The installed energy production capacity of wind turbines is growing intensely on a global scale, making the reliability of wind turbine subsystems of greater significance. However, many faults like Inter-Turn Short-Circuit (ITSC) may affect the turbine generator and quickly lead to a decline in supplied power quality. In this framework, this paper proposes a Sliding Mode Observer (SMO)-based Fault Tolerant Control (FTC) scheme for Induction Generator (IG)-based variable-speed grid-connected wind turbines. First, the dynamic models of the wind turbine subsystems were developed. The control schemes were elaborated based on the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) method and Indirect Rotor Flux Oriented Control (IRFOC) method. The grid control was also established by regulating the active and reactive powers. The performance of the wind turbine system and the stability of injected power to the grid were hence analyzed under both healthy and faulty conditions. The robust developed SMO-based Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) scheme was proved to be fast and efficient for ITSC detection and localization.Afterwards, SMO were involved in scheming the FTC technique. Accordingly, simulation results assert the efficacy of the proposed ITSC FTC method for variable-speed wind turbines with faulty IG in protecting the subsystems from damage and ensuring continuous connection of the wind turbine to the grid during ITSC faults, hence maintaining power quality.

With the advancement of wind turbines towards complex structures, the requirement of trusty structural models has become more apparent. Hence, the vibration characteristics of the wind turbine components, like the blades and the tower, have to be extracted under vibration constraints. Although extracting the modal properties of blades is a simple task, calculating precise modal data for the whole wind turbine coupled to its tower/foundation is still a perplexing task. In this framework, this paper focuses on the investigation of the structural modeling approach of modern commercial micro-turbines. Thus, the structural model a complex designed wind turbine, which is Rutland 504, is established based on both experimental and numerical methods. A three-dimensional (3-D) numerical model of the structure was set up based on the finite volume method (FVM) using the academic finite element analysis software ANSYS. To validate the created model, experimental vibration tests were carried out using the vibration test system of TREVISE platform at ECAM-EPMI. The tests were based on the experimental modal analysis (EMA) technique, which is one of the most efficient techniques for identifying structures parameters. Indeed, the poles and residues of the frequency response functions (FRF), between input and output spectra, were calculated to extract the mode shapes and the natural frequencies of the structure. Based on the obtained modal parameters, the numerical designed model was up-dated.