Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316

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Electric Power Systems Research
j our nal homepage: www. el sevi er . com/ l ocat e/ epsr
Effects of electrical and mechanical parameters on the transient voltage stability
of a xed speed wind turbine
Luigi Dusonchet, Enrico Telaretti

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica, Elettronica e delle Telecomunicazioni Universit di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:
Received 29 September 2009
Received in revised form 20 January 2011
Accepted 29 January 2011
Available online 1 March 2011
Keywords:
Wind turbine
Dynamic model
Voltage stability investigation
Electrical/mechanical parameters
Induction generator model
a b s t r a c t
In this paper the dynamic behaviour of a wind turbine connected to the grid is examined. The model of
the xed speed wind turbine has been developed with the Simulink simulation tool (Matlab Inc.) It is
composed of the induction generator, the shaft system, an aerodynamic model of the wind turbine rotor
and the pitch control system. Using this model, a three-phase fault is applied close to the wind turbine
and cleared by disconnecting the faulty line.
The rigorous implementation of the simulink model allowed the authors to evaluate the exact depen-
dence of various electrical parameters for the induction generator on voltage stability. Furthermore,
the effects of wind turbine mechanical construction and of grid parameters on voltage stability are also
evaluated and discussed.
For eachparameter, theterminal voltageandthegenerator rotor speedfor different fault-clearingtimes
are drawn. Finally, the terminal voltage and the generator rotor speed obtained for a fth order model
of the induction generator are compared with those obtained for a third order model. The differences
between the two models are discussed. The results will help to understand transient stability phenomena
in wind farms.
2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
It has been demonstrated that distributed generation (DG) can
signicantly inuence the electric power system, bringing consid-
erable benets to the quality of service andimproving the energetic
efciency of the distribution network [1].
Among DG plants, wind power is one of the renewable ener-
gies with the most potential. This is because wind resources have
so far not been exploited and because wind power is a clean and
environmentally friendly energy source with reduced installation
and maintenance costs. Furthermore, thanks to various measures
introduced to support their development, wind power is becoming
one of the most common sources of energy worldwide [2].
This paper describes the effect of electrical parameters of the
induction generator on the transient voltage stability of a xed
speed wind turbine (FSWT) connected to a simple grid. Further-
more, the effects of wind turbine (WT) mechanical construction
and of grid parameters on the voltage stability are evaluated in
this simple case. The model of the FSWT has been developed with
the simulation tool Simulink and is described in [3]. It is com-

Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 091 6615205; fax: +39 091 488452.
E-mail addresses: dusonchet@dieet.unipa.it (L. Dusonchet),
telaretti@dieet.unipa.it (E. Telaretti).
posed of the induction generator (fth order or third order model),
the shaft system (lumped-mass system or two-mass model),
an aerodynamic model of the WT rotor and the pitch control
system.
Although the models of the different parts of the FSWT have
already been described in literature [46], none of them has been
used, until now, to fully evaluate the dependence of some parame-
ters on the transient stability of the windmill. Instead, the rigorous
implementation of the simulink model allowed the authors to
evaluate the exact dependence of the different electrical and
mechanical parameters of the wind turbine and of the induction
generator on the transient stability of the FSWT. This examina-
tion may be helpful to better understand the transient stability
phenomena in xed speed wind farms.
2. Simulation results
Using the WT model described in Appendix A and considering
the wind systemparameters specied inAppendix B, a three-phase
fault is applied close to the WT and cleared by disconnecting the
affected line [7].
The circuit diagram of the network model is given in Fig. 1.
The induction generator is connected to a stiff grid through a
transformer and a line impedance, Z, with reactive power supplied
to the terminals by no-load capacitors.
0378-7796/$ see front matter 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.epsr.2011.01.016
L. Dusonchet, E. Telaretti / Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316 1309
Z
Stiff grid
Wind
Turbine
Fig. 1. Single circuit diagram of the FSWT connected to the electric grid.
The effect of different induction generator electrical parameters
on the voltage stability of the FSWT is evaluated. The parameters
under consideration are stator and rotor resistances, leakage sta-
tor and rotor inductances and mutual inductance. Furthermore,
the effects of WT mechanical construction and of grid parame-
ters on voltage stability are taken into account. The parameters are
the WT inertia coefcient, the short-circuit power at the connec-
tion bus, the hub-generator resonant frequency, the wind speed,
the reactive power compensation, the fault location and the fault
duration.
For eachparameter, theterminal voltageandthegenerator rotor
speed for different fault-clearing times are drawn.
Finally, a comparison of simulations based on third and fth
order models of the induction generator is reported.
The WT that is modelled is a 2MW windmill. In all simulations
the following assumptions are made (unless otherwise noted):

