Securing Critical Infrastructures, Grenoble, October 2004

MODELLING OF VARIABLE SPEED WIND TURBINES WITH

PITCH CONTROL
K. Rudion (*), A. Orths (+), Z. Styczynski (*)
(*) Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Germany, (+) Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and
Automation IFF Magdeburg, Germany

Today pitch controlled wind turbines are

the most widely used type of wind turbine. In the
present power system with many dispersed
generation units new control strategies are
required. Furthermore, the electric energy of wind
turbines should be dispatchable to ensure voltage
stability and frequency. Pitch controlled wind
turbines makes this is possible. A proper control
of the wind turbine guarantees safe and reliable
operation as well as high efficiency. This paper
presents a mathematical modelling method for
wind turbines with pitch control and their control
concept.
1

Introduction

Next to water energy, wind energy is the most

important source of pollution-free energy world-wide.
Therefore, the number of wind turbines in the power
system continues to grow. At the beginning of wind
turbine development most wind turbines were
operated at a constant speed for electrical purpose.
This situation has changed, and currently the most
often applied units are operable at varying speeds.
These units are usually equipped with a bladepitching system. In general, wind turbines can be
designed with a synchronous or asynchronous
induction generator. A widely used concept is the
variable speed doubly-fed induction generator wind
turbine. To analyze the behaviour of wind turbines a
mathematical model is needed. Depending on the
type of analysis the model gets an adequate rank of
complexity, e.g. for analysis of load flow or voltage
variation the model can be designed as a voltage
source or voltage and real power source, etc. For a
more complex analysis the model requires more
detailed.
2

simulation of several units, i.e. wind farm simulation.

One basic supposition is the one-dimensional wind
flow, so the wind speed at the whole swept rotor area
is assumed to be the same. Additionally, variations of
the horizontal direction of wind speed are not
considered, thus the wind is assumed to have a yaw
angle of zero. In practice the horizontal variation
causes an energy loss of 1-2% which can be neglected
for the purpose of simulation [5]. Regarding earlier
assumptions the method of wind rotor modelling will
be presented in the following section.
The power extracted from the wind can be described
by the following equation [4]:

1
PTurb = ? A v3 c p (? , )
2

Where, is the air density (1,225 [kg/m3] in standard

atmosphere), A is the swept rotor area (A=R2 [m2]),
v is the wind speed [m/s], and cp(,) is the power
coefficient. This coefficient for variable speed pitch
controlled wind turbines depends on both the pitch
angle - see Figure 1 - and the tip speed ratio - see
Figure 2 - which is defined as

?=

? T R
v

(2)

Here, T is the turbine angular speed, and R is the

turbine radius. Values of power coefficients are
different for each turbine, and have to be determined
experimentally. For the range of wind speed from the
cut in wind speed vCutIn until the cut off wind speed
vCutOff the turbine power PTurbM has to be measured
with as the parameter. The other parameter is the
angular speed T of the turbine, which can vary
within a permissible range.

Wind turbine modelling

To maximize the energy production not only wind

conditions and geometrical parameters of a wind
turbine are significant, but the control strategy is very
important, too. In order to develop and simulate the
control system a proper model of the wind turbine has
to be built. The model should be able to represent the
nonlinear behavior of wind turbines. Some
simplifications can be assumed, which shorten the
simulation time significantly while the simulation
accuracy remains at a comparable level. This is
important especially with respect to the simultaneous

(1)

Figure 1 Principal of pitch control

The tip speed ratio is obtained from both quantities.

For each wind speed the potential wind power in front
of the converter - PWind has to be calculated. Then
the power coefficient cP is equal to

PTurbM
PTurbM
=
PWind
0,5 ? A v 3

(3)

0,4

0,35
0,3

cp(,)
cp

c p (? , ) =

0,45

0,25
0,2
0,15
0,1

The power coefficient can be obtained by an

analytical approximation, too. The approach is
defined as follows [2]:

c p (? ,) = c 1(c 2 c 3 c 4 ? c 5 )e c 6

(4)

The coefficients c1-c6 and characterize each wind

turbine and can be different for various turbines.
These coefficients can be calculated in software for
rotor designing, or they can be found experimentally
so that the analytical approximation of cP-curves fits
to the measured cP -curves.
For example, for the MOD 2 turbine the coefficients
have the following values [2]:
c1=0,5;
c2=vw/T;
c6=0,17vw/w; =2.

c3=0;

c4=0,022;

c5=5,6;

Where vw is the wind speed and T is the angular

speed of the turbine. Another combination of
coefficients for the Enercon E-40 turbine - is as
follows [2], [3]:
c1=0,5; c2=116/i; c3=0,4; c4=0; c5=5; c6=21/i
Where i is equal to, [2]:
1
1
0,035
=

? i ? + 0,08 3 + 1

(5)

