1

978-1-4673-2673-5/12/$31.00 2012 IEEE

Abstract-- In this work, wind turbine pitch angle control using
a Fuzzy controller is presented. This controller is implemented in
Fuzzy Logic Toolbox
TM
available in MATLAB

. The controller
was built based on knowledge on operation principles of wind
turbines equipped with variable pitch angle control. Not
requiring mathematical models for this. It is presented as an
alternative for Proportional-Integral (PI) controllers currently
used. Furthermore, the control aims to reduce the fluctuations in
turbine power generation. The control was integrated with the
Dynamic Simulation Program developed by INESC, which uses
PI controllers. Simulations are performed varying the incident
wind speed on a wind farm equipped with squirrel cage
asynchronous generators. These simulations prove the efficiency
of the pitch control using Fuzzy Logic.

Index Terms-- Fuzzy logic; pitch angle control; proportional-
integral control; wind turbines.
I. INTRODUCTION
HE energy from wind is captured by wind turbines that, in
recent years, passed from generation class of a few kW to
MW due to the constant evolution of technology applied
to its construction. For this there are fixed and variable speed
turbines. Currently the variable speed wind turbines are the
most used because they optimize power generation over a
wide range of variation of wind speed, which has stochastic
feature.
In case of strong winds is necessary to waste part of this to
avoid possible damage to endanger the physical integrity of
the converting mechanical system. All the turbines are,
therefore, designed with some kind of control over the power
to be generated. There are two types of control, they are: stall
and pitch, which control the wind captation by the turbine
blades moving them longitudinally.
In this paper we discuss the pitch control, which has the
characteristic of moving blades continually seeking the best
performance. The angle varies according with wind speed
variation. This implementation provides a good execution of
power control. In pitch angle control that is adopted by the
turbine models described in the literature, the Proportional-
Integral (PI) controller is usually the most used [1]-[4]. The
good performance of wind turbines depends on the choice of
appropriate values of controller gains. This choice is not an
easy task and some authors report that obtaining it is by trial
and error.
To this end, we present an alternative independent of
mathematical model to control the turbine power generation.
The fuzzy control was chosen because of their usefulness
when the system dynamics is not well known, or when the
nonlinearities are significant, such as wind which has the
nonlinearity as it main characteristic [5]. Moreover, this
control can contribute to smooth the output power of the
turbine and the reduction of aerodynamic loads [6].
Furthermore, the fuzzy control is easily extensible and
flexible.
In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed
scheme to control the power generation, simulations with wind
variation were performed.
II. WIND TURBINES
In turbines which power control is performed by varying the
pitch angle, there are several signs that can be used activate
the engine. One of the most widely used is the generator
power. In which an electronic controller checks the
mechanical power generated, several times per second. When
the power output becomes too high is sent an order to the
blade angle control mechanism, which moves changing the
blade angle of attack on the wind steering. Conversely, the
blades are moved back to the direct action of the wind
whenever there is a decrease of the production. For this
moving, the system resorts to sophisticated hydraulics and
electronics that drive the blades around their longitudinal axes.
In [7] was analyzed the power limitation by pitch angle
control for variable speed wind turbines, and concluded that
this arrangement allows the safe operation for wind speeds
above the technical limit of the conversion system.
The energy production may be increased up to 40%, with
the use of variable speed turbine, due to the possibility of
controlling the power captured [8].
The power limitation by controlling the pitch angle for wind
turbines with variable speed enables safe operation for wind
speeds above the technical limit of the conversion system.
Pitch angle control is commonly used in the optimization of
power production coming from the wind [9].
A. Power coefficient
The aerodynamic model equations allows to calculate the
mechanical power value applied to the shaft of the electric
generator, considering different wind speeds and different
positions of the blade pitch angle. This model depends on the
type of turbine to be represented (vertical or horizontal axis,
number of blades, blade angle control etc.). The aerodynamic
model is independent of the type of electric generator or the
type of control used in the converters. Thus, it can be studied
using different types of electrical generator. The work [3]
Wind Turbine Pitch Angle Control Using Fuzzy
Logic
A. V. A. Macdo, Member, IEEE, and W. S. Mota, Senior Member, IEEE
T
2
defines the equation of mechanical power (1), that can be
extracted from the wind:
P
m
=
1
2
A
r
C
p
(, )v
w
3
(1)
Where:
P
m
= mechanical power (W)
= air density (kgm
3
)
A
r
= area swept by blades (m
2
)
C
p
= power coefficient
= blade pitch angle ()
v
w
= wind speed (ms)
=
m
. R v
w
tip speed ratio

m
= turbine rotor speed (iau s )
R = radius of the turbine blade (m)

