Method of reactive power regulation and aparatus for producing electrical energy in an electrical network

• US 6,924,627 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2000
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aloys Wobben
• Original Assignee: Aloys Wobben
• Inventors: Wobben, Aloys
• Primary Examiner(s): Schuberg, Darren
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuevas, Pedro J.
• Application Number:
  US10/088,011
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 322/17, 322/20, 290/40.C, 290/40.R, 290/7
• US Class Current: 322/20
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/01 Arrangements for reducing harmonics or ripples
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/1842 wherein at least one reactive element is actively controlled by a bridge converter, e.g. active filters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/20 Active power filtering [APF]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/40 Arrangements for reducing harmonics

Abstract

A method of reactive power regulation in an electrical network in which electrical power is produced by an electrical generator preferably driven by the rotor of a wind power installation and suitably modulated by means of a compensation device between the generator and the network for the compensation of reactive power, and an apparatus for producing electrical energy in an electrical network, preferably an electrical generator driven by the rotor of a wind power installation and a compensation device between the generator and the network for the compensation of reactive power. The compensation device is so regulated that the electrical power delivered to the consumer has a reactive power component which is adapted in respect of its phase, amplitude and/or frequency to the consumer in such a way as to compensate for the reactive power in the consumer.

Claims

1. A method of reactive power regulation in an electrical network, comprising:

producing electrical power by an electrical generator driven by the rotor of a wind power installation and modulating the power by means of a compensation device between the generator and the network for the compensation of reactive power by adaptation of the phase and/or amplitude of the reactive power component of the delivered electrical power, and

regulating the compensation device so that the electrical power delivered to the consumer has a reactive power component that is adapted in respect of its phase and/or amplitude and in respect of its frequency to the consumer to compensate for the harmonic reactive power in the consumer.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the compensation device is so regulated that the electrical generator produces capacitive reactive power in order to compensate for the inductive reactive power in the consumer.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the delivered electrical power is of a frequency which corresponds to the frequency of the reactive power caused by the consumer or represents a multiple of said frequency.

4. The method according to at least one of claim 1 wherein the compensation device operates as an inverter.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the compensation device measures the voltage and/or current configurations in the electrical network, preferably at the feed-in point of the electrical power into the network, and in dependence on the measurement results regulates the reactive power component in the electrical power produced by the electrical generator.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the voltage produced by the electrical generator is regulated substantially to a predetermined reference value with suitable adaptation of the reactive power component in the electrical power delivered to the consumer.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein adaptation of the reactive power component is effected by suitable control of the power factor (cos φ

) or the phase of the current produced by the electrical generator.

8. The method according to claim 6 in which the electrical generator is connected to an electrical network by way of a line and/or a transformer, further including the step of:

regulating the voltage produced by the electrical generator so that the value thereof is of the order of magnitude of the value of the network voltage or corresponds to the value of the network voltage.

9. An apparatus for producing electrical energy in an electrical network, comprising:

an electrical generator;

a compensation device between the generator and the network, the compensation device adapted to compensate for the reactive power by adaptation of the phase and/or amplitude of the reactive power component of the delivered electrical power; and

a regulating device configured to regulate the compensation device in such a way that the electrical power delivered to the consumer has a reactive power component that is adapted in respect of its phase and/or amplitude and in respect of its frequency to the consumer to compensate for the harmonic reactive power in the consumer.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the regulating device regulates the compensation device in such a way that the electrical generator produces capacitive reactive power in order to compensate for the inductive reactive power in the consumer.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the delivered electrical power is of a frequency which corresponds to the frequency of the reactive power caused by the consumer and represents a multiple of said frequency.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the compensation device has an inverter.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the regulating device has a measuring device for detecting the voltage and/or current configurations in the electrical network, preferably at the feed-in point of the electrical power into the network.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the regulating device controls the inverter in dependence on the measurement results of the measuring device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the regulating device regulates the voltage produced by the electrical generator substantially to a predetermined reference value by control of the reactive power component in the electrical power delivered to the consumer.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the regulating device effects adaptation of the reactive power component by suitable control of the power factor (cos φ

) or the phase of the current delivered by the electrical generator.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the electrical generator is connected to an electrical network by way of a line and/or a transformer characterised in that the regulating device regulates the voltage produced by the electrical generator in such a way that the value thereof is of the order of magnitude of the value of the network voltage or corresponds to the value of the network voltage.

