Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/28397
Title: A comparison of two pressure control concepts for hydraulic offshore wind turbines
Authors: Buhagiar, Daniel
Sant, Tonio
Bugeja, Marvin K.
Keywords: Hydraulic engineering -- Equipment and supplies
Hydraulic motors
Wind turbines
Wind power
Offshore wind power plants
Issue Date: 2016
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Citation: Buhagiar, D., Sant, T., & Bugeja, M. (2016). A comparison of two pressure control concepts for hydraulic offshore wind turbines. Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement and Control, Transactions of the ASME, 138(8), 081007.
Abstract: Current research in offshore wind turbines is proposing a novel concept of using seawater-based hydraulics for large-scale power transmission and centralized electrical generation. The objective of this paper is to investigate the control of such an open-loop circuit, where a fixed line pressure is desirable for the sake of efficiency and stability. Pressure control of the open-loop hydraulic circuit presents an interesting control challenge due to the highly fluctuating flow rate along with the nonlinear behavior of the variable-area orifice used by the pressure controller. The present analysis is limited to a single turbine and an open-loop hydraulic line with a variable-area orifice at the end. A controller is proposed which uses a combination of feed-forward compensation for the nonlinear part along with a feedback loop for correcting any errors resulting from inaccuracies in the compensator model. A numerical model of the system under investigation is developed in order to observe the behavior of the controller and the advantages of including the feedback loop. An in-depth analysis is undertaken, including a sensitivity study of the compensator accuracy and a parametric analysis of the actuator response time. Finally, a Monte Carlo analysis was carried out in order to rank the proposed controller in comparison to a simple feed-forward controller and a theoretical optimally tuned controller. Results indicate an advantageous performance of the proposed method of feedback with feed-forward compensation, particularly its ability to maintain a stable line pressure in the face of high parameter uncertainty over a wide range of operating conditions, even with a relatively slow actuation system.
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/28397
Appears in Collections:Scholarly Works - FacEngME
Scholarly Works - FacEngSCE

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