Theses and Dissertations Collection

Global energy demands have been increasing every year. There is a push towards switching to renewable sources of energy, primarily through wind energy, to meet these demands. The influence of wind turbine generators on power system dynamic performance is becoming increasingly important as global wind generation grows.

In this thesis, the design and performance of a comprehensive protection scheme for a grid integrated Type 3 (Doubly Fed Induction Generator based) wind energy system is studied. The protection system is tested in real time by hardware-in-the-loop simulation using a Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS). A multiple machine aggregated model is designed and tested for its response to various fault contingencies by connecting modern protective relays to the RTDS. The operating conditions of the wind energy system are varied to simulate a condition of geographically displaced wind turbine units, and the response of protection elements to numerous fault contingencies are recorded. The faults are analyzed from the relay’s perspective and comparisons made, based on the challenges encountered during relay operation, to suggest improved protection settings and to ensure proper coordination between relays. The results showed that different fault contingencies, such as wind turbine operating states and faults with resistance, had an effect on the effectiveness of the protection scheme.