rated wind speed: 16m/s;

shaft stiffness, K
S
: 0.3p.u./el.rad.
2.1. Stator resistance
Fluctuations of terminal voltage for different values of the stator
resistance of the induction generator (R
S1
, R
S2
, and R
S3
) are drawn
in Fig. 2, for a fault-clearing time t =0.2s. The three-phase short
circuit fault occurs at t =8s.
The following values are assumed for the stator resistance:

R
S1
= R

S
/2 = 0.024p.u.

R
S2
= R

S
= 0.048p.u.

R
S3
= 2R

S
= 0.096p.u.
where R

S
is the rated value of the stator resistance.
As is shown, the systemis more unstable for increased values of
the stator resistance.
The voltage oscillations are due to the low value of the shaft
stiffness, K
S
=0.3 p.u./el.rad., chosen for simulations. The two-mass
model in effect takes into account the torsional oscillations of the
shaft system. Oscillations in the shaft system, excited by a grid dis-
turbance, can lead to uctuations of the generator rotor speed and
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0.95
1
1.05
Time (s)
V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
Rs=0.024 p.u.
Rs=0.048 p.u.
Rs=0.096 p.u.
Fig. 2. Voltage uctuations at the terminals of a WT after a three-phase short circuit
fault in the grid at t =8s. The fault clearing time is t =0.2s.
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0
0.5
1
Time (s)
V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
Ls=0.038 p.u.
Ls=0.076 p.u.
Ls=0.152 p.u.
a
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Time (s)
G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
Ls=0.038 p.u.
Ls=0.076 p.u.
Ls=0.152 p.u.
b
Fig. 3. Terminal voltage (a) and generator rotor speed (b) after a three-phase short
circuit fault in the grid at t =8s for different values of the leakage stator inductance.
The fault clearing time is t =0.2s.
of the electrical parameters of the induction generator, as shown
in Fig. 2.
2.2. Leakage stator inductance
Fluctuations of terminal voltage and generator rotor speed for
different values of the leakage stator inductance (L
S1
, L
S2
, and L
S3
)
are drawninFig. 3, for a fault-clearing time t =0.2s. The following
values are assumed for the stator inductance:

L
S1
= L

S
/2 = 0.038p.u.

L
S2
= L

S
= 0.076p.u.

L
S3
= 2L

S
= 0.152p.u.
where L

S
is the rated value of the stator inductance assumed in the
simulations.
As is showninFig. 3, voltage stability decreases for higher values
of stator inductance.
Voltage instability occurs for higher value of stator inductance
(L
S3
=0.152p.u.). The uctuations of the stator voltage are caused
by electromechanical interactions between the FSWT shaft system
(represented by the two-mass model in this simulation) and the
electrical and mechanical parameters of the power system.
The natural frequency of these uctuations is equal to the shaft
torsional mode; it can be calculated starting from the equation of
motion of the tripped WT:
d
2

S
dt
2
+

0
K
S
2
H
M
+H
G
H
M
H
G

S
= 0 (1)
where
S
is the torsional twist of the turbine shaft;
0
is the electric
speed of the system; H
M
and H
G
are the inertia constants of the
generator rotor and WT rotor.
As derived from (1), the natural frequency of the shaft system
is:
f
T
=
1
2

0
K
S
2
H
M
+H
G
H
M
H
G
(2)
Replacing in (2) the values reported in Appendix B
(Tables 1 and 2):
f
T
= 1.7 Hz (3)
1310 L. Dusonchet, E. Telaretti / Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0.6
0.8
1
Time (s)
V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
Ls=0.038 p.u.
Ls=0.076 p.u.
Ls=0.152 p.u.
a
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0.98
0.99
1
1.01
1.02
1.03
Time (s)
G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
Ls=0.038 p.u.
Ls=0.076 p.u.
Ls=0.152 p.u.
b
Fig. 4. Terminal voltage (a) and generator rotor speed (b) after a three-phase short
circuit fault in the grid at t =8s and t =0.2s, for different values of the leakage
stator inductance. The shaft system is represented by a lumped-mass system.
The oscillation period of the two-mass system, for the WT being
modelled, is:
T
T
=
1
f
T
= 0.6s (4)
The same curves, for a lumped-mass system, are reported in
Fig. 4.
As shown in Fig. 4, when a lumped-mass system is used in
the simulations, stability is reached after a single oscillation of the
terminal voltage and generator rotor speed. Furthermore, the WT
model seems more stable when a lumped-mass system is used.
In effect, in this case, the system maintains stability also when
L
S3
=0.152p.u.
In Fig. 5, the graph compares the generator rotor speed with the
turbine speed, for a generator inertia coefcient H
G
=0.5s and WT
inertia coefcient H
M
=2.5s.
As shown, a fault in the grid has repercussions on the generator
rotor earlier than on the WT rotor due to the difference between
the two inertia coefcients.
2.3. Mutual inductance
Fluctuations of terminal voltage and generator rotor speed for
different values of the mutual inductance (L
M1
, L
M2
, and L
M3
) are
drawn in Fig. 6, for a fault-clearing time t =0.25s.
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1
1.02
1.04
1.06
1.08
1.1
Time (s)
R
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)

G
M
Fig. 5. Generator rotor speed
G
and WT speed M when a three-phase fault occurs
at t =8s and is cleared after t =0.1s.
0 5 10 15
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Time (s)
V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
Lm=1.9 p.u.
Lm=3.8 p.u.
Lm=7.6 p.u.
a
7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11
1
1.2
1.4
Time (s)
G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
Lm=1.9 p.u.
Lm=3.8 p.u.
Lm=7.6 p.u.
b
Fig. 6. Terminal voltage (a) and generator rotor speed (b) after a three-phase short
circuit fault in the grid at t =8s, for different values of the mutual inductance. The
fault clearing time is t =0.25s.
The mutual inductance values that have been assumed are:

L
M1
= L

M
/2 = 1.9p.u.

L
M2
= L

M
= 3.8p.u.

L
M3
= 2L

M
= 7.6p.u.
where L

M
is the rated value of the mutual inductance assumed in
the simulations.
As shown in Fig. 6, the system is more unstable the lower the
mutual inductance. The WT systemis unstable for the lowest value
of mutual inductance (L
M
=1.9p.u.).
2.4. Rotor inductance
In Fig. 7, voltage uctuations and generator rotor speed are
drawn for different values of the rotor inductance (L
R1
, L
R2
, and
L
R3
).
The three-phase short circuit fault occurs at t =8s and the fault-
clearing time is t =0.1s.
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
Time (s)
Time (s)
G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
L =0.06 p.u.
L =0.12 p.u.
L =0.24 p.u.
R
R
R
(b)
0 5 10 15
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
L =0.06 p.u.
L =0.12 p.u.
L =0.24 p.u.
R
R
R
(a)
Fig. 7. Terminal voltage (a) and generator rotor speed (b) after a three-phase short
circuit fault in the grid at t =8s, for different values of the rotor inductance. The fault
clearing time is t =0.1s.
L. Dusonchet, E. Telaretti / Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316 1311
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
1.1
Time (s)
V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
Rr=0.09 p.u.
Rr=0.18 p.u.
Rr=0.36 p.u.
(a)
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
Time (s)
G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
Rr=0.09 p.u.
Rr=0.18 p.u.
Rr=0.36 p.u.
(b)
Fig. 8. Terminal voltage (a) and generator rotor speed (b) after a three-phase short
circuit fault in the grid at t =8s, for different values of the rotor resistance. The fault
clearing time is t =0.1s.
The rotor inductances values that have been assumed are:

L
R1
= L

R
/2 = 0.06p.u.

L
R2
= L

R
= 0.12p.u.

L
R3
= 2L

R
= 0.24p.u.
where L

R
is the rated value of the rotor inductance assumed in the
simulations.
Also, in this case, it can be asserted that the system becomes
more unstable as the rotor inductance increases.
2.5. Rotor resistance
Finally, the same uctuations are reported in Fig. 8, for different
values of the rotor resistance and for a fault-clearing time of 0.1s.
The rotor resistance values that have been assumed are:

R
R1
= R

R
/2 = 0.09p.u.

R
R2
= R

R
= 0.12p.u.

