POLItecnico

di MIlano

ESTIMATION OF DAMPING FOR

WIND TURBINES OPERATING IN
CLOSED LOOP
C.L. Bottasso, S. Cacciola, A. Croce
Politecnico di Milano, Italy
S. Gupta
Clipper Windpower Inc., USA

EWEC 2010
Warsaw, Poland, April 20-23, 2010

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Outline
Introduction and motivation
Approach: modified Pronys method for linear time
periodic systems
Applications and results:

- Simulation models
- Library of procedures for modes of interest
- Examples: tower, rotor and blade modes
Conclusions and outlook

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Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Introduction and Motivation

Focus of present work: estimation of damping in a wind turbine
Applications in wind turbine design and verification:

Explaining the causes of observed vibration phenomena

Assessing the proximity of the flutter boundaries
Evaluating the efficacy of control laws for low-damped modes

Highlights of proposed approach:

Closed loop: damping of coupled wind turbine/controller system

Applicable to arbitrary mathematical models (e.g., finite element
multibody models, modal-based models, etc.)
In principle applicable to a real wind turbine in the field

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Introduction and Motivation

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Previous work:

Linear Time Invariant (LTI) systems:

Hauer et al., IEEE TPS, 1990; Trudnowski et al., IEEE TPS 1999

However: wind turbines are characterized by periodic coefficients

(vertical/horizontal shear layer, up-tilt, yawed flow, blade-tower
interaction, etc.)
Linear Time Periodic (LTP) systems:

Bittanti & Colaneri, Automatica 2000; Allen IDETC/CIE 2007

However: methods well suited only when
characteristic time (time to half/double)
much larger than period T (1rev): T

2 0,96 sec, 2nd fore-aft tower mode

1 3.45 sec, 1st fore-aft tower mode

5.5 sec

Typically not the case for WT problems

E.g.: damping of tower fore-aft modes

Proposed approach: transform LTP in equivalent/approximate LTI, then use

Pronys method (standard for LTI analysis)
POLITECNICO di MILANO

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Outline
Introduction and motivation
Approach: modified Pronys method for linear time
periodic systems
Applications and results:

- Simulation models
- Library of procedures for modes of interest
- Examples: tower, rotor and blade modes
Conclusions and outlook

POLITECNICO di MILANO

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Approach
LTP system:

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

x = A()x + B()u
A() = closed-loop matrix (accounts for pitch-torque controller)
u = exogenous input (wind), constant in steady conditions
Fourier reformulation (Bittanti & Colaneri 2000):
A() = A0+i(Aissin(i )+Aiccos(i ))
B() = B0+i(Bissin(i )+Biccos(i ))
1. Approximate state matrix: A() A0
2. Transfer periodicity to input term (remark: arbitrary amplitude)
Obtain linear time invariant (LTI) system:
.

x = A0x + Ub()
where b() = exogenous periodic input

Remark: no need for model generality, just good fit with measures
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Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Approach
Given reformulated LTI system
.

x = A0x + Ub()
use standard Pronys method (Hauer 1990; Trudnowski 1999):
1. Trim and perturb with doublet (or similar, e.g. 3-2-1-1) input
2. Identify discrete time ARX model (using Least Squares or Output
Error method) with harmonic input

3. Compute discrete poles, and transform to continuous time (Tustin

transformation)
4. Obtain frequencies and damping factors

POLITECNICO di MILANO

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Outline
Introduction and motivation
Approach: modified Pronys method for linear time
periodic systems
Applications and results:

- Simulation models
- Library of procedures for modes of interest
- Examples: tower, rotor and blade modes
Conclusions and outlook

POLITECNICO di MILANO

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Simulation Models
Cp-Lambda highlights:

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Geometrically exact composite-ready

beam models
Generic topology (Cartesian
coordinates+Lagrange multipliers)
Dynamic wake model (Peters-He,
yawed flow conditions)
Efficient large-scale DAE solver
Non-linearly stable time integrator
Fully IEC 61400 compliant (DLCs,
wind models)

Compute
sectional
stiffness

Rigid body

ANBA (Anisotropic Beam Analysis)

cross sectional model

Geometrically exact beam

Recover cross
sectional
stresses/strains

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Revolute joint
Flexible joint
ActuatorPoli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Simulation Environment

Measurement
noise

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Wind

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Applications and Results

Definition of best practices for the identification
of modes of interest:
For each mode:

Excitations (inputs)

Consider possible excitations (applied loads,

pitch and/or torque inputs) and outputs (blade,
shaft, tower internal reactions)
Verify presence of modes in response (FFT)
Verify linearity of response
Perform model identification

Verify quality of identification (compare

measured response with predicted one)

Compiled library of mode id procedures:

In this presentation:
Tower fore-aft mode
Rotor in-plane, blade first edge modes
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Response (outputs)

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Example: Damping Estimation of

Fore-Aft Tower Modes
Doublets of varying intensity to verify linearity
Excitation: doublet of hub
force in fore-aft direction

Verification of linearity of response

Output: tower root

fore-aft bending
moment

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Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Example: Damping Estimation of

Fore-Aft Tower Modes
Verification of linearity of response and presence of modes

First tower mode

1P

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Second tower mode

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Example: Damping Estimation of

Fore-Aft Tower Modes
Time domain
Frequency domain

Excellent quality of identified models

(supports hypothesis A() A0)
Necessary for reliable estimation
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Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Example: Damping Estimation of

Fore-Aft Tower Modes

Estimated damping ratios for varying wind speed

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Poli-Wind Research Lab

Example: Damping Estimation of

Blade Edge and Rotor In-Plane Modes
Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Quality of identified model, using blade root bending

First blade
edgewise mode

Excitation: doublet of
In-plane blade tip force
Generator torque

Rotor in-plane
mode

Quality of identified model, using shaft torque

Outputs:
Blade root bending moment
Shaft torque

Rotor in-plane
mode

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Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Example: Damping Estimation of

Blade Edge and Rotor In-Plane Modes
Rotor in-plane mode

Little sensitivity to used output

(blade bending or shaft torque)

Blade edge mode

POLITECNICO di MILANO

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Outline
Introduction and motivation
Approach: modified Pronys method for linear time
periodic systems
Applications and results:

- Simulation models
- Library of procedures for modes of interest
- Examples: tower, rotor and blade modes
Conclusions and outlook

POLITECNICO di MILANO

Poli-Wind Research Lab

Conclusions
Damping Estimation of Wind Turbines

Proposed a method for the estimation of damping in wind turbines:

Modified Pronys method (accounts for periodic nature of wind turbine
models)
Good quality model identification is key for reliable damping
estimation
Compiled library of mode id procedures (need specific inputs/outputs
for each mode)
Fast and robust
Outlook:
Riformulation leading to Periodic ARX, and comparison
Effect of turbulence (simulation study):
- Turbulence as an excitation
- Turbulence as process noise (filter error method)
Verify applicability in the field (theoretically possible)
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Poli-Wind Research Lab