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142 (2017)
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9th International Conference on Applied Energy, ICAE2017, 21-24 August 2017, Cardiff, UK

Novel on-field method for pitch error correction in wind turbines

The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and Cooling
Unai Eloseguia * , Alain Ulaziab
Assessing the feasibility of using the heat demand-outdoor
University of Basque Country (EHU/UPV), Otaola 23, Eibar 20850, Basque Country, Spain
b

temperature function for a long-term district heat demand forecast

Maxwind, Founder, San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain
a

Abstract I. Andrića,b,c*, A. Pinaa, P. Ferrãoa, J. Fournierb., B. Lacarrièrec, O. Le Correc

BladeaIN+ Center for Innovation,
manufacturing tolerances Technology and Policy Research
cause aerodynamic - InstitutoinSuperior
rotor imbalance Técnico, Av.
wind turbines. Rovisco
Until Pais 1, 1049-001
now photometric Lisbon, Portugal
technology and laser
b
based devices have been used Veolia
in Recherche & Innovation,
wind industry 291 Avenue
for on-field pitch Dreyfous Daniel,
correction. 78520
These Limay, France
techniques present in some cases many
c
Département
difficulties to achieve Systèmes
a good Énergétiques
and accurate et Environnement
measurement of pitch- settings
IMT Atlantique, 4 rue Alfred
of the turbine Kastler,
blades. Here 44300 Nantes, France
we introduce a novel method
based on laser scanner measurements that was recently patented, leading to significant AEP improvements in various wind farms.
First, static and dynamic FAST simulations are presented to outline the consequences of pitch angle misalignment over AEP. Later
on, a detailed description of the patented methodology is exposed. The recommended pitch corrections as well as AEP
Abstract
improvements obtained in one of the on-field studied wind farms are introduced as a case study. This paper concludes outlining the
advantages of this methodology over previously existing techniques.
District heating networks are commonly addressed in the literature as one of the most effective solutions for decreasing the
greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. These systems require high investments which are returned through the heat
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
sales. Due to the changed climate conditions and building renovation policies, heat demand in the future could decrease,
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 9th International Conference on Applied Energy.
prolonging the investment return period.
The main scope of this paper is to assess the feasibility of using the heat demand – outdoor temperature function for heat demand
Keywords: Wind Energy; Pitch correction; Laser track technology.
forecast. The district of Alvalade, located in Lisbon (Portugal), was used as a case study. The district is consisted of 665
buildings that vary in both construction period and typology. Three weather scenarios (low, medium, high) and three district
renovation scenarios were developed (shallow, intermediate, deep). To estimate the error, obtained heat demand values were
1.compared
Introduction
with results from a dynamic heat demand model, previously developed and validated by the authors.
The results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications
Blade
(the errormanufacturing
in annual demand is a was
poorly automated
lower than 20%process. Variances
for all weather on fibre
scenarios placing, bonding
considered). However,and curing
after cause variation
introducing renovation
inscenarios,
mass distribution,
the error valueandincreased
blade profile shape.
up to 59.5% In addition,
(depending on thethe reference
weather that is set
and renovation up at combination
scenarios the very end of the
considered).
manufacturing
The value of slope process is alsoincreased
coefficient prone toonsome error.
average These
within themanufacturing
range of 3.8% up tolerances
to 8% per create mass
decade, thatand aerodynamic
corresponds to the
imbalance.
decrease inMass imbalance
the number can behours
of heating overcome by measuring
of 22-139h during thestatic
heatingmoment
season and adding mass
(depending on thetocombination
at least oneofblade,
weatheror by
and
renovation
creating largescenarios considered). On batches
blade manufacturing the othertohand,
createfunction
sets byintercept
pickingincreased for 7.8-12.7%
up naturally balanced per decade
blades. On(depending on the
the other hand,
coupled scenarios).
aerodynamic The values
imbalance createssuggested couldand
fatigue loads be used
AEP to modify
loss, and isthehowever
function hard
parameters for the
to quantify andscenarios
correct.considered,
While the and
improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations.

© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +943 448400; fax:+ 943 448401.
Cooling.
E-mail address: unai.elosegui@corp.hispavista.com
Keywords: Heat demand; Forecast; Climate change
1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 9th International Conference on Applied Energy.

1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and Cooling.
1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 9th International Conference on Applied Energy.
10.1016/j.egypro.2017.12.003
2 Unai Elosegui, Alain Ulazia/ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000
10 Unai Elosegui et al. / Energy Procedia 142 (2017) 9–16

Nomenclature

AEP Annual Energy Production

Cp Power Coefficient
β Pitch angle
λ Tip Speed Ratio
PCR Power Curve Ratio

Fig. 1. Blade angle measurement of a rotor blade set.

most advanced control techniques [1] can reduce flapwise fatigue loads at the cost of increasing pitching loads, the
only way to cope with power production loss is by detecting, measuring and fine tuning the pitch angle of each blade.
Current state of art in pitch measurement is done by photometric means. Companies like Berlin Wind GmbH or
Cp.max Rotortechnik GmbH & Co., use photometric technology to calculate pitch angle. A camera is placed under the
wind turbine, and the chord line is drawn as depicted in Figure 1. The rotation plane is set with the other two blades.
Different approaches can be used to determine the pitch angle. In some cases, calculations are based on
measurements at the maximum blade chord by comparing it to the constructive plane of the blade at said maximum
chord section. Other methods are based on setting marks along the blade to determine the blade section chord.
There are quite a few problems with this way of calculating the pitch angle:
• The pitch angle of each blade is obtained from rotation planes of the other two blades. This is not accurate as
axes of the three blades are not coplanar due to wind turbine manufacturing tolerances. It has been determined
that this methodology might yield errors up to 0.5 deg.
• This method requires perfectly vertical blade positioning. The lack of a reference to assess such position, as well
as the lack of precision in manual blade positioning make placing the blade in vertical position uncertain. This
is necessary to be ensure that the blade section is perpendicular to the measuring direction.
• Blade design data is rarely available due to the confidential nature of such information. As a consequence, the
pitch angle at the maximum chord section is not available.
Deutsche-Windtechnik´s technique uses laser measurements over the blade pressure surface to determine the
relative misalignment between blades. This methodology is carried out during turbine normal operation. However,
this method has some challenges:
• It does not exploit available information from other turbines in the same wind farm.
• It only determines relative corrective angles based on comparison of measurements from one rotor at a time.
In addition, these methods are not suitable for offshore, as it is not possible to place accurately the camera/laser
where needed in order to perform the measurement process.
Over the last few years, new laser technology features have been developed to cope with different weather
conditions and long distances. Now it was only a matter of acquiring field experience with this technology offered by
cutting edge companies like Faro and Leica. In this context, we carried out field tests using laser tracker technology
[2]. Although good results were obtained, measuring takes too long, and CAPEX is too expensive. Later on, new tests
 Unai Elosegui et al. / Energy Procedia 142 (2017) 9–16 11
Unai Elosegui, Alain Ulazia/ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 3

were carried out by using laser scanner technology [3, 4]. Different laser scanners were tested to investigate feasibility
and accuracy. In this context, this paper introduces a method to detect, measure and correct aerodynamic imbalance
of horizontal axis wind turbines. This methodology is explained and field tests are also discussed.

T [Nm]
T = k ⋅ Ω2

Ω [rad/s]

Fig. 2. Torque demand T vs rotor speed Ω.

