Enhanced Vector Control of Doubly-Fed Induction Generator Based Wind Turbines to Comply with the Australian Grid Code Requirements

Abstract

Recent regulatory requirements outlined in the Australian Grid Code dictates fault ride-through and voltage support requirements for wind energy conversion systems. This paper introduces an enhanced vector control scheme for doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind turbines to comply with these requirements. A unified three-phase signal processor (UTSP) is implemented to readily extract the synchronisation signal from the three-phase grid voltage. The proposed UTSP is also used for the on-line calculation of the grid voltage amplitude, which is needed to provide the reactive power support according to the Australian regulations. The standard proportional-integral current regulators in the rotor-side and grid-side converters are replaced with vector-based hysteresis current regulators to increase the voltage sag/swell ride-through capacity of DFIG. The main advantages of the proposed current regulator are its very fast transient response and simple control structure. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed vector controller to comply with the Australian Grid Code requirements under various grid disturbances.

Key Words:

• DFIG-based wind farms
• Australian Grid Code
• voltage sag/swell ride-through
• reactive power support

Additional information

Notes on contributors

M. Mohseni

Mansour Mohseni received his BSc and MSc degrees in electrical power engineering from Shahid Chamran University, Ahwaz, Iran, in 2004 and 2007, respectively, and PhD degree in electrical and computer engineering from Curtin University, Perth, Australia, in 2011. He is currently with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Curtin University. He is the author or co-author of over 30 published technical papers in his area of expertise. His research interests include wind power generation, grid integration of renewable energy systems and power electronics.

S. Islam

Syed M. Islam received his BSc, MSc and PhD degrees from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia, in 1979, 1983, and 1988, respectively, all in electrical power engineering. He is currently the Chair Professor in electrical power engineering and Head of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia. He has authored or co-authored more than 170 technical papers. His research interests include condition monitoring of transformers, wind energy conversion, power quality and harmonics, and power systems. Syed was the recipient of the IEEE T Burke Haye’s Faculty Recognition Award in 2000. He is the current Vice-Chair of the Australasian Committee for Power Engineering and a member of the Board of Directors of the Australian Power Academy. He is a Fellow of the Engineers Australia, a Senior Member of the IEEE Industry Applications Society, Power Engineering Society, Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and a Chartered Engineer in the United Kingdom. He is an editor of the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy.