Title :
An efficient power control strategy for small fixed-pitch wind turbine to extend the operating range to high wind speed region
Author :
Brando, G. ; Coiro, D.P. ; Dannier, A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Univ. of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
Abstract :
This paper deals with the control of small-power wind turbine using fixed-pitch blades. A three-phase permanent magnet (PM) brushless generator is connected to the grid through a double stage converter: active rectifier (VSR) + d.c.-link + inverter (VSI). A very simple and effective control strategy of the generation set (PM generator +VSR) is presented; it is mainly aimed to extend the wind-turbines operation range to high wind-speed region, maintaining the generated electric power constant and equal to its “rated” value. By means of this technique, the cut-off speed can be considerably increased with respect to the usual values on the market, improving the energy production of the considered mini-generation plant during the years. The numerical analysis carried out in the paper shows that the VSR has to be “reasonably” oversized, while the PM generator ratings are not modified, because the overload operations do not produce any dangerous over-heating. The improvements linked to the proposed technique are more evident when the turbine blades are properly designed and when the wind speed frequently exceeds the ordinary values. Moreover, the proposed control algorithm is also able to improve the efficiency of the wind conversion system for wind speed values lower than the rated one.
Keywords :
brushless machines; machine control; numerical analysis; permanent magnet generators; power convertors; power generation control; power grids; power markets; wind turbines; PM generator; VSI; VSR; active rectifier; cut-off speed; dangerous over-heating; double stage converter; efficient power control strategy; energy production; fixed-pitch blades; generated electric power constant; generation set control strategy; high wind speed region; mini-generation plant; numerical analysis; small fixed-pitch wind turbine; three-phase PM brushless generator; three-phase permanent magnet brushless generator; wind speed values; Generators; Power control; Resistance; Shafts; Torque; Wind speed; Wind turbines; PM Generators; Power Control Technique; Small Wind Turbine; Wind Conversion Systems;
Conference_Titel :
Power Electronics, Electrical Drives, Automation and Motion (SPEEDAM), 2012 International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Sorrento
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-1299-8
DOI :
10.1109/SPEEDAM.2012.6264613