R
R3
= 2R

R
= 0.24p.u.
where R

R
is the rated value of the rotor resistance assumed in the
simulations.
As shown, the system becomes more stable as the rotor resis-
tance increases.
2.6. Inertia coefcient of the WT
The rst mechanical parameter that was studied is the inertia
coefcient of the WT.
Fluctuations of terminal voltage and generator rotor speed for
different values of the WT inertia constants (H
M1
, H
M2
, andH
M3
) are
drawn in Fig. 9, for a fault-clearing time t =0.3s. The three-phase
short-circuit fault occurs at t =8s.
The following values were assumed for the inertia constant:

H
M1
= H

M
/2 = 1.25s

H
M2
= H

M
= 2.5s

H
M3
= 2H

M
= 5s
where H

M
is the rated value of the inertia coefcient assumed in
the simulations.
7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Time (s)
T
e
r
m
i
n
a
l

v
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
Hm1 = 1.25 s
Hm2 = 2.5 s
Hm3 = 5 s
(a)
7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
Time (s) G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
Hm1 = 1.25 s
Hm2 = 2.5 s
Hm3 = 5 s
(b)
Fig. 9. Terminal voltage (a) and generator rotor speed (b) after a three-phase short-
circuit fault in the grid at t =8s, for different values of the inertia constant of the WT.
The fault-clearing time is t =0.3s.
As shown in Fig. 9, voltage stability decreases for lower values of
inertia coefcient. Inall cases, the terminal voltage is re-established
after a few seconds.
The uctuations in the stator voltage are caused by electro-
mechanical interactions between the shaft system of the FSWT
(represented by a two-mass model in this simulation) and the elec-
trical and mechanical parameters of the power system.
2.7. Short-circuit power at the connection bus
In this section, the effect of short-circuit power at the WT
connection bus on FSWT voltage stability is evaluated. This was
modied by changing the impedance of the line.
The short-circuit power, A
SC
, has been divided by the WT rated
power, A
N
, in order to show a more signicant variable.
Fluctuations of terminal voltage and generator rotor speed for
different values of the short-circuit ratio S
K
=A
SC
/A
N
at the connec-
tion bus are drawn in Fig. 10, for a fault-clearing time t =0.3s. The
following short-circuit ratio values were assumed:
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0
0.5
1
1.5
Time (s)
V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
Sk=10
Sk=50
Sk=100
(a)
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1
1.5
2
2.5
Time (s)
G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
Sk=10
Sk=50
Sk=100
(b)
Fig. 10. Terminal voltage (a) andgenerator rotor speed(b) after a three-phase short-
circuit fault in the grid at t =8s for different values of the short-circuit ratio at the
connection bus. The fault-clearing time is t =0.3s.
1312 L. Dusonchet, E. Telaretti / Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,8
50 0 100 150 200
Short-circuit ratio
C
r
i
t
i
c
a
l

f
a
u
l
t
-
c
l
e
a
r
i
n
g

t
i
m
e

(
s
)
Fig. 11. Critical fault-clearing time versus short-circuit ratio.

S
K1
= S

K
/5 = 10

S
K2
= S

K
= 50

S
K3
= 2S

K
= 100
where S

K
is the rated value of the short-circuit ratio assumed in the
simulations.
As shown in Fig. 10, voltage stability decreases for lower values
of short-circuit power.
To better understand how voltage stability depends on short-
circuit power at the connection bus, different values of the short-
circuit parameter have been applied to the baseline case, and the
critical fault-clearing time has been obtained for each of them. The
critical fault-clearing time is dened as the time beyond which the
system becomes instable.
The critical fault-clearing time versus short-circuit ratio is
reported in Fig. 11. It shows that WT stability depends strongly on
short-circuit power; in effect, there is a knee in the curve around
A
SC
/A
N
=20/40, and then it approaches a plateau at higher values of
short-circuit power.
Several countries assume that short-circuit power at the wind
farm connection bus has to be at least 20 times greater than the
wind farm nominal power [8]. This stipulation also seems to be
adequate from the point of view of maintaining transient stability.
2.8. Hub-generator resonant frequency
Hub-generator resonant frequency is a fundamental turbine
design parameter.
The natural frequency of the shaft system is:
f
T
=
1
2

