EMV-Wind – Development of EMC prediction systems and provision of an open-source platform to accelerate the development phases of wind turbines

The EMV-Wind research project is developing open-source software that can be used to analyse and predict electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and high-frequency effects resulting from modern converters in the electrical powertrain of wind turbines. The focus is on the interactions between the converter, the generator and the electrical interconnecting components. To this end, EMC analyses of the converter are being carried out and calculation routines developed which, amongst other things, model travelling-wave effects in the supply cable, potential distributions in the machine windings, as well as housing voltages and bearing currents.

The calculation routines developed as part of the project are validated on a test bench. To this end, the wind power demonstrator from the Magnetring 3 project (FKZ: 0324276A) is being upgraded with fast-switching converters and additional measurement technology. On this test bench, the effects of high-frequency phenomena on degradation mechanisms such as partial discharges and bearing currents are investigated

The findings from the practical investigations and the models developed form the basis for the open-source software, which is specifically geared towards the development process of new wind turbines. The aim is to evaluate EMC-related issues as early as the initial development phases using modern simulation and prediction tools. As manufacturers of high-performance wind turbines have often lacked suitable software solutions to date, many decisions are still based on empirical data. This hinders innovation and frequently leads to time-consuming and costly adjustments in late stages of development.