In this research, a wind feedforward (FF) controller has been developed to augment closed loop feedback controllers for the position and heading station keeping control of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). The performance of the controllers was experimentally tested using a 16 foot USV in an outdoor marine environment. The FF controller was combined with three nonlinear feedback controllers, a Proportional–Derivative (PD) controller, a Backstepping (BS) controller, and a Sliding mode (SM) controller, to improve the station-keeping performance of the USV. To address the problem of wind model uncertainties, adaptive wind feedforward (AFF) control schemes are also applied to the FF controller, and implemented together with the BS and SM feedback controllers. The adaptive law is derived using Lyapunov Theory to ensure stability. On-water station keeping tests of each combination of FF and feedback controllers were conducted in the U.S. Intracoastal Waterway in Dania Beach, FL USA. Five runs of each test condition were performed; each run lasted at least 10 minutes. The experiments were conducted in Sea State 1 with an average wind speed of between 1 to 4 meters per second and significant wave heights of less than 0.2 meters. When the performance of the controllers is compared using the Integral of the Absolute Error (IAE) of position criterion, the experimental results indicate that the BS and SM feedback controllers significantly outperform the PD feedback controller (e.g. a 33% and a 44% decreases in the IAE, respectively). It is also found that FF is beneficial for all three feedback controllers and that AFF can further improve the station keeping performance. For example, a BS feedback control combined with AFF control reduces the IAE by 25% when compared with a BS feedback controller combined with a non-adaptive FF controller. Among the eight combinations of controllers tested, SM feedback control combined with AFF control gives the best station keeping performance with an average position and heading error of 0.32 meters and 4.76 degrees, respectively. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

O presente trabalho apresenta um estudo numérico e experimental sobre o desempenho aerodinâmico de turbinas eólicas de eixo vertical envolvendo rotores Savonius convencional de duplo-estágio e helicoidal. O estudo experimental é realizado no Túnel Aerodinâmico Professor Debi Pada Sadhu, do Laboratório de Mecânica dos Fluidos da UFRGS. As simulações numéricas são realizadas com o software Fluent/ANSYS utilizando o Método dos Volumes Finitos. São comparados os coeficientes de torque estático e dinâmico, o coeficiente de potência, além de uma análise aerodinâmica das duas turbinas. As medições são realizadas empregando Tubos de Pitot, um torquímetro estático digital e um torquímetro simples construído para a medição do torque dinâmico. As turbinas são fabricadas através da técnica de prototipagem 3D, com uma semelhança de dimensões e parâmetros. As soluções numéricas são resolvidas através da equação da continuidade, das equações de Navier-Stokes com médias de Reynolds (RANS) e pelo modelo de turbulência k-ω SST. A qualidade da malha utilizada é avaliada através do método de Índice de Convergência de Malha (GCI), para três diferentes tamanhos de malha. São feitas análises dos rotores na forma estática para diferentes ângulos de incidência e com a turbina em rotação são feitas análises para diferentes razões de velocidades de ponta de pá (λ). Resultados demonstram que a turbina helicoidal apresenta um coeficiente de torque positivo para todos os ângulos do rotor, assim como a turbina convencional de dois estágios. O coeficiente de torque dinâmico da turbina helicoidal é superior ao da turbina de duplo-estágio para a maioria dos casos, e também apresenta menor oscilação de torque ao longo de cada rotação. Por consequência, o coeficiente de potência do rotor helicoidal também se tornou superior, com um valor máximo encontrado na ordem de 11,8% para um λ de 0,65 no caso experimental, e de 8,4% para o mesmo λ no caso numérico, quando comparado com o rotor de duplo-estágio. Os erros relativos entre as simulações numéricas e os resultados experimentais estão entre 2,16% e 13,4%. Uma estimativa de potência gerada é feita para