0
K
S
2
H
M
+H
G
H
M
H
G
(5)
The symbols have been dened previously.
To determine the effect of this parameter on WT stability, the
mechanical coupling of the resonant frequency has been tuned by
changing the shaft stiffness, K
S
.
Fig. 12 shows how system stability depends on resonant fre-
quency. The relationship is not relevant for common values of
resonant frequency (47Hz), but stability decreases inexible cou-
plings. In particular, the selected shaft stiffness value (K
S
=0.3p.u.)
corresponds to a hub-generator resonant frequency of f
T
=1.7Hz.
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,8
0,9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hub-generator resonant frequency (Hz) C
r
i
t
i
c
a
l

f
a
u
l
t
-
c
l
e
a
r
i
n
g

t
i
m
e

(
s
)
Fig. 12. Critical fault-clearing time versus hub-generator resonant frequency.
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
4,5
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Wind speed (m/s)
C
r
i
t
i
c
a
l

f
a
u
l
t
-
c
l
e
a
r
i
n
g

t
i
m
e

(
s
)
Fig. 13. Critical fault-clearing time versus wind speed.
As shown in Fig. 12, the critical fault-clearing time is very low for
this value.
In effect, if the mechanical coupling is exible, the generator
rotor is free to oscillate and it is more difcult to return to a steady
state after a short-circuit fault in the grid.
2.9. Wind speed
The relationship between critical fault-clearing time and wind
speed is reported in Fig. 13.
The shape of the curve is similar to the inverse of the power/WT
characteristic. In effect, when a fault occurs, the turbine power is
converted to kinetic energy in the shaft system, and the generator
rotor accelerates. As a consequence, the higher the wind speed, the
less stable is the WT. When wind speed exceeds the rated value
(16m/s), the situation reverses due to the behaviour of the blade
pitch control system.
2.10. Reactive power compensation
Dynamic reactive compensation can be done in several ways.
The following equipment can be chosen: synchronous condensers
(SC), static VAR compensators (SVC), statcom and capacitors.
In the following simulations dynamic reactive compensation is
done by connecting capacitors.
Reactive power compensation is a critical parameter in voltage
stability investigations.
When a short-circuit fault occurs, terminal voltage and rotor
uxlinkage decay. After the fault is cleared, the inductiongenerator
demands more reactive power, in order to allow rotor ux linkage
and terminal voltage to recover. If the demand for reactive power
is not satised immediately, the WT behaviour becomes unstable.
Fig. 14 shows the critical fault-clearing time versus reactive
power produced at the WT terminals.
The reactive power is expressed in p.u. relative to the value of
reactive power absorbed by the asynchronous generator with no
load. As shown in Fig. 14, the connection of compensating capac-
itors has a slightly benecial effect on the critical fault-clearing
time.
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,2 0 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2 1,4 1,6
Reactive power (p.u.)
C
r
i
t
i
c
a
l

f
a
u
l
t
-
c
l
e
a
r
i
n
g

t
i
m
e

(
s
)
Fig. 14. Critical fault-clearing time versus reactive power produced at the WT ter-
minals.
L. Dusonchet, E. Telaretti / Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316 1313
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,8
1 0,8 0,6 0,4 0,2 0
Distance between WT and Fault (pu)
C
r
i
t
i
c
a
l

F
a
u
l
t

C
l
e
a
r
i
n
g

T
i
m
e

(
s
)
.

Fig. 15. Critical fault-clearing time versus reactive power produced at the WT ter-
minals.
2.11. Fault location
The dependence of the fault location on the WT stability has
beenevaluatedbyplacingthefault at different points of theaffected
line. The range is between zero and one:

a distance of zero corresponds to the wind farm connection bus;

a distance of one corresponds to the innite bus.

Fig. 15 shows the critical fault-clearing time versus the distance
between the WT and the three-phase fault.
As shown, the system is more stable when the fault location is
far fromthe WT. Ineffect, if the fault is locatedat the WTconnection
bus, the terminal voltage decays instantly and all the wind power
is used to accelerate the windmill. On the other hand, when the
short-circuit fault is far from the WT the voltage does not decay
instantly and part of the WT power is dissipated on the interposed
network, resulting in a more stable operation.
2.12. Fault duration
To determine the effect of this parameter on WT stability, three
different values of the fault-clearing time have been considered:

t =0.15s.

t =0.2s.

t =0.25s.
The simulation results, obtained by considering the parameters
specied in Appendix B, are reported in Fig. 16.
7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12
0
0.5
1
1.5
Time (s)
T
e
r
m
i
n
a
l

V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12
0.95
1
1.05
1.1
1.15
1.2
1.25
Time (s) G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

