2017 IEEE PES-IAS PowerAfrica
Modeling and Control of a Doubly Fed Induction
Generator Using a Back-to-Back Converters in
Grid Tied Wind Power System
Roberto Leidhold
Milkias Berhanu Tuka
Institute of Electric Power Systems
Department of Electrical and Otto-Von-Guericke University
Computer Engineering Magdeburg, Germany
Adama Science and Technology roberto.leidhold@ovgu.de
University
Adama, Ethiopia
milkiasber@gmail.com
AbstractThe demand of energy is drastically increasing now
days mainly in developing countries like Ethiopia. In connection,
wind energy is one of the promising renewable energies sources
with the most commonly used Doubly Fed Induction Generator
(DFIG). The DFIGs stator is directly connected to the grid,
whereas the rotor is tied via dual back-to-back Pulse Width
Modulation (PWM) converters. Its active and reactive power can
be controlled independently using converters as per the demand
of system operators or grid code requirements. The PWM
strategy has a capacity of giving higher converter output voltage
by high switching frequency modulation process. Thus, this
paper models the DFIG and uses PWM to control the power flow
at rotor and grid sides independently. MATLAB-Simulink
software is used for modeling and simulation. Finally,
conclusions are drawn.
Key WordsActive and Reactive power, DFIG, MATLAB-
Simulink, PWM converters
I. INTRODUCTION
I N the last few years, renewable energies have experienced
one of the largest growth areas in percentage of over 30 %
per year compared with growth of coal and lignite energy [1].
East Africas coast is well endowed with wind resources and
has been gaining ground with commercial scale projects.
Ethiopia has great wind energy potential. According to
statistics [2], the capacity is 18645 MW, 4925 MW, and 2005
MW with wind speed of 7.5~8 m/s, 8~8.8 m/s, and more than
8.8 m/s respectively at a height of 50 m. This shows that there
is a favourable condition to construct large scale wind farms.
Positioned in fourth, Ethiopia has installed more than 320 MW
of wind farms to date. The dry season in Ethiopia is also the
windy season, meaning that wind power is a good complement
to hydropower, which is by far the biggest source of renewable
energy. As millions of people in Ethiopia are mainly living in
rural areas and not connected to the national grid, the countrys
energy demand is huge. To meet this rising demand, the
government needs to increase its electricity production from 20
to 25% per year. In addition to that, Ethiopia has set a target of
978-1-5090-4746-8/17/$31.00 2017 IEEE
Mengesha Mamo
School of Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Addis Ababa University, Institute of
Technology
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
mmamo2006@gmail.com
slashing its carbon emissions by 64% within the next 14 years,
one of the most ambitious national goals across the planet. So
clearly the Ethiopian space should be watched carefully [3].
The DFIG under study is implemented in Adama-II wind
farm where the authors are partly involved in consultation
work. The work of the paper is done using the actual
parameters of the machine obtained from factory test reports,
name plate and by numerical analysis [4], [5]. Since, the wind
farm was inaugurated recently, 2015 [6], the authors couldnt
find the recent works on the DFIG under study and hopes this
paper to play its role in further expansions by filing some
gaps.
A typical block diagram of the DFIG in a wind energy
system can be drawn as shown in Fig. 1, where GB, MSC, and
GSC stands for the gear box, machine side converter and grid
side converter respectively. For the DFIG under study, the
stator at 690 V, 50 Hz frequency is directly connected to the
grid through a 33 kV three winding pad mounted transformers,
whereas the rotor connection is via dual-back-to-back PWM
power converters, harmonic filters, and the transformer.
Fig. 1. Block diagram of DFIG WECS
In order to efficiently obtain the available power in wind and
allow stable power flow at machine terminals, the control of
DFIG is very important as will be seen in the upcoming
sections. As the voltage variation is directly related to real and
reactive power variations, especially in the case of a weak grid,
where the voltage is not stiffly constant, the DFIG may be
ordered to produce or absorb an amount of reactive power to or
from the grid as per the grid code requirements with the
purpose of voltage control and stability. Hence, adapting the
well-known control methods employed with back-to-back
converters in DFIG will play a greater role which is a focus of
75
 2017 IEEE PES-IAS PowerAfrica

