Performance analysis of reactive power control management for doubly fed induction generator wind turbines

Abstract

The efficient operation of the Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) in wind power systems is significantly affected by reactive power flow. Depending on its excitation, the DFIG’s reactive power drawn either from the grid or fed into the grid, affects the voltage quality and stability of the wind turbine systems. In addition, an increase in DFIG excitation through the Machine Site Converter (MSC) above or below the rated excitation results in over-excited or under-excited operations of the generator respectively. Therefore, reactive power control management for DFIG wind turbines is crucial to overcoming these problems, thus, enhancing the performance of the DFIG wind turbine systems. The performance analysis of reactive power control management for DFIG wind turbines using the Lucas Nulle Wind Power Plant (LNWPP) WindSim software is presented.