Fault diagnosis of an advanced wind turbine benchmark using interval-based ARRs and observers

This paper proposes a model-based fault diagnosis (FD) approach for wind turbines and its application to a realistic wind turbine FD benchmark. The proposed FD approach combines the use of analytical redundancy relations (ARRs) and interval observers. Interval observers consider an unknown but bounded description of the model parametric uncertainty and noise using the the so-called set-membership approach. This approach leads to formulate the fault detection test by means of checking if the measurements fall inside the estimated output interval, obtained from the mathematical model of the wind turbine and noise/parameter uncertainty bounds. Fault isolation is based on considering a set of ARRs obtained from the structural analysis of the wind turbine model and a fault signature matrix that considers the relation of ARRs and faults. The proposed FD approach has been validated on a 5-MW wind turbine using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory FAST simulator. The obtained results are presented and compared with that of other approaches proposed in the literature.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Prognostics and health aware model predictive control of wind turbines

Wind turbines components are subject to considerable stresses and fatigue due to extreme environmental conditions to which they are exposed, especially those located offshore. Also, the most common faults present in wind turbine components have been investigated for years by the research community and that has led to propose a fault diagnosis and fault tolerant control wind turbine benchmark which include a set of faults that affect the sensors and actuators of several wind turbine components. This thesis presents some contributions to the fields of fault diagnosis, fault-tolerant control, prognostics and its integration with wind turbine control which leads to proposing a control approach called health-aware model predictive control (HAMPC). The contributions are summarized below: - Model-based fault diagnosis: to perform fault detection and isolation interval-based observers together with a set of analytical redundant relations (ARRs) are obtained based on a structural analysis and the fault signature matrix that relates the ARRs with the faults. - Fault tolerant control: it is proposed a fault tolerant control scheme that integrates fault detection and an algorithm for fault accommodation. The scheme has the objective to avoid the increment of blades and tower loads when a fault in the rotor azimuth angle sensor occurs using the individual pitch control technique (IPC). - Wind turbine blades fatigue prognostics and degradation: fatigue is assessed using the rainflow counting algorithm which is used to estimate the accumulated damage and for degradation, it is used a stiffness degradation model of blades material which is used to make predictions of remaining useful life (RUL). - Wind turbines health control: the module for the health of the system based on fatigue damage estimation and RUL predictions is integrated with model predictive control (MPC) leading to the proposed control approach (HAMPC). The contributions presented in this thesis have been validated on a wind turbine study case that uses a 5MW wind turbine reference model implemented in a high fidelity wind turbine simulator (FAST).Els components dels aerogeneradors estan sotmesos a considerable estrès i fatiga, degut a les condicions ambientals extremes a les quals estan exposats, especialment els localitzats en alta mar. Per aquest motiu, al comunitat científica durant els últims anys ha investigat les averies més comunes presents en els aerogeneradors, fet que ha portat a proposar un cas d'estudi de diagnosi i control tolerant de fallades que inclou un conjunt de fallades que afecten a diversos components dels aerogeneradors. Aquesta tesi presenta algunes contribucions en els camps de la diagnosi de fallades, el control tolerant de fallades i la prognosi, així com la seva integració amb el control d'aerogeneradors, fet que ha portat a proposar una tècnica de control anomenada control predictiu basada en models conscients de la salut del sistema (HAMPC). Concretament les aportacions es poden resumir en: - Diagnosi de fallades basada en models: per a la detecció s'utilitzen observadors intervalars i l'aïllament de la fallada es fa en base el conjunt d'ARRs obtinguts de l'anàlisi estructural i de la matriu de signatures de fallades que relaciona les ARRs amb les fallades. - Control tolerant de fallades: es proposa un esquema de control tolerant a fallades que integra la detecció de fallades i algoritme d'acomodació de fallades, i té per objectiu evitar l'augment de càrregues en la pala i la torre quan es produeix una fallada en el sensor azimuth quan es fa un control individual de la inclinació de les pales (IPC). - Prognosi de la fatiga i la degradació de les pales: la fatiga s'avalua amb un algorisme denominat "rainflow counting" amb el qual es fa estimació del dany acumulat i per a la degradació es fa servir un model de degradació de la rigidesa del material amb el qual es fan prediccions de la vida útil restant (RUL). - Control de la salut d'aerogeneradors: s'ha integrat la gestió de la salut del sistema basat en danys per fatiga o prediccions de RUL amb control predictiu basat en models (MPC) donant lloc al control que anomenem HAMPC. Les contribucions presentades en aquesta tesi han sigut validades en un cas d'estudi d'aerogeneradors basat en un aerogenerador de referència de 5MW de potència implementat en el simulador d'aerogeneradors d'alta fidelitat conegut amb el nom de FAST.Postprint (published version

