Synchronous Generator Feeding DC Grid Having Brushless Excitation System With Induction Machine Operating in Deep Plugging Mode

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel excitation control for a recently proposed synchronous generator (SG) entitled Brushless Induction Excited Synchronous Generator (BINSYG) for wind energy applications. In BINSYG, one SG and another Induction machine (IM) are embedded in the same machine frame to make the overall system brushless. Here, IM acts as the excitation machine and regulates the dc excitation for SG by rectifying the rotor-induced currents through a rotating rectifier. SG feeds power to dc grid via a two-level six-switch Voltage Source Rectifier that is operated at unity power factor at the SG terminal. The excitation developed by IM is regulated using a new frequency modulation control strategy for a two-level Voltage Source Inverter connected to the stator of IM. The excitation machine helps operate SG at variable wind speeds with reduced flux distortions. The proposed system is speed/position sensorless and controlled without using any voltage or current sensors on the IM side. The system with its proposed control algorithm is modeled in MATLAB/Simulink and experimental verification for a small-scale laboratory prototype BINSYG feeding power to a 220 V dc grid are presented to validate the effectiveness of the controller.