Unit 3

Wind Generator Topologies

Review of modern wind turbine technologies
WECS are classified in terms of our power yield, the type of machine, operating speed and
orientation of 4 turbine. Figure give the pictorial form of wind energy conversion systems
classification.

On the basis of their power delivering capabilities and type of machine involved wind
turbines are classified in following types:
1.Type A Fixed speed wind turbines
2. Type B Limited Variable Speed wind turbines
3.Type C Variable speed with partial scale frequency converter
4. Type D Variable speed with full scale frequency converter.

Type A Fixed speed wind turbines

A fixed-speed wind turbine always spins at the same generator/rotor speed during operation,
regardless of the wind speed. Thus, the tip-speed ratio (TSR) would change with wind
speed and the rotor aerodynamic performance would only be optimal at a given wind speed.
Type A turbines are structured turbines that are fair and electrically simple.
With the help of the gearbox, the number of RPMs has increased, driving the squirrel cage
induction generator (SCIG) to the step-up transformer of the power system.

Type B Limited Variable Speed wind turbines

A variable speed wind turbine is one which is specifically designed to operate over a wide
range of rotor speeds. It is in direct contrast to fixed speed wind turbine where the rotor speed
is approximately constant. The reason to vary the rotor speed is to capture the maximum
aerodynamic power in the wind, as the wind speed varies.
In order to achieve maximum aerodynamic efficiency at the wide range of wind velocity, the
turbine must have such a mechanism to vary its rotational speed according to variation in
wind velocity so tip speed ratio can be adjusted at optimal value corresponds to maximum
power coefficient.

Type C Variable speed with partial scale frequency converter

The stator of a generator is directly connected with grid delivering power to the grid while the
rotor is connected with back-to-back partial scale AC/DC & DC/AC power converters to
maintain the synchronization of rotor frequency and grid frequency.
Type D Fixed speed wind turbines
These are fully variable speed wind turbines equipped with synchronous generator either
excited electrically or by a permanent magnet.
Heavy Generator is connected to the grid through back-to-back full-scale AC/DC/AC power
converters to maintain frequency synchronization with the grid.