this paper. The MSC is used to control active and reactive D. Aerodynamic Model
power; whereas the GSC controls the DC link voltage to be The aerodynamic model represents the power extraction of
used as a stable voltage source for MSC [4], [7]. The stator the rotor, calculating the mechanical torque as a function of
flux orientation method and Grid voltage orientation of the the air flow on the blades [11]. Hence, the mechanical power
field oriented control techniques are used in this paper for (PM) captured by the turbine can be expressed in terms of the
MSC and GSC respectively. Several types of research are still torque:
underway in investigating the best control strategies to improve PM=Tt*t Tt=PM/t (4)
the performance of DFIG [8], which shows a key emphasis of Using (2-4):
the machine. Even though design, simulation, as well as
practical results from the previous studies, have offered useful 1 3 C p () 2
Tt = R vw (5)
hints for DFIG, there is a lack of detail analysis especially on 2
regarding control issues that can be accessed easily. For this The above equations can be used in MATLAB-Simulink in
and adding an additional contribution, the study of DFIG various ways for turbine modeling.
through modeling and simulation in the well-known
MATLAB-Simulink software would help to justify ideas that E. Alpha-Beta () Model
will be investigated in further works and control techniques. By using the known Clarke and its inverse transformation,
the three phase (abc) quantities can be converted into two
II. MODELING OF DOUBLY FED INDUCTION GENERATOR stationary frames quantities and vice versa. The rms value
For control of dynamic sequences, the two-phase dq- of grid voltage in can be used to find out grid voltage
representation can be implemented using park transformation. angle, g. It is this angle that can later be used for the
Modeling of the generator and associated components can transformation of variables from the to the dq synchronous
start from the wind turbine (WT). frame through park transformation or vice versa as given in
(6) as the stator is directly connected with grid.
A. Wind Turbine (WT)
WTs are used to produce electricity by using the power of If Vag, Vbg, and Vcg are three-phase balanced sinusoidal
the wind to drive an electrical generator. As Wind passes over waveforms of grid voltages, g can be obtained [7]:
the blades, generating lift and exerting a turning force. The -1 V
g = tan ( ) (6)
rotating blades turn a shaft inside the nacelle, which goes into V
a gearbox. The gearbox increases the rotational speed to that
which is appropriate for the generator by using magnetic fields Or in Matlab as g= atan2 (V/V) (4 quadrant rotation)
to convert the rotational energy into electrical energy [9]. The In developing the dynamic model of the DFIG, space vector
power of an air mass of wind flowing at speed (vw) through a theory is applied to the basic electric equations of the
swift area (A) can be calculated by: machine. Fig. 2 shows the three different rotating reference
1 frames typically utilized to develop space vector-based models
3
Pw = Av w (1) of the DFIG. The stator reference frame () is a stationary,
2 the rotor reference frame (DQ) rotates at m and the
Where, is air density (kg/m3) =1.225 kg/m3 synchronous reference frame (dq) rotates at s. Subscripts s,
Only a portion of power in air can be recovered by a wind r and a are used to denote that one space vector is a
turbine. Considering the efficiency, wind power captured by reference to the stator, rotor, and synchronous reference
the blade and converted into mechanical power can be frames, respectively. By using Clark, park, and inverse
calculated by: transformations, a space vector can be represented in any of
1 3 1 2 3 these frames [11].
PM = Av w C p = R v w C p (2) q m
2 2 -axis D
A = R2, where R is the length of the blades (m), Cp is Q
coefficient factor (efficiency of wind turbine).
s
B. Gearbox d
r
The gear box is needed to speed up the WT speed to m
generator level and to couple its shaft to turbine hub. s
-axis
C. Tip Speed Ratio Fig. 2. Reference frames
In stationary reference frame:
The tip speed ratio () is the ratio of the blade tip speed to
the speed of the incoming wind [10]. ds
R s s s
d s vs = r s is + dt
= t (3) Vs = [Is ][R s ] + (7)
vw dt d
v = r i + s
t = wind turbine speed (rad/s) s s s dt

