Medium voltage power conversion architecture for high power PMSG based wind energy conversion system (WECS)

This paper presents a medium voltage power conversion architecture for grid integration of multi-MW permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) based wind energyc-conversion system (WECS). Converting the low voltage power output of the generator to medium voltage, can reduce the diameter of the power cable significantly. As a result, power loss and the overall cost of the system can be minimized. With high frequency transformer based design, the weight of the power conversion system can be kept low, making it feasible to install the system on the tower of the wind turbine itself. The architecture is built upon modular concept which facilitates to operate the system under partial fault condition. Also, it has the advantage of reaching to a better efficiency by operating part of the conversion system at partial generation condition. Recent advances in wide bandgap (WBG) based switching devices can further enhance the efficiency of the system. The overall control system is designed and the operation of the proposed architecture is validated through simulation and the feasibility of system design is addressed based on the available power devices.