MICRO-TURBINE SIMULATOR BASED ON SPEED AND TORQUE OF A DC
MOTOR TO DRIVE ACTUALLY LOADED GENERATORS
Farret, F. A., PhD, Gules, K. and Marian, J.
Federal University of Santa Maria
Programa de POs-<iradua@o em Engenharia ElCtrica - CT
97. I 19.900 - Santa Maria - RS - Brazil
Phone:(O55)226.1616~2344
E-Mail Karret@super.ufsm.br
ABSTRACT
This paper deals with a realistic turbine
simulator that uses a 20 kW DC motor with an
independent excitation and mntmlled hy a
microcompiiter. The tiirhine torque and rotation
are both simnlated according to wind and load
of actually driven generators with any type of
rctuql loads. With the help of this simulator it is
possible to develop and realise tests in electrical
power plants in conditions as close as possible of
the actual conditions commonly encountered in
field practice.
1 - INTRODUCTION
Everyday, more scarce power supplies of
energy are stimulating more and more the
development of technologies to allow better
exploration of such renewable resources such as
hidro- and wind energy. The Center of Development
of Micro-Power Plants (NUDEMI) of the Federal
University of Santa Maria, dedicates itself to the
development and implementation of micro- and
small power plants since 1986. Along these years, it
was noticed that the existence of an equipment to
accomplish most of the tests in micro-power plant
laboratories, as close as possible of the actual values
encountered in the field, could bring lower cost
design and non time consuming tests having as a
consequence, more efficient and practical solutions.
Under this point of view. a turbine simulator was
developed where the mechanical power of a 20 kW
DC motor with independent excitation and
controlled by a microcomputer, full dynamic model
was used to simulate torque and rotation. ‘l‘liis
rotation reference is taken into account by the motor
speed control algorithm to reproduce in this way [he
effects caused by the wind turbine for specified
operating conditions. The simulator. beyond using
real conditions of the wind, allows also to reproduce
several situations encountered in real practice in
micro-power plants.
0-7803-2672-51 951 $4.00 8 1995 IEE
89
Fax (055)226.2166
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2 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WIND
TURBINES
The wind turbine power is given by:
P,= p.V3.n.rZ-CP/2
where
P = airdensity
V = wind speed
r = propeller radius
CP = wind turbine eficiency of the
kinetic wind energy with respect to
mechanical useful energy;
CP is commonly defined as a fimction of li
which is known as “tip speed ratio” and expressed
as follows:
3L = w r / V (2)
The torque is given as:
(3)
where CT is the torque coefficient such as:
(4)
CP and CT are different for different types
of turbines being their values depending on the
aerodynamic characteristics of the turbine paddles.
I;igure I represents a typical variation of Cl with
respect to h for a 3 paddle horizontal shaft turbine.
Point A is the value of CI‘ to determine the
starting torque for some typical condition of wind.
The between points A and B is a region of
unstability because if the resistant torque is
increased due to an increase in the generator load,
the speed will decrease tending to zero as well as
CI‘ the net torque. Between points B and C. for a
decreased turbine speed, there will be an increase in
C‘I‘ and in the net torque, tending so to stabilise the
whole system. CT is a maxiinuni on point B for a
maximum efficiency and maximum power transfer
from the wind to the turbine. In this way it is
important that the turbine operates as close to this
point or to its right as possible

Subscripts 1, n and g refer to the turbine,

speed multiplier and generator. According to
Newton’s second law for rotating systems:
dw Tr
-
( 1 1)
dt .Ir

Figure 1 - Relationship between Torque
CoeFficient and the Speed Tip Ratio
There are several methods of load control
used to maximally convert wind energy into
electrical energy [ 1J These tests can be nicely tested
with the turbine generator once this one follows
identical torque variation of the actual turbine.
The turbine torque, the resistant torque, the
overall torque and CT, may be determined by using
an iterative process which gives also as a result, the
instantaneous acceleration and the speed increment
within certain fix interval of time, At The angular
instantanemis acceleration becomes

The wind turbine rotation model was

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3 DYNAMIC MODEL OF THE simulated in a digital computer comparing its values
GENERATlNG SYSTEM with the practical field tests o f the wind turbine o f
reference [2] for identical constructing parameters.
The wind enerby systems are usually There were very close agreement between all
composed by: the turbine, mechanical transmission, results.
gear box, generator and load. A starting torque is
produced in the turbine every it is exposed to certain
intensity of wind as related in Equation 3. The
whole system respond to that wind intensity with a
resistant torque determined by the static friction
coefficient, K,. If wind intensity is sufficient to win
the static friction, there will appear a net torque
producing an accelcration d d d t which is given by:

T,=T,-K, (5) 1

With the movement. the dynamic reaction

will be added to I’, the effect of inertial, viscous
friction and the dynamic friction present in all
moving parts. The net torque will be then expressed
as:
Figure 2 - Block Diagram of the Wind Turbine
do Simulator
T, =Tt- J , -- B, o - & - T, (6)
dt
where.
4 - GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE
T, = torque due to the electrical generator SIMIJLATOR
load.
The mechanical energy corresponding to
v. i the real wind turbine, in the simulator is supplied by
T,= - (7) a 20 kW DC Motor fed by the mains through a hlly
a-rlg
controlled three-phase thyristor bridge as depicted
in Figure 2 The turbine theoretical speed is
The overall system inertia, the viscous calctrlated from its dynamic model parameters by a
friction and the dynamic friction will be given as’ compirfcr program Ix+scrl o n the wind intensity data

90
that would be present at the future micro power
plant site. The difference between the actual speed
of the DC motor and the theoretical turbine speed.
is used to calculate the reference current to the I-e L
electronic tfiyristor motor driver control The
armature current is read and then fed to the voltage ~ RT
control of the thyristor bridge aiming to reproduce
the rotation reference at every moment
At any variation of the actual generator
load, driven by the simulator, the routine of the
dynamic model is informed through the load voltage
and current sensors and calculates a new value for
the rotation reference and so. for the DC motor Similarly, the current reference is
rotation The torque characteristic of the simulated calculated as:
turbine will behave in the same way it would the real
one even along the unstability portion of those
characteristic, as shown in Figure I .