ambos os casos, para uma razão de velocidade de ponta de 0,65, onde a turbina helicoidal apresenta melhores resultados em relação ao rotor de duplo-estágio, na ordem de 13,6% para uma velocidade de 10,4 m/s. / This paper presents a numerical and experimental study of vertical axis wind turbine performance comparison involving two-stage and helical Savonius rotors. The experimental study is conducted in the Aerodynamic Tunnel Professor Debi Pada Sadhu at the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory of the UFRGS. The numerical simulations are performed with the Fluent/ANSYS software using the Finite Volumes Method. The static and dynamic torque coefficients, the power coefficients, and an aerodynamic analysis of the two turbines are compared. Measurements are made using Pitot tubes, a digital static torque wrench and a simple wrench constructed for the dynamic torque measurement. The aerodynamics rotors are manufactured by 3D prototyping technique with similar dimensions and parameters. Numerical solutions are solved by the continuity equation, the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the turbulence model k-ω SST. The quality of the mesh used is evaluated used the Grid Convergence Index (GCI) method, for three different mesh sizes. The rotors analyzes are made in static form for different angles of incidence and for the rotating turbine analyzes are made for differents tip speed ratio (λ). Results show that the helical turbine has a positive static torque coefficient for any rotor angles, as well as conventional two-stage turbine. The dynamic torque coefficient of the helical turbine is higher than the two-stage turbine for most cases and also shows less torque variation along each rotation. Consequently, the power coefficient of the helical rotor also become higher, with a maximum value found on the order of 11.8% for a λ of 0.65 in the experimental case, and 8.4% for the same λ number when compared with the two-stage rotor. The relative errors between the numerical simulations and the experimental results are between 2.16% and 13.4%. A generated power estimate is made for both cases, for a tip speed ratio of 0.65, where the helical turbine provides better results compared to two-stage rotor in order of 13.6% for a velocity of 10.4 m/s.

Desenvolvimento de uma máquina síncrona trifásica com ímãs de Nd-Fe-B e núcleo do rotor a partir de ferro sinterizado para aplicação em aerogeradores de 7,5 kW, verificando a viabilidade do protótipo. Partindo de um projeto anteriormente desenvolvido, foi realizada alteração no ângulo das chapas do estator em 10º, com o intuito de minimizar o efeito de correntes parasitas, sendo esse um dos fatores que influenciam os resultados. Para avaliação de desempenho, foi utilizada uma bancada de testes composta de analisador de energia, sensor de torque e instrumentos de medição, sendo o acionamento do protótipo realizado através de um motor de indução controlado por um inversor de frequência. Entre os resultados encontrados, foi constatada a presença de harmônicas que impactam sobre os valores obtidos do protótipo. Os testes realizados, de simulação e parâmetros elétricos, indicaram resultados apropriados ao desempenho de uma máquina elétrica trifásica, porém mostram-se necessárias alterações para um melhor desempenho do protótipo. / Development of a three-phase synchronous machine with Nd-Fe-B magnets and rotor core from sintered iron for application in 7.5 kW wind turbines, verifying the feasibility of the prototype. Starting from a previously developed design, a change in the angle of the stator plates was made in 10º, in order to minimize the effect of the parasite currents, being one of the factors that influence the results. For performance evaluation, a test bench composed of energy analyzer, torque sensor and measuring instruments was used, and the drive of the prototype was carried out through an induction motor controlled by a frequency inverter. Among the results found, it was verified the presence of harmonics that impact on the values obtained from the prototype. The tests performed, simulation and electrical parameters, indicated results appropriate to the performance of a three-phase electric machine, however changes are needed for a better performance of the prototype.

