A high degree of direct torque control applied to a grid-connected wind energy system based on a DFIG

Abstract

This paper presents the performances improvement of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) driven by a wind turbine (WT) using direct torque control (DTC). However, the major drawbacks related to DTC are high torque/flux ripples that produce mechanical vibration and disagreeable noise. The use of multilevel inverters seems to be an interesting solution. A three-level voltage source (inverter) converter (3LVSI) connected to the rotor side of the DFIG is considered in this paper. The high freedom degree of the voltage vectors selection in the 3LVSI allows a control with minimal torque and flux ripples. In addition, a fuzzy logic approach is introduced, to ensure an intelligent extraction of the energy sweeping the WT blades. A variable adjustment step enables an optimal extraction in a minimum tracking time with significant reduction of oscillations in the steady state. Simulation results obtained using MATLAB/SIMULINK demonstrate the effectiveness of the 3LVSI-DTC control based on Fuzzy MPPT in the wind energy conversion system (WECS).