Full bridge converter based independent phase control of a permanent magnet reluctance generator for wind power conversion systems

Abstract

A Permanent Magnet Reluctance Generator (PMRG) possesses important features such as simplicity and low cost. Absence of rotor winding allows the generator to run in a wide speed range. The PMRG may have potential to be used in wind power conversion systems. An asymmetric half bridge (AHB) converter may be acceptable as a classical converter topology for PMRGs and offers independent phase control. The AHB converter with a torque ripple minimization-assisted maximum power point tracking algorithm not only provides significant torque ripple reduction on the mechanical side but also allows conversion of maximum wind energy to electrical energy. The major drawback is that the AHB converter is not commercially available as a single module; hence, manual construction by combining discrete components is required. Instead, this work introduces for the first time, the use of a full bridge (FB) converter for independent phase control of the PMRG. The main advantage is that the FB converter is commercially available as a standard intelligent power module. In order to obtain unidirectional current as in the AHB converter, modified delta configuration of the phase windings has been used. The experimental results under fixed and variable wind speed conditions confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control-converter configuration.