2. Preliminary simulations

This section discusses the effect of blade misalignment on power production. On this purpose, static and dynamic
simulations are included.
Variable speed wind turbines limit power above rated wind speed by pitching blades towards feather position [5].
Under rated power, power production is substantially maximized by a variable generator torque demand that maintains
a constant Tip Speed Ratio (λ) as presented in Figure 2, and by pitching blades to the fine pitch angle that yields the
maximum power coefficient. Thus, pitch errors will not decrease power production over the rated wind speed, but has
a significant effect under rated power. The effect of pitch deviations is analyzed and quantified.
Two indicators are used to quantify the power reduction, PCR and AEP loss:
• The PCR is defined as the ratio between the power curve of the wind turbine with pitch deviation and the power
curve with the optimal pitch setting. It is helpful for the analysis of the effect of pitch deviations at each
operation zone.
• The theoretical quantification of the AEP loss is important in order to understand the sensitivity of AEP to
small pitch angle deviations.
In the following subsections, static and dynamic results are described. Both simulations use the “WindPACT 1.5
MW Baseline” wind turbine available from NREL is used [6] as similar to the average turbine installed in existing
wind farms in the 1-2 MW range. These calculations were carried out by Tekniker, a Spanish R&D centre.
Although static results can be somewhat different from the real case, they represent a valuable first approach in the
analysis of the effect of blade pitch misalignment.
Static results are calculated based on the power coefficient Cp of the wind turbine under different pitch angles and
Tip Speed Ratios λ. Depending on the pitch error, the operation strategy is displaced upon the Cp surface upwards or
downwards with respect to the optimal position. As an example, Figure 3(a) shows the strategy upon the Cp surface
for the optimal position (no error). The PCR sensitivity with respect to pitch errors is plotted in Figure 3(b). Figure
3(c) shows power loss under different pitch misalignment is shown using a Rayleigh distribution for an average wind
speed of 4 m/s. It is noteworthy mentioning that due to the nonlinear nature of the power coefficient, this curve is not
symmetric with respect to the fine pitch (0 deg).
12 Unai Elosegui et al. / Energy Procedia 142 (2017) 9–16
4 Unai Elosegui, Alain Ulazia/ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000

Fig. 3. (a) Strategy upon Cp surface; (b) PCR, and (c) AEP loss under pitch misalignment.

Pref
- +
PIdecouple
Rotor Speed Filterpitch

+ + βd Pg
- PIrotorspeed +
Wind
Tg
Ωref
lim. sup.

- + Td Turbine Ωg
PItorque

+ Ωg +
Damper
Ω ref(1)
lim. inf.
Ω ref(2)

Torque Filter

Fig. 4. Block diagram of the variable speed turbine control system.

Average were computed from 10-minute-long simulations (bins) with turbulent wind by the aeroelastic code FAST
[7]. The turbine controller was based on the regular control strategy used in variable speed turbines: a torque control
loop based on a torque set-point vs. generator speed table for partial load, and a rotor speed control loop at full load,
as shown in Figure 4. This is the most common turbine controller diagram in variable speed turbines [5], and is the
underlying torque to rotor speed depicted in Figure 2.
 Unai Elosegui et al. / Energy Procedia 142 (2017) 9–16 13
Unai Elosegui, Alain Ulazia/ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 5

Fig. 5. Dynamic FAST simulations: (a) Case A; (b) Case B; (c) Case C.

Three pitch misalignment cases were considered: Case A with one blade at fine pitch, and the other two with similar
errors but with opposite signs; Case B with the three blades with similar errors; Case C with two blades at fine pitch
and the third with error. Figure 5 show PCR and AEP loss variation with pitch angle misalignment obtained for each
case.
Static and dynamic simulations yield similar results. PCR under different conditions show a particular pattern in
the rotor speed dependent torque demand zone in Figure 2: power loss is rather high at low wind speeds, when the cut-
in wind speed is reached and the turbine beings power production. Such a pattern is caused by the combined effect of
the wind speed variability around the average wind speed and by the cubed effect of the wind speed over the power.
In the quadratic zone, the turbine is operating around the maximum aerodynamic coefficient Cp, but not right at the
maximum value.
14 Unai Elosegui et al. / Energy Procedia 142 (2017) 9–16
6 Unai Elosegui, Alain Ulazia/ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000

