Unified Power Quality Conditioner for Grid Integration of Wind Generators

A Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC) is relatively a new member of the custom power device family. It is a comprehensive custom power device, with integrated shunt and series active filters. The cost of the device, which is higher than other custom power/FACTS devices, because of twin inverter structure and control complexity, will have to be justified by exploring new areas of application where the cost of saving power quality events outweighs the initial cost of installation. Distributed generation (such as wind generation) is one field where the UPQC can find its potential application. There has been a considerable increase in the power generation from wind farms. This has created the necessity for wind farms connectivity with the grid during power system faults, voltage sags and frequency variations. The application of active filters/custom power devices in the field of wind generation to provide reactive power compensation, additional fault ride through capability and to maintain Power Quality (PQ) at the point of common coupling is gaining popularity. Wind generation like other forms of distributed generation often relies on power electronics technology for flexible interconnection to the power grid. The application of power electronics in wind generation has resulted in improved power quality and increased energy capture. The rapid development in power electronics, which has resulted in high kVA rating of the devices and low price per kVA, encourages the application of such devices at distribution level. This work focuses on development of a laboratory prototype of a UPQC, and investigation of its application for the flexible grid integration of fixed and variable speed wind generators through dynamic simulation studies. A DSP based fully digital controller and interfacing hardware has been developed for a 24 kVA (12 kVA-shunt compensator and 12 kVA-series compensator) laboratory prototype of UPQC. The modular control approach facilitates the operation of the device either as individual series or shunt compensator or as a UPQC. Different laboratory tests have been carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of developed control schemes.A simulation-based analysis is carried out to investigate the suitability of application of a UPQC to achieve Irish grid code compliance of a 2 MW Fixed Speed Induction Generator (FSIG). The rating requirement of the UPQC for the wind generation application has been investigated. A general principle is proposed to choose the practical and economical rating of the UPQC for this type of application. A concept of UPQC integrated Wind Generator (UPQC-WG) has been proposed. The UPQC-WG is a doubly fed induction machine with converters integrated in the stator and rotor circuits and is capable of adjustable speed operation. The operation of UPQC-WG under sub and super-synchronous speed range has been demonstrated. The Irish grid code compliance of the same has been demonstrated with a detailed dynamic simulation