Control of Wind Energy Conversion System with SOFC Based Fuel Cell at Variable Speed

In recent years the statistical data conveys that Doubly-fed Induction Generator (DFIG) based wind turbine with variable speed and variable pitch control is the most common wind turbine in the growing wind market. Due to the fluctuating nature of wind power, a dynamic model of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell energy source is integrated with the wind turbine for sudden load changes to ensure reliable and efficient operation of the power system. This paper deals with simulation of a wind turbine based on a doubly-fed induction machine hybrid with fuel cell energy system used in generating mode to produce electrical energy on a power network. Among the various renewable energy sources, fuel cell is gaining more popularity due to their higher efficiency, cleanliness and cost-effective supply of power demanded by the consumers. Wind Energy is gaining interest now-a-days as one of the most important renewable sources of energy due to its eco-friendly nature. But the major disadvantage lies in variable speed wind generation, so a vector control technique of Wind driven doubly fed Induction Generators is required. The speeds above and below Synchronous speeds are obtained using a bidirectional power flow converter. The wind energy conversion system (WECS) is equipped with a DFIG and two back-to-back Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) based voltage source converters (VSCs) in the rotor circuit. A dynamic model of SOFC based fuel cell using Nernst equation and the response of the fuel cell for sudden load changes is analysed and simulated. Simulation results for different operating conditions are demonstrated to reveal the performance of the proposed technique.