Output-constrained individual pitch control methods using the multiblade coordinate transformation: trading off actuation effort and blade fatigue load reduction for wind turbines

Abstract. Individual pitch control (IPC) has been thoroughly researched for its ability to reduce wind turbine blade and tower fatigue loads. Conventional IPC often uses the multiblade coordinate (MBC) transformation and aims for full attenuation of the oscillating loads. However, this also leads to high control effort and increased fatigue damage on the pitch system. Output-constrained IPC uses the minimum actuator effort to drive loads to some reference value instead of fully attenuating them, achieving a trade-off between load reduction and actuator effort. To date, no control method exists that achieves output-constrained IPC using the conventional MBC approach. Furthermore, while multiple constrained IPC approaches have been proposed and analyzed, none of them analyze the full range of operating points between “no IPC” and “full IPC”. This paper presents two output-constrained IPC methods that use the MBC transformation. The first method, ℓ∞ IPC, independently drives the tilt and yaw moment to a tilt and yaw reference, while the second method, ℓ2 IPC, directly targets the magnitude of the combined tilt and yaw load. We furthermore analyze all operating points between no IPC and full IPC. OpenFAST simulations of the IEA 15 MW turbine were run at a wind speed of 15 m s−1. In laminar conditions, ℓ2 IPC is more efficient because it reduces the magnitude of the load directly, while ℓ∞ IPC also uses control effort to change the phase of the blade load in the direction of the load references. To assess the performance in realistic wind conditions, results are averaged over multiple turbulent wind seeds. Both ℓ∞ IPC and ℓ2 IPC have a similar performance, and the operating points between no IPC and full IPC form a nonlinear trade-off. One of the operating points in this trade-off achieves a 50 % load reduction, measured in damage equivalent load, with just 16.4 % of the actuator effort, measured in actuator duty cycle, compared to conventional IPC with the same integrator gain. This shows the potential of output-constrained IPC to facilitate a superior trade-off between load reduction and actuator effort.