Patent ID: 8686580

Claim:
An assembly comprising: a turbine that is driven to rotate by moving fluid; a generator having a rotor that is driven by an output shaft of the turbine; a power converter; and a controller providing a main torque reference (M ref ) to the power converter to control the torque of the generator; wherein the controller includes: a power reference function block for providing a power reference (P ref ) derived from an estimate of the available mechanical power in the turbine or a measured pressure drop (Î”p) across the turbine; a power controller function block that uses the power reference (P ref ) to derive a power control torque reference (M ref Po ), the power control torque reference (M ref Po ) being configured for continuously tracking the main torque reference (M ref ); and a speed controller function block that uses a comparison of a measured speed (Ï‰) of the generator and a maximum speed limit (Ï‰ max ) to derive a speed control torque reference (M ref Ï‰ ), the speed control torque reference (M ref Ï‰ ) being configured for continuously tracking the main torque reference (M ref ).