Kyu-Ho Kim

Synthetic inertia (SI) enables wind turbine generators (WTGs) to support frequency stability by releasing stored kinetic energy during disturbances. Existing grid-code requirements, such as those of Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie (HQT) and ENTSO-E/Nord Pool, improve the first frequency nadir but often aggravate a second frequency dip (SFD) or risk rotor over-deceleration (OD) when the boost magnitude is large. This paper proposes an enhanced SI requirement that retains the stepwise boost-and-hold structure but replaces the time-based ramp-down with a rotor-speed-dependent recovery, followed by a smooth transition back to maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The proposed scheme was validated using an electromagnetic transient model of the Unison U151 wind turbine (4.569 MW, inertia constant 9.68 s), designed for Korea’s low-wind conditions. Five case studies at wind speeds of 5 and 7 m/s with varying boost levels confirmed that all methods yield identical first nadirs for a given boost, but only the proposed approach consistently maintained a higher second nadir, stabilized rotor dynamics, and prevented repeated dips. These results demonstrate that rotor-speed-dependent SI requirements, when combined with high-inertia turbines, can enhance frequency stability while protecting turbine operation, offering practical guidance for future grid-code revisions.

To enhance the frequency nadir without causing the excessive deceleration of the rotor speed (${{{{\omega }}}_{{r}}}$), synthetic inertia control (SIC) schemes of a wind turbine generator (WTG) need to provide incremental power in response to event magnitude and ${{{{\omega }}}_{{r}}}$. Conventional stepwise SIC approaches face limitations during large events due to the increase of predefined incremental power, which does not match the actual event size. This paper presents an SIC strategy for WTGs that adjusts incremental power in relation to event size and ${{{{\omega }}}_{{r}}}$. During the frequency-support phase, the incremental power is modulated based on the frequency deviation, along with a control gain proportional to ${{{{\omega }}}_{{r}}}$, rather than the rate of change of frequency. While this approach accounts for the power imbalance, it remains vulnerable to noise and delays in practical applications. After the frequency-support phase, the proposed method decreases the active power reference in accordance with ${{{{\omega }}}_{{r}}}$, ensuring it stabilizes within a secure operating range. Following stabilization, the WTG transitions smoothly back to maximum power point tracking operation. Simulation results indicate that the proposed approach significantly enhances the frequency nadir during large events, even under low wind conditions, while avoiding excessive deceleration of the rotor speed.

This paper proposes a power-smoothing scheme for a variable-speed wind turbine generator (WTG) that can maintain the frequency within a narrow range under normal operations. The proposed scheme uses an additional control loop based on the frequency deviation that operates in conjunction with maximum power point tracking (MPPT). To improve the energy-absorbing capability in the overfrequency section (OFS) and energy-releasing capability in the underfrequency section (UFS), the scheme suggests separate control gains, which are determined based on the ratio of the output of the additional loop to that of the MPPT loop. The ratio in the OFS is set to decrease with respect to the rotor speed whereas the ratio in the UFS is set to increase with respect to the rotor speed. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can significantly lessen the WTG output power fluctuations by adjusting the control gains of the UFS and the OFS even though the WTG output power is severely fluctuating, thereby mitigating the frequency fluctuations. The scheme effectively uses the heavy rotating masses of a WTG as an energy storage system for enhancing the power grid flexibility in terms of frequency, particularly in high penetration levels of variable renewable energy.

To ensure the frequency stability of a power grid, the settling frequency following a frequency event should be stabilized within the maximum steady-state frequency deviation (SSFD) band. If the frequency is stabilized at a value beyond the maximum SSFD band for high penetrations of variable renewable energy, the frequency cannot be restored to the nominal frequency because automatic generation cannot be activated. This paper proposes a primary frequency control support scheme of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) to improve the settling frequency following an event. In the proposed scheme, if the frequency following an event is stabilized at a value beyond the maximum SSFD band, to reduce the output power of synchronous generators, the output power of a DFIG is instantly increased by a constant and maintained until the frequency increases to within the maximum SSFD band. At the same time, the mechanical input power of the synchronous generators is maintained so that the difference between the mechanical input power and electrical output power of the synchronous generators increases the frequency to a value within the maximum SSFD band. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can improve the settling frequency while avoiding additional system defense plans when the settling frequency is stabilized at a value beyond the maximum SSFD band.

In this paper, a cell balancing topology for a series-connected Lithium-Ion battery string (SCBS) in electric vehicles is proposed and experimentally verified. In particular, this balancing topology based on the modular balancer consists of an intra-module balancer based on a multi-winding transformer circuit and an outer-module balancer based on a switched capacitor converter, both offering the potential advantages and over conventional balancing methods, including short equalization time, simple control scheme, elimination of voltage sensors. In addition, a number of cells in the SCBS can be easily extended in this circuit. Furthermore, a system structure and an operating principle of the proposed topology are analyzed and experimentally verified for three different cases. The voltages of all cells in the SCBS reached the balanced state regardless of the various arrangement of the initial voltage, where the energy efficiency of the circuit reached 83.31%. Our experimental realization of the proposed balancing topology shows that such a technique could be employed in electric vehicles.