R
o
t
o
r

S
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
t = 0,15
t = 0,2
t = 0,25
t = 0,15
t = 0,2
t = 0,25
(a)
(b)
Fig. 16. Critical fault-clearing time versus reactive power produced at the WT ter-
minals.
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Time (s)
V
o
l
t
a
g
e

(
p
.
u
.
)
Fifth order model
Third order model
(a)
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
Time (s)
G
e
n
e
r
a
t
o
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
Fifth order model
Third order model
(b)
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
x 10
6
Time (s)
E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

P
o
w
e
r

(
W
)
Fifth order model
Third order model
(c)
Fig. 17. Terminal voltage (a) generator rotor speed, (b) and electrical power (c)
of a FSWT after a three-phase short-circuit fault in the grid at t =8s, when using
a fth order or a third order model for representing the induction generator. The
fault-clearing time is t =0.64s.
As shown, the systembecomes more unstable as the fault dura-
tion increases.
2.13. Induction generator model
The effect of generator model complexity (third or fth order)
on the evaluation of FSWT voltage stability is examined.
The terminal voltage, generator rotor speedandelectrical power
of the WT are drawn in Fig. 17, when a short-circuit fault occurs at
t =8s and cleared at t =0.64s.
The simulations are done for two different cases:

fth order model with two-mass shaft system;

third order model with two-mass shaft system.

As shown, the system seems more stable when the fth order
model is used; this is because in the third order model the current
does not containtransients of the stator uxat the fundamental fre-
7.98 7.985 7.99 7.995 8 8.005 8.01 8.015 8.02
1.01
1.02
1.03
1.04
1.05
1.06
Time (s)
G
e
n
e
r
a
o
t
r

r
o
t
o
r

s
p
e
e
d

(
p
.
u
.
)
Fifth-order model
Third-order model
Fig. 18. Generator rotor speedof a FSWTafter a three-phase short-circuit fault inthe
grid at t =8s, when using a fth order model or a third order model for representing
the induction generator. The fault-clearing time is t =0.64s.
1314 L. Dusonchet, E. Telaretti / Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316
quency. Thecurrent amplitudepredictedbythethirdorder model is
therefore lower than in the case of the fth order model. Therefore,
the electrical torque of the induction generator is also lower just
after the fault. Consequently, it leads to a discrepancy in the gener-
ator rotor speed. When using the third order model, the generator
rotor speed increases immediately when the short-circuit fault is
applied. When using a fth order model the generator rotor speed
decreases shortly after the fault occurs, as represented in Fig. 18.
3. Conclusions
The effect of various electrical and mechanical parameters for
the induction generator on the voltage stability of a FSWT con-
nected to a simple grid has been evaluated and discussed, when
a short-circuit fault is applied close to the WT. The difference
betweenusing a lumped-mass model or two-mass systemtorepre-
sent the shaft systemof the WT has been highlighted. Furthermore,
the difference between a fth order model and third order model
for the induction generator has been emphasized.
The main results obtained from these simulations are reported
below.
Thechoiceof representingtheshaft systemas atwo-mass model
has repercussions on the evaluation of FSWT voltage stability; the
system seems more unstable when using the two-mass model.
The system seems more unstable when a third order model
is used, due to the absence of transients in the stator ux at the
fundamental frequency.
Voltage stability depends on induction generator parameters,
such as stator resistance, stator reactance, mutual reactance, rotor
resistance and rotor reactance. Voltage stability can be enhanced
by choosing the parameters of the induction generator as follows:

reduce the values of stator resistance, stator reactance and rotor

reactance;

increase the values of mutual reactance and rotor resistance.

Voltage stability depends also on WT parameters, such as iner-
tia coefcient and hub-generator resonant frequency, and on grid
parameters, such as short-circuit power at the connection bus,
reactive power compensation, wind speed, fault location and fault
duration. In particular, voltage stability decreases:

for lower values of inertia coefcient, hub-generator resonant

frequency, short-circuit power, fault impedance;

for higher values of wind speed (up to the rated wind speed) and
of the fault duration.
Finally, the connectionof compensating capacitors has a slightly
benecial effect on the critical fault-clearing time.
Acknowledgement
The authors wishto thank the University of Palermo, for funding
the work.
Appendix A. Wind turbine model
A.1. Aerodynamic model of the turbine rotor
The WT continuously extracts kinetic energy from the wind by
deceleratingtheair mass andfeeds it tothegenerator as mechanical
power [9].
The aerodynamic behaviour of the WT must be modelled
because it determines the coupling between the wind speed and
the mechanical torque produced by the WT.
0 5 10 15
-0.1
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Tip speed ratio
P
e
r
f
o
r
m
a
n
c
e

