A novel control technique for on‐load tap changer to enlarge the reactive power capability of wind power plants

Abstract This paper suggests a new control algorithm for On‐Load Tap Changer (OLTC) of wind farm main transformer that is responsible for voltage regulation of collector network. The conventional control scheme adjusts the voltage of LV side of transformer without considering the wind turbine voltages. The voltage of end‐string wind turbines may reach the upper or lower limits of Over or Under‐Excited operation regions. Voltages close to upper or lower limits bounds the reactive power capability (generation or consumption) of wind farm due to dependency of wind turbine reactive power capability to voltage. Operation of wind turbine at extreme voltages may stress its power electronic devices. Furthermore, minor disturbances at either grid or power plant may trigger the protection system and interrupt generation due to vicinity of operation point to protection thresholds. The suggested technique integrates the OLTC control into the power plant controller and considers both LV side voltage of transformer and wind turbine voltages. By monitoring the wind turbine voltages, the voltage setpoint of OLTC is adjusted to provide voltages closer to middle of range for wind turbines that prevents the wind turbines from reaching the voltage limits. Dynamical simulations conducted in DigSILENT PowerFactory software for both Under‐Excited and Over‐Excited operation regions demonstrate desired performance for the suggested technique.