Power generation efficiency analysis of offshore wind farms connected to a SLPC (single large power converter) operated with variable frequencies considering wake effects

This paper deals with the power generation efficiency analysis of a proposed offshore wind farm topology, consisting of a SLPC (single large power converter) that simultaneously controls a group of generators. This common converter can operate at a VF (variable frequency) or at a CF (constant frequency). The results are compared with the conventional onshore wind farm scheme, where individual power converters are connected to each turbine, guaranteeing maximum power generation for the entire wind farm. A methodology to analyze different wind speed and direction scenarios, and to compute the optimal electrical frequency for each one, is presented and applied to different case studies depending on the wind farm size. In order to obtain more realistic values of wind speeds, the wake effect amongst wind turbines is considered. A wake model considering single, partial and multiple wakes inside a wind farm and taking into account different wind directions, is presented. Both wind farm topologies are analyzed by means of simulations, taking into account both wind speed variability in wind farms and the number of wind turbines. The possible resulting benefits of simplifying the MPCs (multiple power converters) of each turbine, namely saving costs, reducing losses and maintenance and increasing the reliability of the system, are analyzed, focusing on the total power extraction. The SLPC-VF scheme is also compared with a CF scheme SLPC-CF, and it is shown that a significant power increase of more than 33% can be obtained with SLPC-VF.     

Control of a wind farm with an internal direct current collection grid

For a high‐voltage, direct current connected wind farm, an internal direct current (DC) collection grid is a possible further development that can reduce the weight of the transformers significantly, with average losses for the DC system of 3%. For the internal DC grid, the DC/DC converters control the power flow and thereby also the voltages. In this paper, the control of the DC/DC converters in the wind farm is investigated in detail. The control strategy is presented, and suitable time constants are chosen depending on the switching frequency of the converters. Also, the required capacitor size to keep the voltage variations within 5% of the rated value in the case without communication within the wind farm is derived. It is shown that the control is stable and can handle faults on the external grid without any communication within the wind farm. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Autonomous renewable energy conversion system

This paper briefly reviews the need for renewable power generation and describes a medium-power Autonomous Renewable Energy Conversion System (ARECS), integrating conversion of wind and solar energy sources. The objectives of the paper are to extract maximum power from the proposed wind energy conversion scheme and to transfer this power and the power derived by the photovoltaic system in a high efficiency way to a local isolated load. The wind energy conversion operates at variable shaft speed yielding an improved annual energy production over constant speed systems. An induction generator (IG) has been used because of its reduced cost, robustness, absence of separate DC source for excitation, easier dismounting and maintenance. The maximum energy transfer of the wind energy is assured by a simple and reliable control strategy adjusting the stator frequency of the IG so that the power drawn is equal to the peak power production of the wind turbine at any wind speed. The presented control strategy also provides an optimal efficiency operation of the IG by applying a quadratic dependence between the IG terminal voltage and frequency V∼f². For improving the total system efficiency, high efficiency converters have been designed and implemented. The modular principle of the proposed DC/DC conversion provides the possibility for modifying the system structure depending on different conditions. The configuration of the presented ARECS and the implementation of the proposed control algorithm for optimal power transfer are fully discussed. The stability and dynamic performance as well as the different operation modes of the proposed control and the operation of the converters are illustrated and verified on an experimental prototype.     

海上风电场功率提升和疲劳平衡综合优化控制

针对海上风电场,综合功率提升和疲劳平衡分配的优化目标,提出一种以天为优化周期的优化策略。在电网高负荷时段,基于Jensen尾流模型,以轴向诱导因子为优化变量,风电场整场功率最大为目标,运用随机粒子群算法进行风功率利用提升优化控制;在电网低负荷时段,基于风电机组综合疲劳系数计算方法,以机组轴向诱导因子为优化变量,应用尾流计算模型调整轴向诱导因子来满足电网限功率指令,以机组疲劳系数标准差最小为目标,采用粒子群算法寻优进行疲劳平衡优化。以某海上风电场进行算例分析,结果表明该优化策略在一天的优化周期内可较好地实现风电场功率提升和疲劳平衡的综合优化。     