c
o
e
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
t
=0
=5
=10
=15
=20
Fig. A.1. Performance coefcient versus tip speed ratio characteristics, for different
values of the pitch angle .
The mechanical power, PM, produced by the WT rotor can be
dened as:
P
M
= C
P
(, )P
V
=
1
2

air
v
3
AC
P
(, ) (A.1)
where A is the swept WT rotor area, C
P
is the performance coef-
cient of the WT, P
v
is the wind power available in the rotor swept
area, v is the wind speed,
air
is the air density, is the tip speed
ratio (ratio of rotor blade tipspeedto windspeed) andis the blade
pitch angle.
The relation between C
P
and is normally established by the
C
P
/ curve. This curve can be approximated from the power/wind
curve, provided by WT manufacturers [7].
In this paper, a generic equation is used to model the perfor-
mance coefcient, C
P
(,). This equation, based on modelling the
turbine characteristics of [10], is:
C
P
(, ) = C
1
(C
2
/
i
C
3
C
4
)exp(C
5
/
i
) +C
6
(A.2)
with:
1

i
=
1
+0.08

0.035

3
+1
(A.3)
The coefcients C
1
to C
6
are: C
1
=0.5176, C
2
=116, C
3
=0.4, C
4
=5,
C
5
=21 and C
6
=0.0068.
The C
P
() characteristics, for different values of the pitch angle
, are illustrated in Fig. A.1.
The maximum value of C
P
(C
P
=0.48) is achieved for =0

and
for =8.1.
A.2. Induction generator
The induction generator is represented by:

a fthorder model (that takes intoaccount transients of the stator

current at the fundamental frequency);

a third order model.

The fthorder model is implementedas a userwrittenmodel in
the Simulink simulation tool. The model equations of an induction
L. Dusonchet, E. Telaretti / Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316 1315
generator, in DQ components and in per unit (p.u.), are [11]:

V
DS
= R
S
I
DS

S

QS
+
d
DS
dt
V
QS
= R
S
I
QS
+
S

DS
+
d
QS
dt
V
DR
= R
R
I
DR
s
S

QR
+
d
DR
dt
V
QR
= R
R
I
QR
+s
S

DR
+
d
QR
dt
T
E
=
DS
I
QS

QS
I
DS
(A.4)
where V
S
=(V
DS
,V
QS
) is the WT terminal voltage; I
S
=(I
DS
,I
QS
) is the
stator current;
S
=(
DS
,
QS
) is the stator ux; I
R
=(I
DR
,I
QR
) is the
rotor current in stator quantities;
R
=(
DR
,
QR
) is the rotor ux
in stator quantities; S is rotor slip;
s
is the synchronous speed; T
E
is the electric torque; R
S
,R
R
are the stator and rotor resistances.
In voltage stability investigations, a third order model is often
used for the induction generator. The third order model is derived
fromthe fth order model equations by omitting the fundamental-
frequency transients in the stator.
The third order model equations of an induction generator, in
(p.u.), are:

V
DS
= R
S
I
DS
V

D
X

S
I
QS
V
QS
= R
S
I
QS
+V

Q
X

S
I
DS
p(V

D
) =
1
T

0(sec)
[V

D
+(X
S
X

S
)I
QS
] +p(
R
)V

Q
p(V

Q
) =
1
T

0(sec)

Q
+(X
S
X

S
)I
DS

+p(
R
)V

D
(A.5)
The symbols are specied in [11]. The model equations of the
third order model of an induction generator can be found in several
books or articles [11,12].
A.3. Shaft system
To represent a shaft system in dynamic WT simulation pro-
grams, the mechanical construction of the FSWT is modelled by
a lumped-mass system or a two-mass shaft model, in order to
evaluate the differences between the two cases.
The model equation of a lumped-mass system, in p.u. system,
is:
2H
L
d
L
dt
= T
M
T
E
F
L