Based on static and dynamic simulations the following remarks apply:

• PCR exhibit a well-defined pattern dependent on the operation zone. Such a curve is useful to identify pitch
errors on field measurements.
• The total wind turbine AEP loss can be approximated adding the AEP losses on each blade.
• The total wind turbine AEP is notably sensitive to blade assembly errors. Even a small pitch misalignment of 2
degrees in one blade reduces AEP in approximately 1%.
• A misalignment of 2 degrees in the three blades also causes an AEP loss of 3.5%.
• Due to the non-linear dependence of the power coefficient on pitch angle variances, small pitch errors in the
three blades lead to smaller AEP loss than a cumulative pitch angle error on a single blade.
• Static results are a fairly good approach for the assessment of pitch error effect on AEP loss. Thus, it is possible
to avoid time-consuming aeroelastic code calculations.

3. Method for pitch calculation and compensation

This section describes the proposed method to determine corrective pitch angles for applicable turbines. In addition,
results are shown for Les Comes, an actual wind farm located in Catalonia, Spain. It comprises 2 units of the
AW77/1500 wind turbine, a 1.5 MW variable speed generator with a 77 m diameter rotor.
The methodology, begins with the identification of applicable turbines. Then, blade pitch angles are measured on
those turbines, and finally, corrective method angles are provided.

3.1. Applicable turbines

Turbine applicability is assessed by creating a turbine energy production ranking. Such energy production is
calculated by filtering out some particular bins from existing SCADA data:
• Bins corresponding to wind sectors affected by complex terrain, wakes, etc., as described in IEC 61400-12.
• Bins in which all turbines were not fully operating.
Note that variance of such power curves among a wind farm is solely dependent on variance of aerodynamic
performance among the turbines of the wind farm.
The energy production ranking yields the best in class turbine of the wind farm and the worst in class. The PCR
can be used to check the existence of aerodynamic imbalance as described in Section 2. Should aerodynamic imbalance
be present in the worst in class turbine, the PCR would show the pattern discussed previously. As shown later on, this
pattern is present in the analyzed wind farm.

3.2. Laser measurement

The goal of this step is to assess blade pitch misalignment of the worst in class turbine and to propose corrective
adjustment angles. On field measurements are carried out using a laser scanner aiming at different blade sections,
including the maximum chord blade section. Such measurements are completed from different common locations
relative to each turbine. These measurements are used as described in the patent [8] to obtain the angle between the
blade chord line and the rotation plane for each section for the three blades (see Figure 6). This process also includes
the process of estimating blade pitching axis.
As per turbine design, the three blade pitching axes are meant to be intersecting the rotor axis at the same point.
While it happens in turbine A1, it does not hold for the worst in class turbine A2. It is hard to determine the root cause
of such a misalignment without taking actual measurements of the hub casting, but it is likely caused by hub
manufacturing tolerances. Table 1 shows measured complimentary angles of the pitch angle, and also
recommendations for each blade and turbine.
 Unai Elosegui et al. / Energy Procedia 142 (2017) 9–16 15
Unai Elosegui, Alain Ulazia/ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 7

projection over the blade root of the

chord line at the analysed section
reference at the
blade root

leading edge

rotation plane
(no coning)

pitch angle (angle between

rotation plane and chord
chord line line)

Fig. 6. Blade geometry for pitch calculation.

3.3. Results

Upon application of corrective actions, a remarkable energy production improvement was achieved, reducing the
gap between A1 and A2 down to 2.46%. It is worth mentioning that both turbines were corrected in this wind farm,
and as a consequence, the reference for power production was shifted. The PCR was calculated, as presented in Figure
7, where it is shown before and after the corrections. It is worth mentioning that the manufacturer did not follow to the
letter the proposed adjustments. It explains the remaining power production gap depicted in the PCR.
In all the wind farms in which this technique was applied, it was observed that,
• All of the best in class wind turbines presented no significant pitch misalignment (max < 0.15 deg).
Geometry tolerance in these turbines is good compared to the worst in class turbines.
• All of the worst in class wind turbines presented significant pitch misalignment (average of 1.5 deg).

