Model Predictive Control Evaluating Tower Base Bending Moment in a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

In this paper, vibration control of the bending moment of a tower base is considered to extend fatigue life of a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT). A model of the moment is derived and a model predictive controller is designed to accomplish the goal. The controller is designed on the basis of a linear dynamic model of the FOWT. The controller uses the collective blade pitch angle as its control input. A linear dynamic model of the FOWT is constructed from the steady state responses of a precise simulator called FAST (Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures, and Turbulence). The control performances are then evaluated through numerical simulations on FAST. The simulations are executed under typical conditions of wind and wave. Simulation results show higher reduction rates of the moment by the model predictive controller compared to those of other control methods.