Robust fault diagnosis of nonlinear systems using interval constraint satisfaction and analytical redundancy relations

In this paper, a robust fault diagnosis problem for nonlinear systems considering both bounded parametric modeling errors and noise is addressed using parity-equation-based analytical redundancy relations (ARR) and interval constraint satisfaction techniques. Fault detection, isolation, and estimation tasks are considered. Moreover, the problem of quantifying the uncertainty in the ARR parameters is also addressed. To illustrate the usefulness of the proposed approach, a case study based on the well-known wind turbine benchmark is used.This work has been supported by WATMAN (Ref. DPI-2009-13744) and SHERECS Projects (DPI-2011-26243) of the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry and the DGR of Generalitat de Catalunya (SAC group Ref. 2009/SGR/1491).Peer Reviewe

Fault detection and isolation of pitch actuator faults in a floating wind turbine

In this work, the problem of detection and isolation of pitch actuator faults in wind turbines (WTs) is addressed. First, interval observers are used by means of the Luenberger observer to obtain an upper and a lower estimated bounds. The main advantage of this approach is that the new bounds enclose the real output measurement within a bounded interval in a guaranteed way under consideration of the uncertainties (in this case noise in the pitch measurement). Finally, residual signals are obtained and processed to detect and isolate the different faults. The efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated through simulation with the 5MW floating offshore (barge) WT benchmark model given by the aero-lastic wind turbine simulator-FAST. This software is designed by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is widely used in research and industry.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Wind Turbine Active Fault Tolerant Control Based on Backstepping Active Disturbance Rejection Control and a Neurofuzzy Detector

© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Wind energy conversion systems have become an important part of renewable energy history due to their accessibility and cost-effectiveness. Offshore wind farms are seen as the future of wind energy, but they can be very expensive to maintain if faults occur. To achieve a reliable and consistent performance, modern wind turbines require advanced fault detection and diagnosis methods. The current research introduces a proposed active fault-tolerant control (AFTC) system that uses backstepping active disturbance rejection theory (BADRC) and an adaptive neurofuzzy system (ANFIS) detector in combination with principal component analysis (PCA) to compensate for system disturbances and maintain performance even when a generator actuator fault occurs. The simulation outcomes demonstrate that the suggested method successfully addresses the actuator generator torque failure problem by isolating the faulty actuator, providing a reliable and robust solution to prevent further damage. The neurofuzzy detector demonstrates outstanding performance in detecting false data in torque, achieving a precision of 90.20% for real data and 100%, for false data. With a recall of 100%, no false negatives were observed. The overall accuracy of 95.10% highlights the detector’s ability to reliably classify data as true or false. These findings underscore the robustness of the detector in detecting false data, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the application presented. Overall, the study concludes that BADRC and ANFIS detection and isolation can improve the reliability of offshore wind farms and address the issue of actuator generator torque failure.Peer reviewe