Multivariable control algorithm for laboratory experiments in wind energy conversion

Advanced experimentation with wind energy conversion systems is described. The real time multivariable control of a wind turbine is designed for investigation of theoretical concepts and their physical implementation. The control system includes a speed controller and a disturbance estimator for enhanced robustness of the control system. In order to provide students with deeper understanding of wind energy and energy extraction, a maximum power point tracking algorithm is developed and integrated into the control system. The multivariable control system is implemented in a small wind turbine laboratory system. A power electronic interface is based on two DC–DC converters: a buck converter for control of the speed and a boost converter controlling the load voltage. Experimental results demonstrate effectiveness of the multivariable control system for a wind turbine providing maximum power extraction. The experiment can be reconfigured for teaching various control concepts to both undergraduate and graduate students.     

Analysis of reactive power strategies in HVDC‐connected wind power plant clusters

Offshore wind power plants (WPPs) built near each other but far from shore usually connect to the main grid by a common high‐voltage DC (HVDC) transmission system. In the resulting decoupled offshore grid, the wind turbine converters and the high‐voltage DC voltage‐source converter share the ability to inject or absorb reactive power. The overall reactive power control dispatch influences the power flows in the grid and hence the associated power losses. This paper evaluates the respective power losses in HVDC‐connected WPP clusters when applying 5 different reactive power control strategies. The case study is made for a 1.2‐GW–rated cluster comprising 3 WPP and is implemented in a combined load flow and converter loss model. A large set of feasible operating points for the system is analyzed for each strategy. The results show that a selection of simulations with equal wind speeds is sufficient for the annual energy production comparison. It is found that the continuous operation of the WPPs with unity power factor has a superior performance with low communication requirements compared with the other conventional strategies. The optimization‐based strategy, which is developed in this article, allows a further reduction of losses mainly because of the higher offshore grid voltage level imposed by the high‐voltage DC voltage‐source converter. Reactive power control in HVDC‐connected WPP clusters change significantly the overall power losses of the system, which depend rather on the total sum of the injected active power than on the variance of wind speeds inside the cluster.     

Maximum generation power evaluation of variable frequency offshore wind farms when connected to a single power converter

The paper deals with the evaluation of power generated by variable and constant frequency offshore wind farms connected to a single large power converter. A methodology to analyze different wind speed scenarios and system electrical frequencies is presented and applied to a case study, where it is shown that he variable frequency wind farm concept (VF) with a single power converter obtains 92% of the total available power, obtained with individual power converters in each wind turbine (PC). The PC scheme needs multiple power converters implying drawbacks in terms of cost, maintenance and reliability. The VF scheme is also compared to a constant frequency scheme CF, and it is shown that a significant power increase of more than 20% can be obtained with VF. The case study considers a wind farm composed of four wind turbines based on synchronous generators.     

海上风电场输电方式研究

  [目的]  随着海上风电场规模的扩大,新型输电技术广泛应用于海上风电场的电能传输,海上风电正面临着不同于陆地电网成熟模式的新挑战,需要进一步明确不同输电方式的技术特点与发展前景。  [方法]  概述了海上风电场四种输电方式即高压交流海底电缆、柔性直流输电技术、高压气体绝缘管道母线(GIL)和混合直流输电方式的技术特点和发展前景,并对各种输电方式进行了详细的成本构成分析及计算,对不同输电距离不同输送容量下的输电方式做出经济性比较。  [结果]  研究表明:我国现行海上风电输电方式中高压交流和柔性直流输电技术较为成熟,输电方式的选取受输电距离的影响,以输电距离约52 km为临界点。输电距离低于52 km时,交流输电具有经济优势;输电距离等于52 km时,柔性直流输电与交流输电两种方式成本相等;输电距离超过52 km后,直流输电方式的经济成本将低于交流输电方式,输电容量大小对输电方式的选择不会有太大影响。  [结论]  在不同输送容量下,近海风电输送方式仍然建议采用交流输电,远海风电输送方式建议采用柔性直流输电。     