A geração de energia elétrica por meio de aerogeradores de microporte vem ganhando espaço em várias partes do mundo; porém, estudos que descrevem e analisam este artefato, ainda são restritos se comparados a aerogeradores de médio e grande porte. Países como China e Estados Unidos, por exemplo, buscam cada vez mais estudar a microgeração de energia eólica, servindo como motivação para que exista maior número de estudos neste campo, também aqui no país. Neste sentido, a presente pesquisa apresenta análise de perfis NACA com diferentes ângulos de passo visando a microgeração de energia eólica. Para tanto realizou-se levantamento das velocidades de vento na parte superior de um prédio localizado no centro de Porto Alegre durante 5 dias e os perfis aerodinâmicos foram testados no programa computacional Q-Blade. Selecionou-se 3 perfis NACA (0012, 6409, 1412), 3 ângulos de passo (15º, 30° e 45º) e 5 velocidades de vento (de 1m/s à 5 m/s). Os modelos analisados foram obtidos através de impressão 3D. Foram então realizados ensaios aerodinâmicos utilizando o túnel de vento nos quais foram medidos o número de rotação por minuto (RPM), a velocidade de vento da partida da hélice, a tensão, corrente e a potência elétrica, geradas para diferentes configurações de ensaio. O trabalho contribui no sentido de auxiliar projetos que envolvam design e tecnologia que visem à melhoria da funcionalidade prática de microgeradores eólicos de eixo horizontal para as diversas aplicações possíveis. Os resultados apontam que o ângulo de passo de 45º apresenta os maiores índices de rotação, tensão, corrente e potência elétrica para todos os perfis NACA analisados, sendo o perfil NACA 0012 o de maior destaque em relação a esses mesmos parâmetros. / Electric power generation by small scale wind turbines has been gaining space in several parts of the world, however, studies that describe and analyze this artefact, are still more restrict in comparison to medium and large scale wind turbines. Countries such as China and the United States, for example, are increasingly seek to study wind power microgeneration, working as a motivator in order to increase the number of studies in the field, even here in the country. In this matter, the present research presents an analysis of NACA profiles with different pitch angles seeking wind energy microgeneration. In order to do so, it was gathered the wind speed of the top portion of a building located in central Porto Alegre during 5 days and the aerodynamic profiles were tested in the computer program Q-Blade. 3 NACA profiles (0012, 6409, 1412), 3 pitch angles (15º, 30° e 45º) and 5 wind velocities (1m/s to 5 m/s) were selected. The analyzed models were obtained through 3D printing. Aerodynamical tests were performed using the Wind tunnel and were observed the number of rotation per minute (RPM), the wind speed start of the propeller, electric tension, current and power generated for different test configurations. The work contributes to assisting projects that involves design and technology aimed at improving the practical functionality of horizontal axis wind generators for the various possible applications. The results indicate that the 45º pitch angle presents the highest rates of rotation, electric tension, current and power for all the NACA profiles analyzed, with the NACA 0012 profile being the most prominent in relation to these same parameters.

The principal objective of the proposed CFD analysis is to investigate the flow field around a horizontal axis wind turbine rotor and calculate the turbine's power. A full three dimensional computational fluid dynamics method based on Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes approach was used in this study. The wind turbine has three blades and a rotor diameter of six meters. One third of the wind turbine rotor was modeled by means of 120o periodicity in a moving reference frame system. The power coefficient curve obtained from the CFD results is compared with experimental data obtained by NREL Phase VI rotor experiment. The numerical result for the power coefficient curve shows close agreement with the experimental data. The simulation results include the velocity distribution, pressure distribution along the flow direction, turbulent wake behind the wind turbine, and the turbine's power. The discussion will also include the effect of wind speed on turbine's power. / by Armen Sargsyan. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Wind energy has been the fastest emerging renewable energy source over the last decade. The overriding provisos to minimise greenhouse emissions and increasing concerns regarding energy security have been the major inducements for many countries to make a resolute transition to new and non-conventional power sources. Direct-drive systems for wind turbines are potentially a more reliable alternative to gearbox driven systems. Gearboxes are liable to significant accumulated fatigue torque loading with relatively high maintenance costs. It is with this in mind that the primary focus of this research is on direct-drive wind turbines. Generators in direct-drive wind turbines tend to be of large diameter and heavier due to the support structure required to maintain as small air-gap as possible between the stationary and rotating parts of the generator. Permanent magnet generators (PMGs) are the most common type to be used within direct-drive wind turbines nowadays. Generators and other drive-train components in wind turbines experience significant varying loads, which may lead to a bearing failure. These varying loads can lead to misalignment