Hybrid active vibration control in wind turbine towers

Abstract

Due to the demand for renewable and clean energy sources, the generation of electricity from wind farms has become a reality in Brazil. The central unit of energy generation in these farms are the wind turbines composed of tower, nacelle, and blades. Reduction in mass and material is always desirable in these units due to the final cost impact on a wind farm consisting of several units. The main external excitation source in these systems is the wind, or the system itself, as in the case of possible imbalance. The design of the support tower and foundations must take into account quasi-static stresses as well as the varying and transient stresses the system may be exposed in the service life, which could lead to fracture or fatigue problems. Minimizing the mass of these structures and keeping their vibration levels at acceptable values is a difficult task that can be achieved by controlling vibration either passively (with Dynamic Vibration Absorbers, DVA) or actively with actuators. This paper proposes to investigate the active vibration control for wind turbine systems with hybrid active vibration control.