Possible power of down‐regulated offshore wind power plants: The PossPOW algorithm

This paper proposes a method for real‐time estimation of the possible power of an offshore wind power plant when it is down‐regulated. The main purpose of the method is to provide an industrially applicable estimate of the possible (or reserve) power. The method also yields a real‐time power curve, which can be used for operation monitoring and wind farm control. Currently, there is no verified approach regarding estimation of possible power at wind farm scale. The key challenge in possible power estimation at wind farm level is to correct the reduction in wake losses, which occurs due to the down‐regulation. Therefore, firstly, the 1‐second wind speeds at the upstream turbines are estimated, since they are not affected by the reduced wake. Then they are introduced into the wake model, adjusted for the same time resolution, to correct the wake losses. To mitigate the uncertainties due to dynamic changes within the large offshore wind farms, the algorithm is updated at every turbine downstream, considering the local axial and lateral turbulence effects. The PossPOW algorithm uses only 1‐Hz turbine data as inputs and provides possible power output. The algorithm is trained and validated in Thanet and Horns Rev‐I offshore wind farms under nominal operation, where the turbines are following the optimum power curve. The results indicate that the PossPOW algorithm performs well; in the Horns Rev‐I wind farm, the strict power system requirements are met more than 70% of the time over the 24‐hour data set on which the algorithm was evaluated.     

Fault ride through of fully rated converter wind turbines with AC and DC transmission

Fault ride through of fully rated converter wind turbines in an offshore wind farm connected to onshore network via either high voltage AC (HVAC) or high voltage DC (HVDC) transmission is described. Control of the generators and the grid side converters is shown using vector control techniques. A de-loading scheme was used to protect the wind turbine DC link capacitors from over voltage. How de-loading of each generator aids the fault ride through of the wind farm connected through HVAC transmission is demonstrated. The voltage recovery of the AC network during the fault was enhanced by increasing the reactive power current of the wind turbine grid side converter. A practical fault ride through protection scheme for a wind farm connected through an HVDC link is to employ a chopper circuit on the HVDC link. Two alternatives to this approach are also discussed. The first involves de-loading the wind farm on detection of the fault, which requires communication of the fault condition to each wind turbine of the wind farm. The second scheme avoids this complex communication requirement by transferring the fault condition via control of the HVDC link to the offshore converter. The fault performances of the three schemes are simulated and the results were used to assess their respective capabilities.     

Compensation of network voltage unbalance using doubly fed induction generator-based wind farms

A control strategy for compensating AC network voltage unbalance using doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind farms is presented. A complete DFIG dynamic model containing both the rotor and grid side converters is used to accurately describe the average and ripple components of active/reactive power, electromagnetic torque and DC bus voltage, under unbalanced conditions. The principle of using DFIG systems to compensate grid voltage unbalance by injecting negative sequence current into the AC system is described. The injected negative sequence current can be provided by either the grid side or the rotor side converters. Various methods for coordinating these two converters are discussed and their respective impacts on power and torque oscillations are described. The validity of the proposed control strategy is demonstrated by simulations on a 30 MW DFIG-based wind farm using Matlab/Simulink during 2 and 4% voltage unbalances. The proposed compensation strategy can not only ensure reliable operation of the wind generators by restricting torque, DC link voltage and power oscillations, but also enable DFIG-based wind farms to contribute to rebalancing the connected network.     

