Novel double‐circuit transmission line bridge‐type fault current limiter to enhance wind power plants fault ride‐through capability

Abstract

Summary Double circuit transmission lines (DCTLs) are widely used to endure the reliable and secure connection of the wind power plants (WPPs) to the grid. This article proposes a new double‐circuit bridge‐type fault current limiter (DBFCL) for enhancing fault ride‐through (FRT) capability of WPPs integrated to the grid through DCTLs. It inter‐lines between two circuits of DCTLs. The main advantage of the proposed DBFCL is reducing the number as well as the power rating of components, which reduces the cost and volume of the proposed DBFCL as compared to use of two bridge‐type fault current limiters (BFCLs) in DCTLs. The structure, control, and capability of the proposed DBFCL are discussed in this article. To examine the FRT performance of the proposed DBFCL, the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)‐based WPPs is used and extensive simulations are executed in PSCAD/EMTDC software. Also, the DBFCL performance is compared with the case of using one BFCL in WPP substation, crowbar, DC link chopper, and series‐resonance fault current limiter (SRFCL) schemes. Simulation results reveal that the DBFCL not only augments the FRT of WPPs with a lower cost, but it also has a superior performance compared with the case of using BFCL in WPP substation. Also, the DBFCL outperforms the crowbar system, the DC link chopper, and the SRFCL.