Isaac R. Machado1, Herminio M. Oliveira F.2, Luiz H. S. C. Barreto2, and Demercil S. Oliveira Jr.

2
2 Federal University of Rio de Janeiro COPPE/UFRJ Federal University of Cear UFC Laboratory of Power Eletronics Group of Energy Processing and Control GPEC PO Box 68504, P.Code 21945-970, Tel.:+55(21)25628634 PO Box 6001, P.Code 60455-760, Tel.: +55(85)33669586 Rio de Janeiro-RJ Brazil Fortaleza-CE Brazil isaac@coe.ufrj.br, demercil@dee.ufc.br, lbarreto@dee.ufc.br 1

WIND GENERATION SYSTEM FOR CHARGING BATTERIES

Abstract This paper is concerned with the study of a small size wind generation system for charging battery. A topology that aims at the exploitation of the energy generated at low speed is proposed. The characteristics of the wind turbine and the generator are discussed, providing the overview of the system modeling. Simulation tests of the system are obtained using MATLAB/SIMULINK, as the relevant results are supposed to be compared with experimental data and validate the proposal. The battery charging control is based on the checking the battery bank voltage and a protection against high wind speed is implemented through the limitation of the load current. The overall system supervision and verification of the analog parameters are performed using microcontroller PIC 16F876. Keywords Battery charging, maximum power point operation, wind generation. NOMENCLATURE B Coefficient of viscous friction (0.00467 Nm/rad/s); C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 Aerodynamic wind turbine constants. Ea, Eb, Ec Induced electromotive force; Ia, Ib, Ic Phase currents; J Inertia moment (J=0.065 kg.m2); P Number of pole pairs (P=7); Te Electrical torque; Tm Mechanical torque; Differential operator; g Mechanics speed of the wind turbine; Angle that defines the mechanical position of the rotor g (rad); r Angle that defines the electrical position of the rotor (rad). I. INTRODUCTION A wind generation system can be used basically in three distinct applications: isolated systems, hybrid systems, and grid connected systems. Basic characteristics of the systems include power and energy storage capability. Generally, small size isolated systems demand energy storage, by the use of batteries or in the form of gravitational potential energy in order to store the water pumped in reservoirs raised for posterior use. More specifically, for electric generation in isolated systems, small wind turbines (400 W 5 kW) for battery charging are very useful.

However, cost effectiveness is very important for such applications and topologies used for higher power generation are not viable [7] [8]. The direct connection of a three-phase diode controlled rectifier to the batteries is a common practice adopted by some manufactories [1]. Although there is simplicity and robustness, several problems associated with this solution result. Then, dc/dc converters have to be connected in series with the rectifier in order to adapt the generator voltage to the battery bank voltage. In [9-11], boost and buck-boost converters are used. However, in such architectures, a dc-dc converter rated at full power has to be used, what increases cost, mainly considering the sites where low speed winds are the more common. Then, this paper proposes an arrangement that employs a dc-dc converter to be used for low speed range. For higher speeds, the rectifier is supposed to feed the battery directly. II. PROPOSED TOPOLOGY A. Power Circuit The studied system is available commercially and manufactured by ENERSUD manufacturer [1]. It is composed of a wind turbine directly connected to a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) without gear box. A three-phase full-bridge rectifier supplies the battery bank directly, which is composed of two batteries (MOURA CLEAN model 12MC150 12 V/150 Ah). This system is also available with the absence of charging controller, reducing the useful life of the batteries. Another limitation is the partial exploration of the available wind energy at low speed. This limitation is due to the direct connection of the batteries to three-phase rectifier. Therefore the presence of diodes does not allow for the energy transfer while the induced voltage does not exceed the battery voltage, what corresponds to approximately 270 rpm. To solve these problems, a new topology is proposed, where a boost converter, a buck converter, and a three-phase bridge rectifier are connected in parallel. At low speed, the boost converter is used to draw the current from the generator to the batteries. When voltage Vdc1 (Fig. 1) is greater than 25 V (high speed operation), the rectifier starts supplying energy directly to the batteries, as the converter is not operating. At low speeds (g<312rpm), the system operates in an optimum point. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is implemented with the average current mode control applied to the boost converter and based on curves obtained by simulations. The buck converter has two functions: to perform speed reduction when requested or to limit the charging current, which occurs through the implementation of the input voltage control mode applied to the buck converter.

