Modelling and simulation of an offshore floating wind turbine with synchronous permanent magnet generator

Wind is becoming one of the best options as a renewable energy source. In particular offshore wind turbines are gaining more and more appeal in view of exploiting high-speed winds and high wind availability thanks to the reduced impact on human and animal population with respect to onshore wind turbines. In recent years, this technology is having a big development especially in North Europe where there is a great wind resource. This thesis is part of a team project that has the aim of building a working test-bench to test actuators that could be applied in wind turbines giving as an input a simulated wind response implemented as a Hardware-In-The-Loop. In particular the purpose of this work is focused on the choice of the generator to be tested on the test-bench and on its modelling and simulation. Firs of all the thesis stars with a first overview on the state of offshore wind power and HIL technology. It continues with the description of the electric generator architectures used in wind turbines, comparing Double Feed Induction Generators and Permanent Magnet Generators. Then, it illustrates the scaling procedure used to identify the actuator for the test-bench starting from the full-scale 5MW NREL turbine reference model. Identified the scaling factor, it begins the description of the modelling of the wind turbine and the selected permanent magnet synchronous generator. Then is presented the control strategy adopted to manage the electrical power produced. Finally, the model is simulated, and the results are discussed together with an efficiency analysis of the power flow from input to output.