Induction Generators
An inductiongenerator or asynchronous generator is a type of alternating
current (AC) electrical generator that uses the principles of induction motors to produce
electric power. Induction generators operate by mechanically turning their rotors faster than
synchronous speed. A regular AC induction motor usually can be used as a generator, without
any internal modifications. Induction generators are useful in applications such as mini
hydro power plants, wind turbines, or in reducing high-pressure gas streams to lower
pressure, because they can recover energy with relatively simple controls.
An induction generator usually draws its excitation power from an electrical grid. Because of
this, induction generators cannot usually black start a de-energized distribution system.
Sometimes, however, they are self-excited by using phase-correcting capacitors.
Induction generators are often used in wind turbines and some micro hydro installations due to
their ability to produce useful power at varying rotor speeds. Induction generators are
mechanically and electrically simpler than other generator types. They are also more rugged,
requiring no brushes or commutators.
Double-Fed Induction Generator
Double-fed induction generator (DFIG), a generating principle widely used in wind turbines.
It is based on an induction generator with a multiphase wound rotor and a multiphase slip
ring assembly with brushes for access to the rotor windings. It is possible to avoid the
multiphase slip ring assembly, but there are problems with efficiency, cost and size. A better
alternative is a brushless wound-rotor doubly-fed electric machine.
The principle of the DFIG is that stator windings are connected to the grid and rotor winding
are connected to the converter via slip rings and back-to-back voltage source converter that
controls both the rotor and the grid currents. Thus rotor frequency can freely differ from the
grid frequency (50 or 60 Hz). By using the converter to control the rotor currents, it is
possible to adjust the active and reactive power fed to the grid from the stator independently
of the generator's turning speed. The control principle used is either the two-axis
current vector control or direct torque control (DTC).[13] DTC has turned out to have better
stability than current vector control especially when high reactive currents are required from
the generator.[14]
The doubly-fed generator rotors are typically wound with 2 to 3 times the number of turns of
the stator. This means that the rotor voltages will be higher and currents respectively lower.
Thus in the typical ±30% operational speed range around the synchronous speed, the rated
current of the converter is accordingly lower which leads to a lower cost of the converter. The
drawback is that controlled operation outside the operational speed range is impossible
because of the higher than rated rotor voltage. Further, the voltage transients due to the grid
disturbances (three- and two-phase voltage dips, especially) will also be magnified. In order
to prevent high rotor voltages (and high currents resulting from these voltages) from
destroying the insulated-gate bipolar transistors and diodes of the converter, a protection
circuit (called crowbar) is used.
Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators
A permanent magnet synchronous generator is a generator where the excitation field is
provided by a permanent magnet instead of a coil. The term synchronous refers here to the
fact that the rotor and magnetic field rotate with the same speed, because the magnetic field is
generated through a shaft mounted permanent magnet mechanism and current is induced into
the stationary armature.
Synchronous generators are the majority source of commercial electrical energy. They are
commonly used to convert the mechanical power output of steam turbines, gas
turbines, reciprocating engines and hydro turbines into electrical power for the grid. Some
designs of Wind turbines also use this generator type.
In the majority of designs the rotating assembly in the center of the generator—the "rotor"—
contains the magnet, and the "stator" is the stationary armature that is electrically connected
to a load. As shown in the diagram, the perpendicular component of the stator field affects the
torque while the parallel component affects the voltage. The load supplied by the generator
determines the voltage. If the load is inductive, then the angle between the rotor and stator
fields will be greater than 90 degrees which corresponds to an increased generator voltage.
This is known as an overexcited generator. The opposite is true for a generator supplying a
capacitive load which is known as an underexcited generator. A set of three conductors make
up the armature winding in standard utility equipment, constituting three phases of a power
circuit—that correspond to the three wires we are accustomed to see on transmission lines.
The phases are wound such that they are 120 degrees apart spatially on the stator, providing
for a uniform force or torque on the generator rotor. The uniformity of the torque arises
because the magnetic fields resulting from the induced currents in the three conductors of the
armature winding combine spatially in such a way as to resemble the magnetic field of a
single, rotating magnet. This stator magnetic field or "stator field" appears as a steady
rotating field and spins at the same frequency as the rotor when the rotor contains a single
dipole magnetic field. The two fields move in "synchronicity" and maintain a fixed position
relative to each other as they spin.[1]
They are known as synchronous generators because f, the frequency of the induced voltage in
the stator (armature conductors) conventionally measured in hertz, is directly proportional to
RPM, the rotation rate of the rotor usually given in revolutions per minute (or angular speed).
If the rotor windings are arranged in such a way as to produce the effect of more than two
magnetic poles, then each physical revolution of the rotor results in more magnetic poles
moving past the armature windings. Each passing of a north and south pole corresponds to a
complete "cycle" of a magnet field oscillation. Therefore, the constant of proportionality is
P/120, where P is the number of magnetic rotor poles (almost always an even number), and
the factor of 120 comes from 60 seconds per minute and two poles in a single magnet;

F=Ns*P/120
Power electronics converters
Power electronic technology deals with processing and controlling the flow of electrical
energy in order to supply voltages and currents in a form that optimally suited for end user’s
requirements.

A power electronic converter uses power electronic components such as SCRs, TRIACs,
IGBTs, etc. to control and convert the electric power. The main aim of the converter is to
produce conditioning power with respect to a certain application.

Depending on the type of function performed, power electronic converters are categorized
into following types.

 AC to DC = Rectifier: It converts AC to unipolar (DC) current

 DC to AC = Inverter: It converts DC to AC of desired frequency and voltage
 DC to DC = Chopper: It converts constant to variable DC or variable DC to
constant DC
 AC to AC = Cycloconverter, Matrix converter: It converts AC of desired
frequency and/or desired voltage magnitude from a line AC supply.