Rectifier

Boost Vdc1 Converter

d d8 d9 Permanent Magnet 7 Syncronous Generator V d1 d2 d3

a

Vdc2 Idc2
Idc2
Buck Converter dD RD

IL

d boost

of the kinetic energy with regard to time, given by equation (1):

C'dc1
S3 D2
D3
RA

Vb Vc

Cdc1

S1 D1opt

Cdc2

Battery Bank (Vdc2 = 24 V)

S2

RB

Vdc1

1 3 P = A u v 2 a v

(1)

Wind Turbine

d4

d5

d6
Vdc1

Vdc2
Idc2

Proportional Integrator Microcontroller (PIC16F876) ILref

IL

The extracted mechanical power Pm from the available wind power Pv is determined by the power coefficient Cp, according to equation (2).
1 Pm =C p Pv =C p a Av u 3 2

(2)

Vdc1ref D3
Vdc1

Proportional Integrator

D2

Fig. 1. Proposed topology.

B. Control Technique The process is commanded by Microchip microcontroller PIC16F876. The main functions of the microcontroller are: Determination the on/off state of the converters in accordance with the variations of wind speed (activation of shutdown function - SG 3525); Generation of the reference current ILref, for the average current mode control (boost converter) and reference voltage Vdc1ref for the voltage mode control (buck converter); Measurement of voltage Vdc2 (charging controller) and current Idc2 (protection against overcurrent and overvoltage) of the battery bank). Signaling of the batteries charging level (leds). The MPPT algorithm is based on the measurement of voltage Vdc1 to generate the reference current ILref, used in the average current mode control applied to the boost converter. Thus, for each input voltage (Vdc1), the reference current is generated (ILref), determining the optimum impedance seen from the generator terminals. The optimum reference currents are generated by the microcontroller, based on the simulation results presented in section IV. The speed reduction process is set in the following cases: At each 10 minutes, voltage Vdc2 is measured by the A/D converter and adopted as a reference for the determination of the battery charging level. In this case, the speed reduction is partial so that the charging stops and the open-circuit voltage is measured. Thus, if the complete charging is achieved, the turbine is fully stopped (by turning on switch S3) until uncharged batteries are connected; When requested by the user pushing an external button. This possibility is implemented for safety or maintenance purposes; When load current Idc2 reaches is maximum at 30 A (maximum current recommended by the battery manufacturer). In this case, speed reduction is partial and voltage Vdc1 is decreased until Idc2 reaches less than 20 A; When voltage Vdc2 reaches a maximum values up to 28.8 V (the maximum value recommended by the battery manufacturer is 14.4 V). In this case, speed reduction is partial and occurs until voltage Vdc1 reaches 24 V. III. SYSTEM MODELING A. Wind Turbine Performance An amount of wind mass m and density a that flows with speed u in the axial direction of the wind turbine has some kinetic energy. The available wind power Pv is the derivative

The performance of the power coefficient in wind turbines is determined by manufacturers through tests carried out in wind tunnels. The value of Cp is a function of the wind speed u, rotation speed of the turbine g, pitch angle , and the aerodynamic characteristics of the turbine. The curve of the power coefficient for a given wind turbine is presented in equation (3):
C5 C2 C p =C1 C3 C4 e i +C6 i

(3)

Where constants C1 to C6 are parameters that depend on the wind turbine aerodynamic and i is a parameter given in (4).
1

i + 0.08. 3 +1

0.035

(4)

In the simulation tests, the following values for the constants mentioned in equation (3) are considered: C1 = 0.5176, C2=116, C3 = 0.40, C4 = 5, C5=21, C6=0.0068 These values are given for a three-bladed wind turbine, with similar aerodynamic characteristics to the turbine used in the system. The value of chosen for simulation is 3. B. Generator Characteristics The electrical machine used in the system is a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) rated at 1 kW, 1000 rpm, 7 pole pairs and axial flux. This type of machine is particularly interesting for applications in wind generation due to its inherent characteristics. Several studies such as those in [2] and [3] deal with the characteristics of this machine. The dynamic model of the machine is obtained in [3], described by expressions (5) to (8).
E I + E I + E I Te = a a b b c c g

