Performance and Analysis of a New Brushless Synchronous Generator for DC Microgrid Application

Abstract

DC grid is gaining popularity as different renewable energy sources and energy storage elements used to form the microgrid are dc in nature. Moreover, HVdc systems have been found to be advantageous for off-shore wind farms. For such systems located in remote places, maintenance becomes a key issue, which makes the use of brushless generator preferable. Very recently, a new synchronous generator with embedded brushless synchronous exciter has been reported. This work explores the performance of such generators for dc microgrid application. A simple diode rectifier is used to interface the generator to the dc grid. Such uncontrolled rectifier will cause current quality issues. A passive tuned filter can help in mitigating this issue and also assist in improving the voltage regulation by providing reactive power support. A method to select the right filter parameters has been proposed. Simulation results obtained from MATLAB/Simulink and experimental results from a fabricated laboratory prototype have been presented. Both simulation and experimental results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed system.