Power coefficient depends on the blade pitch angle, and the
linear relationship between the wind speed and the speed of
the blade tip. This coefficient indicates the efficiency that the
wind turbine transforms the kinetic energy contained in wind
into mechanical energy. According to the Betz limit, for
horizontal axis turbines with three blades, the maximum
possible value is approximately 0.593 [9]. In Fig. 1 is
presented some power coefficient curves for different pitch
angles. The best result is with the angle in zero degrees.
The structure of (2) and (3) below was proposed by [10].
However, the values of the constants c
1
to c
9
were slightly
modified to suit the industry.
C
p
(, ) = c
1
I
c
2
\

- c
3
-c
4

c
S
- c
6
] e
-c

]
(2)
Where

I
= I
1
\+c
8

-
c
9

3
+1
]
-1
(3)

TABLE I
POWER CURVE COEFFICIENTS

1

2

3

4

5

7

8

9

0.73 151 0.58 0.002 2.14 13.2 18.4 0.02 -0.003


Fig. 1. Power coefficient versus tip speed ratio based on values of Table I
III. PITCH CONTROL
Generally the best way to extract the maximum power of
the wind is through the variable speed wind turbines with
pitch angle control.
The main objectives of blade angle control are [11]:
Output power optimization of wind turbines, this is,
produce as much power as possible with the available
wind.
Prevention for the mechanical power does not exceed the
rated power in high winds (wind speeds above nominal).
Also acts as protection against overloading of the turbine
structure and risks of damage to their physical structure.

In some countries, such as Denmark, network codes require
that wind farms have to be capable of reducing the power
produced to levels below 20% in less than 2s. This procedure
is done to control the power supply from the wind farm and
prevent a possible upper generation in situations with strong
winds and low consumption. This can be achieved by using
the blade angle control. In high wind speed, the rotor speed
must be controlled to prevent its growth beyond controllable
limits [7].
The blade angle control can also be used to stabilize the
wind farm when contingencies occur in the grid (to reduce
imbalance between generation and loads). So this principle of
control must be considered in transient stability studies and
represented in dynamic models of wind turbines.
As already mentioned, the blade angle control can be done
in two ways [9]:
1) Pitch control: the mechanical power is reduced when the
pitch angle grows. This principle is applied, in most cases,
in variable speed wind turbines. Fixed speed turbines can
also use this control;
2) Active stall control: the mechanical power is reduced when
the pitch angle decreases. This type of control is
commonly applied in fixed speed wind turbines.

Recalling that the characteristic curve C
p
(, ) provides the
power coefficient, which depends on the blade speed ratio
and the pitch angle .
The controlling pitch angle mechanism can be activated by
electrical or hydraulic components; the design of controllers
usually has its development kept secret by manufacturers.
This mechanism suffers the action of dynamic forces,
frictional forces and inertial moments, providing an element of
complex modeling. It is usually represented by a first order
dynamic equation with a number of limiters that limit the
excursion range of the pitch angle and maximum rate of
variation [12], [9].
A. Conventional pitch angle control
In Fig. 2 is represented the generic model of blade angle
control [9], using PI control block and a Proportional-
Derivative (PD) which is optional.


Fig. 2. Generic model of pitch angle control

0 5 10 15
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
Tip speed ratio
C
p


Pitch=0
Pitch=5
Pitch=10
Pitch=15
Pitch=20
3
The position of the angle is controlled by the value X,
which can be characterized in various ways such as:
1) An electric value. For example, electric power, P
c
, as
described in [1];
2) A single mechanical value. For example, the mechanical
power, P
m
, or the generator speed,
G
, as described in [2]
[3], [11], [13], [14];
3) A combination of mechanical and electrical values,
according to [4], [13].

Ideally, the control parameters should be chosen depending
on wind speed, but this is not an appropriate procedure,
because it is not possible to precisely measure this
variable. The wind speed can be changed by the turbine
nacelle. Assuming that the turbine system is well controlled,
the active power can be used as a control parameter [15].
IV. FUZZY CONTROL
Fuzzy logic, proposed by Lotfi Zadeh [16], in essence
generates output values without the need for precise inputs.
Provides a method of translating vague verbal expressions,
imprecise and qualitative, common in human communication,
in numerical values [5]. Its main advantage is not requiring an
analytical description of the system being controlled.
In a control system, the fuzzy system usually operates in
real time in order to find the values of optimal performance (or
near optimum). The use of fuzzy rules ensures that the
operating status of the device remains within the desired range
of operation [17].
In this work, the fuzzy control was developed using the
Fuzzy Logic Toolbox
TM
available in MATLAB

. The control
was incorporated into the Dynamic Simulation Program for
appropriate adjustments and system simulations in a power
system. The construction of a fuzzy system using the Fuzzy
Logic Toolbox
TM
has the following steps [17]:
Definition of linguistic variables;
Definition of membership functions;
Definition of rules;
Conversion of output linguistic variables into numerical
values of the rules.