within the drivetrain producing eccentricity between the generator rotor and stator. Rotor eccentricity generates a magnetic force referred to as Unbalanced Magnetic Pull (UMP). The induced UMP for the same rotor eccentricity is much higher in PMGs than induction generators because of the higher permanent magnet magnetic field. UMP is an important issue requiring further research. A part of this study provides a more detailed treatment of UMP under varying rotor eccentricity regimes for various permanent magnet machine topologies. The effect of UMP in direct-drive PMGs on the lifetime of the main bearing is a topic that requires more research aimed at proposing design improvements and solutions. The hope being that the availability of such solutions can be applied to practical reductions in operating costs. In brief, identification of the root causes of failure and impacts on component lifetime remain a subject of research. Establishing analytical tools for studying the impact of UMP on component lifetime in direct drive wind turbines and identifying the prospects for air gap winding machines using single bearing configuration are the two key areas for further research. Firstly, this research aims to establish the relationship between bearing forces and different types of eccentricities and UMP in direct drive machines. It is intended to use such models for predicting bearing wear and fatigue. Secondly, this research aims to establish the analytical tools for studying static, dynamic and tilting eccentricity in air-gap winding direct drive generators. Such tools are used to increase the understanding of the dynamics of direct drive PM generators. The final step of this study is using a multi-body simulation software (SIMPACK) to initiate investigations and comparison by providing assessments of electromagnetic interaction and internal drive-train loading for four possible designs for a proposed 5MW direct-drive wind turbine in response to the loads normally seen by a wind turbine. The four designs include: (a) iron-cored PM direct-drive generator supported by two main bearings, (b) airgap winding PM direct-drive generator supported by two main bearings, (c) iron-cored PM direct-drive generator supported by a single main bearing, (d) airgap winding PM direct-drive generator supported by a single main bearing. An aero-elastic simulation code (HAWC2) is used to extract the hub loads for different wind speeds corresponding to the normal operation of the wind turbine. The dynamic eccentricity and its influence on the electromagnetic interaction and consequential effects on bearing loading for all four designs is examined to determine the most optimal support structural configuration for a direct-drive system. In summary, the main aim of this thesis is studying the effect of different types of rotor eccentricities in different types of direct drive PMGs on the main bearing arrangements. The results show that static rotor eccentricity has the maximum impact compared to the other types of eccentricities. The main result of an eccentricity is the induced UMP which applies directly as an extra force on the bearings. The influence of UMP on bearing wear is studied. This influence is found to be significant in PM machines and should be considered when designing the bearing stiffness. A 20% static rotor eccentricity in a PM machine is found to induce an UMP that roughly equals third the total weight of the machine. A single bearing design for a direct-drive wind turbine is proposed and compared with a conventional two-bearing design. The results show that the Iron-cored PM direct-drive generator supported by two main bearings design and airgap winding PM direct-drive generator supported by a single main bearing design have advantages over the other two designs in this study.

Energy is part of everyday life and renewable energy technologies are increasingly becoming part of our lived environments. Social scientists are responding to renewable energy technologies by investigating what people think about wind turbines (Aitken, 2010; Pasqualetti, 2011a, 2011b) and the distribution of community benefits (Cowell et al, 2011; Bristow et al 2012). This thesis adds to this body of research by describing Udny's renewable energy project and its capacity to effect change. More specifically, I examine what this community-owned wind turbine does with other situational elements to transform life within the community. Using the cartographic methods developed by Adele E. Clarke (2005), I map out the situation by drawing out the elements – this includes objects, people, organisations and discursive practices – and tracing their relations. Thinking sociologically about situational elements and their relational effects provokes a move towards ecological sociology and re-imagines social life as the effect of interconnected entities, such as materials and meanings, thoughts and actions, people and objects (Morton, 2007, 2010). Mapping the interconnectedness of societal ecologies depicts social life as neither distinct from the natural world (Catton and Dunlap, 1978, 1980) nor symmetrical with natures (Callon, 1986; Akrich and Latour, 1992; Asdal, 2008) but, rather, as part of relationally emergent ecologies. Udny's community renewable energy project illustrates the relational emergence of a social ecology, as the turbine and trust work with existing and emergent entities to enact change (Barad, 2007; Harman, 2009; Bennett, 2010; Morton, 2010, 2016). It is by doing things together that situational elements transform life within Udny (Clarke, 2005; Yusoff, 2013).