76
 2017 IEEE PES-IAS PowerAfrica

In the same way, the stator and rotor flux expressions in space The rated speed of DFIG is 1800 rpm, t rated is 19 rpm and
vector form in a stationary reference frame: hence G is 94.7 [5].
s = Ls is + L mir Based on Fig.2 and taking the synchronously rotating
reference frame into consideration, the position of rotating
ss Ls L m iss s = Ls is + L m ir flux (k) can be drawn as shown in Fig.3.
s = L . s (8) -axis
r m L r i r r = L m is + L r ir q
= L m i + L r i
r s r Vg
d
Using inverse transform: g s
iss 1
s
-Lr L m s k
i s = (9)
2 s
r Lm - Ls.L r L m -Ls r
-axis
Fig. 3. Reference frame orientation with stator flux.
Where Ls=Lls+ Lm and Lr= Llr+ Lm (10)
If k is assumed to be the position of rotating flux:
k= g-/2 and g= atan2(V/V) (17)
Vs, Vs, is, is, ir, ir and s, s, r, r are voltages (V),
currents (A) and flux linkages (Wb) of the stator and rotor in F. dq model
-axis, Rs and Rr are resistances of the stator and rotor The space vector model of the DFIG can also be
windings (), Ls, Lr, Lm are the stator, rotor and mutual represented in a synchronously rotating frame by multiplying
inductances (H). Lls, Llr are the stator and rotor leakage the voltage expressions by e-js and e-jr for stator and rotor
inductances (H), is the speed of the reference frame (rad/s), respectively. As a result, the dq voltage equations can be [11]:
m is the mechanical angular velocity of the generator rotor d
(rad/s). The values of the above parameters are obtained from a v ds = R s i ds + ds - s qs
a a d a dt (18)
the no load, blocked rotor factory test reports, nameplate and Vs = Is R s + s + js
mathematical calculations [12]. dt v = R i + qs + d
In connection, the stator active power (Ps) and reactive power qs s qs
dt
s ds
(Qs) are determined using [4]:
d
3 a v dr = R r i dr + dr - r qr
Ps = (vsis + vs is ) (11) a a d a dt (19)
2 Vr = I r R r + r + j r
dt v = R i + qr + d
3 qr r qr r dr
Qs = (v is - vs is ) (12) dt
2 s Where m = s-r or r = s*sfr = s*fs
Whereas, the electromagnetic torque developed by the DFIG, Replacing by dq for the flux and power (8-9) and (11-12),
can be calculated by: their analogues can be obtained in dq expression.
3 3 The electromagnetic torque developed by the DFIG in dq:
Tem = pI m { r ir } = p(r ir - r ir ) (13) 3 3
2 2 Tem = p(dr i qs - qr ids ) = pLm(idr i qs - i qr ids ) (20)
Where, p is number of pole pairs: 2 2
By taking the mechanical load torque (Tm) applied to the shaft The power losses accompanied with the stator and rotor
as developed by wind speed variations to describe the motion: windings are neglected.
dm III. CONTROL TECHNIQUES
Tem - Tm = J (14)
dt The DFIG control comprises MSC and GSC controllers. The
Where, J is the sum of inertia of the WT and generator (Jg). MSC controls stator active and reactive power, whereas the
Assuming 100% efficiency of gear box ratio: GSC regulates the DC-link voltage and power exchange that
m/t =G=Tt/Tm takes with the grid [4].
Where Tt and Jt are turbine torque and inertia respectively and
by referring them to generator side: A. Machine Side
T J The stator flux scheme of the vector control method is
Tt ' = t And J t ' = t (15) used with the d-axis aligned to the stator flux as shown in
G 2
G Fig.3. In steady state, the stator flux is proportional to the grid
Then, the total inertia: voltage, Vg. Neglecting the small drop in the stator resistance;
J yields [4]:
J = Jg + t (16) Vds=0 (21)
2
G Vqs= Vg ss, where s= ds and also qs=0; Now, the
The individual Jt and Jg are obtained. equation can be re-written as:

77
 2017 IEEE PES-IAS PowerAfrica

ds = Lsi ds + L m idr = s & qs = Ls iqs + L m i qr = 0 (22)

From which the dq-axis stator currents are calculated:
-Lm Vg L m L
i ds = s i dr = - idr and iqs = - m iqr (23)
Ls Lss Ls Ls
In steady state, the stator flux is proportional to the magnitude
of the grid voltage, Vg. Neglecting the small drop in the stator
resistance yields: Fig. 5. Simplified converter model
Vds = 0; Vgs=Vg ss Unit delay can be used to model computing delay of the
Substituting ids in Ps and iqs in Qs equations results with: controller. An averaged model enables us to describe the
2Ls Vg converter dynamics as a function of the modulating signal and
2 Qs Ls
i qr = - Ps and i dr = - (24) it accurately predicts the pattern of the converter dynamic
3Vg L m L ms 3 Vg L m behaviour without including the details of the switched
As of (24), the independent control of iqr and idr for Ps and Qs waveforms, that is, the high-frequency components of the
respectively with respect to reference value is possible. waveforms [14]. It is equivalent to the PWM where the duty
The PWM converter acts on the rotor of the generator and the cycle is computed and limited between upper and lower
control is done by means of the signals of the rotor and the values.
stator currents, the stator voltage, and the rotor position [13]. Having two-level converter model and Fig. 4, the electric
To make the power factory at unity: equations of the system can easily be derived as [4]:
idr = Vg/(Lms) di ag
Vaf = R f i ag + Lf + Vag
B. Grid Side dt
As seen in Fig.1, the grid side system is composed of the di bg
GSC, the grid side filter, and they can be modeled with ideal Vbf = R f i bg + L f + Vbg (27)
switches / or Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) that dt
allow the flow of current in both directions by sending signals di cg
[12]. Vcf = R f i cg + Lf + Vcg
dt
Where, Lf and Rf are inductance (H) and resistance () of the
grid side filter; Vag, Vbg, Vcg = grid voltages (V), iag, ibg, icg =
+ - currents flowing thorough the GSC (A)
+ -
Vaf, Vbf, Vcf = output voltages of the converter referred to the
neutral point of the load n (V).
+ -
1
diag = (V - R f i ag - Vag )
Lf af

1
di bg = (Vbf - R f i bg - Vbg ) (28)
Fig. 4. Simplified converter, filter, and grid model. Lf
For the purpose of modeling, it is very useful to know the
converter output voltages referred to the neutral point of the 1
grid three-phase system voltage (Vn). As Fig. 4 illustrates, the dicg = (Vcf - R f i cg - Vcg )
Lf
following voltage relationships holds true [4]:
Vjn = vjo-vno with j = a; b; c and Van+Vbn+Vcn = 0 Thus, the converter at both sides can be modeled with the
1 same concept and done in Matlab-Simulink employing the
Vn0 = (Va0 + Vb0 + Vc0 ) (25) voltage orientation vector control (VOC).
3 To achieve the VOC scheme, the d-axis of the synchronous
With Substitution: frame is aligned with grid voltage vector. Therefore, the d-axis
2 1 V grid voltage is equal to its magnitude (vdg=vg), and the
Van = Va0 - (Vb0 + Vc0 ) = bus (2Sa-g - Sb-g - Sc-g ) resultant q-axis voltage vqg is then equal to zero, from which
3 3 3
2 1 Vbus the active and reactive power of the system can be computed
Vbn = Vb0 - (Va0 + Vc0 ) = (2Sb-g - Sa-g - Sc-g ) (26) [7]:
3 3 3
2 1 Vbus 3 3
Vcn = Vc0 - (Va0 + Vb0 ) = (2Sc-g - Sa-g - Sb-g ) Pg = (v dg i dg + vqg i qg ) = v dg i dg
3 3 3 2 2
for vqg=0 (29)
The above expressions are modelled in Matlab-Simulink with 3 3
modulating signals as shown in Fig. 5. Q g = (v qg i dg - vdg i qg ) = - vdg i qg
2 2

