ESCROWS: Electrolytic-Free Single-Stage Converter for Reliable Offshore Wind Systems

由于电网对现代文明的重要性，可靠性是电网的一个关键属性。在我们的电力系统中越来越多地使用可再生能源发电，这意味着将它们连接到电网所需的电力电子转换器正变得越来越普遍。与传统的电力系统设备不同，电源转换器更容易发生故障。然而，它们比传统的电力系统设备提供更精确的控制和性能，是现代电力系统不可缺少的一部分。因此，电源转换器的可靠性是至关重要的。海上风电系统已被公认为英国脱碳能源系统的主要解决方案之一，预计到2050年装机容量将达到84吉瓦。由于其风廓线的可靠性，海上风电场比陆上风电场提供了更长期的解决方案。许多合适地点的可用性，优秀的风力资源和海上石油工业的现有能力使英国成为浮动风力系统的世界领先参与者的理想条件。通常，功率在5到50兆瓦之间的浮动海上风力发电场预计将连接到中压电网，因此需要升压变压器。虽然这种变压器已经被证明是坚固耐用的，但它们既昂贵又笨重。该项目旨在开发一种新型电力电子转换器，将浮动海上风力涡轮机连接到电网，确保弹性、高效率、卓越的可靠性和对环境的最小影响。这将通过进行先进的建模和计算机仿真来实现，以确定最佳的转换器设计，然后开发智能控制软件，以最大限度地提高转换器的效率和容错操作。最终设计的性能将通过原型硬件实现和与工业合作伙伴协商的测试来验证。

Reliability is a critical attribute of power networks due to their importance to modern civilisation. The increasing use of renewable generation in our power system means that power electronic converters, which are needed to connect them to the power grid, are becoming widespread. Unlike traditional power systems devices, power converters are more prone to failures. However, they offer much more precise control and performance than conventional power system devices and are an indispensable part of modern power systems. Hence, the reliability of power converters is of paramount importance. Offshore wind systems have been acknowledged as one of the leading solutions to decarbonise energy systems in the UK, with deployment anticipated to reach 84 gigawatts installed capacity by 2050. Due to their wind profile reliability, offshore wind farms offer longer-term solutions than onshore ones. The availability of many suitable sites, the excellent wind resources and the existing capabilities of the offshore petroleum industry make the UK ideally placed to be a world-leading player in floating wind systems. Typically, floating offshore wind farms with power ranging from five to fifty megawatts are expected to be connected to medium voltage power networks, therefore, requiring step-up transformers. Although such transformers have proven robustness, they are expensive and bulky. The project aims to develop a novel power electronics converter to connect floating offshore wind turbines to power networks, ensuring resilience, high efficiency, superior reliability and the least impact on the environment. This will be achieved by undertaking advanced modelling and computer simulation to identify the optimal converter design, followed by the development of intelligent control software to maximise the efficiency and fault-tolerant operation of the converter. The performance of the final design will be validated through prototype hardware implementation and testing in consultation with the industrial partner.