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Julio Carlos Teixeira / A expansão da energia eólica no Brasil é fato nos últimos 20 anos e está consagrada com sua participação da matriz energética nacional. Este trabalho desenvolve um modelo de cálculo de Energia Anual Produzida (EAP), considerando a taxa de falhas e o tempo no qual o equipamento permanece sem gerar energia, indisponibilidade ou downtime. Para identificar o efeito das falhas na energia gerada é necessário um banco de dados ainda não disponibilizado no Brasil. O trabalho utilizou valores de referências ¿ benchmarks - de países com diferentes condições climáticas, que empregam diferentes tecnologias, confiabilidades e diferentes tempos de reparo. A partir deste modelo desenvolvido, foi feita a avaliação da EAP e de alguns indicadores de eficiência, considerando diferentes regimes de ventos, taxa de falhas e downtimes. Os resultados mostraram que as perdas devido às taxas fixas e variáveis para ventos brandos, em torno de 6 m/s, são equivalentes, se comportam linearmente com aumento de ventos e são relativamente pequenas se comparadas com as de velocidades mais altas onde as perdas aumentam de forma significativa. A análise desses resultados aponta que a taxa de falhas interfere de forma significativa na estimativa do fator de capacidade e na disponibilidade. Nas condições analisadas, as diferenças entre os indicadores estimados e aqueles que consideram downtimes, superam 2,6%. Essa diferença pode ser tanto maior quanto menor for a confiabilidade ou quanto maior for o tempo de reparo esperado para o parque eólico. Os resultados do trabalho mostram que a indisponibilidade tende a ser reduzida com as manutenções preventivas dos subconjuntos da turbina, e se ocorrerem no período úmido, ocasionarão perdas menores do que se comparadas ao período seco, na proporção de quase 30% nas condições simuladas. Os resultados mostraram também que valores de benchmarks provocam diferentes impactos na EAP. Portanto, conhecer o valor típico brasileiro do MTBF ¿ Tempo Médio Entre Falhas, qual o subsistema é mais confiável e outras informações referentes às condições nacionais, criará condições para uma estimativa mais realista da EAP. Na mesma analogia, conhecendo-se os tempos médios de reparos desses subsistemas - MTTR, e dos demais tempos decorrentes para realização da manutenção, pode-se planejar políticas e práticas adequadas de manutenabilidade para os parques eólicos implantados no Brasil. / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Energia, 2014. / The wind energy expansion has been a fact over the last 20 years in Brazil and it is consolidated as an integral part of the national energy grid. This paper presents a method of calculation of the EAP (annual energy production) considering failure rates and downtime. In order to assess the impact of the energy failures a database, which is not available in Brazil, would be needed. Benchmarks from countries with different climates, different technologies, reliability and recovery time were used. EAP (annual energy production) and some efficiency indicators were assessed through this model, considering different wind patterns, failure rates and downtime. Losses due to fixed and variable rates of light wind, approximately 6 m/s, are equivalent, behave linearly with wind increase and are relatively small when compared to higher speeds, where losses go up and diverge. The outcome assessment shows that the failure rates interfere significantly with the estimate of availability and capacity factors. Under the conditions assessed, the difference between estimated indicators and downtime, is over 2.6%. The lower the reliability or the longer recovery time is, the higher this difference will be. The outcome shows that unavailability tends to be reduced with preventive maintenance of the turbine subsystems, and if it happens in wet seasons, losses are lower compared to dry seasons, nearly 30% under the simulated conditions. The results also showed that benchmark figures have different impacts on EAP. Therefore, knowing the Brazilian typical MTBF (average time between failures) or which subsystem is more reliable will provide conditions to a more accurate and optimized estimate of the EAP. In addition, knowing the average time of recovery of these subsystems (MTTR) as well as the time taken on maintenance might enable us to plan new maintenance practices and policies.

