Impacts of Placement of Wind Turbine Generators with Different Interfacing Technologies on Radial Distribution Feeder Short Circuit Currents

Abstract

Integrating distributed generations (DGs) into a power systems distribution network provides various benefits; however, their connection has associated several technical implications with distribution network protection and coordination being one of the major issues with the global increase in wind turbine distributed generators penetration levels, the need for a detailed assessment of the impacts of the wind turbine generation on the power systems distribution network operations has become critical. This assessment is normally done to allow for the simulation of the dynamic response of the distribution network to major disturbances like the short circuits once the wind turbine generators (WTGs) have been integrated. The penetration of the wind turbine generators into a distribution network has great impacts on the short circuit current levels of the system with some factors contributing to these impacts being: The size of the WTG penetrating the distribution network, The location at which the WTG is connected on to the network and the Type of the WTG interfacing technology used. An important aspect of the WTGs impacts studies is to evaluate their short circuit current contribution into the distribution network under different fault conditions. The magnitudes of these short circuit currents, both the three phase and the single-line-to-ground (SLG) faults, are needed for sizing the various Over-Current Protective Devices (OCPDs) which are utilized in protecting the distribution network. Due to the topological and operational differences between the different types of WTGs interfacing technologies, the electrical generators design industry has divided wind turbine generators into four different types labeled as Type I, Type II, Type III and Type IV. This paper presents a detailed investigation on the effects of integrating each of the four types of WTG configurations on a power systems distribution network’s short circuit currents levels/magnitude. The radial distribution feeder studied was the IEEE 13 nodes radial test feeder and it was modeled and simulated for short circuit currents analysis Keywords—Distributed Generators, Type I to IV WTG, Three Phase Fault Currents, and SLG Fault Currents.