Protecting the wind energy system from a short circuit (requirements - challenges - solutions)

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
Volume: 10 Issue: 06 | Jun 2023 www.irjet.net
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Protecting the wind energy system from a short circuit (requirements -
challenges - solutions)
Ayman Bases1, Dina Mourad2, Sayed M. Ahmed 3, Tamer A.A.Ismail4
1 Faculty of Technology and Education, Helwan University, Egypt,
2 Faculty of Technology and Education, Helwan University, Cairo, EGYPT,
3 Department of Industrial Technology Faculty of Technological Industry and Energy
Delta Technological University, Egypt
4 faculty of technology at El Sahafa. Ministry of higher education,
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Abstract - The urgent need for energy sources resulting
from industrial growth and progress and support for the
well-being of humanity has led to an increase in the
interference of wind energy with traditional energy
sources. Wind energy has its own characteristics resulting
from its nature. Among these characteristics is its
instability at a certain limit, as it is volatile, and this adds
challenges to production, communication, and protection
processes. This paper looks at this from a protection point
of view and presents advantages, challenges, and some
solutions to overcome the obstacles.
Key Words: wind turbines, protection, Protection
Challenge, Short circuit fault.
1. INTRODUCTION
reducing pollution resulting from energy, especially
wind energy, which is among the lowest-priced
energies [2], To benefit from the advantages of wind
energy and maintain the sustainability of its
production, producers, and researchers are interested
in the issue of protection [3], [4], The interest of
producers and researchers is increasing with the
increasing connection of wind energy with the power
system, for protection many roles, including the speed
of determining the fault situation and the speed of
making the right decision in terms of severity and type,
and who is responsible for clearing this fault [1]. The
protection system also monitors the production system
all the time in order to ensure the safety of the system,
the safety of the energy produced, and the continuity of
the energy flow process. A complete and effective
protection system that protects wind energy systems of
all kinds, but the scientific papers indicate the necessity
of having a different system commensurate with the
situation we want to protect and commensurate with
the speed and size of the turbine [2]. All these added
challenges and these challenges were clearer in wind
energy systems. This study considers protection from
an electrical perspective. Wind turbines are classified
into large wind turbines and small wind turbines.,
according to the type of generator, or according to the
place of installation [7].
2. Components of the wind power system:
2.1. Rotary blades:
They absorb energy from the wind and convert it
into any other form of energy.
2.2. Gearbox:
It is present in some systems and other systems are
not used, and the speed adjustment cycle is in a ratio
between the rotary vane and the generator.
2.3. Generator:
It converts what it receives from mechanical energy
into electrical energy.
2.4. Transmission lines:
Link between the generator and the load directly or
between the generator and the network
Figure 1Displays renewable energy sources [8].
Figure 2Wind energy system diagram
Renewable energy technologies support the global
trend towards preserving the environment and
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2.5. Transformers:
They adjust the connection voltage poorly with the
load or the network.
3. Classification of wind turbines by generator:
The kinetic energy absorbed from the wind is entered
by the rotating blades and then transferred from it to
the gear box, and from there it is transmitted to the
rotating member in the generator, which converts the
kinetic energy into electrical energy, and this electrical
energy comes out from the generator to the load
directly or to the electrical network. Research has
indicated that the types of generators Wind turbines
may differ according to a number of classifications.
 According to the communication interface
between the generator and the network
 According to the method of dealing with wind speed
3.1. First: classification according to speed
constant speed
 Limited variable speed
 Variable speed
3.2. Second: Classification of generators
according to the interface with the network
3.1. Squirrel Cage Induction Generator.
3.2. Wound Rotor Induction Generator.
3.3. Double Fed Induction Generator, which is the most
common and widespread.
3.4. Permanent magnet synchronous generator
4. The short circuit
One of the most common types of faults in electrical
systems is a short circuit. Protective devices are therefore
designed to protect against loss or damage to supply and
consumer equipment in the event of an electrical short
circuit.
A short circuit is an undesired connection between two
conductors through relatively low resistance or between
two or more circuit points, usually at different voltages
[16].
5. Reason
5.1. High temperatures due to high currents (large load -
fault)
5.2. The effect of high voltage on the insulator in a way
that breaks the insulator.
5.3. The presence of moisture causes the insulation to
weaken.
5.4. Exposure to stress or mechanical stress
6. Effect
6.1. Separate the source from the download locations.
6.2. Damage to equipment and devices
6.3. Exposure to thermal stress of equipment with
repetition causes damage.
6.4. May cause fires.
6.5. May cause fatalities [16]
7. Protective device
In the event of a fault in the power supply network,
rectification of the fault has the highest priority. Correct
design and implementation of protective coordination
therefore plays an important role. Relays and fuses act as
fault indicators to protect the power grid.
7.1. Fuses and Relays:
Both fuses and relays are just the central sensors for all
types of overcurrent protection systems in modern power
systems. The fuse is an independent protection device
that detects the fault itself and turns it off, and that
happens by melting the fuse filament that cannot
withstand the current in excess of the required limit, and
this limit is called the threshold. You can use the fuse's
characteristics to determine the appropriate fuse for a
particular application. . Fast-acting or slow-acting fuses
can be selected according to the type of load. But relays
are just sensors. It detects an error and sends a trip
command to a circuit designed to make the appropriate
decision either to disconnect or connect, and it may
operate according to a timeline.
7.2. Numerical Protection Relays:
A variety of protective relays of all kinds, including
electromechanical numerical relays, solid state relays,
microcontrollers, etc., are used to protect electrical power
systems. Research indicates that digital relays have been
widely used in electrical protection systems since the
beginning of work on their modernization and
development in 1985. This is due to the programmability
of this type of relay.
Figure 3Occurrence percentages of short circuits in the
power system [9].
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It added modern features such as the small size resulting
from merging a number of relays into one relay, the
possibility of measurement, error detection, and event
reporting data. This data can be used for trip analysis
when faults are detected by protection relays in the power
system. Through microcontroller programming, digital
relays can provide the highest speed, reliability,
selectivity, simplicity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in
power systems. However, fuses are recognized as one of
the most reliable applications for overcurrent fault
detection and disconnection of devices in industrial power
systems. Therefore, most researchers believe that the
adaptive overcurrent system combines fuses and relays is
a more cost-effective solution than relays or relay-based
protection systems.
7.3. The Overcurrent Relay
The overcurrent protection has the same as the input
signal obtained from a suitable current transformer. relay
types. In these relays, when the input current is higher
than the preset current value (threshold), the relay sends
an output signal to the circuit breaker (CB), and
disconnects. electrical circuit and remove power from the
result of overcurrent. This is to work to protect the special
components connected to the source of the fault. There
are three main types of overcurrent protection used in
power systems. Deterministic moment relays, fixed time
relays, and inverse time relays. The most common type is
the inverse time relay, which has the inverse property, the
relay operates faster (less time) as the current increases.
These types of relays are usually included in
instantaneous current units and when the current reaches
its upper limit of its magnitude, the relay is energized
immediately, thus preventing damage to the special
power components [4].
7.4. Directional overcurrent protection
As with overcurrent protection, directional overcurrent
protection is used as either a primary protection or a
backup protection. Despite the high reliability of
directional protection, the nature of wind turbines has
made it difficult to coordinate and adjust their settings
due to dynamic changes in wind energy. Although
directional protection is the cheapest and simplest, these
dynamic changes affect its sensitivity and selectivity,
which can lead to incorrect wind operations [5]
7.5. distance protector
Distance protector is mainly used to protect transmission
lines. Research has revealed that different voltage limits
generated by wind turbines affect the performance of
distance protection. Therefore, it has been found that
distance protection with fixed settings is not suitable for
transmission lines associated with wind turbines.