HVDC Connection of Offshore Wind Farms to the Transmission System

This paper presents a technical and economic analysis to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of grid connecting offshore wind farms through a dc link. A first case, concerning a 100-MW wind farm, is thoroughly investigated and cases of larger wind farms (200 and 500 MW) are presented. Three different transmission solutions are compared: 150-kV ac, 400-kV ac, and high-voltage dc based on voltage sourced converters (VSC-HVDC). After a brief overview of the features of these connection solutions, the related operational aspects are evaluated. An economic assessment compares the dc connection option to the ac alternatives, taking into account the investment, operation, and maintenance costs, and the negative valorization of losses and energy not supplied. Economic assessment includes sensitivity analyses of parameters, which could impact the 100-MW wind farm: distance, component costs, dc converter reliability, and dc converter losses     

Maximum power point tracker of wind energy conversion system

In this paper, a simple control strategy for an optimal extraction of output power from grid connected variable speed wind energy conversion system (WECS) is presented. The system consists of a variable speed wind turbine coupled to a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) through a gear box, a diode bridge rectifier, a dc-to-dc boost converter and a current controlled voltage source inverter. The maximum power point tracker (MPPT) extracts maximum power from the wind turbine from cut-in to rated wind velocity by sensing only dc link power. The MPPT step and search algorithm in addition to the DC–DC and DC–AC converters PWM controllers are simulated using MATLAB-SIMULINK software. The obtained simulation results show that the objectives of extracting maximum power from the wind and delivering it correctly to the grid are reached.     

Optimal selection of time windows for preventive maintenance of offshore wind farms subject to wake losses

The maintenance of wind farms is one of the major factors affecting their profitability. During preventive maintenance, the shutdown of wind turbines causes downtime energy losses. The selection of when and which turbines to maintain can significantly impact the overall downtime energy loss. This paper leverages a wind farm power generation model to calculate downtime energy losses during preventive maintenance for an offshore wind farm. Wake effects are considered to accurately evaluate power output under specific wind conditions. In addition to wind speed and direction, the influence of wake effects is an important factor in selecting time windows for maintenance. To minimize the overall downtime energy loss of an offshore wind farm caused by preventive maintenance, a mixed-integer nonlinear optimization problem is formulated and solved by the genetic algorithm, which can select the optimal maintenance time windows of each turbine. Weather conditions are imposed as constraints to ensure the safety of maintenance personnel and transportation. Using the climatic data of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the schedule of preventive maintenance is optimized for a simulated utility-scale offshore wind farm. The optimized schedule not only reduces the annual downtime energy loss by selecting the maintenance dates when wind speed is low but also decreases the overall influence of wake effects within the farm. The portion of downtime energy loss reduced due to consideration of wake effects each year is up to approximately 0.2% of the annual wind farm energy generation across the case studies—with other stated opportunities for further profitability improvements.     

基于模糊PI控制的海上风电柔性直流输电整流器研究

为提高海上风电柔性直流输电电压等级,抑制直流侧电压跌落和闪变,将三相电压源变流器用于送端整流器。采用多个功率单元级联的拓扑结构,电流内环采用PI解耦控制、电压外环模糊PI调节双闭环控制方式。分析了变流器数学模型,建立了MATLAB／Simulink仿真模型,实现了电压级联输出．在线PI参数整定。仿真结果验证了该系统在海上风电柔性直流输电应用中的有效性。     

Coordinate control strategy for stability operation of offshore wind farm integrated with Diode-rectifier HVDC

Due to low investment cost and high reliability, a new scheme called DR-HVDC (Diode Rectifier based HVDC) transmission was recently proposed for grid integration of large offshore wind farms. However, in this scheme, the application of conventional control strategies for stability operation face several challenges due to the uncontrollability of the DR. In this paper, a coordinated control strategy of offshore wind farms using the DR-HVDC transmission technology to connect with the onshore grid, is investigated. A novel coordinated control strategy for DR-HVDC is proposed based on the analysis of the DC current control ability of the full-bridge-based modular multilevel converter (FB-MMC) at the onshore station and the input and output characteristics of the diode rectifier at the offshore. Considering the characteristics of operation stability and decoupling between reactive power and active power, a simplified design based on double-loop droop control for offshore AC voltage is proposed after power flow and voltage–current (I–V) characteristics of the offshore wind farm being analyzed. Furthermore, the impact of onshore AC fault to offshore wind farm is analyzed, and a fast fault detection and protection strategy without relying on communication is proposed. Case studies carried out by PSCAD/EMTDC verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy for the start up, power fluctuation, and onshore and offshore fault conditions.     

