Design and development of real-time small-scale wind turbine simulator

Application of power electronics in machine control facilitates emulation of practical wind turbine characteristics using electric machine. In this paper, to test and evaluate the performance of newly developed control schemes for the efficient operation of wind energy conversion system, an in-lab small-scale wind turbine simulator has been developed using a separately excited DC motor coupled to a permanent magnet synchronous generator. Steady state characteristics and dynamic behavior of the practical wind turbine are satisfactorily reproduced by the DC motor. Steady state characteristics like tip speed ratio versus coefficient of power, rotor speed versus turbine output power and dynamic response during furling mechanism at high wind velocities are emulated from the developed wind turbine simulator. The simulator system is tested in response to the wind profile data recorded in the field at the hub height of 18.5 meters. The developed wind turbine simulator can be used to represent wind energy conversion system in the process of the development of in-lab microgrid system.