring version of the DeepCwind OC4 floating platform. This effect is considered to be relevant for all single-point-moored concepts.
Feng Guo, David Schlipf, and Po Wen Cheng
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 149–171, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-149-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-149-2023, 2023
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The benefits of lidar-assisted control are evaluated using both the Mann model and Kaimal model-based 4D turbulence, considering the variation of turbulence parameters. Simulations are performed for the above-rated mean wind speed, using the NREL 5.0 MW reference wind turbine and a four-beam lidar system. Using lidar-assisted control reduces the variations in rotor speed, pitch rate, tower base fore–aft bending moment, and electrical power significantly.
Tuhfe Göçmen, Filippo Campagnolo, Thomas Duc, Irene Eguinoa, Søren Juhl Andersen, Vlaho Petrović, Lejla Imširović, Robert Braunbehrens, Jaime Liew, Mads Baungaard, Maarten Paul van der Laan, Guowei Qian, Maria Aparicio-Sanchez, Rubén González-Lope, Vinit V. Dighe, Marcus Becker, Maarten J. van den Broek, Jan-Willem van Wingerden, Adam Stock, Matthew Cole, Renzo Ruisi, Ervin Bossanyi, Niklas Requate, Simon Strnad, Jonas Schmidt, Lukas Vollmer, Ishaan Sood, and Johan Meyers
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 1791–1825, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1791-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1791-2022, 2022
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The FarmConners benchmark is the first of its kind to bring a wide variety of data sets, control settings, and model complexities for the (initial) assessment of wind farm flow control benefits. Here we present the first part of the benchmark results for three blind tests with large-scale rotors and 11 participating models in total, via direct power comparisons at the turbines as well as the observed or estimated power gain at the wind farm level under wake steering control strategy.
Benjamin Anderson and Edward Baring-Gould
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 1753–1769, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1753-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1753-2022, 2022
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Our article proposes an easy-to-integrate wind turbine control module which mitigates wind turbine fault conditions and sends predictive information to the grid operator, all while maximizing power production. This gives the grid operator more time to react to faults with its dispatch decisions, easing the transition between different generators. This study aims to illustrate the controller’s functionality under various types of faults and highlight potential wind turbine and grid benefits.
Stefan Loew and Carlo L. Bottasso
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 1605–1625, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1605-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1605-2022, 2022
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This publication presents methods to improve the awareness and control of material fatigue for wind turbines. This is achieved by enhancing a sophisticated control algorithm which utilizes wind prediction information from a laser measurement device. The simulation results indicate that the novel algorithm significantly improves the economic performance of a wind turbine. This benefit is particularly high for situations when the prediction quality is low or the prediction time frame is short.
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Short summary
Large wind turbines face design challenges due to increased flexibility of blades. Conventional control strategies fail under large deformations, impacting performance. We present a feedforward–feedback control scheme, addressing flexibility and overcoming the limitations of conventional strategies. By testing it on a large-scale reference turbine with realistic wind conditions, we demonstrated improvements to power by up to 5 % while constraining blade deflections.
Large wind turbines face design challenges due to increased flexibility of blades. Conventional...
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