Influence of electrical phenomena on the drive train of wind power plants

Abstract

In addition to the stress caused by the natural environment in

which a wind power unit stands, it will also experience stresses

due to disturbances in the electrical conditions of the power grid

it is supplying.

Electrical disturbances may result from the loss of a large

power consumer or producer from the power system, leading to

fluctuations in voltage level and/or frequency, and the voltage

may even completely collapse when one or more phases fall out

or are short-circuited.

An interest of the project lies in specifying different possible

load cases caused by the electrical grid in real wind power

plants. A further motivation is to determine to which degree the

simulation model’s mechanical reaction corresponds to that of

the laboratory model during grid disturbances. Wind power

plants with gearbox are in the main focus of this investigation,

because the damages in use are especially high here.