78
 2017 IEEE PES-IAS PowerAfrica

The q-axis current reference iqg* can then be obtained: V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
2 Qg* In this study, the DFIG of 1.5 MW, 690 V, 1800 rpm, 4
iqg * = - (30)
3 vdg poles is used and the results are described hereby. Fig. 7 (a)
shows the stator active power control. The PI controller tracks
Where Qg* is the reference for the reactive power, which can
the reference power and the control has been well done. The
be set to zero for unity power factor operation.
assumed wind speed variation used by the repeating sequence
The structure of the inner current controller implemented in
of the MATLAB over 30 second period simulation [0 5 10 20
MATLAB at synchronous reference frame based on equations
25 30] is [0 6 6 10 10 6] m/s.
above is shown in Fig. 6.
The d-axis current reference idg*, which represents the active
power of the system, is generated by the PI controller for DC

Power (W)
voltage control. Thus, the idg current is responsible for the Pg
value, while the iqg current is responsible for the Qg value.

a) Stator Active Power Tracking

Fig. 6. Inner current controller
IV. GRID CODE REQUIREMENTS
As it is mentioned above, the control of power flow
between the machine and grid is an important issue in
Similarly, the reactive power control for unity power factor is
done and it is shown in Fig. 7 (b). There is a small deviation
from reference point at high wind speeds. The stator reactive
power (Qs) is nearly equal to zero while the RSC provides the
reactive power necessary to magnetize the machine as shown
in fig. 7 (b) and (c). It is also seen that the rotor of the
generator consumes reactive power in sub synchronous mode
of operation (as an inductor), while in super synchronous
mode of operation, the power returns (as a capacitor).
Reactive Power(VAR)

developing the technical terms called grid codes of a given

country. The grid codes of most countries generally aim to
achieve the same thing [4]. In simple terms, it is vital that
electricity supplies remain on. To achieve this, the most
crucial technical requirements that are possibly appear
common across most countries based on their grid nature are
the frequency and voltage tolerance, reactive power and
voltage control capability, Fault ride through capability, b) Stator reactive power
Reactive Power(VAR)

frequency regulation and others.

As in [6], the technical requirements within grid codes and
related documents vary between electricity systems. However,
for simplicity, the typical requirements for generators can be
grouped as control of reactive power-often this includes
requirements to contribute to voltage control on the network;
Control of active power-often this includes requirements to
contribute to frequency control on the network; Tolerance-the c) Rotor reactive power
range of conditions on the electricity system for which wind Fig. 7. (a) Stator active power (b) Stator reactive power
farms must continue to operate; Protective devices; and Power (c) Rotor reactive power
Reactive Power(VAR)

quality. The former Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation

(EEPCO), currently named as Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP)
has no grid connection code for the wind farms [15]. In
addition, the contractor of the wind farm where the DFIG
under study is installed has referred International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for the design and
manufacture of the complete generator, for individual
components and also the relevant national standard of the Fig. 8. Reactive Power Tracking
Peoples Republic of China and other industrial standards
[12].
Therefore, it is the aim of the authors as this paper lays a
ground as a contribution during the code development.

