Performance of Pitch and Stall Regulated Tidal Stream Turbines

Controllers for a pitch and a stall regulated horizontal axial flow, variable-speed tidal stream turbine are developed, and a performance comparison is carried out. Below rated flow speed, both turbines are operated in variable-speed mode so that the optimum tip-speed ratio is maintained. One of the turbines has variable pitch blades, which above rated speed are pitched to feather in order to regulate power. The other turbine has fixed pitch blades and uses speed-assisted stall to regulate power. The control system design behind both strategies is examined in MATLAB, with the performance under turbulent flows, loading and energy yield analysis being evaluated in GH Tidal Bladed. Both strategies provide a satisfactory performance, but the out-of-plane loads on the stall regulated turbine were higher over the entire range of operation. In addition, the dynamic characteristics of the stall regulated turbine require a more complex control design. The results suggest that the pitch regulated turbine would be a more attractive solution for turbine developers.