An Electro-Thermal Analysis of a Variable-Speed Doubly-Fed Induction Generator in a Wind Turbine

Yingning Qiu, Wenxiu Zhang, Mengnan Cao, Yanhui Feng and David Infield
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Yingning Qiu: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Wenxiu Zhang: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Mengnan Cao: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Yanhui Feng: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
David Infield: Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Strathclyde University, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK

Energies, 2015, vol. 8, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: This paper focuses on the electro-thermal analysis of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) in a wind turbine (WT) with gear transmission configuration. The study of the thermal mechanism plays an important role in the development of cost-effective fault diagnostic techniques, design for reliability and premature failure prevention. Starting from an analysis of the DFIG system control and its power losses mechanism, a model that synthesizes the thermal mechanism of the DFIG and a WT system principle is developed to study the thermodynamics of generator stator winding. The transient-state and steady-state temperature characteristics of stator winding under constant and step-cycle patterns of wind speed are studied to show an intrinsic thermal process within a variable-speed WT generator. Thermal behaviors of two failure modes, i.e. , generator ventilation system failure and generator stator winding under electric voltage unbalance, are examined in details and validated by both simulation and data analysis. The effective approach presented in this paper for generator fault diagnosis using the acquired SCADA data shows the importance of simulation models in providing guidance for post-data analysis and interpretation. WT generator winding lifetime is finally estimated based on a thermal ageing model to investigate the impacts of wind speed and failure mode.

Keywords: wind turbine; generator; lumped parameter network; thermal analysis; ageing; fault detection and diagnosis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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