Posters
Come meet the poster presenters to ask them questions and discuss their work
We would like to invite you to come and see the posters at our upcoming conference. The posters will showcase a diverse range of research topics, and will give delegates an opportunity to engage with the authors and learn more about their work. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or simply curious about the latest developments in your field, we believe that the posters will offer something of interest to everyone. So please join us at the conference and take advantage of this opportunity to learn and engage with your peers in the academic community. We look forward to seeing you there!
PO187: Data-driven approach to the design and implementation of retrofit lidar assisted control
Chris Slinger, Senior Scientist, ZX Lidars
Abstract
Existing wind turbine controllers use feedback control - they respond to changes in operating conditions after the event. The use of turbine-mounted lidar presents the opportunity to add a feedforward element to lidar control, as the lidar can provide a preview of the incoming wind field. Much research has shown the potential benefits of LAC (lidar assisted control). These are primarily related to load reduction. New turbine designs exploiting LAC or retrofitting LAC to existing turbines therefore should both deliver reduced energy costs (Levelized Ccost of Energy). Traditionally, LAC schemes have required a great amount of detail about the wind turbine and its controller such as aeroelastic models and controller code; information that is not always readily available for commercial or historical reasons. Here, a novel, data-driven approach, has been applied that safely bypasses these requirements. The lidars are installed ahead of full LAC deployment, and data from the lidar and other standard controller and turbine outputs used in conjunction with SLOW (simplified low order wind turbine) modelling to design the LAC processing chain. These measurements are also used in an open loop mode to check predicted behaviour matched reality. The LAC scheme consists of three main components: the legacy wind turbine feedback controller; a feedforward controller including lidar data processing; and an activation block that combines the feedback and feedforward elements and ensures that overall turbine operation is within design parameters. Studies and results confirm that this approach to LAC design demonstrates the load reduction benefits expected. In the specific demonstration described here, where the LAC system was retrofitted to an active-stall regulated turbine, implementation demonstrated a 10% reduction in tower loads in below rated (Region 2) operation. Other turbine types, including more modern pitch-regulated turbine designs, also benefit from this data driven LAC design approach.