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5 DIGITAL CONTROL OF THE ROTATION

The speed and current digital control is

developed based on the DC motor and on the
converter models 131. V, 1, R L and E. are,
respectively, the converter output voltagc. the
armature current, resistance. inductance and the
cemf. For the time interval between "0" and T, one
has:

El- V (&"(k-l))
'I= ~ Oit<T (14) where:
It .I = inerlia coefficient
When II = I,( , the converter voltage B = viscous friction coefficient
changes from El to E*, so that:
KI, = torque constant
T' = sampling period
It = I, e-RT'L+ ( I - e-RT'L) for t = 2T As the current control is much faster then
the DC motor speed, the armature current may be
assumed constant during time interval T'.

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6 PRACTICAL RESULTS

1-e L The plots and results discussed below refer

Assuming that It = I,, for t = 2T, the
converter output voltage becomes EJ for t > 2T.
Under these assumptions:
-RT ' those conditions even so.
1-e 1 2
Combining equations ( 18) and ( 19). yields
the equation that gives converter output voltage
when its current varies from I t to It(= I,&
to the wind intensity vector shown in Figure 3.
lhose conditions were exaggerated by using step of
intensity variation of the wind (worst case) in order
' to represent it in conditions which would be much
higher then any reality andethe simulator respond to
The simulated power plant uses an
horizontal shaft turbine with 3 paddles with a radius
of3 meter long connected to a 60 Hz. 220-380 Volt
and 5 kW ( 1 800 RPM) induction generator The
gear box was made with a to 1:30 speed ratio. The
computer prograni was also informed of the
constant of inertia and three fi-iction coefficient
Figure 4 shows changes in the reference rotation for
a digital simulation in a period of 1 .O minute. Figure
5 displays the DC motor measured rotation at every
I ms. It is represented the turbine rotation multiplied
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by gear box ratio. It is noticeable how close the
measured values are with iaspect to the reference
rotation which proves the high performance of the
rotation controller
The wind intensity data may acquired from
the nature in several ways. like from any
meteorology station or from anemometers with
instantaneous register The data from the particular
region where the micro power plant is going to be
installed can also be recorded in a magnetic tape
recorder oi-in a floppy disk and used to optimise the
t h e (sec)
power plant design.
Figure 4 - Theoretical Turbine Rotation
7 - CONCLUSION
1000
This paper deals with a realistic turbine
simulator that uses a 20 kW DC motor with
RPM I
independent excitation controlled by a
microcomputer The turbine torque and rotation are
both simultaneously simulated according to the
actual wind energy variation and actual load of real
generators with any type of actual loads With the
help of this simulator, it is possible to develop and
realise tests in electrical power plants in conditions
as close as possible to the actual conditions
encountered in the field. All the real generator with time (sec)
its loads data and describing data of real turbines
under any type of wind conditions may be simulated.
As a result, it is possible to simulate every Figure 5 - DC Motor Measured Rotation
conditions of the usual micro-power plants with
respect to control performance, real generator with
its loads, turbine performance subject to wind The classical theory of turbine and
variations in the micro power plant site. electrical generators and motors may be observed
when subject to their dynamic performance
Efficiency and optimisation of such plants can be
vastly better approximated then other type of ,

simulation because it takes into account most of the

real parts of the system leaving only the more
complicated ones (wind and turbine) as simulated
parts.

REFERENCES

[ I ] I . K Buehring, U. Tech And L. L. Freris,

"<'ontrol Polices For Wind-Energy Conversion
~

bIsec) Systems", IEE Proc., Vol. 128, Pt C, NOS, Pp 253-

Figure 3 - Wind Speed Changes in m/s
261, September 1981
[Z] J S. Francisco. S. A . Telmo, E. J . S. L. Jorge
and R S. Sel&nio, "DeterminaFIo e Modelamento
das Caracteristicas de ConversIo de Turbinas
Eolicas a Partir de Testes em Campo Aberto". 6"
Congress0 Brasileiro de Automatica, Belo
Horizonte, Brasil, pp 73 1-736, 1986.
[3] K. P. Gokhale, M. Tech And G. N .
Kevankar,"Microprocessor-Controlled Separately
Excited DC-Motor Drive System", IEE Proc, Vol
129, Pt. B, Nob. Pp 344-352,November 1982.

92
[4] Rashid, M. H., "Power Electronics". Book,
Prentice Hall International Editions, 1993.
[S] Farret, F. A., C. D. Mello, "Melhorias Na
Estrutura E OperaqIo De Uma Microusina
Experimental Com Controle Eletrijnico Pela Carga",
XI1 National Symposium On Production And
Transmission O f , Electrical Energy (SNPTEE).
Recife, PE, CIGRE Proceedings, Oct/I 993.
[GI Hillowala, R. M., Sharaf, A. M., "An Utility
Interactive Wind Energy Conversion Schcme With
An Asynchronous DC Link Using A Supplementary
Control Loop", IEEE Trans. On Energy
Conversion, Vol. 9,No 3, Sep/1994.

Acknowledgements

The authors are very thankful to the National

Council of Research and Development (CNPq) and
to the Foundation of Support to Science and
Research of Rio Grande do SUI (FAPERGS) for
their financial support and to the Federal University
of Santa Maria for allowing all tests in their
Laboratories (LHIPAE, NUDEMI and NUPEDEE)

93