A third possibility to obtain the power coefficient cP

is based on the characteristics of the drag and lift
coefficients as function of the blade pitch angle for a
given blade from the following relationship [3]:

c p (? ,) =

16
c
1 1
27 N?

c2
1.29

e? c D ?

c L

(6)

where, N is the number of blades, cD and cL are the

drag and lift ratio of the blade airfoil; c1 and c2 are
additional coefficients. Figure 2 gives the example of
the power coefficient characteristics as function of
blade angle and tip speed ratio computed based
on (4) with the second combination of parameters
given above (Enercon E-40).
The torque produced by the wind turbine can be
computed as follows:
TTurb =

PTurb
?T

(7)

Solving (2) for angular speed T and substituting (1)

into (7), it is obtained:

TTurb =

1
? p R 3 v 2 c T (? , )
2

(8)

20

0,05

15

10

25

0
1

11

13

15

17

Figure 2 Analytical approximation of cp(,)

characteristics computed with (4)
Where, cT(,) is the torque coefficient, which can be
obtained from:

c T (? , ) =

c p (? , )
?

(9)

The torque TTurb obtained according to (8) gives the

average turbine torque value. It neglects the
oscillation in output power due to the uneven wind
speed-distribution in the rotor plane, as well as
oscillations due to the tower shadow. This can be
considered as an additional correction term [2], [4].
The torque coefficient curves (9) are used for torque
assessment for the dimensioning of gear boxes and
brakes. The cT(,) curves have their peaks at lower
values of tip speed ratio in comparison with peaks of
power coefficient characteristics, see Figure 3.
The mechanical system of the wind turbine consists
of blades, a hub, a rotor shaft, a gearbox (if included)
and a generator. The moment of inertia of the wind
rotor is about 90 % of the total moment of inertia [3].
Drive-train models usually are simplified concerning
the blades and the wind rotor which are assumed to
be a single, lumped mass. The second mass system
represents the generator. Hence, the model has the
character of a two-mass system. The movement
equation of the wind turbine without gearbox is then
given by a lumped-mass model [5]:

d? T
= TTurb TG TB ? T
dt

(10)

Here J is the combined moment of inertia of the

turbine and the generator, TTurb is the turbine torque
computed with (8), TG is the generator torque
obtained from generator model as output value, TB is
the damping of bearing and seals. The term of losses
in bearing is neglected, because many authors use the
movement equation without this term, for example [7]
and [9]. Being more precisely the term should be
considered whereas the proper value of damping must
be known.

Figure 4 Block diagram of the wind turbine

Figure 3 CP and CT curves as a function of tip speed
ratio for pitch angle =0.
If the modeled system includes a gearbox the
transmission ratio n (11) must be considered.

n=

?G
?T

(11)

The relevant data have to be transformed into one

common system, either into the generator side or into
the wind rotor side. The transformation system is
given in equation (12), [3].
(T)
G

= TG n

(T)
G

= JG n 2

T
J
?

(T)
G

Control system modelling

The objectives of wind turbine control can be divided

into two basic groups: The first is the group with
mechanical objectives of control, the latter is the
group with electrical objectives.
The mechanical objectives are the following [5]:

reduction of torque variation peaks generated

by wind gusts and thus minimizing both stress
on the mechanical parts of the wind turbine
and power fluctuations in the grid,

reduction of drive-train transients,

suppression of those frequencies which may

cause resonance within the mechanical
structure.

(12)

?
= G
n

The superscript (T) stands for quantities at the wind

rotor side of the gearbox.
Considering the above given equations the wind
turbine model can be built. Figure 4 shows the block
diagram of the pitch controlled wind turbine model.
As input quantities the wind speed v, the angular
speed of the wind turbine and the pitch angle of
blades are necessary. The angular speed is obtained
from the movement equation (10) after the integration
of the angular acceleration. The angle is obtained
from the controller, which is usually modeled as
proportional-integral controller, see next section. The
most complex task is to adapt the cp(,) curves,
which have to be adapted for each single wind wheel.
Of course, the best solution would be the
implementation of the original manufacturers
characteristics, but these characteristics are not
always available. Therefore, the curves are
constructed artificially, see equation (4). In order to
calculate the cp--curves the generally accessible data
for airfoils can be used, i.e. drag and lift coefficients
as function of angle of attack.

The electrical objectives of wind turbine control are

[5]:
maximization of energy yield of wind by
tracking the tip speed ratio closely at the
maximum point of the power coefficient,

limitation of power to the nominal power of

the wind turbine,

control of grid voltage and power by

regulating the output of the wind turbine.

The additional objectives, which concern both

groups, are [5]:

minimization of control action,

stabilization of the system under all operating

conditions.

