Hierarchical Wind Farm Control via Segmented Regulators
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Large wind farms face difficulties in maintaining control quality due to increased computation complexity and instability issues, particularly as wind energy installations are farther from the transfer point, leading to reduced control quality and potential system instabilities.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hierarchical control system with a master regulator and submaster regulators, where the master regulator sets presets for submaster regulators, which in turn adjust the operation of wind energy installations, allowing for more localized control decisions and redundancy to mitigate failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single central regulator is used to control all wind energy installations, then the control system is simple in structure, but the computation complexity rises severely and control quality deteriorates for installations far from the transfer point
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into a hierarchical structure with a master regulator at the upper control level and multiple submaster regulators at the lower control level. Each submaster regulator independently manages a specific group of wind energy installations, enabling localized control decisions that account for distance effects while maintaining overall system coherence through hierarchical coordination.
2Device complexity
If a single central regulator controls all wind energy installations, then the system structure is simple, but the system becomes unstable when installations are far from the transfer point
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the control function into hierarchical levels with regional submaster regulators, the system reduces the impact of distance-related delays and instabilities. Each submaster regulator operates with more localized information, enabling faster and more stable control responses for installations at different distances from the transfer point.
Solution Approach 2:
The hierarchical structure introduces intermediate control levels between the central master regulator and individual wind energy installations. These intermediate submaster regulators act as mediators that translate upper-level control decisions into locally appropriate commands, buffering out instabilities and maintaining system coherence across distributed installations.
3Device complexity
If a single central regulator is used, then the control system is straightforward, but it cannot compensate for failures of the central regulator
Solution Approach 1:
The hierarchical control structure prepares for central regulator failure by distributing control functions to multiple submaster regulators. If the master regulator fails, the submaster regulators can continue operating with their locally stored control parameters and nominal values, ensuring continuous operation of wind energy installations without immediate shutdown.
Solution Approach 2:
Each submaster regulator maintains local control capabilities with its own set of control parameters and nominal values, independent of the master regulator's continuous operation. This local autonomy ensures that failures at the central level do not propagate to all installations, as each regional controller can maintain operation based on its local state.
4Area of stationary object
If wind energy installations are far from the transfer point, then the wind farm can expand its coverage area, but the control quality and system stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The control system segments the wind farm into regional zones, each managed by a submaster regulator located closer to the installations it controls. This spatial segmentation reduces the control distance and improves the ability to accurately monitor and respond to local conditions, thereby maintaining control quality even for installations far from the main transfer point.
Data Source
AI summary
A wind farm includes a plurality of wind energy installations, a transfer point at which electrical energy produced by the wind energy installations is transferred to a public electricity grid system and for which nominal values are preset, and a measurement sensor configured to measure electrical actual values at the transfer point. The wind farm also includes a master regulator associated with an upper control level and configured to use upper nominal values and upper actual values at the upper control level to determine a preset for a lower control level, and a plurality of submaster regulators associated with the lower control level and configured to use the preset as a lower nominal value and, on the basis of the lower nominal value and a lower actual value, determine presets for the wind energy installations. A high level of control accuracy can thus be achieved even in large wind farms.