A 2MW direct drive wind turbine; vector control and direct torque control techniques comparison

This paper presents a comparative study on the most popular control strategies used to control high power, Direct Drive Wind Turbines. The studied wind turbine is equipped with a supervision scheme in order to fulfil Grid connection requirements (GCR). For the generator-side converter, performances of the Field Oriented Control (FOC) and Direct Torque Control (DTC) are compared. Concerning the grid-side converter, Voltage Oriented Control (VOC) and Direct Power Control (DPC) are examined. The comparison is based on various criteria mainly, steady-state and transient performances. In addition, performances are evaluated in terms of low voltage ride through capabilities (LVRT), power limitation and reactive power control. It has been shown that best power quality features are given by vector control techniques. On the other hand, direct control offers the better dynamic response and power cross-coupling is substantially lower. Furthermore, during fault, the wind turbine does not trip for both techniques. However, vector control is better since it gives low power oscillation