Model free adaptive control of large and flexible wind turbine rotors with controllable flaps

This paper investigates the dynamic load alleviation in large and flexible horizontal axis wind turbine rotors with trailing edge flaps, actuated through a novel proportional-derivative model-free adaptive control (PD-MFAC) system. First an aeroservoelastic model is developed, which combination of structural for tower blades represented by geometrically non-linear composite beams, aerodynamic using unsteady strip-theory airfoil model. Then three independent controllers are developed to actuate trailing-edge flaps mounted on blades, blade root-bending moment (RBM) as input. Comparison given H-infinity (H∞) reference controller Gain-scheduled proportional-integral (GS-PI) controller. Simulation results show that MFAC flap provides more effective performance than H∞ GS-PI controllers, it also exhibits marked reductions tip deflection (BTD), presence external disturbances.