The potential value and future outlook of wind power control

In addition to the need to resist unpredictability in the natural world, wind turbines must also be able to overcome several other difficulties. For this reason, the primary task of control technology is to optimize overall management functions on the premise of maximizing energy, and to include safety and factors such as wind effects and material stress into overall considerations.

However, the further development and popularization of wind control technology has also brought new challenges. Although wind turbines have traditionally operated as independent units (to provide electricity to the grid without taking energy from them), today's generators are more integrated in wind farms or as part of an energy supply system. In addition, many wind turbines are built in remote and remote areas, which further highlights the importance of remote connectivity, open communication mechanisms, network services, and failure prediction. All of the above shows that the wind power system needs to have the highest available availability and the service cycle needs more than 20 years.

Suitable hardware

On the hardware side, the development trend clearly points to a standardized control platform that can provide greater flexibility and enhanced functionality. High availability and complex standard functions (such as full remote diagnostics, network connectivity) are all B&R system standards.

Although solutions can indeed be developed based on specific application scenarios, in the vast majority of cases, the use of a standardized control platform can reduce system costs. This is because the collaborative capabilities that are respected by various industries can increase efficiency and thus dilute development costs. At the same time, the successful implementation of a standardized control platform ultimately depends on the understanding of the system itself and the use of a powerful CPU that can handle a variety of complex calculations and tasks without compromising quality.

The characteristics of the fan

In principle, wind power is no different from other complex machinery. However, there are still some special areas that require more attention to special treatment, such as remote maintenance and out-of-site visualization. These are all very important because the fan operation is unattended. Grid operators and wind farm management teams have developed specific guidelines for them. For optimal execution of tasks, control software must be efficient and powerful, and the development environment must be able to program model-based closed loop control steps. The interaction between the development environment, the control platform, and the system components is crucial. The delay between the various communication systems is very low and full synchronization can be achieved, so as to make the signal more stable. B&R provides the necessary platform for this.

The requirements in terms of quality are also very high, because the fans work in exposed environments, they are difficult to access, and the working environment to be faced is extremely harsh. To achieve the availability and service life of the system components mentioned above, products that have proven to be extremely robust are required, and proactive measures are also required for quality and version management.

Potential value in wind power control

When it comes to fan control, the central issue to consider is to ensure that the rotor blades are properly aligned and balanced. The important thing is not only to increase the amount of power generated, but also to reduce the pressure on the turbine due to the wind. Understanding this process, which is the copyright of CONTROL ENGINEERING China, is the primary task of tuning the controller. The better the overall system works, the more efficient the generator operation will be. At the same time, the material stress needs to be reduced, which can make the turbine generator run quieter and have a longer service life. In this respect, it is important to cooperate with the manufacturer or, if necessary, provide the manufacturer with the required core technologies.

Currently, the closed-loop control loop cannot detect the intensity of the disturbance caused by the air flow, but only measures its speed by evaluating the speed change in the transmission system. Anyone who has unfortunately experienced air flow on an airplane will understand how much energy and movement of the air flow will have on the wing. Therefore, there is much room for improvement in the control loop efficiency and material stress reduction. It is hoped that in the future through cross-disciplinary research on mechanical systems, control technologies and sensors, it will be possible to achieve real progress in control loops.

In the wind energy industry, model-based design, simulation, and automatic code generation have become commonplace, given that large wind turbines may continue to pose risks to people and the environment. Modeling and simulation can help people design safe wind turbines.

Choose the correct bus system

If you want to choose the ideal bus system, you first need to distinguish between the system network inside a single fan and the network connected to the external system. Inside the fan, each subsystem is defined relatively clearly and almost any solution can be used to perform the necessary functions. For example, a patented bus system is feasible here. For example, the connection between subsystems such as the main control system, the tuning system, or the generator requires the use of a standard bus system. Usually, several systems are used at the same time. In many cases, the category of the selected component and supplier determines the type of bus system.

Considering the actual situation is also very important for the decision-making process. For example, if the signal processing is performed through the slip ring, the optical fiber is used due to the characteristics of EMC or the length of the cable. These conditions, coupled with economic and security considerations, limit the choice of bus systems. If high performance is not the primary requirement, it may be possible to use CAN or Profibus. If the required dynamic performance is higher and the signal is more stable, the system operator will mainly choose the real-time Ethernet protocol, such as POWERLINK.

Fans are usually connected to the outside world via Ethernet. However, different mechanisms and protocols need to be used depending on the task. For example, for visual purposes, Web services or OPC and OPC UA are commonly used. For remote connections, there are several IEC standards such as EC 61400-25, IEC 61850-7-410, and IEC 61870-7-420. Based on TCP The /IP communication mechanism is also useful.

Controlling Fans: Future Outlook

For a long time, the constant trend is to develop more energy. However, there are still great differences between different regions. Although some offshore wind turbines can output 5 MW or more of electricity, other regions still require a single generator with less than 1 MW of power. In addition, hydraulic adjustment systems are being replaced by electronic systems.

These large-scale systems, along with their electronically-tuned control loops, are bringing more economic and technological benefits, making more optimization and innovation possible. In the near future, we will see that research work is mainly conducted in several aspects: individual adjustment, active vibration attenuation, and integrated environmental monitoring. Advances in modeling and sensor technology will also greatly promote the development of motors and power generation controls.