Candidate: Facundo Enrique Gonzalez
Program: UFSC / POSMEC
Date: April, 2012
Advisor: Victor Juliano De Negri
Abstract: This master thesis presents the study of the forces submitted to pitch control systems of wind turbines as well as the development of a experimental load emulator system to test pitch control systems. Looking for a larger and more efficient wind energy capture, wind turbines experience a growing development in all the technological areas involved in their design and construction. With the increasing power of the turbines, the optimization of the conversion of the wind resource into a source of electric energy is presented as on e of the most important design requirements. It is in this scenery that the role of the pitch drive systems and the complexity of the pitch control strategies has shown a considerable growth in the last years. In the contr ol of horizontal axis wind turbines, the pitch angle variation makes possible to optimize the energy capture, to reduce the dynamic loads in the turbine structure, and to maintain the quality of the generated power according to the standard requirements. Electromechanic and hydraulic actuato rs are commonly found in the wind industry, however, independently of the kind of actuator, the study and the reproduction of operational conditions represent a challenge for its theoretical and experimental deve lopment due to factors like the dynamic characteristic of the incident wind, the big masses to be moved and the non linear forces of the aerody namics of the blades In this context, the determination of loading force s and the application of the hardware in the loop simulation technique (H IL) are presented in this study for the analysis of the pitch control systems and strategies. In the experimental system, the friction forces, the forces due to the inertial effects and the dynamic forces of the wind are analytically determined and then emulated by the loading system. This emulator system consists of a hydraulic cylinder and its pressures in the chambers are controlled by proportional pressure reducing valves. This stud y pretends to contribute to the area of the design of pitch control systems of wind turbines, providing information and methods to estimate operational requirements of the actuating elements for the regulation of pitch control. Moreover, the study provides a tool for the experimental works in the area of control and operation of wind turbines and hydraulic systems.
GONZALEZ, F. E. Estudo das forças atuantes em mecanismos de regulação de ângulo de passo e desenvolvimento de um sistema emulador de cargas. 2012. Dissertação (Programa de Pós Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica), 168 p. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.
