Abstract:Wind energy systems (WESs) based on doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs) have enormous potential for meeting the future demands related to clean energy. Due to the low inertia and intermittency of power injection, a WES is equipped with a virtual inertial controller (VIC) to support the system during a frequency deviation event. The frequency deviation measured by a phase locked loop (PLL) installed on a point of common coupling (PCC) bus is the input signal to the VIC. However, a VIC with an improper inertial gain could deteriorate the damping of the power system, which may lead to instability. To address this issue, a mathematical formulation for calculating the synchronizing and damping torque coefficients of a WES-integrated single-machine infinite bus (SMIB) system while considering PLL and VIC dynamics is proposed in this paper. In addition, a power system stabilizer (PSS) is designed for wind energy integrated power systems to enhance electromechanical oscillation damping. A small-signal stability assessment is performed using the infinite bus connected to a synchronous generator of higher-order dynamics integrated with a VIC-equipped WES. Finally, the performance and robustness of the proposed PSS is demonstrated through time-domain simulation in SMIB and nine-bus test systems integrated with WES under several case studies.

Abstract:Most permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) based wind generation systems currently employ grid-following control, relying on a phase-locked loop (PLL) for grid connection. However, it leads to a lack of inertia support in the system. To address this, the virtual inertia control (VIC) is crucial for improvement, yet it introduces potential instability due to torsional oscillation interaction with PLL and low-frequency oscillations, which is an underexplored area. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the grid-connected PMSG-based wind generation system. It confirms the necessity of employing a full-order model for studying stability on the quasi-electromechanical timescale (QET) by a comparison with the reduced-order model. Then, a comprehensive modal analysis is conducted to analyze the effect of VIC parameters, shaft inertia time constant, PLL parameters, and torsional oscillation damping (TOD) controller gain on the interaction of QET oscillations under two typical control strategies. The occurrence of interaction and mode conversion is observed when the oscillation frequency and root loci of the torsional, PLL, and low-frequency oscillations are close. Finally, a theoretical analysis is validated via simulation verification in Simulink. These findings offer a valuable guidance for industrial PMSG applications considering VIC.

Abstract:With the rapid development of inverter-based generators (IGs), power grid is faced with critical frequency stability challenges because the existing IGs have no inertia. To equip IGs with inertial response, researchers have proposed several virtual inertia control methods, which can be classified into two categories: virtual synchronous generator (VSG) control and droop control based on rate of change of frequency (ROCOF-droop control). In this paper, the comparison between both virtual inertia control methods is conducted from three perspectives: mathematical model, output characteristic and small-signal stability. State-space models are firstly built to analyze the control mechanism of VSG control and ROCOF-droop control methods. Simulation and eigenvalue analysis are conducted to study the transient responses and oscillation characteristics of both methods, which is helpful to understand the advantages and limitations of existing virtual inertia control methods. Finally, the obtained theoretical results are validated through real-time laboratory (RT-LAB) hardware-in-loop simulation platform.

Abstract:With the increasing share of wind power, it is expected that wind turbines would provide frequency regulation ancillary service. However, the complex wake effect intensifies the difficulty in controlling wind turbines and evaluating the frequency regulation potential from the wind farm. We propose a novel frequency control scheme for doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind turbines, in which the wake effect is considered. The proposed control scheme is developed by incorporating the virtual inertia control and primary frequency control in a holistic way. To facilitate frequency regulation in time-varying operation status, the control gains are adaptively adjusted according to wind turbine operation status in the proposed controller. Besides, different kinds of power reserve control approaches are explicitly investigated. Finally, extensive case studies are conducted and simulation results verify that the frequency behavior is significantly improved via the proposed control scheme.

Abstract:Doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind farms (WFs) are interfaced with power electronic converters. Such interfaces are attributed to the low inertia generated in the WFs under high penetration and that becomes prevalent in a fault scenario. Therefore, transient stability enhancement along with frequency stability in DFIG-based WFs is a major concern in the present scenario. In this paper, a cooperative approach consisting of virtual inertia control (VIC) and a modified grid-side converter (GSC) approach for low voltage ride-through (LVRT) is proposed to achieve fault ride-through (FRT) capabilities as per the grid code requirements (GCRs) while providing frequency support to the grid through a synthetic inertia. The proposed approach provides LVRT and reactive power compensation in the system. The participation of the VIC in a rotor-side converter (RSC) provides frequency support to the DFIG-based WFs. The combined approach supports active power compensation and provides sufficient kinetic energy support to the system in a contingency scenario. Simulation studies are carried out in MATLAB/Simulink environment for symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults. The superiority of the proposed scheme is demonstrated through analysis of the performance of the scheme and that of a series resonance bridge-type fault current limiter (SR-BFCL).