Research ArticleReal time simulation of nonlinear generalized predictive control for wind energy conversion system with nonlinear observer

•A nonlinear predictive generalized control applied to control WECS based on DFIG.•A nonlinear disturbance observer estimating the unknown aerodynamic torque.•The proposed controller structure is equivalent to a nonlinear PID.•Satisfying performances of the proposed control technique are obtained.

In order to make a wind power generation truly cost-effective and reliable, an advanced control techniques must be used. In this paper, we develop a new control strategy, using nonlinear generalized predictive control (NGPC) approach, for DFIG-based wind turbine. The proposed control law is based on two points: NGPC-based torque-current control loop generating the rotor reference voltage and NGPC-based speed control loop that provides the torque reference. In order to enhance the robustness of the controller, a disturbance observer is designed to estimate the aerodynamic torque which is considered as an unknown perturbation. Finally, a real-time simulation is carried out to illustrate the performance of the proposed controller.