However, even with new and improved designs, internal
failures still occur, and if there is an excessive time delay
in the disconnect signal or a dead band in the protection,
the failures can cause serious damage or generate power
to repair the equipment. This can lead to long
interruptions in the operation of the unit. Therefore,
improper use of conventional functions may result in
economic and material damages to consumers [1].
7.6. Protections using artificial intelligence.
In the future, intelligent machines will replace or
complement human skills in many areas.
Artificial intelligence is becoming a popular field of
computer science because it improves human life in many
areas.
Research in the field of artificial intelligence has produced
a rapidly growing technology called expert systems.
Expert systems are now widely used to solve complex
problems in various fields such as science, engineering,
economics, medicine, and weather forecasting.
In areas where artificial intelligence is used, it has the
potential to improve quality and efficiency.
In the field of artificial intelligence, giving machines the
ability to think conceptually and analytically.
Over the past 20 years, artificial intelligence technology
has made great contributions in various fields.
Some papers in the field of artificial intelligence indicate
that the protection that maintains system stability,
dampens vibrations, and provides high-quality
performance in networks depends on artificial
intelligence techniques, and it was discussed protecting
networks from error and how its artificial intelligence
techniques can be used to solve common problems in the
network [11]. Network fault analysis has a promising
future, just like the field of power stabilizers. This
technology and its applications can have a long-term
impact on the protection of electrical systems, but it is a
new technology and is still in the experimental stage,
which indicates the need for more effort and research on
its reliability [2].
Among the challenges in protection systems, short circuit
is one of the most common types of system challenges.
Therefore, protective devices are designed to protect
against loss or damage to equipment on the part of the
Figure 4Diagram of type A of types [10]
8. PROTECTION CHALLENGE
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© 2022, IRJET
supplier and consumer in the event of a short circuit. As
the power grid expands in the future, and connectivity to
wind energy systems increases, planners must re-evaluate
the design and upgrade of these devices through system
analysis and short circuit testing.
Evaluating the contribution of wind turbines to the short
circuit current of the system is very important to know
the effect of these turbines and the loads. Short circuit
fault can occur in network elements. The effect of wind
turbines and their effect on short currents depends on the
type of wind turbine generator. Consider Generator Type
1 and Wind Turbine 2 for detailed models of wind
turbines and their characteristics. We find that they have
almost the same electrical machining characteristics but
type 2 has a slight difference that results from the added
resistance of the rotor. Types 1, 2, and 3 have the highest
short-circuit currents and occur at three-phase faults. 3 to
6 times the rated current. In type 4, the short circuit
current has reached more than 110% of the rated current
because the circuit has been disconnected from the mains
by a transformer. The magnitude of the short circuit
current at the coupling point depends on the number and
type of wind turbines connected in parallel.
Power grids face a variety of protection challenges,
including B. Relay underreach/reach issues due to
different fault impedances due to high wind energy
penetration. Accordingly, many protection schemes have
been proposed, including adaptive logic program-based
schemes, adaptive distance relay adjustment schemes,
support vector machine-based schemes, data mining-
based intelligent differential relays, wavelet, and Fourier
transforms. Differential relay on the base. The magnitude
of fault currents and the selection and coordination of
protective devices are major challenges for wind-
connected microgrids. Many solutions include adaptive
overcurrent protection schemes, centralized
communication with local backup schemes, fault distance
estimation-based protection schemes, fuzzy reasoning
system-based schemes, microprocessor-based schemes,
oscillation frequency and transient power-based schemes,
Parameter estimation, voltage-current-time reversal
schemes are widely used protection schemes.
In addition, the choice of generator type for a wind farm,
synchronous generator, induction generator, generator
with converter interface also plays an important role in
the design of a power grid protection system.
Synchronous generators have long-term high-current
stability characteristics, and the fault current of induction
generators gradually decreases. The inverse is the short
circuit current of the generator connected to the
converter. limited to 2-3 times the generator's nominal
current.
