Electromagnetic Transients of a Micro-Turbine Based Distributed Generation System

Abstract-This paper evaluates the electromagnetic transients of a micro-turbine based distributed generation system that includes an AC-DC-AC converter. An outline of modelling the micro-turbine based generation system including the AC-DC-AC converter is presented. A controller for the converter, that consists of a number of single-input single-output sub-controllers, is designed based on the developed model of the system. Furthermore, the thermodynamic model of micro-turbine system is presented. The electromagnetic transients of the overall micro-turbine based generation system including the micro-turbine and converter controllers are evaluated based on time-domain simulation studies in the PSCAD/EMTDC software environment. The study considers the dynamic models of generator, converter and power system and the thermodynamic model of micro-turbine system

Identification of microturbine model for long-term dynamic analysis of distribution networks

As one of the most successfully commercialized distributed energy resources, the long-term effects of microturbines (MTs) on the distribution network has not been fully investigated due to the complex thermo-fluid-mechanical energy conversion processes. This is further complicated by the fact that the parameter and internal data of MTs are not always available to the electric utility, due to different ownerships and confidentiality concerns. To address this issue, a general modeling approach for MTs is proposed in this paper, which allows for the long-term simulation of the distribution network with multiple MTs. First, the feasibility of deriving a simplified MT model for long-term dynamic analysis of the distribution network is discussed, based on the physical understanding of dynamic processes that occurred within MTs. Then a three-stage identification method is developed in order to obtain a piecewise MT model and predict electro-mechanical system behaviors with saturation. Next, assisted with the electric power flow calculation tool, a fast simulation methodology is proposed to evaluate the long-term impact of multiple MTs on the distribution network. Finally, the model is verified by using Capstone C30 microturbine experiments, and further applied to the dynamic simulation of a modified IEEE 37-node test feeder with promising results