(5) (6) (7) (8)

J g =Tm Te B g

g = g r = P g

The electrical model of the synchronous generator in steady-state operation is described by equation (9).
Va Ea Ra Vb = Eb 0 V E 0 c c 0 Rb 0 0 I a La 0 I b M ba Rc I c M ca M ab Lb M cb M ac I a M bc I b (9) Lc I c

To determine the physical parameters of the machine such as phase resistance (Ra, Rb, Rc), self-inductance (La, Lb, Lc) and mutual inductance (Mnm), several evaluation tests are performed as in [2]. The values considered in the simulation are 0.5 /phase (resistance), 3.35 mH (self-inductance), and 3.06 mH (mutual inductance).

IV. SYSTEM SIMULATION The system model is obtained considering the expressions presented in the previous session. Simulation tests are performed using MATLAB/SIMULINK. The simulations have the objective to prove and to validate the existence of an optimum point of operation and to predict the behavior system for each wind speed. In a first moment a controlled voltage source was connected to the rectifier output. The controlled voltage source determines the linear variation of the output voltage from 0 to 70 V during 10 seconds, simulating a variation of the impedance seen from the generator. Then, for a wind speed of 7 m/s, the variation of the output impedance determines the variation of the generated voltage and mechanical speed (0 to 653 rpm in 10s). The dynamic of the output power is verified in Fig. 2. Maximum power point is observed at 6.25 seconds, instant in which the output voltage reaches 44.1 V (optimum output voltage). Then, an optimum output voltage can be found for each wind speed. The power coefficient is also an important parameter to be observed and is shown in Fig. 3. The performance of Cp is analyzed for the same described conditions in Fig. 2. It is important to notice that the output power waveform is similar to the power coefficient curve, however the maximum point occurs at different instants due to the internal losses in the machine and the diodes. The I2R losses are responsible for great part of the internal losses in this type of machine. The simulations are performed for some wind speeds (3 m/s to 10 m/s), as shown in Tables I and II. Although in Table I the obtained power coefficient is greater than in Table II, the output power obtained in Table II is greater than that Table I. For example, for u=10 m/s, the ouput power is about 638 W since Vdc2 is maintained constant. If Vdc2 operates in the maximum power point, the output power becomes 1100 W, as the increase is 58%.

Fig. 2. Output power versus time for wind speed of 7 m/s and output voltage variation from 0 to 70V (simulation).

Fig. 3 Power coefficient versus time for wind speed of 7 m/s and output voltage variation from 0 to 70V (simulation).

Fig. 4. Simulation schematic.

TABLE I Simulation Results for Constant Output Voltage (24 V).

u (m/s) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Vdc1 (V) 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 Pdc1 (W) 21.6 69.6 144 218 268 408 528 638 852 960 Idc1 (A) 0.9 2.9 6 9.1 11.2 17 22 26.6 35.5 40

g
(rpm) 271 298 325 364 405 450 501 558 623 695

Cp 0.181 0.474 0.471 0.479 0.479 0.476 0.479 0.472 0.473 0.475

Ief (A) 0.75 2.35 4.5 7.3 9.2 13 17.5 22 26.1 31

I2 R Loss (W) 0.84 8.28 30.37 79.93 126.96 253.5 459.3 726 1021.8 1441

results were obtained for mechanical speeds of 269 rpm and 470 rpm. The boost converter becomes inoperative when voltage Vdc1 reaches 25 V, as the battery bank is supplied directly by the three-phase rectifier. Fig. 6 shows the generated phase voltage and the line current for mechanical speed of 269 rpm.

