Furling control for small wind turbine power regulation

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the steady-state performance and the impact on the power system of the dynamics of small wind turbines with power regulation based on furling control. Using an example of battery charging wind turbine system, we develop its model. In this model, we introduce damping as a component of the restraining moment. This is a novel concept that is not used in the current wind turbine designs. To investigate the merit of this concept, we perform a simulation study using the RPM-Sim simulator. The study shows that such damping improves the response but we should consider a trade-off between maximizing the wind power capture and minimizing the fatigue damage effects that result from the bang-bang operation. Then, we study the battery charging system with the peak power tracker (PPT). Finally, we present a simulation study of two utility-connected wind turbine systems with furling. We considered the operation of the system without and with the PPT. In the first case study, we use the gain of a DC/DC converter to implement the peak power tracking. In the second case study, we eliminate the DC/DC converter.