Both the generator torque and blade pitch controllers use the generator speed as the sole feedback input. A recursive, single-pole low-pass filter exponential smoothing to reduce the high frequency excitation of the control systems is provided. The discrete time recursion equation for this filter is

\(\mathrm {\omega _{f.k}=\alpha \omega _{f.k-1}+(1-\alpha )\omega _K}\)

where

\(\mathrm {\alpha =exp((-\Delta t)/(TC))}\)

where \(\mathrm {\Delta t}\) is the discrete time step, \(\mathrm {TC}\) is the filter time constant, \(\mathrm {\alpha }\) is the low-pass filter coefficient \(\mathrm {\omega _f}\) is low pass filtered generator speed and \(\mathrm {k}\) indicates the time step. The relation between the filter time constant and the cut off (corner) frequency \(\mathrm {f_C}\) is given by:

\(\mathrm {TC=\frac{1}{2\pi f_C}}\)

The generator torque is computed as a tabulated function of the filtered generator speed, incorporating five control regions: 1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2 and 3 as illustrated in the figure `Illustration of the variable speed controller - Generator torque versus generator speed' below. Region 1 is a control region before cut-in wind speed, where the generator torque is zero and no power is extracted. Instead, the wind is used to accelerate the rotor for start-up. Region 2 is a control region for optimizing power capture. Here, the generator torque is proportional to the quare of the filtered generator speed to maintain a constant (optimal) tip-speed ratio. In region 3, the generator torque or the generator power is held constant. In case of constant power the generator torque is inversely proportional to the filtered generator speed.

In region 3, the collective blade pitch angle commands are computed using a gain-scheduled proportional-integral (PI) control on the speed error between the filtered generator speed and the rated generator speed. The PI regulator is represented by the Laplace transform: \(\mathrm {(K(s+a))/s}\) where \(\mathrm {K}\) and \(\mathrm {a}\) are the proportional gain and the integrator gain. The corresponding and simple regulator algorithm is given by

\(\mathrm {R(t+\Delta t)=R(t)+\Delta \omega \Delta t}\)

\(\mathrm {\theta =K_P\Delta \omega aK_PR(t\Delta t)=K_P\Delta \omega K_IR(t\Delta t)}\)

where \(\mathrm {\Delta t}\) is the regulator time step, \(\mathrm {\Delta \omega }\) is the rotor speed error, i.e. the difference between filtered rotor speed and rated rotor speed. \(\mathrm {R}\) is accumulated time integrated speed error which is set to zero for filtered generator speed less than rated generator speed. \(\mathrm {\theta }\) is the instructed/required collective blade pitch angle.

Gain scheduling is introduced because the optimal proportional and integrator gains are dependent of the blade pitch angle. At each step the gain will be corrected based on the pitch angle applied in the previous step. The user may specify a gain scheduling law or choose to apply the default law presented in the table `The defaults gain scheduling law'. For intervening generator speeds, linear interpolation is used.

Illustration of the variable speed controller - Generator torque versus generator speed.

Input refer to low-speed shaft