Laboratory Model of Small Hydropower Plant with Variable Speed Operation

The article presents the laboratory model of an energy conversion system based on the innovative construction of the permanent magnet synchronous generator and the AC/AC power electronic converter Application of the converter allows to work with variable speed which gives higher efficiency in a wide range of speed. The innovative generator is specially designed to integrate with a propeller turbine. Turbine features, in the presented conversion system, are modeled by the asynchronous motor fed by a voltage source inverter. The vector controlled inverter allows to control the generator torque. The nominal power of the system is 30 kW. Presented test bench was used to model the run-of-the-river Small Hydropower Plant with a water tank, guide vanes and properties of the propeller turbine. The static and dynamic features of specific elements were identified on the real power plant of an analogous construction. The whole system is supervised by the PLC controller (Embedded PC), monitored and controlled by the operator panel. Presented model allows to simulate the power plant operation under changeable water conditions as well as with different kinds of control method. It makes a very good research object and a teaching test bench