Table 1. Complimentary angle of pitch angle (degrees) measurement results. Asterisks note the optimum pitch angle for each turbine.
Blades ICA MA FRA Recommendations
A1 Blade 1 89.7 82.9 83.2 - 0.1
A1 Blade 2 89.5 83.4 83.9 -0.8
A1 Blade 3 89.3 82.4 83.1* Leave as is
A2 Blade 1 88.6 81.7 83.1* Leave as is
A2 Blade 2 91.6 83.2 81.6 +1.5
A2 Blade 3 88.5 82.6 84.1 -1.0

Fig. 7. Ratio (in percent) between power curves before and after calibration
16 Unai Elosegui et al. / Energy Procedia 142 (2017) 9–16
8 Unai Elosegui, Alain Ulazia/ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000

• It was observed that there are two different kind of sources of blade mismatch:
o Manufacturing tolerances in the hub castings. Without disassembling the entire rotor, it is not
possible to measure and correct such a rotor imbalance.
o Incorrect placement of the blade pitching reference, that is the kind of blade misalignment
actually tackled with this technique.

4. Conclusions

In this paper, a new methodology was introduced to detect, measure and correct the aerodynamic imbalance in wind
turbine rotors. Results obtained in an actual wind farm were also discussed, demonstrating AEP improvement. As a
matter of fact, this method shows the following features:
• Power production increase is guaranteed, as turbine settings of the Best In Class turbine are mimicked in
the Worst In Class turbines. On this purpose, no turbine design information is required from the
manufacturer. In addition, since the Best In Class turbine is certified, this methodology does not
compromise product certification.
• Based on the AEP calculation, Return On Investment can be calculated based on the underlying business
model.
• Turbine life cycle of Worst In class turbines is increased, as fatigue loads are reduced.
• There is no lost revenue, as site measurements in affected turbines is carried out in idling conditions, that
is, under very low wind speeds.

5. Copyright

Authors keep full copyright over papers published in Energy Procedia

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to show gratitude to Iñigo Etxaniz from the R&D Centre IK4-Tekniker for his valuable
contribution with FAST simulations.

References

[1] Kanev SK, van Engelen TG. Exploring the limits in individual pitch control. European Wind energy Conference, 2009, Marseille, France.
[2] Wang W, X.Li, Fang C, Chen C. Wind rotor blade masurement with laser tracker. Aerospace Manufacturing Technology 2009; 6: 26-29.
[3] Yang S, Allen MS. Output-only Modal Analysis using Continuous-Scan Laser Doppler Vibrometry and application to a 20kW wind turbine.
Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 2012; 31: 228-245.
[4] Ghoshal A, Sundaresan MJ, Schulz MJ, Pai PF. Structural health monitoring techniques for wind turbine blades. Journal of Wind Engineering
and Industrial Aerodynamics 2000; 85(3): 309-324.
[5] Burton T, Sharpe D, Jenkins N, Bossanyi E. Wind Energy Handbook, John Wiley & Sons, 2001.
[6] Malcolm DJ, Hansen AC. WindPACT turbine rotor design study. NREL Technical Report 2006; NREL/SR-500-32495.
[7] Jonkman JM, and Buhl Jr ML. FAST user’s guide. NREL Technical Report 2005; NREL/EL-500-38230.
[8] Elosegui U, Elosegui J. Method for calculating and correcting the angle of attack in a wind turbine farm, WO2014068162, 2014.

Biography
Unai Elosegui is the founder of the Maxwind-Hispavista Labs company, which treats to optimize
the adjustment of the pitch angle of wind turbines in order to improve the AEP of wind farms. They
use a novel method patented in 2013 and now they are in the phase of industrialization and real
implementation.