Controller for controlling a power converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9270194-B2
Application number	US-201414214763-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2014
Priority date	Apr 16, 2013
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A controller is provided for controlling a power converter that converts electrical input power of a wind turbine into electrical output power provided to a grid. The power converter includes grid-side and turbine-side converter parts. The controller comprises an input terminal for receiving a voltage reference signal associated with a predefined grid voltage and a frequency reference signal associated with a predefined grid frequency, and a network bridge controller adapted to control power conversion of the grid-side converter part. The network bridge controller includes a modulator for modulating gate drive command signals in the grid-side converter part based on a reference voltage and a reference angle derived from the voltage reference signal and the frequency reference signal. The modulator is adapted to modulate the gate drive command signals to maintain the predefined grid voltage and the predefined grid frequency in the power converter in case of failure within the grid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A controller for controlling a power converter for a wind turbine, the power converter for converting an electrical input power of the wind turbine into an electrical output power, wherein the electrical output power is provided to a grid,
wherein the power converter comprises a grid-side converter part and a turbine-side converter part,
the controller comprising
an input terminal for receiving a voltage reference signal being associated with a predefined grid voltage and a frequency reference signal being associated with a predefined grid frequency, and
a network bridge controller being adapted to control the power conversion of the grid-side converter part,
wherein the network bridge controller comprises a modulator for modulating gate drive command signals in the grid-side converter part based on a reference voltage and a reference angle being derived from the voltage reference signal and the frequency reference signal,
wherein the modulator is adapted to modulate the gate drive command signals in order to maintain the predefined grid voltage and the predefined grid frequency in the power converter in the case of a failure within the grid.

2. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the predefined grid voltage and/or predefined grid frequency are a desired and/or required grid voltage and/or grid frequency.

3. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the controller is further adapted to receive a wind turbine power signal being representative for the available power from the wind turbine, and wherein the network bridge controller is adapted to modulate the gate drive command signals based on the wind turbine power signal.

4. The controller as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the network bridge controller is adapted to adjust the reference voltage and reference angle based on the wind turbine power signal.

5. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the controller is further adapted to receive a current rating signal being representative for the current rating from the wind turbine and/or power converter, and wherein the network bridge controller is adapted to modulate the gate drive command signals based on the current rating signal.

6. The controller as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the network bridge controller is adapted to adjust the reference voltage and reference angle based on the current rating signal.

7. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the voltage reference signal and the frequency reference signal are received from a wind park controller, or an external source.

8. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a compensation unit being adapted to compensate harmonic distortions being provided to the utility grid.

9. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a resonance damping unit being adapted to reduce resonances of the utility grid.

10. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the network bridge controller is further adapted for performing fast control of power.

11. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a control unit being adapted to control the connected turbines to share the power and reactive power load on the islanded system.

12. The controller as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a re-synchronisation unit being adapted to re-synchronise the turbines when the failure within the grid ends.

13. A power generation system, the power generation system comprising
a power supply unit,
a power converter for converting an input power signal from the power supply unit into an output power signal, and
the controller for controlling the power converter as set forth in claim 1 .

14. The power generation system of claim 13 , wherein the power generation system comprises a wind turbine system for supplying electrical power to a utility grid and the power supply unit comprises a generator.

15. A method for controlling a power converter for a wind turbine, the power converter for converting an electrical input power of the wind turbine into an electrical output power, wherein the electrical output power is provided to a grid, wherein the power converter comprises a grid-side converter part and a turbine-side converter part,
the method comprising
receiving a voltage reference signal being associated with a predefined grid voltage and a frequency reference signal being associated with a predefined grid frequency, and
controlling the power conversion of the grid-side converter part by
modulating gate drive command signals in the grid-side converter part based on a reference voltage and a reference angle being derived from the voltage reference signal and the frequency reference signal, and
modulating the gate drive command signals in order to maintain the predefined grid voltage and the predefined grid frequency in the power converter in the case of a failure within the grid.

16. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling a power converter for a wind turbine, the computer program, when being executed by a data processor, is adapted for controlling the method as set forth in claim 15 .

Assignees

• Brogan Paul Brian
• Jones Rodney
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Brogan Paul Brian
• Jones Rodney

Classifications

• H02J3/381

  Dispersed generators · CPC title

• H02J2101/28

  Wind energy · CPC title

• H02J3/388

  Arrangements for the handling of islanding, e.g. for disconnection or for avoiding the disconnection of power · CPC title

• H02J3/40

  Synchronisation of generators for connection to a network or to another generator · CPC title

• H02J3/1842

  having reactive elements actively controlled by bridge converters, e.g. active filters or static compensators [STATCOM] · CPC title