Electro-Hydraulic Transient Regimes in Isolated Pumps Working as Turbines with Self-Excited Induction Generators

Filipe C. Madeira, João F. P. Fernandes, Modesto Pérez-Sánchez, P. Amparo López-Jiménez, Helena M. Ramos and P. J. Costa Branco
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Filipe C. Madeira: Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
João F. P. Fernandes: IDMEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Modesto Pérez-Sánchez: Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
P. Amparo López-Jiménez: Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Helena M. Ramos: Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georesources Department, CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
P. J. Costa Branco: IDMEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 17, 1-23

Abstract: The use of pumps working as turbines (PATs) is a sustainable technical measure that contributes to the improvement of energy efficiency in water systems. However, its performance analysis in off-grid recovery systems is a complex task that must consider both hydraulic (PAT) and electrical machines (typically a self-excited induction generator-SEIG). Aside from several kinds of research that analyze the PAT-SEIG behavior under steady-state constant hydraulic and electrical conditions, this research focuses on the analysis of PAT-SEIG transient regimes, by analyzing their variation when a sudden change occurs in the hydraulic or electrical components. Analytical models were developed to represent the operation of SEIG, PAT, and the PAT-SEIG coupled system. Hydraulic and electromechanical experimental tests validated these models. An excellent fit was obtained when analytical and experimental values were compared. With these models, the impact on the operation of the PAT-SEIG system was examined when sudden change occurred in the excitation capacitances, resistive loads, or recovered head. With a sudden increase of resistive load, the hydraulic power and SEIG stator current remain almost constant. However, there is an increase of SEIG reactive power, decreasing the PAT-SEIG efficiency. Also, with a sudden increase of SEIG capacitors or PAT hydraulic head, the SEIG stator current increases once and not again, while PAT-SEIG efficiency decreases, but the induction generator can be overloaded. The development of this research is key to the advancement of future models which can analyze the coupling of micro-hydropower solutions.

Keywords: pump working as turbine (PAT); self-excited induction generator (SEIG); transient behavior (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: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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