PROJECT TITLE :

Comparison of power electronics lifetime between vertical- and horizontal-axis wind turbines

ABSTRACT:

A comparison has been created of the power electronics lifetime for 5MW horizontal- and vertical-axis wind turbines, based mostly on dynamic models equipped with generated wind speed time series. Each 2- and three-bladed stall-regulated H-rotor vertical-axis turbines were modelled, with several totally different control parameters. Vertical-axis turbines are probably to steer to a shorter power electronics lifetime because the aerodynamic torque varies with rotor azimuth, resulting in a cyclic generator torque, and increased thermal cycling in the power electronics. An electro-thermal model of an occasional-voltage converter was created, and used to calculate the switching device temperatures primarily based on the generator torque and speed time series from the turbine model. An empirical lifetime model and rainflow-counting algorithm were used to calculate the lifetime, and this was repeated at different average wind speeds to see the lifetime. The vertical-axis turbine was found to have a lower power electronics lifetime than the horizontal-axis, or need a bigger range of parallel switching devices to realize the identical lifetime, though this was lessened by running the turbine with a more relaxed speed control, allowing the rotor inertia to partially absorb the aerodynamic torque ripple.