Wind Plant Collector System Fault Protection and Coordination

Travis Smith, P.E.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

!T he selection of proper protective devices and settings of protective

relays for wind power plants (WPPs) present unique challenges for protection engineers.

!D ue to the differing types of wind turbine generators (WTGs) and their ! While W hile signicant knowledge on large induction machines exists (i.e. it is

behavior during short-circuit conditions, the determination of fault current levels within the WPP needs special attention.
trivial task to calculate the fault current contribution from an induction machine) very little is known about the complex nature within the various congurations of individual wind turbines and the aggregate impact on the wind plant and utility.

IEEE Wind Plant Collector Design Working Group

!T he WPP short-circuit model and associated fault plot is an

initial step in any protection and coordination study.

!T here are three main types of short-circuit contributions

within a WPP: (1) the utility, (2) WPP aggregated or individual WTG, and (3) any dynamic reactive compensation equipment contributions.

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Wind Plant

! a single-line and three-line diagram

Need to Consider Utility Source Substation Lines/Cables Transformers Capacitor Banks Reactor Banks Grounding transformers Breakers/Switches Protective Relay Schemes Instrument Transformers Grounding

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!E xamine interconnection agreements

Example Requirements:

- Reactive Compensation - Fault Event Ride-Through - Electrical System Protection &

Coordination - Teleprotection Pilot Schemes - SCADA communications - DFR (Digital fault recorder) - EMS (Energy Management Systems)

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! Need N eed to request test reports for all major equipment

!Transformers
!Switchgear
!Breakers
!V erify instrument transformer connections
!R equest wind turbine test reports and specications of electrical
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generators, reactive var compensation, protective relay functions, and associated control parameters

!N eed the plan and prole drawings of !C onstruct positive, negative, and zero
sequence model network for

collector system for short circuit modeling

!Utility
!Substation
!Collector system (including step-up
transformers)

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!D evelop model of wind turbine to demonstrate minimum

and maximum fault contributions through the entire range of potential events of wind plant, appropriate for protection and relay coordination.

Clo seIn

End of Line

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Norm

al

Close-In

! ! ! ! !

T urbine is xed to grid frequency

G enerates with negative slip
S oft starter for reduced inrush
P FCCs for IG reactive support
L ocked-Rotor fault contribution ranging from 5pu to 6pu
source in series with the direct axis sub-transient inductance, Xd

!S hort circuit represented as voltage

IEEE Wind Plant Collector Design Working Group

! ! ! ! !

T urbine is xed to grid frequency

G enerates with negative slip
S oft starter for reduced inrush
P FCCs for IG reactive support
L ocked-Rotor fault contribution ranging from 5pu to 6pu
the short circuit is represented as voltage source in series with sub-transient Xd
representation includes rotor resistance

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! When W hen rotor is shorted by rotor resistance ! When W hen rotor resistance is at maximum the

!V ariable frequency excitation system

for rotor circuit, Four-Quadrant Converter adjusts rotor current and phase angle quickly
power directly with the grid
Power Control

!B ack-to-Back converter exchanges ! Wide W ide Speed Range, Real & Reactive ! If crowbar is not active short circuit ! If crowbar is active, the equivalent
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contribution is typically limited to 1.1pu rated current

model can be represented as a voltage source in series with Xd, locked rotor current of around 5 to 6pu

!F our-Quadrant full frequency converter

!T urbine xed to turbine side converter
frequency

!R eal & Reactive Power Control

!S hort Circuit contribution is typically
limited to 1.1pu rated current

!T he Line side converter typically

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contributes positive and/or negative sequence current

!S ynchronous generator

coupled with variable speed drive train and torque & speed controls, 4 to 6 pole designs
from variable to constant speed which is coupled to the generator

! Shaft S haft speed is converted

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IEEE Wind Plant Collector Design Working Group

LV Breaker
Step-Up
Fuse
Fuse

WTG

Fuse
Step-Up
LV Breaker

Close-In 3PH & SLG Max Fault Coordination

! ! ! ! ! !

W WPP PP Substation Transformer

S ubstation Bus
W WPP PP Collector Protection
W WPP PP Capacitor Banks
W WTG TG Step-up Transformer
W WTG TG Protection

3PH & SLG Max Far End Collector Faults

Close-In 3PH & SLG Min Fault Coordination

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3PH & SLG Max Far End XMFR Faults