The Design of Control System and Power Conditioning System for a 25-kW Active-control Based Wind Turbine System

This paper focuses on the design and technical specifications of 25-kW PMSG wind turbine system, INER-C25A, which has been undergoing field-testing since March, 2009. Three major parts of INER-C25A including the infrastructure of control system, wind turbine control strategy, and the power conditioning system will be illustrated in this paper. With the LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) graphical interface software tool, the embedded control system, the CompactRIO system with NI I/O modules, links sensors and drivers of sub-systems (Pitch. Yaw, and Brake) to obtain instant data and precisely control these sub-systems. By analyzing all sensor signals such as wind direction/speed, rotor speed, and temperature, the control system drives the wind turbine to trace the wind direction and to regulate the optimal pitching angle for MPPT (Maximize Power Point Tracking). The electric power generated from a PM generator is delivered to the utility grid by a 36 kW grid-tied inverter with an output voltage of 220 V/380 V (60 Hz, 3 phi). The development of the control system is not only beneficial for the next generation of a new 150-kW wind turbine system, but also for establishing the design capability for the control system of large wind turbine system in Taiwan.