Modeling, Control and Operation of a 10 MW Direct-Drive Wind Energy Conversion System

The constant evolution of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs), especially in offshore applications, brings new trends to the wind energy market. Recently, industrial advances have proposed WECSs of 10-16 MW, and some of these are still under development. In addition, new grid codes are devised to connect the wind system to the grid. Therefore, adequate control systems are necessary to guarantee the operation of the WECSs. For this reason, this work proposes to develop a direct drive wind energy conversion system model with a rated power of 10 MW, following the trends in the offshore wind energy market. The main objective is to provide the literature with a wind system with current characteristics and a complete control system, allowing detailed studies of dynamic interaction, power quality, stability analysis and control strategies applied to grid-connected systems, including low voltage ride through (LVRT) operation. In general, the proposed system was divided into four energy conversion subsystems: wind turbine (WT), permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG), rectifier and inverter stages. Model parameters including WT, PMSG, power converter and operating strategies are discussed. The main results are presented for a 10-MW WECS with the proposed operation strategy, which were obtained from MATLAB / Simulink simulations.