The parallel virtual infinite capacitor applied to DC-link voltage filtering for wind turbines

We propose the parallel virtual infinite capacitor (PVIC) concept, which refers to two virtual infinite capacitors (VIC) connected to the same DC link and sharing one capacitor, one tuned to low frequencies (LF) and one tuned to high frequencies (HF). A PVIC can suppress voltage variations (ripple) in a wider frequency range than a usual VIC. The LF-VIC is controlled by a sliding mode controller to regulate the low-frequency component of the voltage to its reference value, and by a proportional-integral (PI) controller to maintain its state of charge within the desired operating range and achieve the 'plug-and-play' pattern of PVIC. The HF-VIC is controlled by another sliding mode controller to limit the high-frequency ripples and also to keep its state of charge within a reasonable operating interval. As our main application, we use the PVIC to replace a DC-link capacitor for voltage filtering on the DC link of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), which is driven by a WindPact (WP) 1.5-MW wind turbine under different grid conditions with turbulent wind input. The simulation study indicates that the PVIC provides much better voltage stabilisation than a DC-link capacitor with the same capacitance, especially in the low frequency range. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.