Power generation using wind turbines is a highly researched control field. Many control designs have been proposed based on continuous-time models like PI-control, or state observers with state feedback but without special regard to robustness to model uncertainties. The aim of this thesis was to design a robust digital controller for a wind turbine. The design was based on a discrete-time model in the polynomial framework that was derived from a continuous-time state-space model based on data from a real plant. A digital controller was then designed by interactive pole placement to satisfy bounds on sensitivity functions. As a result the controller eliminates steady state errors after a step response, gives sufficient damping by using dynamical feedback, tolerates changes in the dynamics to account for non linear effects, and avoids feedback of high frequency un modeled dynamics.

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The focus of the research program is to analysis and design of a new generation glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) wind turbine tower for full scale prototype testing. The study includes the finite element analyses of different tower section configurations, the parametrical study of different variables, the selection of appropriate configuration and dimensions, and the finalization of the section. The design section arrived from this study has the bottom outer diameter of 1350 mm, the top outer diameter of 800 mm, the constant inner diameter of 600 mm and uniform wall thickness of 11.25 mm. The tower is also analysed and compared with a steel tapered tower. The analysis results indicate that the tower is considered as a soft-soft tower and that, in general, the lateral deflection limitation is a governing factor in the design of GFRP wind turbine tower. The proposed section met all the design requirements and the fabrication drawings are provided for the further study of full scale test.

Idénergie develops the first domestic hydrokinetic turbine for rivers. Itaims at producing about 100W in a 1.4m/s river to power up remote locations.Idénergie’s turbine has two main advantages: a completely watertight shaftlessgenerator and an integrated smart converter. The first turbines are planned tobe sold in June 2014.To be able to test the embedded intelligence in the lab, Idénergie’s testbench must be able to reproduce river conditions. Measurements have beenperformed in a river and provide the torque developed by the river at differentspeeds. On the test bench controlled by a LabView program, the rotationalspeed is measured and the corresponding torque computed. This torque is setas the new command and makes the test bench behave as if it was driven by aturbine in a river.Idénergie’s generator contains a rotor made of permanent magnets.These magnets are provided by a supplier and their quality needs to bechecked. For this purpose, a magnetometer is designed and built. It contains 5Hall effect sensors which move at a constant speed above a magnet andmeasure its magnetic field. The magnetometer is able to compare magnets to areference and to detect the faulty ones. The sensors are also used to measurethe magnetic field of the rotor and show that the custom-made shape of themagnets has no influence on the sinusoidal field.The converter transforms the three-phase current to direct current andcontrols the rotational speed. This is done thanks to an embedded electroniccard, which is about to be working properly. The Maximum Power PointTracking algorithm ensures that the rotational speed is optimum in order toproduce the maximum power output. The code loaded on this card is written inits main part but needs to be tested on the test bench once the card will beoperational.

The focus of the research program is to analysis and design of a new generation glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) wind turbine tower for full scale prototype testing. The study includes the finite element analyses of different tower section configurations, the parametrical study of different variables, the selection of appropriate configuration and dimensions, and the finalization of the section. The design section arrived from this study has the bottom outer diameter of 1350 mm, the top outer diameter of 800 mm, the constant inner diameter of 600 mm and uniform wall thickness of 11.25 mm. The tower is also analysed and compared with a steel tapered tower. The analysis results indicate that the tower is considered as a soft-soft tower and that, in general, the lateral deflection limitation is a governing factor in the design of GFRP wind turbine tower. The proposed section met all the design requirements and the fabrication drawings are provided for the further study of full scale test.

The temperature of the flow entering a high-pressure turbine stage is inherently non-uniform, as it is produced by several discrete, azimuthally-distributed combustors. In general, however, industrial simulations assume inlet temperature uniformity to simplify the preparation process and reduce computation time. The effects of a non-uniform inlet field on the performance of a commercial, transonic, single-stage, high-pressure, axial turbine with a curved inlet duct have been investigated numerically by performing URANS (Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations) simulations with the SST (Shear Stress Transport) turbulence model. By adjusting the alignment of the experimentally-based inlet temperature field with respect to the stator vanes, two clocking configurations were generated: a vane-impinging (VI) case , in which each hot streak impinged on a vane; and a mid-pitch (MP) case, in which each hot streak passed between two vanes. In the VI configuration, the hot streaks produced higher time-averaged heat load on the vanes and lower heat load on the blades. As the hot streaks in the VI case passed over the stator vanes, they also spread spanwise due to the actions of the casing passage vortices and the radial pressure gradient; this resulted in a stream entering the rotor with relatively low temperature variations. The hot streaks in the MP case were convected undisturbed past the relatively cool vane section. Relatively high time-averaged enthalpy values were found to occur on the pressure side of the blades in the MP configuration. The non-uniformity of the time-averaged enthalpy on the blade surfaces was lower in the VI configuration. The flow exiting the rotor section was much less non-uniform in the VI case, but differences in calculated efficiency were not significant. / Pratt & Whitney Canada, NSERC

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