Modelling and measurements of power losses and turbulence intensity in wind turbine wakes at Middelgrunden offshore wind farm

Understanding of power losses and turbulence increase due to wind turbine wake interactions in large offshore wind farms is crucial to optimizing wind farm design. Power losses and turbulence increase due to wakes are quantified based on observations from Middelgrunden and state‐of‐the‐art models. Observed power losses due solely to wakes are approximately 10% on average. These are relatively high for a single line of wind turbines due in part to the close spacing of the wind farm. The wind farm model Wind Analysis and Application Program (WAsP) is shown to capture wake losses despite operating beyond its specifications for turbine spacing. The paper describes two methods of estimating turbulence intensity: one based on the mean and standard deviation (SD) of wind speed from the nacelle anemometer, the other from mean power output and its SD. Observations from the nacelle anemometer indicate turbulence intensity which is around 9% higher in absolute terms than those derived from the power measurements. For comparison, turbulence intensity is also derived from wind speed and SD from a meteorological mast at the same site prior to wind farm construction. Despite differences in the measurement height and period, overall agreement is better between the turbulence intensity derived from power measurements and the meteorological mast than with those derived from data from the nacelle anemometers. The turbulence in wind farm model indicates turbulence increase of the order 20% in absolute terms for flow directly along the row which is in good agreement with the observations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficiency and effectiveness of wind farms—keys to cost optimized operation and maintenance

Operation and maintenance (O&M) cost will be the key to the economic viability of large offshore wind farms planned worldwide. In order to support investment decisions a systematic mathematical approach to the O&M cost contributions is required prior to detailed engineering or even construction of the wind farm.Adopting the general terms of efficiency, productivity and effectiveness defined for production processes we introduce the Wind Farm Process and its Total Overall Equipment Effectiveness (TotalOEE) by considering wind farms performing a transformation of produced electrical energy to delivered (sold) electrical energy. This transformation process consists of an installation, i.e. properly selected wind energy converters and their arrangement to form a wind farm, and of a process comprising operation and maintenance. Both are the subject of optimization to maximize the annual energy output by minimizing the different kinds of losses.In a systematic approach to the causes and nature of losses in wind farms the terms theoretical production time, available production time and valuable production time are redefined in unit full load hours. Then, a calculation scheme is developed to quantify wind farm production losses in terms of planned or unplanned downtimes and speed losses and to relate the associated reduction of revenues ΔR to the theoretical maximum of annual wind park revenues R_theo(park). It leads to the simple equation ΔR/R_theo = TotalOEE – 1 < 0.     

载荷优化的海上漂浮式风电机组二阶滑模变桨控制

针对强非线性、强耦合的海上漂浮式风电机组动力学系统,提出一种基于二阶滑模的统一变桨控制策略,解决受海浪风速等随机干扰引起浮式支撑平台运动而产生的疲劳结构载荷及功率波动问题。构建漂浮式风电机组的不确定仿射非线性模型,基于风电机组“额定转速”设计积分滑模面,此“额定转速”不再是恒定值,而是取决于平台纵摇速度的变量,基于超螺旋算法实现二阶滑模变桨控制律。采用FAST和Matlab/Simulink联合仿真,所提出的方案与传统PI控制相比,对稳定高风速时风力发电机功率,抑制浮式支撑平台运动及减少叶根载荷具有更好的控制作用,对塔基也有较好的减载作用。     

含风电场的电力系统潮流算法的改进

为了更好地计算含风电场的电力系统潮流,建立了异步风力发电机的稳态等值简化模型,并对原有电力系统潮流算法进行了改进。改进的算法在雅可比矩阵中引入了异步风力机滑差修正量,修正雅可比矩阵中对应风力发电机节点的元素,并运用MATALB编程实现含有风电场的电力系统潮流计算。将改进后的算法应用于接有风电场的4机11节点测试系统的潮流计算,结果和已有的两种典型潮流计算方法接近,表明改进后的潮流算法有效合理。