International Journal of Engineering Research and General ScienceVolume 2, Issue 5, August – September 2014

ISSN 2091-2730

Remote Power Generating Systems WHIT Using Low Frequency

Transmission
Mohammad Ali Adelian,Narjes Nakhostin Maher, Farzaneh Soorani

[email protected] 00917507638844, [email protected] , [email protected]

Abstract— the goal of this research is to evaluate alternative transmission systems from remote wind farms to the main grid using
low-frequency AC technology. Low frequency means a frequency lower than nominal frequency (60/50Hz). The low-frequency AC
network can be connected to the power grid at major substations via cyclo-converters that provide a low-cost interconnection and
synchronization with the main grid. Cyclo-converter technology is utilized to minimize costs which result in systems of 20/16.66 Hz
(for 60/50Hz systems respectively). Low frequency transmission has the potential to provide an attractive solution in terms of
economics and technical merits. The optimal voltage level selection for transmission within the wind farm and up to the
interconnection with the power grid is investigated. The proposed system is expected to have costs substantially lower than HVDC
and conventional HVAC systems. The cost savings will come from the fact that cyclo-converters are used which are much lower in
cost than HVDC. Other savings can come from optimizing the topology of the wind farms. Another advantage of the proposed
topologies is that existing transformers designed for 60 Hz can be used for the proposed topologies (for example a 345kV/69 kV,
60Hz transformer can be used for a 115 kV/23kV, 20 Hz system). The results from this research indicate that the use of LFAC
technology for transmission reduces the transmission power losses and the cost of the transmission system.

Keywords— Low frequency, Cyelo Converter, Wind Farm Connections, wind frame topology, wind system configuration, series
and parallel wind frame, voltage level selection.

INTRODUCTION
Renewable sources of energy are widely available and proper utilization of these resources leads to decreased dependence on the fossil
fuels. Wind is one such renewable source available in nature and could supply at least a part of the electric power. In many remote
locations the potential for wind energy is high. Making use of the available wind resources greatly reduces the dependence on the
conventional fuels and lowers the emission rates. There are a few problems associated with the wind which makes the wind energy
more expensive than other forms of electric power generation. The two main issues are: (a) Large wind farms are located in remote
locations which make the cost of transmission of wind power costly, and (b) the intermittent supply of power due to the
unpredictability of the wind that results in lower capacity credits for the operation of the integrated power system. These issues are
addressed by designing alternative topologies and transmission systems operating at low frequency for the purpose of decreasing the
cost of transmission and making the wind farm a more reliable power source. The use of DC transmission within the wind farm
enables the output of wind generators to be rectified via a standard transformer/rectifier arrangement to DC of appropriate kV level.

Research Objectives

 Literature study of previous research on low frequency AC transmission and wind farm topologies.

 Design of alternate topologies.

 Calculation of optimal transmission voltage levels for different topologies.

 Modeling the system using WinIGS-F software.

Technologies for Wind Farm Power Transmission

The possible solutions for transmitting power from wind farms are HVAC, Line commutated HVDC and voltage source based HVDC
(VSC-HVDC). Low frequency AC transmission (LFAC) is particularly beneficial in terms of cost savings and reduction of line losses
[4] in cases where the distance from the power generating stations to the main power grid is large. The use of fractional frequency
transmission system (FFTS) for offshore wind power is discussed in [6]. The author proposes LFAC as an alternative to HVAC and
HVDC technologies for a short and intermediate transmission distances. HVAC is more economical for short transmission distances.

