Advanced high frequency medium voltage power architectures for wind energy systems

用于风能系统的先进高频中压电源架构

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-06511
• 负责人: Lam, John
• 金额: $ 1.6万
• 依托单位: York University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=614189
• 关键词: Advanced; frequency; medium; voltage; power

By 2030, wind energy is expected to generate at least 20% of the world’s energy demand. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), has forecasted that the total installed wind capacity will grow by 63% in the next 4 years. A typical offshore wind farm consists of hundreds of mega-watt wind turbines and a medium voltage AC (MVAC) grid that collects the power from the individual wind turbines. Since the output voltage of the turbine is too low for effective long distance power transmission, a dedicated low frequency medium voltage (MV) step-up transformer is used for each wind turbine to step up the turbine output voltage to the MV level. However, the step-up transformers are bulky; heavy, and typically located in the immediate vicinity of the wind turbines. In literature, the MVAC grid has been suggested to be replaced by a MV DC grid, so that the MV step-up transformers can be replaced by the MV medium frequency step-up power converters. However, the conventional MV step-up power converters have low efficiency and poor reliability. With regards to the existing controller structure used in the MV power conversion in wind energy systems, one controller is delegated to the front-end AC/DC stage for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) to extract maximum power from the wind, while another controller is designated for the DC/DC step-up voltage conversion stage to provide output voltage regulation. Therefore, the existing two-stage MV wind power conversion has low power efficiency, poor reliability and requires complex control structures. The proposed research program is to develop novel and efficient power architectures that features advanced high frequency MV power converters and digital control techniques for the MV grid in wind farms. The short term goal of this program is to: (i) devise new high frequency soft-switched MV power converters with high voltage gain; (ii) devise new integration techniques to form a new class of single-stage high frequency MV step-up rectifiers with significantly reduced power losses; (iii) devise new digital controller unit that simultaneously performs MPPT, output voltage regulation and protection function for the given wind and load conditions. While proof-of-concept experimental prototypes will be implemented and tested in the laboratory to confirm all the performance, the long-term goal is to collaborate with industry to further develop the devised technology into a commercial product for use in high power wind turbines.  Advanced and novel MV step-up power converters and controllers developed in this research program will be ground-breaking as they will significantly improve the power efficiency; size; cost and reliability of the existing power converters used in high power wind turbines. Furthermore, successful development of this novel technology will help in establishing Canada as one of the global leaders in power electronics research for renewable energy.

到2030年，风能预计将产生至少20%的全球能源需求。全球风能理事会(GWEC)预测，未来4年全球风电装机容量将增长63%。一个典型的海上风电场由数百台兆瓦级风力涡轮机和一个中压交流(MVAC)电网组成，中压交流电网从单个风力涡轮机收集电力。由于风电机组的输出电压太低，无法进行有效的长距离输电，因此每个风电机组都使用了专用的低频中压(MV)升压变压器，以将风电机组的输出电压提升到MV水平。然而，升压变压器体积大、重量重，通常位于风力涡轮机的附近。在文献中，有人建议用中压直流电网代替中压交流电网，这样就可以用中频升压功率变流器代替中压升压变压器。然而，传统的中压升压功率变流器效率低，可靠性差。对于风能系统中压功率转换所采用的现有控制器结构，将一个控制器委托给前端AC/DC阶段进行最大功率点跟踪(MPPT)，以从风电中提取最大功率；另一个控制器指定给DC/DC升压转换阶段，提供输出电压调节。因此，现有的两级中压风力发电效率低、可靠性差，需要复杂的控制结构。 拟议的研究计划是为风力发电场的中压电网开发以先进的高频中压功率变流器和数字控制技术为特色的新型高效电力架构。该计划的短期目标是：(I)设计具有高电压增益的新型高频软开关中压功率变流器；(Ii)设计新的集成技术，以形成功率损耗显著降低的新型单级高频中压升压整流器；(Iii)设计新的数字控制器单元，以针对给定的风力和负载条件同时执行MPPT、输出电压调节和保护功能。 虽然概念验证实验样机将在实验室实施和测试以确认所有性能，但长期目标是与业界合作，进一步将设计的技术开发成用于大功率风力涡轮机的商业产品。在本研究计划中开发的先进和新颖的中压升压功率转换器和控制器将是突破性的，因为它们将显著提高大功率风力涡轮机使用的现有功率转换器的功率效率、尺寸、成本和可靠性。此外，这项新技术的成功开发将有助于使加拿大成为可再生能源电力电子研究的全球领先者之一。