Operation and design issues of a doubly fed induction generator stator connected to a dc net by a diode rectifier

The operation of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) connected to a dc net is considered in this study. The dc net is connected to the stator of the DFIG by a diode rectifier and simultaneously feeds the rotor-side inverter, which is used to control the machine. When the dc net operates at constant voltage, this solution preserves the possibility to work with a low flux at low speed, and, at the same time, reduces the cost of the power electronics. In fact, the only needed electronic converter is the rotor inverter designed for a fraction of the machine power. After introducing a simple control technique, the study proposes an analytic model for the steady-state operation and discusses the design specifications of the DFIG for given values of the dc voltage and of the power of the wind turbine. The most appropriate stator and rotor rated powers, rated stator voltage and turns ratio of the DFIG are deduced. Simulations and experimental results are presented in order to support the theory.