18. A method of reactive power regulation in an electrical network comprising the steps of:

producing electrical power by an electrical generator, preferably driven by the rotor of a wind power installation;

modulating the electrical power by means of a compensation device between the generator and the electrical network for the compensation of reactive power by adaption of the phase and/or amplitude of the reactive power component of the delivered electrical power;

measuring the voltage and/or current configurations in the electrical network, preferably at a feed-in point of the electrical power into the network; and

regulating the compensation device in dependence on the measurement results such that the electrical power delivered to the consumer has a reactive power component which is adapted in respect of its phase and/or amplitude and in respect of its frequency to the consumer to compensate for the harmonic reactive power in the consumer.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein the compensation device is so regulated that the electrical generator produces capacitive reactive power in order to compensate for the inductive reactive power in the consumer.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the delivered electrical power is of a frequency which corresponds to the frequency of the reactive power caused by the consumer or represents a multiple of said frequency.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the compensation device operates as an inverter.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the current configurations in the electrical network are measured and that the measured signals are continuously analyzed which harmonics are contained therein serving as a reference signal for the compensation device producing the required harmonics to be fed into the electrical network.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the voltage configurations in the electrical network are measured, that the measured signals are subtracted from a reference signal and that the difference signal is fed to the compensation device producing the required harmonics to be fed into the electrical network.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein adaptation of the reactive power component is effected by suitable control of the power factor (cos φ

) or the phase of the current produced by the electrical generator.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the electrical generator is connected to an electrical network by way of a line and/or a transformer, and wherein the voltage produced by the electrical generator is so regulated that the value thereof is of the order of magnitude of the value of the network voltage or corresponds to the value of the network voltage.

19. A method of reactive power regulation in an electrical network comprising the steps of:

producing electrical power by an electrical generator, preferably driven by the rotor of a wind power installation;

modulating the electrical power by means of a compensation device between the generator and the electrical network for the compensation of reactive power by adaption of the phase and/or amplitude of the reactive power component of the delivered electrical power;

regulating the compensation device such that the electrical power delivered to the consumer has a reactive power component which is adapted in respect of its phase and/or amplitude and in respect of its frequency to the consumer to compensate for the reactive power in the consumer by regulating the voltage produced by the electrical generator substantially to a predetermined reference value with suitable adaptation of the harmonic reactive power component in the electrical power delivered to the consumer.

27. An apparatus for producing electrical energy in an electrical network comprising:

an electrical generator, preferably driven by the rotor of a wind power installation,

a compensation device between the generator and the network for the compensation of reactive power by adaption of the phase and/or amplitude of the reactive power component of the delivered electrical power,

a measuring device for measuring the voltage and/or current configurations in the electrical network, preferably at the feed-in point of the electrical power into the network, and

a regulating device for regulating the compensation device in dependence on the measurement results in such a way that the electrical power delivered to the consumer has a reactive power component which is adapted in respect of its phase and/or amplitude and in respect of its frequency to the consumer to compensate for the harmonic reactive power in the consumer.

37. A wind power installation comprising an apparatus as claimed in claim 27.

28. An apparatus for producing electrical energy in an electrical network comprising:

an electrical generator, preferably driven by the rotor of a wind power installation,

a compensation device between the generator and the network for the compensation of reactive power by adaption of the phase and/or amplitude of the reactive power component of the delivered electrical power, and

a regulating device for regulating the compensation device in such a way that the electrical power delivered to the consumer has a reactive power component which is adapted in respect of its phase and/or amplitude and in respect of its frequency to the consumer to compensate for the reactive power in the consumer by regulating the voltage produced by the electrical generator substantially to a predetermined reference value with suitable adaptation of the harmonic reactive power component in the electrical power delivered to the consumer.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the regulating device regulates the compensation device in such a way that the electrical generator produces capacitive reactive power in order to compensate for the inductive reactive power in the consumer.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the delivered electrical power is of a frequency which corresponds to the frequency of the reactive power caused by the consumer and represents a multiple of said frequency.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the compensation device has an inverter.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the regulating device has a measuring device for detecting the current configurations in the electrical network and an evaluation device for continuously analyzing which harmonics are contained therein serving as a reference signal for the compensation device producing the required harmonics to be fed into the electrical network.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the regulating device controls the inverter in dependence on the measurement results of the measuring device.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the regulating device has a measuring device for detecting the voltage configurations in the electrical network and a subtracting device for subtracting the measured signals from a reference signal wherein the difference signal is fed to the compensation device producing the required harmonics to be fed into the electrical network.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the regulating device effects adaptation of the reactive power component by suitable control of the power factor (cos φ

) or the phase of the current delivered by the electrical generator.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the electrical generator is connected to an electrical network by way of a line and/or a transformer and wherein the regulating device regulates the voltage produced by the electrical generator in such a way that the value thereof is of the order of magnitude of the value of the network voltage or corresponds to the value of the network voltage.