Systematic Approach for PID Controller Design for Pitch-Regulated, Variable-Speed Wind Turbines

Variable-speed, horizontal axis wind turbines use blade-pitch control to meet specified objectives for three regions of operation. This document focuses on controller design for the constant power production regime. A simple, rigid, non-linear turbine model was used to systematically perform trade-off studies between two performance metrics. Minimization of both the deviation of the rotor speedfrom the desired speed and the motion of the actuator is desired. The robust nature of the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is illustrated, and optimal operating conditions are determined. Because numerous simulation runs may be completed in a short time, the relationship of the two opposing metrics is easily visualized.