Voltage sag influence on fatigue life of the drivetrain of fixed speed wind turbines

Occurrence of voltage sags due to electrical grid faults and other network disturbances generate transients of the generator electromagnetic torque which result in significant high stresses and noticeable vibrations for the wind turbine mechanical system and may also have a detrimental effect on the fatigue life of important drivetrain components. The high penetration of wind energy in the electrical grids demands new requirements for the operation of wind energy conversion systems. Although fixed speed wind turbine technology is nowadays replaced by variable speed wind turbines. In some countries (Spain and Germany) with high wind energy penetration it is mandatory or under bonus to retrofit these fixed speed wind turbines and provide ride through capability. An electro-mechanical model is built to simulate the grid disturbances that easily excite the asynchronous generators poorly damped by the stator flux oscillations which cause high transients of the generator electromagnetic torque. This paper focuses in estimating the resulting significant stresses transients due to the electromagnetic torque transients, which transmits to the wind turbine mechanical system that may have a detrimental effect on the fatigue life of drivetrain components. The capability to simulate these phenomena is a novel aspect in the present effort.

Voltage sag influence on fatigue life of the drivetrain of fixed speed wind turbines Articles