ABB wind turbine converters

Creating the perfect wind economy with every turn The wind power market continues to expand Wind turbine manufacturers and wind farm owners are experiencing steady growth which is predicted to continue. With many governments resuming their push for increased renewable power capacity, the cost of energy is gaining more focus. Diverse grid codes provide special challenges Wind farm owners and turbine manufactures need to efficiently produce power and achieve the desired return on investment while meeting grid code requirements. They must avoid making costly retrofits to newly installed turbines in response to grid code changes. Power utilities and governments have developed grid code specifications that outline expected wind farm behavior in response to defined fault conditions. These codes help wind farms avoid black-outs and other service disruptions resulting from transmission grid faults. Such faults can significantly impact the stability of the entire grid. ABB wind turbine converters for a better wind economy The wind turbine converter plays an important role in helping customers create the perfect wind economy. The selection of the right wind turbine converter is critical in the turbine design and for a higher wind farm return on investment. As part of the electrical drivetrain, ABB converters help turbines produce more megawatts more economically while providing the technology to meet the grid code needs of today and tomorrow. They are designed for high efficiency and are backed by a comprehensive set of global life-cycle services that ensure trouble-free operation and maximum availability. ABB technology helps to make wind power economically viable.

More than delivering a product From the early evaluation phase of a new wind turbine to final operation, ABB provides consulting, support, training and services. ABB converter specialists are experts in every aspect of the drivetrain system. They will support turbine manufacturers in selecting the most suitable drivetrain concept, design and dimension the drivetrain components to function in perfect sync and provide support in the grid code certification process. ABB helps its customers to create the perfect wind economy by: − Providing wind turbine converters designed to deliver maximum efficiency and productivity at low operational expenditure − Optimally designing and dimensioning the drivetrain − Ensuring grid code compliance − Offering global service and support throughout the entire lifetime of the equipment ensuring trouble-free operation and maximum availability

Grid code compliance ABB has the expertise and technology to ensure its customers’ wind turbines meet the grid code needs of today and tomorrow.

Grid code reassurance As the installed capacity of wind farms increases, the share of power they provide to the transmission network rises. As such, the way a wind farm deals with a grid fault has a significant impact on the stability of that grid. Utility companies regulate these conditions by ensuring wind farms meet demanding regional grid code specifications. Grid codes are becoming more demanding and vary between countries. The wind turbine converter plays an important role in helping the wind turbine meet these grid code requirements and to obtain the necessary operational certification. Globally active in grid code working groups and research ABB’s customer commitment is that its wind turbine converters support the needs of the wind turbine in meeting the diverse grid code requirements. ABB invests significantly into research and development and is active in grid code and power quality working groups supporting power system reliability. ABB engineers provide technical feedback on the feasibility of proposed grid code changes, ensuring the current technology and production costs are compatible with the proposed changes. Low voltage ride-through and grid support A common requirement for all grid codes is a fault ride-through capability where the wind farm and the turbines must be capable of operating continuously at reduced voltage and must not trip off-line because of transient voltages. Wind farms have to remain connected during voltage dips and to provide active and/or reactive power to the network during the fault. ABB has designed its wind turbine converters to provide full reactive current immediately when the grid fault starts. Low voltage ride-through laboratory ABB has taken the testing and certification process one step further. Its multi-megawatt grid code laboratory is designed to replicate a complete wind turbine with generator, wind turbine converter, transformer, medium voltage switchgear, and is connected to a 20 kV transmission line. This configuration allows ABB engineers to test the low voltage ride-through behavior of wind turbines in a controlled environment. Various wind conditions can be simulated with a speed-controlled motor driving the generator. This allows testing of multiple power levels more efficiently, reducing on-site testing costs.

Complete drivetrain tests Besides comprehensive real-time simulations of grid code disturbances, fault ride-through and power quality tests of the wind turbine converter, ABB is able to perform tests of the complete drivetrain – including generator and converter – to verify the performance and to ensure a smooth integration of the drivetrain into the customer’s wind turbine. Capitalize on ABB engineering Wind turbine design demands a significant amount of technical engineering. ABB supports turbine manufacturers during their converter engineering phase, working with the customer to integrate the converter into the turbine design and control system. Additionally, ABB engineers help the turbine manufacturer understand how to obtain the best performance out of the converter to increase the overall turbine performance.