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A turbine control system for a variable speed electrical generator in a wind turbine mounted atop a support tower. The wind turbine converts wind energy into a driving torque applied to the generator. The control system includes a turbine support tower position sensor and may also include other towe

A turbine control system for a variable speed electrical generator in a wind turbine mounted atop a support tower. The wind turbine converts wind energy into a driving torque applied to the generator. The control system includes a turbine support tower position sensor and may also include other tower acceleration and velocity sensors. A wind flow estimator uses the measured motion, generator rotation rate and blade pitch angle to predict wind flow over the swept area of the turbine's rotor, and the tower motion. The predicted wind flow and motion is used in the turbine control system to properly adjust its operating point, to tune the controller, to control the rotor rotation rate, and to damp tower oscillations.

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What is claimed is: 1. For use with a fluid-flow turbine mounted on a support structure having a back-and-forth motion responsive to the flow of a fluid, a fluid flow estimator comprising: a first input including one of rotor speed and a blade parameter; a position sensor; an output of said positio

What is claimed is: 1. For use with a fluid-flow turbine mounted on a support structure having a back-and-forth motion responsive to the flow of a fluid, a fluid flow estimator comprising: a first input including one of rotor speed and a blade parameter; a position sensor; an output of said position sensor being back-and-forth position of said support structure; and, an estimator using said first input and said position sensor output to calculate an estimated fluid flow. 2. A turbine control apparatus in a fluid-flow turbine mounted on a support structure, the structure having a back-and-forth position responsive to the fluid flow, the control apparatus comprising: a first sensor including one or more of a rotor speed sensor and a blade parameter sensor; at least one support structure back-and-forth position sensor; and, a fluid flow estimator connected to said at least one support structure back-and-forth position sensor and to said first sensor, said fluid flow estimator using the sensed support structure back-and-forth position and the sensed rotor speed or blade parameter to calculate an estimated fluid flow. 3. A turbine control apparatus in a fluid-flow turbine mounted on a support structure having a back-and-forth position responsive to the fluid flow, wherein the turbine converts fluid-flow energy into a driving torque applied to a generator rotor using blades responsive to the fluid-flow, the control apparatus comprising: at least one turbine support structure position sensor having a measured back-and-forth position output; a rotor speed sensor having a rotor speed output; a blade parameter sensor having a blade parameter output; and, a fluid flow estimator connected to said at least one measured back-and-forth position output, said rotor speed output and said blade parameter output, said fluid flow estimator using said outputs to estimate fluid flow over a swept area of said rotor. 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said sensed blade parameter is one or more of blade pitch angle and blade length, and the rotor speed is adjusted by changing one or more of blade pitch angle and blade length in response to fluid-flow estimation. 5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said sensed blade parameter is one or more of blade pitch angle and blade length and the support structure motion is damped by changing one or more of blade pitch angle and blade length in response to fluid-flow estimation. 6. A turbine control apparatus in a fluid-flow turbine mounted atop a support tower wherein the tower has a position responsive to the fluid flow, the turbine converts fluid-flow energy into a driving torque applied to the generator rotor using blades responsive to the fluid-flow, and the control apparatus comprises: a fluid flow estimator; a tower position sensor, said tower position sensor having a tower position output supplied to said fluid flow estimator; a blade pitch angle sensor, a pitch angle output thereof being supplied to said fluid flow estimator; a rotor-speed sensor, a rotor-speed output thereof being supplied to said fluid flow estimator; said fluid flow estimator providing an estimated fluid flow output and estimated tower motion output; and a rotor speed control utilizing said estimated fluid flow output, estimated tower motion output, pitch angle output, and rotor-speed output to generate at least one control output that alters the rotor speed. 7. The turbine control apparatus of claim 6 wherein said rotor speed control adjusts one or more of rotor blade pitch angle and blade length in a manner to adjust the rotor speed. 8. The turbine control apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a tower motion damper that adjusts one or more of rotor blade pitch angle and blade length in a manner to damp tower motion. 