The set of rules and variables was performed according to
the results of simulations as the initial values are estimated
according to certain characteristics of the turbine, as the
generated power.
For the systems behavior to be more clearly observed we
chose to use the asynchronous conventional generator (squirrel
cage) in the simulations, because it has few controls, so no
influence on the proposed control would occur.
In Fig. 3 can be seen the new block diagram using the fuzzy
control.


Fig. 3. Pitch angle control block diagram using fuzzy control

The number and form of the membership functions defining
the fuzzy values (for the input and output) were defined off-
line, and the universe of discourse for each variable were
defined according with the behavior of each variable observed
during simulations. Triangular and trapezoidal membership
functions were used for both input and output fuzzy sets for
power error in Fig. 4 and angle variation in Fig. 5.
Fig. 4. Membership function of fuzzy controller input signal (power error)
Fig. 5. Membership function of fuzzy controller output signal (angle variation)
The control rules of fuzzy controller are presented in Table
II by a set of heuristically chosen fuzzy rules (that are
frequently suggested by experts in the problem on
consideration).
TABLE II
BASE OF RULES FOR ANGLE VARIATION
P NL NM NS ZE PS PM PL

var
NL NM NS ZE PS PM PL

Where:
NL Negative large
NM Negative medium
NS Negative Small
PL Positive large
PM Positive medium
PS Positive small
ZE Zero
The system behavior can be illustrated with the following
rule: IF P = NL THEN
u
= NL
NL was defined through the membership functions that
describe the imprecision of such input and output values. As
interpretation of this rule, we have: If the error of power is
large negative then the angle must decrease as the power
generated is very low, thus [
u
decrease for the setting. The
interpretation for fuzzy pitch angle control is straightforward,
because if the power output is below the nominal value, the
angle decreases and if it is above, the angle increases.
-0.1 -0.08 -0.06 -0.04 -0.02 0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
P
err
(p.u.)
D
e
g
r
e
e

o
f

m
e
m
b
e
r
s
h
ip
NS ZE PS NL PL NM PM
-6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Beta
var
()
D
e
g
r
e
e

o
f

m
e
m
b
e
r
s
h
ip
NL PL NM NS ZE PS PM

The set of rules is completely swept away
rules should be activated. Changing the pitc
calculated by the system, the fuzzy control k
the power zero error, meaning a better contro
Note that no numerical expression is u
expression (or oral) may be used to describ
between the input variable and output. More
restriction of linearity is no longer needed,
output function is described point by point,
experimental method.
The heuristic method has the ability
construction of a function of input
nonmathematical, but useful in the descript
process [5].
V. SIMULATIONS AND RESULT
The test system used was taken from [2],
composed of 15 buses, Fig. 6. Its gener
containing units of hydroelectric, diesel an
farms, two types of generators are used (Dou
Generator (DFIM) and Squirrel Cage).
equipped with conventional asynchronous g
cage) has variable pitch angle and the s
performed relating to this.


Fig. 6. Single-line diagram of the test system used

The squirrel cage wind farm is composed
with a generation capacity of 660 kW each. I
to 11.22 MW. The wind farm is modeled
machine on the full power of this. In the a
about the turbine and generator can be found.
To assess the effectiveness of the propo
was applied a wind change of -10%, obtainin
a wind farm of 11.2 MW with convention
machine (squirrel cage). In Fig. 7 the signa
observed.

y, to check which
ch angle, which is
keep trying to get
ol performance.
used; a linguistic
e the relationship
e importantly, the
, since the input-
exactly as in the
y to enable the
versus output,
tion of a plant or
TS
such a system is
ration is diverse,
nd wind. In wind
ubly-fed Induction
The wind farm
generator (squirrel
simulations were

d of 17 machines
It can generate up
by an equivalent
appendix the data
.
osed controller, it
ng the behavior of
nal asynchronous
al applied can be
Fig. 7. Wind velocity variation

Observing Fig. 8 to Fig. 12, atten
can be noted and also a smoothin
variables appear when the fuzzy
influence of pitch angle control is
generated power, we can see the i
related to the turbine.
Fig. 8. Pitch angle variation with zoom in osc