TABLE II Simulation Results for Maximum Power Point Operation.

u (m/s) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Opti mum Vdc1 (V) 18 26.2 31 37.25 44.1 47.2 53 57 61.5 66 Pdc1 (W) 36.75 78.6 164.3 272.6 413.6 604.1 829.4 1100.1 1414.5 1773.4 Idc1 (A) 2.05 3 5.3 7.3 9.3 12.8 15.6 19.3 23 26.8

g
(rpm) 208 271 333 409 493 554 636 708 786 866

Cp 0.447 0.458 0.454 0.430 0.448 0.439 0.437 0.432 0.432 0.426

Ief (A) 1.57 2.7 4.4 6.4 7.65 10.3 12.5 15.2 18.1 21

I2 R Loss (W) 3.69 10.93 29.04 61.44 87.78 160.68 234.37 360.37 494.13 661.5

Fig. 6. (1) Phase voltage (10 V/div. and 10 ms/div) and (2) Line current (2.5 A/div. and 10 ms/div) at 269 rpm.

In this case, the rms value of the phase voltage is 10.36 V. The line current waveform is pulsed, which is identical to simulation result, and the rms value is 1.95 A. Therefore the input apparent power is 61.82 VA and the input active power is 50 W, and the machine power factor is 0.81. Fig. 7 shows the duty cycle and boost inductor current.

Fig. 5 shows the simulated power curve and the manufacturer power curve for operation with constant output voltage equal to 24 V. The validation of the simulation is made by the comparison of the two curves. The proximity between the two curves is evident along the complete operation range, what is enough to validate the model.
Power curve
1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Wind speed (m /s) 9 10 11 12

Output power (W)

Fig. 7. (1) Duty cycle, Dopt (5 V/div. and 10 s/div) and (2) Boost inductor current, IL (1 A/div. and 10 s/div) at 269 rpm.

Fig. 5. Power curve (a simulated, b manufacturer).

V. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS In the new topology proposed here, a boost converter was introduced in order to improve the power generation at low wind speeds. The boost converter is designed for the operation in the range from 0 to about 70 W, according to Table II. The main rectifier is designed according to the specifications for v=12 m/s (see Table I). The experimental

The high frequency current ripple observed was 0.15 A and is in agreement with the design specifications (0.15 A). The average inductor current is 2 A and the switching frequency is 52 kHz. Fig. 8 shows input voltage Vdc1 across the boost converter for mechanical speed of 269 rpm. The voltage ripple is 2 V and is in agreement with the design specifications (10.15 V). Fig. 9 shows the battery bank voltage Vdc2 and charging current Idc2 for mechanical speed of 269 rpm.

Fig. 8. (1) Boost converter input voltage, Vdc1 (5 V/div. and 20 ms/div) at 269 rpm.

Fig. 10. (1) Phase voltage (20 V/div. and 10 ms/div) and (2) -line current (10 A/div. and 10 ms/div) at 470 rpm.

Fig. 9. (1) Battery bank voltage, Vdc2 (5 V/div. and 20ms/div) and (2) - charging current, Idc2 (500 mA/div. and 20 ms/div) at 269 rpm.

Fig. 11. (1) Battery bank voltage, Vdc2 (10 V/div. and 10 ms/div) and (2) - charging current, Idc2 (10 A/div. and 20 ms/div) at 470 rpm.

The average voltage Vdc2 is 24.6 V, and the average current Idc2 is 1.65 A. Therefore, the output active power is 40.6 W, and the system efficiency is 81.2% (boost converter and rectifier). Increased efficiency and machine power factor are expected for high power prototypes. Fig. 10 shows the generated phase voltage and the line current for mechanical speed of 470 rpm. In this case the boost converter is off. For 470 rpm, the rms phase voltage is 13.33 V. The rms line current is 11.73 A. Therefore the total input apparent power is 464 VA and the input active power is 444 W. These values determine the operation of the machine for power factor of 0.95. Fig. 11 shows the battery bank voltage Vdc2 and charging current Idc2 for mechanical speed of 470 rpm. One can see that the average voltage Vdc2 is 28.8 V. The average current Idc2 through the batteries is 13.8 A and the total active power is 397 W. Thus, the system efficiency (boost converter and rectifier) is 89%. Fig. 12 shows the output power versus mechanical speed curves (simulated and experimental). The curves are similar, mainly when the processed power is greater that 300 W.

Fig. 13 shows the efficiency curve. The efficiency shown in the graph only considers the converters involved in the system. The internal losses of the machine are not considered. Fig. 14 shows the power factor of the permanent magnet synchronous generator as a function of the processed power.

Fig. 12. Output power versus mechanical speed (a - simulated, b experimental).