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For longer distances, HVAC has disadvantages like increase in the cable cost, terminal cost and charging. HVDC transmission
systems and wind farm topologies are discussed in [12]. HVDC being a matured technology is used for longer distances. Compared to
HVDC, the LFAC system reduces the usage of an electronic converter terminal which reduces the investment cost. HVDC technology
is used only for point-to-point transmission [11], and LFAC can be used for similar networks as AC transmission. Further, VSC-
HVDC replaces the thyristors with IGBTs and is considered to be the most feasible solution for long distance transmission. However,
addition of converter stations on both sides of the transmission line increase the investment cost of the VSC-HVDC system [7]
compared to LFAC. Hence, due to the limitations of the HVAC and HVDC the proposed LFAC is used in the design of transmission
systems. The use of LFAC can be extended to long transmission distances. Cyclo converter technology is used for converting the AC
of nominal frequency to AC of one third frequency i.e. 16.67 Hz/20 Hz for a 50 Hz/ 60 Hz transmission system`. Several advantages
of the LFAC are identified. The transmission system used for conventional AC system can be used for LFAC without any
modifications and the LFAC system increases the transmission capacity.

Wind system configuration 1: AC wind farm, Nominal frequency, Network connection:Two different types of AC wind
farms referred in this thesis are radial and network connections. Radial wind farms are suitable for small wind farms with a short
transmission distance. In a small AC wind farm, the local wind farm grid is used both for connecting all wind turbines in a radial
fashion and transmitting the generated power to the wind farm grid interface. Network connected wind farms are usually large AC
wind farms where the local wind farm grid has a lower voltage level than the transmission system. The wind system configuration 1
shown in figure 3.2.1 has network connection of wind turbines and AC power collection system.
Wind System Configuration 2: AC Wind Farm, AC/DC Transmission, And Network Connection: The wind system
configuration 2 shown in figure 3.2.2 is similar to the wind system configuration 1 except for the transmission part from the collector
substation to the main power grid. AC transmission is replaced by DC transmission in this configuration. Nominal frequency
transmission is adopted within the wind farm. This wind farm is referred to as AC/DC wind farm. This type of system does not exist
today, but is frequently proposed when the distance to main grid is long.

Figure 3.2.1: Wind system configuration1 Figure 3.2.2: Wind system configuration 2

Wind system configuration 3: Series DC Wind farm, Nominal frequency, Network connection: The wind system
configuration 3 has a DC power collection system. Wind turbines are connected in series and each set of series connected array is
connected to the collection point. Using DC/AC converters, AC of suitable voltage level and nominal frequency is generated. Voltage
is stepped up and the power is transmitted to the interconnection point at the power grid by a high voltage transmission line.
Wind System Configuration 4: Parallel DC Wind Farm, Nominal Frequency, Network Connection: Wind system
configuration 4 differs from the wind system configuration 3 in the local wind farm design. Here a number of wind turbine systems
are connected in parallel and each set of parallel connected wind turbines are connected to a collection point. Using DC/AC
converters, AC of suitable voltage level and nominal frequency is generated. At the collection point voltage is stepped up by means of
a transformer and the power is transmitted to the interconnection point at the power grid by a high voltage transmission line. Two
small sized wind farms are interconnected via a transmission line to ensure reliable supply of power to the main grid in the event of
fault or maintenance shut down in any one of the wind farms by transferring power generated from the other wind farm.

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Wind system configuration 3: Series DC Wind farm Wind system configuration 4: Parallel DC Wind farm

Wind System Configuration 5: Series DC Wind Farm, Low Frequency Radial AC Transmission: The wind system
configuration shown in figure 3.2.5 has a DC wind farm. Here a number of wind turbine systems are connected in series and each
series string is connected to a collection point. An inverter is used to convert DC to AC of low-frequency preferably one third the
nominal power frequency at the collection point. The voltage is raised to higher kV levels by means of a transformer (standard
transformers are used with appropriately reduced ratings for the low frequency). The power is transmitted to the main power grid via
lines operating at low frequency. Using cyclo-converters the low frequency is converted to power frequency before connecting to the
main power grid.
Wind System Configuration 6: Parallel DC Wind Farm, Low Frequency, Radial Transmission: Wind system
configuration 6 is similar to the wind system configuration 5. Here the difference is that the wind turbines are connected parallel to
each other and to the collection point. Parallel connection of wind turbines leads to same voltage across the terminals of all the wind
turbine systems. The generated power is converted to low-frequency AC using inverter and transmitted over long distances to the
power grid. Cyclo-converter technology is used to convert the low frequency to nominal frequency before connecting the system to
the main power grid.

