skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Evaluation of the Inertial Response of Variable-Speed Wind Turbines Using Advanced Simulation

Conference ·

In this paper, we focus on the temporary frequency support effect provided by wind turbine generators (WTGs) through the inertial response. With the implemented inertial control methods, the WTG is capable of increasing its active power output by releasing parts of the stored kinetic energy when the frequency excursion occurs. The active power can be boosted temporarily above the maximum power points, but the rotor speed deceleration follows and an active power output deficiency occurs during the restoration of rotor kinetic energy. We evaluate and compare the inertial response induced by two distinct inertial control methods using advanced simulation. In the first stage, the proposed inertial control methods are analyzed in offline simulation. Using an advanced wind turbine simulation program, FAST with TurbSim, the response of the researched wind turbine is comprehensively evaluated under turbulent wind conditions, and the impact on the turbine mechanical components are assessed. In the second stage, the inertial control is deployed on a real 600kW wind turbine - Controls Advanced Research Turbine, 3-bladed (CART3), which further verifies the inertial control through a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. Various inertial control methods can be effectively evaluated based on the proposed two-stage simulation platform, which combines the offline simulation and real-time HIL simulation. The simulation results also provide insights in designing inertial control for WTGs.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), NREL Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD)
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1439542
Report Number(s):
NREL/CP-5000-71653
Resource Relation:
Conference: Presented at the 2017 IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting, 16-20 July 2017, Chicago, Illinois
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English