Efficiency curve 1 Efficiency 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6

21 0 26 1 34 1 1. 07 12 .2 43 3 24 47 87

Output power (W)

Fig. 13. Efficiency curve.

Power factor machine X Output Power 1,00 0,90 0,80 0,70 0,60 0,50
1, 07 12 ,2 0

Output Power (W)

Fig. 14. Power factor machine versus output power.

VI. CONCLUSIONS A new topology applied in small size wind generator systems for charging batteries has been proposed. A complete simulation of the system has been performed and validated through the comparison between experimental and manufacturer results (see Fig. 5). The main characteristic of the new system is the exploitation of the available wind energy at low speeds in an optimum operating point (MPPT) without compromising the efficiency at higher wind speeds. Then, the auxiliary converter can be designed only for a given range with reduced overall cost. The example presented here (0-70 W) is according to the manufacturer specifications, but it can be extended by modifying some specifications of the generator. Another improvement of the system is the charging controller implementation, which determines the increase of useful life of batteries. Other protection strategies have been implemented (limitation of the voltage and current charging), causing a considerable improvement to the battery charging system. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors acknowledge FUNCAP and FINEP for the financial support; ENERSUD for the technical support and donation of the wind turbine; and the members of the Group of Energy Processing and Control (GPEC) for the friendship and overall support. REFERENCES [1] www.enersud.com.br, access in 21/10/2006, 10:40 AM.

[2] B.J. Chalmers; A.M. Green; A.B.J. Reece; A.H. AlBadi, Modeling and Simulation of the Torus Generator, IEE proceedings Electric power applications, 1997, vol. 144, no6, pp. 446-452. [3] A.H. Al-Badi and A. Gastli, MATLAB and PSPICE Dynamic Model of Axial-Field Permanent-Magnet., Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, SQU Journal for Scientific Research Science and Technology, 2002, Volume 7, part 1, pp. 109-121. [4] N. Tomohiko; M. Shigeo; S. Masayuki; T. Yoji, Optimum Control of IPMSG for Wind Generation System, Department of Electrical and Electronic Systems Osaka Prefecture University. (Presented PCC-Osaka 2002), pp. 1435-1440. [5] Shigeo Morimoto, Hideaki Nakayama, Masayuki Sanada, Yoji Takeda. Sensorless Output Maximization Control for Variable-Speed Wind Generation System Using IPMSG, Industry Applications Conference, 2003. 38th IAS Annual Meeting IEEE. Vol. 3. pp.:1464-1471. [6] Donald S. Zinger, Eduard Muljadi, Andrew Miller, A Simple Control Scheme for Variable Wind Turbines, IAS'96 Conference Record of the IEEE Industry Applications Conference 31st IAS Annual Meeting, 1996. [7] Raju, A.B., Chatterjee, K., Fernandes, B.G., A simple Maximum Power Point Tracker for Grid Connected Variable Speed Wind Energy Conversion System with Reduced Switch Count Power Converters, in IEEE 34th Annual Power Electronics Specialist Conference, PESC '03, Vol. 2, 15-19 June, 2003, pp. 748-753. [8] Raju, A.B., Chatterjee, K., Fernandes, B.G., A UPF power conditioner with maximum power point tracker for grid connected variable speed wind energy conversion system, in First International Conference on Power Electronics Systems and Applications, 2004, 9-11 Nov. 2004, pp.107-112. [9] Song, S., Kang, S., Hahm, N., Implementation and Control of Grid Connected AC-DC-AC Power Converter for Variable Speed Wind Energy Conversion System, in Eighteenth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, 2003. APEC '03, Vol. 1, 9-13 Feb., 2003, pp. 154-158. [10] Tafticht, T., Agbossou, K., Chriti, A., Doumbia, M.L., Ouput Power Maximization of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Based Stand Alone Wind Turbine, in IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics, ISIE 2006, July 9-12, Montreal, Canada, pp. 2412-2416. [11] Z. Chen, E. Spooner, "Wind Turbine Power Converters: A Comparative Study", Power Electronics and Variable Speed Drives, 21-23 September 1998, Conference Publication No. 456, IEE 1998.

Power factor

21 0

26 1

34 1

43 3

24

47

87