The control system structure depends on the type of

wind turbine. For pitch controlled wind turbines
driven with constant speed the control system consists
of a turbine controller, whereas for variable speed
wind turbines it consists of a turbine - as well as a
generator controller [3]. As already mentioned the
pitch control system is currently the most often used
system. The blades of the wind turbine with pitch
control can be turned around its axis to stall or to
feather. The system with pitching to feather is
characterized in this paper because it is the most used
system. By pitching into stall, the angle of attack
increases at decreasing pitch angle, while by pitching

into feather the angle of attack decreases when the

pitch angle increases, see Figure 1.
By changing the pitch angle, the rotor speed and
output power can be controlled. In control strategies
three main conditions can be distinguished. The first
condition responds to start-up operation of the wind
turbine. The second responds to partial load
operation, and the third to full load operation, see
Figure 5. In the first condition the wind turbine is
starting, therefore the generator is not connected to
the electrical network and the wind rotor speed is
optimized by changing the pitch angle. In the second
condition the wind speed is below the rated value and
the energy extracted from the wind has to be
optimized, i.e. as much electric energy as possible at
the given wind speed has to be produced. Depending
on the turbine type the pitch angle is either adjusted
to the optimal value or it is kept constant. In the third
condition the wind speeds are above the rated value
and the energy extracted must be limited to the
nominal reference power of the generator, see Figure
5. In this region the mechanical construction of the
wind turbine has to be protected against damages,
therefore the thrust has to be reduced.
Thus, the most important condition is the second one,
because wind turbines spend a significant part of their
operation time here. At high wind speeds it is not
necessary to use complicated algorithms for control
and optimization. The power can not exceed the
generators rated power, the generator can be
overloaded and the rotor speed has to be kept within
an acceptable range. The wind rotor is used as a
buffer for the energy-surplus within an acceptable
range of rotational speed.
For the second condition many different control
methods have been developed to achieve a maximum
energy yield [13]. In the presented model the generic
blade-angle control system is used [6].
This control system optimizes the initial blade angle
at light wind conditions (second control region) OPT.
The optimal value can be obtained using the blade
element momentum method [6], including the
incoming wind speed. In generic modeling usually the
OPT is set to zero in the range of wind speeds below
the rated one [6]. Figure 6 shows the block diagram

Figure 5 Power curve of pitch controlled wind

turbine with marked load regions

Figure 6 Generic control scheme of the blade angle

control, [6].
of the blade angle control system. The blade angle is
controlled by the input value X. This input can
represent an electric value, for example the electric
power; a mechanical value, for example the generator
rotor speed; or it can represent a combination of
electrical and mechanical values, [6]. The input value
X is compared with its reference XREF. As a result an
error signal XERR arises, which is sent to a
proportional-differential controller (PD) and then to a
proportional-integral controller (PI). The PD
controller can be neglected, it only serves to improve
the sensitivity and is only applied optionally. From
the PI controller the reference value of the blade
angle is received. This value can vary between the
optimized value OPT and the maximal value
MAX=90. It is assumed, that the reference value REF
can not be lower than the optimized value OPT. This
is the basic control system, which is applied at normal
operation of standard wind turbines. For the modeling
of large offshore wind farms the standard model has
to be extended. Namely, an additional function will
be added which can reduce the produced energy
based on an external set point signal. When the signal
is sent the standard control module is disabled and instead of the REF reference value - the signal ORDR
which corresponds to power reduction will be set as
new reference value. The power is reduced as long as
the order signal is given. When the order signal is
disabled the standard control is restarted again.
Another option is the modeling of the safety stop
function. This function is activated when the safety
stop order is given. Then the standard control module
is disabled again and MAX=90 is given as a
reference value and the wind turbine will be turned
off. In the next step, the assigned reference value is
compared with the actual pitch angle. The resulting
signal is given to the module which represents the
pitch servo system. In order to get a realistic response
the servo system is represented with a time constant
TSERVO.
Additionally, the limitations of the pitch angle and its
gradient are implemented. The assumed limit for the
pitch angle gradient is equal to 10/s [2]. The
dynamic of actuators and blades can be represented
with first or second order system, [4].
The output of the generic angle controller is the pitch
angle of the blades.

Simulation results

Simulations were made with a 500 kW wind turbine

model with 52 m rotor diameter. The necessary cP curves were calculated with (4) and (5) for
coefficients of Enercon E-40 turbine. As input for
simulation the wind curve in the time range of 900
seconds was prepared, see
Figure 7. The power and rotor speed of the turbine
was controlled with the pitch angle controller. For
wind speed lower than rated the pitch angle was set to
zero. Otherwise, the suitable pitch angle was
calculated by the controller.

Wind Speed [m/s]

Figure 7 gives the results of simulation.

