AN ADAPTIVE SENSORLESS CONTROL FOR MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKING IN WIND ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEM

This thesis presents a novel mechanical sensorless adaptive control algorithm for Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) in Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS). The proposed control algorithm allows the generator to track the optimal operation points of the wind turbine system under fluctuating wind conditions using an efficient two-step process. This algorithm does not require the knowledge of turbine mechanical characteristics such as its power coefficient curve, power or torque characteristic. The proposed control algorithm is simulated in PSCAD/EMTDC. This thesis also aims at designing a scaled laboratory prototype that is necessary to replicate the characteristics of a wind turbine for any wind speed in a controlled test environment without depending on natural wind resources and actual wind turbine. The Wind Turbine Test Bench System (WTTBS) uses an induction motor as a prime mover to replicate the behavior of a wind turbine shaft. The brain of WTTBS is a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) based algorithm which controls the motor. The simulations for the test bench system were carried out in MATLAB/SIMULINK and PSCAD/EMTDC. Test bench system is prototyped using a TI TMS320F28069M.Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department o