Wind Turbine Generators: © P. Kundur

Wind Turbine
Generators
P. Kundur
Wind Turbine Generators
Outline
Wind Turbine Characteristics
Types of Wind Turbine Generator
Technologies
Protection Systems
Reactive Power Compensation and Voltage
Control Requirements
Impact on Power System Dynamic
Performance
Mitigation of Stability Problems
P. Kundur
WTG - 1
Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs)

Wind turbine components:
wind turbine runs at low speed (0.5 Hz)
mechanical drive train includes a gear box
converts low speed of turbine to high

speed of generator
Mechanical speed regulation:

blade pitch angle control
each blade rotated about longitudinal axis

variable speed
stall control
no pitch actuators required

fixed speed
Types of generators
induction generator
synchronous generator
doubly fed induction generator
WTG ratings range from 25 kW to 3 MW
P. Kundur
WTG - 2
Typical WTG Power Curve

Fig below shows typical output versus wind
Percentage Rated Output
speed characteristics of wind turbines:
cut-in
rated
cut-out
wind speed (m/s)
The cut-in, rated and cut-out speeds shown are
typical for utility-scale WTGs

Generally, WTGs are designed to work at
maximum aerodynamic efficiency between cutin and rated wind speed

For wind speeds higher than rated and lower
than cut-out:
blade pitching or blade stalling is used to maintain
loading within the equipments rating
WTGs shut down for wind speeds higher than
cut-out speed to avoid excessive mechanical

stress
P. Kundur
WTG - 3
Types of Wind Turbine Generator

Technologies
Presently four major types of WTG Technologies
used:
1.
Squirrel Cage Induction Generators driven by

fixed-speed, stall-regulated wind turbines
2.
Induction Generators with variable external

rotor resistance driven by a variable-speed,
pitch regulated wind turbines
3.
Doubly-Fed Induction Generators driven by

variable-speed, pitch regulated wind turbines
4.
Synchronous or Induction Generators with full

converter interface (back-to-back frequency
converter), driven by variable-speed, pitch
regulated wind turbines
P. Kundur
WTG - 4
Doubly Fed Induction Generator

(DFIG)
Wound rotor induction generator with
slip rings
Rotor is fed from a three-phase variable
frequency source, thus allowing variable

speed operation
reduction of mechanical stress; higher
overall efficiency, reduced acoustical noise
The variable frequency supply to rotor is
attained through the use of two voltagesource converters linked via a capacitor
Note: A more appropriate designation for

this type of generator is: Doubly Fed
Asynchronous Generator
P. Kundur
WTG - 5
Doubly Fed Induction

Generator Used in Large Wind Farms
DFIG
Grid
Grid side
converter
DC Link
Reactor
Cbc
P. Kundur
WTG - 6
Chopper
Rotor side
converter
Control of Rotor-Side Converter
The converters handle ac quantities:

rotor-side converter carries slip frequency
current
stator-side converter carries grid frequency
current
Hence, they are controlled using vector-
control techniques:
based on the concept of a rotating reference
frame and projecting currents on such a
reference
such projections referred to as d- and q-axis
components
With a suitable choice of reference frame,
AC quantities appear as DC quantities in

the steady state
contd
P. Kundur
WTG - 7
Control of Rotor-Side Converter

cont'd
In flux-based rotating frames:
changes in the d-axis component of current will
lead to reactive power changes
changes in the q-axis component will vary
active power
This allows independent control of active
and reactive power of the stator

Implemented through rotor-side converter
control
An important aspect of the DFIG concept !
Since rotor flux tracks the stator flux, air
gap torque provides no damping of shaft

oscillations
additional modulating signal has to be added
P. Kundur
WTG - 8
Protection System
Rotor current protection:

Limits current in the rotor side converter
If current rises above set value, a crowbar is
activated
short-circuits the rotor winding at the slip

rings with a static switch
the generator operates as a squirrel cage
induction motor
Typically, the case when the voltage at the
terminals of the generator decreases rapidly,
for example during a fault in the grid
In order to avoid overspeeding of turbine, the
speed reference for the pitch control is
reduced simultaneously
increases pitch angle and reduces

mechanical power
P. Kundur
WTG - 9
Protection System cont'd
Rotor speed protection:

disconnects WTG from the grid if speed
of rotor is higher or lower than set levels
for a predefined time
Over/under voltage protection:

disconnects WTG from the grid if voltage
is above or below set values for a
predefined time
P. Kundur
WTG - 10
Performance of DFIG
DFIGs have the ability to hold electrical
torque constant
rapid fluctuations in mechanical power can be
temporarily stored as kinetic energy
improves power quality!
Performance for large disturbances
requires thorough analysis

may lead to separation of the unit
process may not be readily apparent from
simplified dynamic simulations
P. Kundur
WTG - 11
Performance of DFIG cont'd
Large disturbances lead to large initial fault
currents, both at the stator and rotor

will flow through rotor-side converter; voltage
source converters are less tolerant of high
currents
further, additional energy goes into charging
the dc bus capacitor and dc bus voltage rises
rapidly
crowbar may be activated

may lead to tripping of the unit
Need for a careful assessment and proper
design of controls to improve capability to

ride through faults
P. Kundur
WTG - 12
Examples of Fault Ride-Through

Capability
Temporary reduction of active power:
Active Power is ramped down for a predefined time
and then ramped up again to prefault value
This stabilizes wind turbine during the fault and
reduces the current in the rotor converter
Disadvantage: rotor can speed up causing

overspeed protection to trip turbine
handled by the pitch controller
Temporary reduction of active power with
reactive power boosting:

Increases terminal voltage
Improves system stability
P. Kundur
WTG - 13
Wind Power Plants
Utility-scale wind power plants consist of
several tens to hundreds of WTGs

Each unit with a pad-mounted transformer
Connected to transmission network through a
medium-voltage collector network
A power transformer used to interface with the
transmission grid
Depending on the application and type of
WTG, shunt reactive power compensation

may be added at one or more of the
following locations:
WTG terminals
Collector system
Substation interfacing with the Transmission
grid
P. Kundur
WTG - 14
Impact of the Variability of Wind

Power Plant Output
Wind power plant output varies with wind
resource
Cannot be dispatched like conventional power
plants
System operators cannot control the rate of
power decreases, i.e., ramp down due to falling
wind speeds
For ramping up, some manufacturers provide
the option of controlling rate of power increase
As wind power capacity within a control
area increases, the variability of wind

power can have a significant impact on:
the efficiency of unit commitment process, and
the reserve requirements to meet reliability
performance standards
As an example, a study of a system with
35,000 MW peak demand estimated that the

regulation reserves would increase by 36
MW when adding 3,300 MW of wind power
P. Kundur
WTG - 15
Reactive Power Compensation and

Voltage Control Requirements
In areas with large amounts of wind
generation, wind variability can have a

significant impact on voltage profiles
may require switched capacitor banks and
shunt reactors, and transformer tap changer
control
Some wind power plants have the ability to
control/regulate voltage at or near the point

of interconnection to transmission grid
accomplished by installing separate devices
such as SVCs and STATCOMS,
alternatively, external controller may be added
for adjusting the power factor of each
individual WTG until target voltage is achieved
P. Kundur
WTG - 16
Impact of Wind Power Plants on

Power System Dynamic Performance
The dynamics of individual WTGs and the
entire wind farms could have a significant

impact on the stability of the bulk power
system
Rotor angle stability is not an issue with
wind power plants because most WTGs are

asynchronous units
No equivalent concept of rotor angle or
synchronizing and damping torques for such
generators
Some studies have revealed that bulk
power system transient rotor-angle

stability is improved if wind power plants,
as compared to conventional power plants
with synchronous generators, are added at
the same location
with WTGs, a smooth and non-oscillatory
power delivery is re-established following a
disturbance
contd
P. Kundur
WTG - 17
Impact on System Dynamic

Performance contd
Wind power plants could have a significant
impact on voltage stability following a

network fault
Induction generators absorb higher reactive

power when voltage is low
Even DFIGs may crow-bar during a fault, and
act as an induction generator
Increased reactive power consumption can
lead to voltage instability if the transmission
grid is weak
Voltage stability related to characteristics of
WTGs, as opposed to load characteristics
A short-term phenomenon
Adequate and fast control of reactive power
and voltage required
Overall solution requires coordinated control
of wind farms, including use of external
compensators such as SVCs and STATCOMS
contd
P. Kundur
WTG - 18