The diagrams present adequately wind speed vWind,
electrical power Pel, rotor speed T and pitch angle .
The power and rotor speed are almost constant for
wind speed higher than rated. The pitch angle is
adequately set in this rangeto keep a constant power
and rotor speed. The deviations from rated values of
turbine power and rotor speed can be caused by
inertia of pitch drive.
For wind speed lower than rated the power and rotor
speed decrease and the pitch angle is set to zero.

6
[1]

References
E. Hau, "Windkraftanlagen", Springer 1996

[2]
S. Heier, "Windkraftanlagen. Systemauslegung, Integration und Regelung", Teubner 2003.
[3]
Z. Lubosny, "Wind Turbine Operation in
Electric Power System. Advanced Modeling",
Springer 2003.
[4]
"Modeling New Forms Of Generation And
Storage", CIGRE Task Force 38.01.10 April 2001.
[5]
H. Vihril, "Control of Variable Speed Wind
Turbines", 29 October 2002.

25
20
15
10

x 10

[6]
V. Akhmatov, "Analysis of Dynamic
Behaviour of Electric Power System with Large
Amount of Wind Power", April 2003.

[7]
R. Hoffmann, "A comparison of control
concepts for wind turbines in terms of energy
capture", Darmstadt 2002.

5
0

100

200

300

400
500
Time [s]

600

700

800

900

Power [W]

6
4
2
0

100

200

300

400

500
Time [s]

600

700

800

900

T [rpm]

30

[8]
T. Burton, D. Sharpe, N. Jenkins, E. Bossanyi,
"Handbook of Wind Energy", 2001.

20
10

Pitchangle [ ]

100

200

300

400

500
Time [s]

600

700

800

900

100

200

300

400

500
Time [s]

600

700

800

900

30
20

[9]
R. Leidhold, G. Garcia, M.I. Valla,
"Maximum efficiency control for variable speed wind
driven generators with speed and power limits", IEEE
2002.

10
0

Figure 7 Simulation results

5

paper can easily be implemented into simulation

software. Additionally, for simulation the wind
turbine generator has to be modelled. For this
simulation a simplified generator model was taken.
The presented wind turbine model will be the basis
for more complex simulations within the power
network. Therefore, it will be combined with a more
complex generator model.

Conclusions

In this paper the method of wind turbine rotor

modelling and controller design was presented. The
control method is a basic method, which can serve as
a starting point for the further development of new
control schemes. Summarizing, the control technique
of wind turbines would be ideal if the extracted
energy for each wind speed is maximal. This is
difficult to achieve, especially when the wind speed is
lower than rated. The control method proposed in this

[10] A.D. Hansen, F. Iov, P. Sorensen, F.

Blaabjerg, "Overall control strategy of variable speed
doubly-fed induction generator wind turbine".
[11] A. Mullane, G. Lightbody, R. Yacamini,
"Adaptive Control of Variable Speed Wind
Turbines".
[12] E.Muljadi, C.P. Butterfield, "Pitch-Controlled
Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Generation", February
2000.
[13] K.E. Johnson, L.J. Fingersh, "Methods For
Increasing Region 2 Power Capture On a Variable
Speed Hawt".

Biographies

Dipl.-Ing. Krzysztof Rudion studied electrical

engineering at the Wroclaw University of
Technology, Poland and the Rostock University of
Technology. He graduated in 2003 at the Wroclaw
University of Technology with a Dip.-Ing. degree and
joined the Chair of Electric Power Networks and
Renewable Energy Sources at the Otto-von-GuerickeUniversity Magdeburg, Germany - where he is as
research engineer. His special field of interest is wind
energy.
Dr.-Ing. Antje Orths studied electrical engineering at
the Technical University of Berlin where she
graduated in 1998 with a Dipl.-Ing. degree. Then she
joined the University of Applied Sciences in
Magdeburg, Germany, as a research engineer. In
1999, she joined the Chair of Electric Power
Networks and Renewable Energy Sources at the Ottovon-Guericke-University Magdeburg, where she
received her Ph.D. in 2003. At present, she is the
head of the group of Power Network Planning and
Electricity Economics in the above mentioned chair.
Her special field of interest includes electric power
networks and systems, modelling of dispersed energy
resources and optimization problems. She is member
of the IEEE and the VDE.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Zbigniew A. Styczynski studied
at the Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland and
received his Ph.D. there in 1977. He finished his
professorial dissertation in 1985 at the Wroclaw
University of Technology for which he received a
special award from the Polish Ministry of Higher
Education. From 1991 until 1999 he worked at the
Technical University of Stuttgart, Germany. In 1999
he became the Head of the Chair of Electric Power
Networks and Renewable Energy Sources of the
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information
Technology at the Otto-von-Guericke University,
Magdeburg, Germany. His special field of interest
includes electric power networks and systems, expert
systems and optimization problems.
e-mail: sty@e-technik.uni-magdeburg.de
www.uni-magdeburg.de/fet/iesy/lena