Operation and Control of a Direct-Driven PMSG-Based Wind Turbine System with an Auxiliary Parallel Grid-Side Converter

In this paper, based on the similarity, in structure and principle, between a grid-connected converter for a direct-driven permanent magnet synchronous generator (D-PMSG) and an active power filter (APF), a new D-PMSG-based wind turbine (WT) system configuration that includes not only an auxiliary converter in parallel with the grid-side converter, but also a coordinated control strategy, is proposed to enhance the low voltage ride through (LVRT) capability and improve power quality. During normal operation, the main grid-side converter maintains the DC-link voltage constant, whereas the auxiliary grid-side converter functions as an APF with harmonic suppression and reactive power compensation to improve the power quality. During grid faults, a hierarchical coordinated control scheme for the generator-side converter, main grid-side converter and auxiliary grid-side converter, depending on the grid voltage sags, is presented to enhance the LVRT capability of the direct-driven PMSG WT. The feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed system’s topology and hierarchical coordinated control strategy were verified using MATLAB/Simulink simulations.