AC to DC Converters or Rectifiers

An AC to DC converter is also called a rectifier, which converts AC supply from main lines
to DC supply for the load. The block diagram of an AC to DC converter is shown in figure
below.

Here, the transformer adjusts the primary AC source supply to the input of rectifier stage.
Usually, it is a step-down transformer that reduces the supply voltage to a circuit operating
range.
The rectifier converts the low voltage AC supply into DC supply.

It comprises diode and/or thyristors based on type of rectifier. The output of the rectifier is of
pulsed DC and hence it is filtered using filter circuit, which is usually made with a capacitor
or a choke.

The control block controls the firing angle of thyristors in case of phase-controlled rectifiers.
Since the diode is not a controllable device, control block is not needed in case of diode
rectifiers.

Rectifiers are majorly classified into two types

 Uncontrolled diode rectifiers

 Controlled rectifiers

DC to DC Converters

Many DC operated applications need different levels of DC voltage from a fixed DC source.

Some of these applications include subway cars, DC traction systems, control of large DC
motors, battery operated vehicles, trolley buses, etc. They require variable DC to produce
variable speed, so a power conversion device is needed.

The chopper circuit is connected between DC input source and DC load. This chopper
consists of power electronic switching devices such as thyristors which are connected in such
a way that they produce required DC voltage to the load.

The output voltage is controlled by adjusting ON time of the thyristor (or switch) which turn
changes the width of DC voltage pulse at the output. This method of switching is called as
pulse width modulation (PWM) control.
The output of the chopper can be less or greater than the input and also it can be fixed or
variable. These can be unidirectional or bidirectional devices based on the application it is
intended for.

DC choppers are mainly used in DC drives, i.e., electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles.

AC to AC Converters

AC/AC converters connect an AC source to AC loads by controlling amount of power

supplied to the load. This converter converts the AC voltage at one level to the other by
varying its magnitude as well as frequency of the supply voltage.

These are used in different types of applications including uninterrupted power supplies, high
power AC to AC transmission, adjustable speed drives, renewable energy conversion systems
and aircraft converter systems.

 AC/AC Voltage Converters

These converters control the rms value of output voltage at a constant frequency. The
common application of these converters includes starting of AC motors and
controlling power to heaters.

A single-phase AC/AC voltage converter consists of a pair of anti-parallel thyristors

along with a control circuit as shown in figure below.

The other names of this controller are single phase full wave converter and AC
voltage controller.

 AC/AC frequency Converters

These converters are mainly used for varying the frequency of the input source to
desired level of the load. An AC/AC frequency converter changes the frequency of
input voltage/current of the load compared to the frequency of the source.
 Some of these converters may control magnitude of voltage besides the frequency
control. These are mainly used for adjusting the speed of AC drives and also for
induction heating.

The two major classes of these converters include

1. Cyclo converters

and

2. Matrix converters.

DC to AC Converters or Inverters

These converters are connected between DC source of fixed input, and variable AC load.
Most commonly, these DC to AC converters is called as inverters. An inverter is a static
device that converts fixed DC supply voltage to variable AC voltage.

Here the fixed DC voltage is obtained from batteries or by DC link in most power electronic
converter. The output of the inverter can be variable/ fixed AC voltage with variable/fixed
frequency.

This conversion from DC to AC along with variable supply is produced by varying the
triggering angle to the thyristors. Most of the thyristors used in inverters are employed with
forced commutation technique.

Converter Control

The power converter controls the power delivered to the resistor using an uncontrolled
rectifier and a parallel DC–DC chopper. This design has the disadvantage of the current
having a higher harmonic content. This is caused by the rectangular rotor current
waveform in the case of a three-phase uncontrolled rectifier. This disadvantage can be
avoided using a six IGBT's controlled rectifier, however this topology increases the cost
significantly.