Fig. 9. Mechanical power variation with zoom
0 1 2 3 4 5
13.5
14
14.5
15
Time [s]
W
i
n
d

[
m
/
s
]
0 5
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Time [s
B
v
a
r

[

]

0 5
10
10.5
11
11.5
12
12.5
Time [
M
e
c
h
a
n
i
c
a
l

P
o
w
e
r

[
M
W
]

1
17.0
17
17.1
17
17.2
17
17.3
17
17.4
17
B
v
a
r

[

]
4

nuation of the oscillations
ng of the responses in all
controller is used. The
not reflected only in the
influence on all variables

cillation region.

m in oscillation region
6 7 8 9 10
10 15
]

PI control
Fuzzy control
10 15
[s]

PI control
Fuzzy control
3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5
17
05
7.1
15
7.2
25
7.3
35
7.4
45
7.5
Time [s]

3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6
11
11.02
11.04
11.06
11.08
11.1
11.12
11.14
11.16
11.18
11.2
Time [s]
M
e
c
h
a
n
ic
a
l P
o
w
e
r
[
M
W
]
5

Fig. 10. Active power variation with zoom in oscillation region


Fig. 11. Reactive power variation with zoom in oscillation region


Fig. 12. Angular velocity variation with zoom in oscillation region

In some variables there was an increase in peak values, but
these values are not significant. The fuzzy control is efficient
in terms of reducing the oscillations of monitored variables
compared to the conventional PI control.
VI. CONCLUSIONS
The fuzzy control is adequate to the problem of power
control because it does not need mathematical definitions,
requires only the knowledge of the process so that an
appropriate solution is generated. In this case the process was
the variation of the blade pitch angle of the wind turbine in
function of the generated power.
The fuzzy control was efficient during the disturbance
applied to the system, reducing the fluctuations and smoothing
the power output and other observed variables.
An interesting question is that if we have a mathematical
model, why to create a system with fuzzy control? The answer
lies in two directions: flexibility and extensibility. The fuzzy
model are much more flexible, since it can change the control
surface heuristically, they are typically more extensible since
there is no need to develop a deep mathematical model to a
new problem.
Development of fuzzy control aims to seek new control
strategies, targeting the non-modeled dynamics, avoiding the
measurement noise, disturbances and parametric uncertainties.
VII. APPENDIX
A. Parameters
Base values for the per-unit system conversion:
Base power: 100 MVA
Base voltages: 0.69 kV for low-voltage bus-bar and 63
kV for medium-voltage bus-bar.
B. Conventional Induction Generator (Squirrel cage)
P
n
(NW) = u.66, v
n
(kv) = u.69, R
S
() = u.uu67,
X
S
() = u.uS, R
r
() = u.uuS8, X
r
() = u.uSu6, X
m
() =
2.S161, No. of poles = 4,
(ipm) = 1Suu.
C. Parameters of wind turbine:
No. of blades = 3, rotor diameter = 22 m, cut-in speed = 4
m/s, cut-off speed = 25 m/s, air density = 1.225 kg/m
3
.
VIII. REFERENCES

[1] V. Akhmatov, Note concerning the mutual effects of grid and wind
turbine voltage stability control. Wind Engineering, vol. 25, no. 6, p.
367 371. 2001.
[2] J. A. P. Lopes, R. G. Almeida, Descrio de Modelos Matemticos de
Mquinas de Induo Convencional e Duplamente Alimentada e
Estratgias de Controlo para Estudo Dinmico e de Estabilidade
Transitria. Trabalho de Consultoria para o ONS Brasil, INESC
PORTO, 2004.
[3] J. G. Slootweg, Modelling and Impact on Power System Dynamics.
2003. 206 f. Thesis (PhD) Delft University of Technology, Delft,
2003.
[4] N. W. Miller, W. W. Price, J. J. Sanchez-Gasca, Dynamic modelling of
GE 1.5 and 3.6 wind turbine generators. Technical Report, Power
Systems Energy Consulting, General Electric International, Shenectady,
U.S.A. October, 31 p. 2003.
[5] M. G. Simes and I. S. Shaw, Controle e Modelagem Fuzzy. 2nd ed. So
Paulo: Blucher, 186 p. 2007.
[6] J. Zhang, C. Ming, A. Chen, X. Fu, Pitch angle control for variable
speed wind turbines. Electric Utility Deregulation and Restructuring
and Power Technologies, China, April, 2008.
[7] E. Muljadi, C. P. Butterfield, Pitch-controlled Variable-speed Wind
Turbine Generation. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, [S.l.],
vol. 37, no. 1, p. 240-246, January-February 2001.
[8] D. S. Zinger and E. Muljadi, Annualized wind energy improvement
using variable speeds. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications,
vol. 33, no. 6, November-December, 1997.
[9] V. Akhmatov, Analysis of Dynamic Behavior of Eletric Power Systems
With Large Amount of Wind Power. Thesis (PhD) Technical
University of Denmark, Denmark, 2003.
[10] S. Heier, Grid Integration of Wind Energy Conversion Systems.
Chicester: John Wiley & Sons, 385 p. 1998.
[11] V. Akhmatov, Variable-speed Wind Turbines with Doubly-fed Induction
Generators Part I: Modelling in Dynamic Simulation Tools. Wind
Engineering, [S.l.], vol. 26, no. 2, p. 85-108, 2002.
[12] J. G. Slootweg, H. Polinder, W. L. Kling, Initialization of wind turbine
models in power system dynamics simulations. In: IEEE Porto Power
Tech Proceedings, 6 p., vol. 4, September, 2001.
0 5 10 15
10
10.2
10.4
10.6
10.8
11
11.2
11.4
11.6
11.8
12
Time [s]
A
c
t
i
v
e

p
o
w
e
r

[
M
W
]


PI control
Fuzzy control
0 5 10 15
-5.05
-5
-4.95
-4.9
-4.85
-4.8
-4.75
-4.7
-4.65
-4.6
-4.55
Time [s]
R
e
a
c
t
i
v
e

P
o
w
e
r

[
M
v
a
r
]


PI
Fuzzy
0 5 10 15
1.007
1.0072
1.0074
1.0076
1.0078
1.008
1.0082
1.0084
1.0086
1.0088
1.009
Time [s]
A
n
g
u
l
a
r

v
e
l
o
c
i
t
y

[
p
.
u
.
]


PI
Fuzzy
3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6
10.75
10.8
10.85
10.9
10.95
11
Time [s]
A
c
t
iv
e

p
o
w
e
r
[
M
W
]

3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6
-4.84
-4.83
-4.82
-4.81
-4.8
-4.79
-4.78
-4.77
-4.76
-4.75
Time [s]
R
e
a
c
tiv
e

P
o
w
e
r
[
M
v
a
r]

3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6
1.0077
1.0078
1.0079
1.008
Time [s]
A
n
g
u
la
r

v
e
lo
c
it
y

[p
.
u
.
]


[13] V. Akhmatov, H. Knudsen, A. H. Nielsen, J.
Poulsen, Modelling and Transient Stability of
Elsevier Electrical Power and Energy Systems, [
2003.
[14] W. S. Mota. Simulao de Transitrios Eletromec
Potncia. Campina Grande: Epgraf, 368 p. 2006.
[15] A. D. Hansen, P. Sorensen, F. Iov, F. Blaabjerg
speed wind turbines with doubly-fed inductio
Engineering, vol. 28, N 4, Denmark, 2004.
[16] L. A. Zadeh, Fuzzy sets. Information and Cont
1965.
[17] E. Cox, The Fuzzy Systems Handbook: a pr
building, using, and maintaining fuzzy systems, Aca
IX. BIOGRAPHIES
Ana Vitria de Almeida M
born in Campina Grande, Braz
the B. Sc. and M. Sc d
Engineering from Federal Un
Grande (UFCG), Brazil, in
respectively. Now she is d
Electrical Engineering in the
current research interests in
stability and fuzzy control appl


Wellington Santos Mota (M
in Joo Pessoa, Brazil, 1946. H
and M.Sc. in Electrical Engin
University of Paraiba (UFPB)
1972, respectively. He got the E
Ph.D. from Waterloo, Univ
Canada, in 1981. He has been
of Electrical Engineering, F
Campina Grande (UFCG), w
Senior Professor. From 1973 t
the Sao Francisco River Hydr
system planning. His research interests include Power
Stability, including wind farms.
K. Pedersen, N. K.
Large Wind Farms.
[S.l.], 25, p. 123-144,
nicos em Sistemas de
g, Control of variable
on generators. Wind
trol, v. 8, p. 338353,
ractitioners guide to
ademic Press, 1994.
Macdo (M2009) was
zil, 1984. She received
degree in Electrical
niversity of Campina
n 2009 and 2012,
doing the Ph. D. in
same university. Her
nclude power system
lied to wind farms.
76SM02) was born
He received the B.Sc.
neering from Federal
), Brazil, in 1970 and
Electrical Engineering
versity of Waterloo,
n with the Department
ederal University of
where currently is a
to 1977 he worked at
ro (CHESF) in power
r System Control and
6