9. A turbine control apparatus for a fluid-flow turbine mounted atop a support tower having a position responsive to the fluid flow and, wherein the turbine includes a rotor turned by blades responsive to the fluid flow, the control apparatus comprises: a first sensor including one or more of a rotor speed sensor and a blade parameter sensor; a tower back-and-forth position sensor; a fluid flow estimator connected to said tower back-and-forth position sensor, and to said first sensor, said fluid flow estimator having an estimated fluid flow output calculated using said tower back-and-forth position and one or more of said rotor speed and blade parameter; and, a turbine control connected to said fluid-flow estimator output, an output of said turbine control being at least one command effecting turbine rotor speed control in response to said estimated fluid flow. 10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising: a blade parameter sensor, an output of which is one or more of blade pitch angle and blade length; said blade parameter sensor output being an input to said turbine control. 11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said command effecting turbine rotor speed control changes a blade parameter. 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said blade parameter is one or more of blade pitch angle and blade length. 13. For use with a support structure having a position responsive to the flow of a fluid, a method for estimating fluid flow comprising steps of: sensing support structure position; and, calculating an estimated fluid flow using support structure position. 14. For use in a control apparatus for a fluid-flow turbine held in place by a support structure having a position responsive to the fluid flow, wherein the turbine converts fluid-flow energy into a driving torque applied to the generator rotor using blades responsive to the fluid-flow, a method for estimating fluid flow comprising steps of: sensing support structure back-and-forth position; calculating an estimated fluid flow using support structure position; and, using said estimated fluid flow to control said turbine. 15. A control method for a fluid-flow turbine mounted on a support structure having a back-and-forth position responsive to the fluid flow, the control method comprising steps of: A. sensing support structure back-and-forth position, rotor speed, and a blade parameter; B. calculating an estimated fluid flow using the sensed support structure back-and-forth position, rotor speed and blade parameter; and, C. controlling turbine rotor speed in response to said fluid flow estimation. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein, in step C, the turbine rotor speed is controlled by changing a blade parameter. 17. The method of claim 15 wherein, in step A, the sensed blade parameter is one or more of blade pitch angle and blade length and, in step C, the turbine rotor speed is controlled by changing one or more of blade pitch angle and blade length. 18. A turbine control method for a fluid-flow turbine held in place by a support structure having a back-and-forth position responsive to the fluid flow, the turbine including a rotor having blades responsive to the fluid-flow, said method comprising steps of: A. calculating an estimated fluid flow using measured support structure back-and-forth position; and, B. controlling turbine rotor speed in response to said fluid flow estimation. 19. The method of claim 18 wherein step A includes using one or more of rotor speed, blade pitch angle and blade length in said calculating step. 20. The method of claim 19 wherein step B adjusts one or more of rotor blade pitch angle and blade length in a manner to adjust the rotor speed. 21. The method of claim 19 wherein step B adjusts one or more of rotor blade pitch angle and blade length in a manner to damp support structure motion. 22. A method for controlling a fluid-flow turbine held in place by a support tower having a position responsive to the fluid flow, the turbine including a rotor responsive to the fluid-flow, said method comprising steps of: A. estimating initial fluid flow speed and tower motion; B. sensing tower motion and rotor rotation rate, resulting in sensed parameters; C. estimating fluid-flow speed and tower motion by a fluid flow estimator using said sensed parameters and prior estimates of fluid flow and tower motion; D. calculating at least one desired control output using estimated fluid-flow speed; and, E. sending said at least one desired control output as a command to said turbine. 23. The method of claim 22 wherein said fluid-flow turbine includes a generator turned by said rotor, the rotor having blades responsive to the fluid flow, the turbine is blade pitch-angle regulated, and wherein said step B include s sensing the blade pitch angle; said step D includes calculating a desired blade pitch angle, desired rotor speed, and desired generator torque using said sensed rotor speed, sensed blade pitch angle, estimated tower motion, estimated fluid-flow speed; and, said step E desired control output includes said desired blade pitch angle as a command to a rotor blade pitch actuator, and desired generator torque as a command to a generator torque actuator. 24. The method of claim 22 wherein said fluid-flow turbine includes a generator turned by said rotor, the rotor having blades responsive to the fluid flow, the turbine is blade length regulated, and wherein said step B includes sensing the blade length; said step D includes calculating a desired blade length, desired rotor speed, and desired generator torque using said sensed rotor speed, sensed blade length, estimated tower motion, estimated fluid-flow speed; and, said step E desired control output includes said desired blade length as a command to a rotor blade length actuator, and desired generator torque as a command to a generator torque actuator.