79
 2017 IEEE PES-IAS PowerAfrica
Active Power(W)
Fig. 9. Rotor and GSC active powers.
The rotor and GSC active powers for the purpose of
comparison are shown in Fig. 9. It can be seen that the active
power at the rotor side of the machine passes through the
converter and get added with the stator side power to give the
total grid power (Pg) (see Fig.10). Due to switching losses in
converters, the GSC power is slightly less than rotor power as
expected. The rotor is receiving a power from the grid through
the converter during sub synchronous mode of operation (low
wind speed) as indicated with positive value in in Fig. 9. On
the other hand, the machine is sending a power to the grid
during super synchronous speed (high wind speed) as the
negative power is shown in the same figure.
Power(W)
Fig. 10. Power Sent to Grid
It can be observed that the grid power is exactly the sum of
stator and rotor powers, slightly less than the mechanical
power from the wind turbine due to losses (Fig. 11). Negative
power is for the indication of machine operation in generating
mode.
Power(W)
Fig. 11. The Mechanical Power from Wind Turbine
VI. CONCLUSION
In this study, the DFIG tied with the grid is modeled and
controlled for its independent active and reactive power
delivery. It is seen that the rotor is sending active power to
grid during the super synchronous speed and it receives the
power during sub synchronous speed. However, the stator
power is always sent to the grid (Fig. 7 (a)).
The DFIG power flow can be controlled to the reference point
as per the requirements of individual system operators need or
grid code requirements by controlling the speed of wind
turbine. This will be an important issue when developing a
grid code requirements and for unity power factor operation in
areas where power fluctuation is very frequent.
The grid side converter also provides a decoupled control of
active and reactive power flow between the converter and the
grid. Thus, the work can be an important input to further
research work that can be carried on wind farms with DFIG
under fault scenarios and other issues like voltage sags.
The model can also be applied to any kind of DFIGs in WECS
having their own specific parameters and consideration of the
conditions of the grid nature.
REFERENCES
[1] Remus Teodorescu, Marco Liserre and Pedro Rodrguez, Grid Converters
for Photovoltaic and Wind Power Systems, First edi.2011, John Wiley and
Sons, Ltd.
[2] Hydrochina Corporation, Feasibility Study for Ethiopian Adama (Nazret)
Wind Park, Nov. 6, 2009 [unpublished]
[3] Renewable energy focus.com,
http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/44926/the-five-biggest-wind-
energy-markets-in-africa/ [online]
[4] G. Abad, J. Lopez, M. A. Rodriguez, L. Marroyo, and G. Iwanski,
Doubly Fed Induction Machine: Modeling and Control for Wind Energy
Generation, First Edi.,2011, IEEE Press and John Wiley and Sons Ltd
[5] Sany DFIG Ethiopia Adama-II wind power project test
reportunpublished.
[6] Mara Paz Comech, Miguel Garca-Gracia, Susana Martn Arroyo and
Miguel ngel Martnez Guilln, Wind Farms and Grid Codes, CIRCE-
University of Zaragoza,Spain.
[7] BinWu,Yongqiang Lang, NavidZargari, Samir Kouro, Power
Conversion and Control of Wind Energy Systems, 2011, IEEE Press and John
Wiley and Sons Ltd.
[8] Zarei, M.E.; Asaei, B. Combined vector control and direct power control
methods for DFIG under normal and unbalanced and distorted grid voltage
conditions, Proc. of the 4th power elec., drive sys. and techno. conf.
(PEDSTC), Tehran, Iran, 1314 Feb. 2013; pp. 107112.
[9] Singh, B.; Naidu, N.K.S. Direct power control of single VSC-based
DFIG without rotor position sens,IEEE Trans.Ind.Appl. 2014,50,41524163.
[10] Sergio Busquets-Monge; Joan Rocabert; Pedro Rodriguez; Salvador
Alepuz; Josep Bordonau,Multilevel diode clamped converter for
photovoltaic generators with independent voltage control of each solar array,
IEEE Tran.on Ind.Elecs, 2008, Vol.55, pp 2713 2723.
[11] Haitham Abu-Rub, Mariusz Malinowski and Kamal Al-Haddad, Power
Electronics for Renewable Energy Systems, Transportation and Industrial
Applications, 2014, IEEE Press and John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
[12] SANY 1.5 MW series WTG product manual of Adama-II wind farm
unpublished.
[13] Mohammadi, J.; Vaez-Zadeh, S.; Afsharnia, S.; Daryabeigi, E. A
combined vector and direct power control for DFIG-Based wind turbines,
IEEE Trans. Sustain. Energy, 2014, 5, 767775.
[14] Amirnaser Yazdani, Reza Iravani, Voltage Sourced Converters in
Power Systems, Modeling, Control, and Applications, 2010, John Wiley and
Sons, inc.
[15] Getachew Bekele, Abdulfetah Abdela, Investigation of Wind Farm
Interaction with Ethiopian Electric Power Corporations Grid, Elsevier
Energy Procedia 14 (2012) 1766 --- 1773.
80