Turbine & generator control · pitch/yaw interface · grid compliance · open architecture
Control
A modern wind turbine is a tightly coupled control problem: aerodynamic torque, rotor speed, blade pitch, nacelle yaw, and generator/converter power all interact continuously across a wide and variable operating envelope. The control system must extract energy efficiently below rated wind, hold rated power above it, ride through gusts and grid disturbances, and protect the drivetrain and structure throughout.
We engineer these systems from the algorithm level up, matched to each machine’s rotor characteristics, drivetrain, converter, and generator, and develop them to IEC 61131-3 so proven control strategies deploy on the platform that best fits your fleet’s lifecycle, with full logic access and no license walls.
The Problem
Large populations of operating turbines still run on OEM controllers that are now obsolete. Spare boards are scarce or discontinued, original firmware is unsupported, and evolving grid codes demand fault ride-through and reactive-power behavior the original design did not anticipate. The failure mode ranges from extended downtime waiting on unavailable parts to a curtailment or interconnection issue that idles the asset.
Proprietary OEM replacements solve the parts problem but re-create vendor lock-in. Our open-architecture approach breaks that cycle, modern digital turbine and generator control with the transparency, grid compliance, and ownership you deserve. exact obsolescence timelines vary by OEM platform.
Capabilities
Below rated wind, the controller tracks the optimal tip-speed ratio to maximize energy capture; above rated, it holds rated power and speed while limiting loads. The algorithm is tuned to each turbine's rotor aerodynamics, drivetrain dynamics, and generator/converter characteristics for stable, efficient operation across the full wind envelope.
Startup, cut-in, normal stop, emergency stop, and idling are automated with operator-selectable auto and manual modes, hold points for field verification, and full alarm and diagnostic messaging. Controlled shutdown manages pitch-to-feather, drivetrain braking, and yaw parking with valve- and actuator-position verification where applicable.
We interface to individual or collective blade-pitch systems and to the yaw drive, coordinating pitch for power limiting and load reduction and yaw for alignment and cable-unwind management. Pitch and yaw interlocks, feathering-on-fault, and safe-state behavior are defined with the customer and verified during Factory Acceptance Testing.
Real-time condition monitoring is built into the platform, drivetrain vibration, bearing and gearbox temperature, generator condition, and pitch/yaw actuator health. The system exposes diagnostics, alarms, and trends to plant historians, SCADA, and asset-management systems, and supports interfaces to API 670-style machinery-protection platforms where specified.
The control system coordinates with the power converter and generator to command active and reactive power, manage torque, and sequence connection and disconnection. We implement supervisory interfaces to common converter and generator platforms, preserving the machine's electrical operating and protection requirements while modernizing the surrounding logic.
Overspeed, over-vibration, grid-loss, and other protective functions are implemented on independent logic where required, driving the turbine to a defined safe state, typically pitch-to-feather and disconnect. Protection architecture and any safety-integrity targets are set with the customer and tested and documented during FAT prior to commissioning.
We implement active/reactive power regulation, voltage and frequency support, ramp-rate limiting, and fault ride-through behavior to meet the applicable grid code and interconnection agreement. Specific compliance scope is set by the site's grid-code requirements and validated against the interconnection study during commissioning.
Why Innova Technologies
Technical Resources
FAQ
Independent control for every turbine class.
Anti-surge, loadshare, performance, and capacity control.
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Single-source
A MESSAGE FROM JOHN KAZOUR, CEO
To our customers and partners,
For more than 50 years, our team has helped customers keep critical operations running. We built our reputation as Petrotech by taking responsibility for control systems on important rotating machinery.
As more industries came to us with similar challenges across power generation, compression, and hydro applications, our engineering team kept finding ways to solve them. Eventually, the business outgrew the Petrotech name.
We are entering our next chapter as Innova Technologies. The new name reflects the full scope of our work as a rotating machinery control systems specialist. We engineer controls around the machine, deliver complete projects from design through commissioning, and provide support that stays with the problem until it is solved.
Our name is changing, but the people, engineering experience, and commitment behind the work continue. Our responsibility to active projects and installed systems carries forward under the Innova Technologies name. Your current contacts remain the right place to start, and we will communicate directly if an administrative record requires an update.
We appreciate the trust you have placed in us over the decades, and we look forward to continuing that work as Innova Technologies.
CEO, Innova Technologies