In addition to the previous challenges, there is a challenge
to add wind energy to protection, which is that wind
energy is by nature variable in value and intermittent, and
this challenge affects protection according to the type of
protection used.
The research [4] indicates that the nature of wind turbine
energy is intermittent, and this adds other challenges such
as:
1- Poor coordination that may lead to wrong dismissal
2- The length of the separation time, which may increase
the possibility of damage
3 - The difficulty of determining the optimal threshold for
the value of the excess current, which may lead in some
cases to a malfunction, but the separation has not been
made [5].
9. Solutions
The research reviewed the protection equipment used to
protect wind turbines and the challenges faced by this
equipment, and then the research presents the solutions
indicated by previous research to overcome these
challenges:-
9.1. Adaptive Differential Protection
To meet the challenges posed by the nature of wind
turbine energy, many researchers have published
adaptive differential protection and it has been shown to
be effective in the protection process. Depending on plant
conditions and configuration, thresholds can be calculated
online. Therefore, the method is applicable to virtually
any energy system model and the impact of dynamic wind
farm operation on protection is negligible. Threshold
settings are designed considering the location of the
obstacle and the angle of entry of the obstacle. First, the
most effective fault among all possible faults is identified
using a single variable objective function (fault location).
Then the threshold setting with all possible parameters
considers only single-phase ground faults. The method is
tested against a standard power system model integrated
into a wind farm and simulated using MATLAB R2016a
software [6].
9.2. Adaptive overcurrent protection
Traditional protection schemes in distribution systems
may be disrupted by the proliferation of distributed
generation based on renewable energy sources. Such
properties of wind turbines are stochastic due to the
intermittent behaviour of wind dynamics. This causes the
fault current level to fluctuate and cause overcurrent relay
regulation problems. Minimize relay operating time. The
proposed algorithm is tested in a modified IEEE-8 bus
system with a wind farm to eliminate overcurrent relay
misalignment caused by WD. To further prove the
effectiveness of this algorithm, it is also tested on a typical
substation integrated in a wind farm. Compared with
conventional protection schemes, the results of the
proposed scheme are promising in fault isolation as
follows. B. Significantly shortens the total operating time
of the relay and eliminates misalignment [7].
For low-voltage networks where renewable energy is
present, especially for distributed generators, protection
systems require special attention as they are subject to
the new phenomenon of multi-directional power flows.
Traditional [3].
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9.3. Adaptive Distance Protection
In this paper, we propose a remote protection method
using local data from the transmission line connecting the
playback stations. The proposed method determines the
phase angle of the faulted loop current by determining the
pure fault impedance of the regenerative plant at any time
after the fault is detected, independent of the control
system connected to the plant. Decide. calculation. Use
this information to accurately calculate the resistance of
the line to the point of failure. The performance of the
proposed adaptive protection scheme was tested on a
New England 39-bus integrated regenerative system
using PSCAD/EMTDC simulation data and found to be
accurate. Show superiority in comparative evaluation
with conventional remote paging technology.
10. CONCLUSION
The research reviewed the importance of wind energy
and what the global industrial community aims to develop
for this sector. It also explained the seriousness of the
short circuit error and the risks it might cause. It
explained the importance of protection and indicated
some of the protection techniques used andResearch
indicated that the best solution to overcome the
challenges added by the technology of wind systems lies
in the air conditioning process, which represents the
possibility of the protection relay changing its settings,
and the process of changing these settings took several
forms, some of which relied on prediction, and some of
them were done by measuring wind speed and then
resetting Adjusting the threshold according to the new
data, and some relied on new equations added to relay
systems to adjust the threshold according to the income of
these equations, and explained some ways to solve those
challenges.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank the supervisors, Dina Mourad,
Faculty of Technology and Education, Helwan University,
Cairo, EGYPT,
Tamer A.A.Ismail, faculty of technology at El Sahafa.
ministry of higher education,
For what they gave me of help, advice, and guidance.
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