L
(A.6)
where
L
is the rotational speed of the lumped-mass system, H
L
is
the lumped inertia constant of the shaft system, F
L
is the damping
coefcient of the lumpedsystem, T
M
is the mechanical torque of the
WT rotor and T
E
is the electrical torque of the induction generator.
As demonstrated in [13], in order to investigate transient
stability phenomena, it is necessary to take into account the elec-
tromechanical interactions between the shaft system of the FSWT
HM
HG
GENERATOR ROTOR
WIND TURBINE
SHAFT
SYSTEM
Ks
G
M
TE
TM
Fig. A.2. The two-mass shaft system model.
and the electrical power grid, by using a two-mass shaft model (see
Fig. A.2).
The model equations of the two-mass shaft system, in p.u., are:

2H
M
d
M
dt
= T
M
= K
S

S
F
M

M
2H
G
d
G
dt
= K
S

S
T
E
F
G

G
d
S
dt
=
0
(
M

G
)
(A.7)
where
M
is the WT speed,
G
is the generator rotor speed, K
S
is
shaft stiffness, F
G
is the damping coefcient of the generator rotor,
F
M
is the damping coefcient of the turbine rotor, H
G
and H
M
are
the lumped inertia constant of the generator rotor and the tur-
bine rotor,
S
is torsional twist, and
0
is the electrical speed of
the system.
The model equations of the two-mass shaft system have been
validated in [14].
More detailed models of the shaft system are present in liter-
ature [1518] but they have not been considered in this study as
the two-mass model is adequate to represent transient stability
phenomena [19].
A.4. Blade-angle control
The pitch control system is used to control the power output of
the WT but can also be used for stabilization of the WT against grid
faults.
The pitch control scheme is represented in Fig. A.3.
When the aimis to control the active power (P
E
) of the WT, P
E
is
the control signal sent to the blade-angle control and the reference
signal is the reference power, P
ref
, or the rated power of the WT.
When pitch control is used for stabilization of the WT, the ref-
erence signal is the reference power, P
ref
, but the control signal is
P
E
/V
2
[13], where V is the voltage measured at the connection point
of the WT.
Pref
PE/V
2
PE
+
-
1/S 1/Ts 1/S
Filter
+
-
beta
Fig. A.3. Pitch control scheme of a FSWT for a more controlled re-establishment of terminal voltage.
1316 L. Dusonchet, E. Telaretti / Electric Power Systems Research 81 (2011) 13081316
In this paper, only the control signal P
E
was chosen as input
variable. The reference value of the blade-angle control,
ref,
is com-
pared to the real pitch angle, . The error signal is sent to a pitch
order servomodel withservodelayconstant, T
servo
=0.25s. Further-
more, the pitch rate, d/dt, is limited to 5

/s, which is a typical

range for pitch control WTs.
The output signal is sent to a low pass lter, in order to get a
realistic response out of the pitch control system. The blade-angle
lies betweenthe minimumvalue,
min
=0

andthe maximumpitch,

max
=24

.
Appendix B. Parameters of the FSWT, transformer and the
electric line used in the simulation
The parameters of the FSWT, transformer and electric line are
listed in Tables 13.
Table 1
FSWT data.
Number of blades 3
Rated turbine shaft speed, (rpm) 1500
Rated wind speed, v (m/s) 16
Rotor radius, R (m) 37
Blade-angle range (degree) 025
Cut-in wind speed (m/s) 34
Cut-out wind speed (m/s) 25
Gear box ratio, NME 80
Lumped inertia constant, HL (s) 3
Inertia constant of the turbine rotor, HM (s) 2.5
Damping coefcient of the lumped system, FL (p.u.) 0.0548
Damping coefcient of the turbine rotor, FM (p.u.) 0.005
Shaft stiffness (p.u./el.rad.) 0.3
Table 2
Induction generator data.
Rated power (kW) 2000
Rated voltage (kV) 0.69
Resistance of the stator, R
S
(p.u.) 0.048
Resistance of the rotor, RR (p.u.) 0.18
Inductance of the stator, L
S
(p.u.) 0.075
Inductance of the rotor, LR (p.u.) 0.12
Mutual inductance (p.u.) 3.8
Inertia constant H
G
(s) 0.5
Number of pole pairs, p 2
Damping coefcient, F
G
(p.u.) 0.009
Table 3
Wind farm circuit data.
Rated power of the transformer (kVA) 2000
Resistance of the transformer, RT (p.u.) 0.69
Inductance of the transformer, LT (p.u.) 0.048
Resistance of the line, R
l
() 0.18
Inductance of the line, L
l
(H) 0.075
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