Performance contd
DFIGs and generators with full converter
interface do not contribute to system

inertia
May contribute to frequency instability,
particularly in smaller power systems with
high penetration of wind generation
Special controls needed to solve this problem
Present WTG designs do not contribute to
primary frequency regulation

Some demonstration projects in Europe have
illustrated the possibility of frequency
regulation using WTGs
Requires more work and study before practical
implementation
Detailed simulation studies using
appropriate wind plant models essential for

satisfactory integration of large wind farms
into power grids
P. Kundur
WTG - 19

Performance contd
A good source of reference addressing
some of these issues is the CIGRE
Technical Brochure on:
Modeling and Dynamic Behavior of Wind
Generation As It Relates to Power System
Control and Dynamic Performance
- Prepared by WG C4 - 601 of CIGRE
Study Committee C4, January 2007
P. Kundur
WTG - 20
Modelling of Wind Farms

Wind field model describing wind speed
Wind turbine model
Model for internal grid of wind farm
For system studies aggregated representation
is sufficient
a single WTG model to represent the farm or a subgroup of WTGs
Induction generator represented by a third order
model
d and q axis rotor circuits and acceleration of rotor
Models for controls and protections
--------------------Some of the modeling details/data considered:

- proprietary information by manufacturers
Need to move towards the development of:
- standard models for planning and operating
studies
P. Kundur
WTG - 21
Grid Codes
In the past, wind power plants were
allowed to trip off for nearby transmission

faults and system disturbances
Due to the increase in wind power capacity,
this is no longer appropriate
Transmission operators and reliability
coordinators have begun to capture

performance requirements for wind power
plants in Grid Codes
The Grid Codes address, among other
issues,
Fault tolerance and reactive power/voltage
control requirements
In some cases, they also address

Ramp rate control and frequency response
capability
P. Kundur
WTG - 22
Use of Multi-Terminal VSC-Based

HVDC for Collector Network
An effective way to integrate large
percentage of wind generation

Permits interconnection with main
transmission network at relatively weak

parts of the network
Provides good dynamic response and
ability to comply with grid code

requirements in the event of AC system
faults
Results in smaller footprint
Growing interest in the application for
interconnection of off-shore wind farms

with the transmission network
P. Kundur
WTG - 23

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Wind Turbine

Wind Turbine Generators

Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs)

converts low speed of turbine to high

Mechanical speed regulation:

each blade rotated about longitudinal axis

no pitch actuators required

WTG ratings range from 25 kW to 3 MW

Typical WTG Power Curve

speed characteristics of wind turbines:

wind speed (m/s)

The cut-in, rated and cut-out speeds shown are

typical for utility-scale WTGs

maximum aerodynamic efficiency between cutin and rated wind speed

WTGs shut down for wind speeds higher than

cut-out speed to avoid excessive mechanical

Types of Wind Turbine Generator

Squirrel Cage Induction Generators driven by

Induction Generators with variable external

Doubly-Fed Induction Generators driven by

Synchronous or Induction Generators with full

Doubly Fed Induction Generator

frequency source, thus allowing variable

The variable frequency supply to rotor is

Note: A more appropriate designation for

Doubly Fed Induction

Control of Rotor-Side Converter

The converters handle ac quantities:

Hence, they are controlled using vector-

With a suitable choice of reference frame,

AC quantities appear as DC quantities in

Control of Rotor-Side Converter

This allows independent control of active

and reactive power of the stator

Since rotor flux tracks the stator flux, air

gap torque provides no damping of shaft

Rotor current protection:

short-circuits the rotor winding at the slip

increases pitch angle and reduces

Protection System cont'd

Rotor speed protection:

Over/under voltage protection:

DFIGs have the ability to hold electrical

Performance for large disturbances

requires thorough analysis

Performance of DFIG cont'd

Large disturbances lead to large initial fault

currents, both at the stator and rotor

crowbar may be activated

Need for a careful assessment and proper

design of controls to improve capability to

Examples of Fault Ride-Through

Disadvantage: rotor can speed up causing

handled by the pitch controller

Temporary reduction of active power with

reactive power boosting:

Wind Power Plants

Utility-scale wind power plants consist of