Context-Aware Performance Benchmarking of a Fleet of Industrial Assets

Industrial assets are instrumented with sensors, connected and continuously monitored. The collected data, generally in form of time-series, is used for corrective and preventive maintenance. More advanced exploitation of this data for very diverse purposes, e.g. identifying underperformance, operational optimization or predictive maintenance, is currently an active area of research. The general methods used to analyze the time-series lead to models that are either too simple to be used in complex operational contexts or too difficult to be generalized to the whole fleet due to their asset-specific nature. Therefore, we have conceived an alternative methodology allowing to better characterize the operational context of an asset and quantify the impact on its performance. The proposed methodology allows to benchmark and profile fleet assets in a context-aware fashion, is applicable in multiple domains (even without ground truth). The methodology is evaluated on real-world data coming from a fleet of wind turbines and compared to the standard approach used in the domain. We also illustrate how the asset performance (in terms of energy production) is influenced by the operational context (in terms of environmental conditions). Moreover, we investigate how the same operational context impacts the performance of the different assets in the fleet and how groups of similarly behaving assets can be determined

A two-tank benchmark for detection and isolation of cyber attacks

This paper presents a benchmark for the detection and isolation of cyber attacks, which is a non-linear controlled interconnected system based on a two tank system. In this benchmark, a malicious attacker wants to remain hidden while stealing water by altering the signals of the sensors of the levels of the tanks. It is assumed that the attacker can steal water from the tanks using extraction pumps with pre-established flow rates and, depending on the theft and the type of sensor alteration, different attack scenarios are proposed.Postprint (published version

Multiobjective performance-based designs in fault estimation and isolation for discrete-time systems and its application to wind turbines

In this work, we develop a performance-based design of model-based observes and statistical-based decision mechanisms for achieving fault estimation and fault isolation in systems affected by unknown inputs and stochastic noises. First, through semidefinite programming, we design the observers considering different estimation performance indices as the covariance of the estimation errors, the fault tracking delays and the degree of decoupling from unknown inputs and from faults in other channels. Second, we perform a co-design of the observers and decision mechanisms for satisfying certain trade-off between different isolation performance indices: the false isolation rates, the isolation times and the minimum size of the isolable faults. Finally, we extend these results to a scheme based on a bank of observers for the case where multiple faults affect the system and isolability conditions are not verified. To show the effectiveness of the results, we apply these design strategies to a well-known benchmark of wind turbines which considers multiple faults and has explicit requirements over isolation times and false isolation rates

Health-aware model predictive control of wind turbines using fatigue prognosis

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Sánchez, H. E., Escobet, T., Puig, V., Fogh, P. Health-aware model predictive control of wind turbines using fatigue prognosis. "International journal of adaptive control and signal processing", 1 Abril 2018, vol. 32, núm. 4, p. 614-627, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/acs.2784. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived VersionsWind turbine components are subject to considerable fatigue because of extreme environmental conditions to which they are exposed, especially those located offshore. Wind turbine blades are under significant gravitational, inertial, and aerodynamic loads, which cause their fatigue and degradation during the wind turbine operational life. A fatigue problem is often present at the blade root because of the considerable bending moments applied to this zone. Interest in the integration of control with fatigue load minimization has increased in recent years. This paper investigates the fatigue assessment using a rainflow counting algorithm and the blade root moment information coming from the sensor available in a high-fidelity simulator of a utility-scale wind turbine. Then, the integration of the fatigue-based system health management module with control is proposed. This provides a mechanism for the wind turbine to operate safely and optimize the trade-off between components' life and energy production. In particular, this paper explores the integration of model predictive control with the fatigue-based prognosis approach to minimize the damage of wind turbine components (the blades). A control-oriented model of the fatigue based on the rainflow counting algorithm is proposed to obtain online information of the blades' accumulated damage that can be integrated with model predictive control. Then, the controller objective function is modified by adding an extra criterion that takes into account the accumulated damage. The scheme is implemented and tested in a well-known wind turbine benchmark.Peer Reviewe