Wind system configuration 5: Series DC wind farm Wind system configuration 6: Parallel DC Wind Farm

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Wind system configuration 7: Series DC wind Farm Wind system configuration 8: Parallel DC wind Farm
Wind System Configuration 7: Series DC Wind Farm, Low Frequency AC Transmission Network: Here a number of
wind turbine systems are connected in series and each set of series connected array is connected to a collection point. At the collection
point DC is converted to low frequency AC by means of inverters. The transmission of power up to the main power grid is by means
of a network of transmission lines operated at low frequency. The low frequency AC system is connected to the power grid by means
of cyclo-converters.
Wind System Configuration 8: Parallel DC Wind Farm, Low Frequency AC Transmission Network : Wind system
configuration 8 has a number of wind turbine systems connected in parallel and each set of parallel connection of wind
turbine systems are connected to a collection point. From the collection point to power grid system is identical to wind
system configuration 7.
VOLTAGE LEVEL SELECTION: This section provides analysis and results that determine the optimal transmission voltage
used in the alternative wind transmission systems up to the main DC bus. The optimal kV level for transmission within the wind farm
is selected by evaluation of the total costs consisting of operational costs (mainly losses) and annualized investment cost. The cost of
the auxiliary equipment is not considered. The optimal kV level is selected on the basis of minimal total cost consisting of operating
costs (mainly transmission loss) and investment cost.
Voltage calculation-Wind system configuration 5: Series DC wind farm, Low frequency radial AC transmission:
Wind system configuration 5 has a series DC wind farm as shown in figure 4.1 where mi wind turbines are connected in series to
obtain the suitable transmission voltage. The wind turbine systems are assumed to be identical, thus resulting in same voltage and
current through them. A wind farm rated 30 MW consisting of 10 wind turbines each rated 3 MW is considered. The transmission
voltage for calculation purpose is selected as 35 kV. Thus, the nominal high side transformer voltage for the wind turbines is 3.5 kV.
The optimal transmission voltage is obtained by plotting the values obtained from the calculation of loss and the annual investment
cost of the cable and converter for different values of the transmission voltage. The resistance of the chosen cable is approximately
0.0153 ohm/ 1000 ft.

Figure 4.1: Wind farm configuration 1: Series DC wind farm, radial connection

Calculation of transmission loss (up to the main DC bus) ($/yr): The following equations are used to determine the
transmission loss with in the wind farm.

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This formula assumes that the wind farm operates continuously at maximum power which is unrealistic. The capacity factor of a wind
turbine is approximately 30% [1]. Hence the resultant Loss in $/yr is multiplied by 0.3. Therefore, Loss = $ 30,110 /yr.
Calculation of Cost of cable and the converter equipment in $/yr:The acquisition cost of the cable is $ 18.5 /ft. To calculate
the cost of cable required for the entire wind farm, the length of the cable is calculated. Multiplying the acquisition cost of cable by the
total length of the cable gives the acquisition cost of the cable for the entire wind farm in $.

Therefore, acquisition cost of

the cable, CCost = $ 188,700/yr.
The cost of converter is given by

The above calculation gives the acquisition cost of converters to

be $238,907. Assuming an interest rate of 6% and the life time of the cable and the converter to be 20 years, the annual amortization is
calculated. Acquisition cost of the cable and the converters is $ 427,607.

Thus, the annual investment for

cable and converter is $ 37,244 /yr. For determining the optimal operating voltage, Vdc vs. Loss ($/yr) and Vdc vs. Annual investment
for cable and converter ($/yr) are plotted. The optimal voltage level is determined by the lowest point of the curve obtained by adding
the Loss ($/yr) and Annual investment cost ($/yr) as shown in figure 4.2.

