Application of SMES Technology in Improving the Performance of a DFIG-WECS Connected to a Weak Grid

Abstract

Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) has become one of the most popular renewable-based power generation that is broadly connected to electricity grids worldwide. Till the year 2019, the total WTGs installed worldwide reached about 650.8GW. The WTG is interfaced to the electricity grid through power electronic converters with a proper control algorithm to facilitate a smooth power delivery as well as maintaining the system voltage and frequency stability during wind intermittency. However, power grids are usually subjected to load expansion which affects the stiffness of the grid and hence its stability. A weak electricity grid exhibits voltage instability that may affect the performance of WTGs and in some cases may lead to serious damages to the wind turbines and the entire system. In this paper, superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) technology based on fuzzy logic controller is implemented to effectively resolve this issue and improve the overall performance of WTGs. Hysteresis current and fuzzy logic-based control system is proposed to control the energy exchange between the SMES coil and the investigated system. Results show the effectiveness of the SMES to improve the overall system performance and along with the fault ride-through capability of the doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG).

Keywords

• DFIG
• SMES
• low voltage ride through
• wind energy
• weak grid