Improving the wind turbine blade design has a significant effect on the efficiency of the wind turbine. This is a challenging multi-disciplinary optimization problem. During the blade design process, the aerodynamic shapes, sizing of the structural members, and material composition must all be determined and optimized. Some previous blade design methods incorporate the wind turbine's static response with an added safety factor to account for neglected dynamic effects. Others incorporate the dynamic response, but in general is limited to a few design cases. By not fully incorporating the dynamic response of the wind turbine, the final turbine blade design is either too conservative by overemphasizing the dynamic effects or infeasible by failing to adequately account for these effects. In this work, we propose two methods which efficiently incorporate the dynamic response into the optimization routine. The first method involves iteratively calculating damage equivalent fatigue that are fixed during the optimization process. We also demonstrate the training and use of a surrogate model to efficiently estimate the fatigue damage and extreme events in the design process. This surrogate model has been generalized to be used for different rated turbines, and can predict the fatigue damage of a wind turbine with less than 5% error. In general, these alternative, more efficient methods have been shown to be an adequate replacement of the more computationally expensive method of calculating the dynamic response of the turbine within the optimization routine.

La simulation numérique des éoliennes flottantes est essentielle pour le développement des Energies Marines Renouvelables. Les outils de simulation classiquement utilisés supposent un écoulement stationnaire sur les rotors. Ces théories sont généralement assez précises pour calculer les forces aérodynamiques et dimensionner les éoliennes fixes (à terre ou en mer) mais les mouvements de la plateforme d’une éolienne flottante peuvent induire des effets instationnaires conséquents. Ceux-ci peuvent par exemple impacter la force de poussée sur le rotor. Cette thèse de doctorat cherche à comprendre et à quantifier les effets de l’aérodynamique instationnaire sur la tenue à la mer des éoliennes flottantes, dans différentes conditions de fonctionnement. L’étude montre que les forces aérodynamiques instationnaires impactent les mouvements de la plateforme lorsque le rotor est fortement chargé. Les modèles quasi-stationnaires arrivent néanmoins à capturer la dynamique des éoliennes flottantes avec une précision suffisante pour des phases de design amont. Les éoliennes flottantes à axe vertical sont elles aussi étudiées pour des projets offshore puisqu’elles pourraient nécessiter des coûts d’infrastructure réduits. Après avoir étudié l’influence de l’aérodynamique instationnaire sur la tenue à la mer de ces éoliennes, une comparaison est menée entre éoliennes flottantes à axe horizontal et à axe vertical. Cette dernière subit une importante poussée aérodynamique par vents forts, induisant de très grands déplacements et chargements. / Accurate numerical simulation of thesea keeping of Floating Wind turbines (FWTs) is essential for the development of Marine Renewable Energy. State-of-the-art simulation tools assume a steady flow on the rotor. The accuracy of such models has been proven for bottom-fixed turbines, but has not been demonstrated yet for FWTs with substantial platform motions. This PhD thesis focuses on the impact of unsteady aerodynamics on the seakeeping of FWTs. This study is done by comparing quasi-steady to fully unsteady models with a coupled hydro-aerodynamic simulation tool. It shows that unsteady load shave a substantial effect on the platform motion when the rotor is highly loaded. The choice of a numerical model for example induces differences in tower base bending moments. The study also shows that state of the art quasi-steady aerodynamic models can show rather good accuracy when studying the global motion of the FWTs. Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) could lower infrastructure costs and are hence studied today for offshore wind projects. Unsteady aerodynamics for floating VAWT sand its effects on the sea keeping modelling have been studied during the PhD thesis,leading to similar conclusions than for traditional floating Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs). Those turbines have been compared to HAWTs. The study concludes that, without blade pitch control strategy, VAWTs suffer from very high wind thrust at over-rated wind speeds, leading to excessive displacements and loads. More developments are hence needed to improve the performance of such floating systems.