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Figure 4.2: Plot of voltage at Che main DC bus vs. total cost for mi=10, Pt = 3MW

From the plot in figure 4.2 it can be seen that for the wind farm rated 30 MW having 10 wind turbines the optimal voltage would be
around 35kV. As the voltage level further increases the transmission power loss decreases but the cost of the cable and the converter
increases. The plots of annual investment cost vs. Vdc and loss vs. Vdc intersect 23 at 32 kV, from that point the annual investment
cost goes on increasing. The optimal voltage is obtained by determining the lowest point on the graph obtained by adding the annual
investment cost and the loss in $/yr. The x coordinate of the point is the optimal transmission voltage which is 35 kV in this case. For
different wind turbine ratings, cable size and the wind farm size the optimal level of voltage is calculated in a similar fashion as shown
above.
STEADY STATE ANALYSIS
Wind Farm Modeling
Performance of a multiphase system under steady state conditions is analyzed using WinIGS-F program. Wind system configurations
1, 4 and 8 are modeled to analyze the system performance.
Wind system configuration 1_ model 1: In the system shown in figure 5.1 the wind farm is connected to a transmission line 54
miles long. Wind farm consists of 3 radial feeders with 4 wind turbines on each radial feeder. All the wind turbines are identical and
rated 2.7 MW each. A three phase two winding transformer rated 3 MVA is connected to each wind turbine to raise the voltage to 25
kV. The power generated at each wind turbine is collected at the collector substation. A transformer rated 36 MVA with primary
voltage of 25 kV and secondary voltage of 115 kV is installed at the collector substation. At the end of the transmission line a three
phase constant electric load and a slack generator are connected.

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Figure 5.1 Wind system configuration 1 (60 Hz transmission)

Total power loss during transmission is obtained by running the model and it is 1.1925 MW for this case.

Wind system configuration 4_ model 2: The wind system configuration 4 is modeled as shown is figure 5.3. It has two small
wind farms located at a distance away from each other. This model is similar to a scenario where there are two wind farms in
different geographical areas and power is collected at the collector substation and transferred over long distances to the main grid.
Under any disturbance to the generation of power in one of the wind farms the other wind farm supplies the power.

Figure 5.3 Wind system configuration 4 (60 Hz transmission)

Each wind turbine is rated 2.7 MW with 25 kV operating voltage within the wind farm. The operating voltage of the long distance
transmission line from the collector substation to the main grid considered here is 69 kV.
Wind system configuration 8 _ model 3: The wind system configuration 8 is modeled as shown in figure 5.4. A 20 Hz
transmission line, 54 miles long and operating at 69 kV is modeled in this case.

Figure 5.4 Wind system configuration 8 (20Hz transmission)

the transmission line parameters used for 60 Hz transmission can be used for 20 Hz transmission.

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Table 5.3 Transmission power loss for wind system configuration 8 (20 Hz transmission)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I want to say thank you to my family, specially my mother for supporting me during my study in M tech and my entire friend which
help me during this study. I have to also thanks for my college to support me during my m tech in electrical in Bharati Vidyapeeth
deemd university college of engineering.

CONCLUSIONS
Geographical locations that are suitable for wind farm development are in remote locations far from the main transmission grid and
major load centers. In these cases, the transmission of wind power to the main grid is a major expenditure. The potential benefit of the
LFAC technology presented in this study is the reduction in the cost of the transmission system. This makes the economics of the wind
energy favorable and increases the penetration of wind power into the system. LFAC technology is used for transmission from the
collector substation to the main power grid. The thesis presents alternate topologies suitable for various geographical locations and
configurations of the wind farm. The optimal operating voltage of the transmission lines within the wind farm is calculated for all the
cases. The optimal voltage is computed considering the cost of the cable, converter equipment and the power loss due to transmission.
The preliminary study results show that higher the operating voltage lower will be the transmission losses and with the increase of the
transmission distance the transmission losses on the line increase. The results obtained by modeling the wind system configurations
point towards higher transmission losses in 60 Hz transmission compared to 20 Hz transmission.

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[8] S. Lundberg, "Wind farm configuration and energy efficiency studies series DC versus AC layouts," Thesis, Chalmers University
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