Temperature Control of Heating Procedure in Blade Production Process

Wind turbine blade manufacturing is one of the most important projects executed in Sun and Air Research Institute (SARI). Th e Vacuum Infusion Process (VIP) is used in the blade manufacturing. Each blade concluded from layers of composite combined with resin. Th is combined material is heated based on the predefined temperature profile. In the heating process, the most important task is tracking the temperature profile and regulating the blade temperature with the reference signal. Th erefore the temperature control should be executed through accurate control systems. In this paper the heating element voltage is controlled by using adaptive GPC and EDMC controllers. Controlling this voltage leads to blade temperature control. Simulation and control design is done in MATLAB Simulink. Th ere are some limitations in the heating system that obligates the designer to utilize the adaptive control system. Th ese limitations are listed as delay in heating system, different transfer function parameters in various blade sections and lack of the cooling system. In fact there is not a cooling system and therefore overshoot in the blade temperature is not acceptable and controllable during the heating process. It is necessary to utilize the adaptive control to overcome overshoot and over-heating as well as other limitations in heating system. Th e simulation results illustrate that the temperature of heating process alters smoothly moreover it tracks the desired temperature profile without any overshoot.