Department for Learning Development
’Students as Researchers Scheme’
**Please note this scheme is only available to undergraduate students**
Name
Dr Gobind Pillai
Section/Subject
Electrical Engineering/ Integration of renewables
School/Department
SSE / Electronics and control
Contact email
G.G.Pillai@tees.ac.uk
Title of research project/activity
Performance evaluation of HVDC transmission system for
Offshore Wind Generation
Pedagogic or Discipline Specific
Discipline specific
Summary of project research
activity
Owing to the depletion of fossil fuels and consequent green
energy initiatives such as the EU 2020, the number of
offshore Wind Turbine Generators (WTG) being installed is
growing at a very fast rate. The distance between offshore
wind farms and on-shore electricity grids are growing longer.
For distances greater than 100 km researchers [1, 2] have
identified that High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) submarine
cable transmission could be more economical than AC
transmission. Unlike conventional AC transmission systems,
HVDC systems are composed of power electronic circuitry
which has a higher susceptibility for generating harmonics.
Wind speed is weather dependant and variations can occurs
within minutes or even seconds [3]. The transmission system
be it AC or HVDC should be able to cope with the variation in
the wind generator output as a consequence of wind speed
variation. The quality of the output power from the
transmission system in terms of frequency and voltage or
current harmonics should not deteriorate below the limits set
in the grid regulations.
In this context, this project will investigate the impact of wind
speed variations on a wind turbine generator connected to a
HVDC transmission system. The students will develop a
realistic wind speed variation model each for 2 tentative
windfarm locations based on literature survey. A laboratory
model of the system will be made by the students with
support from the staff. The first student will be using a Doubly
Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) to emulate the WTG. The
second student will be working on a HVDC training rig to
emulate the power transmission. They will also jointly work
on a power electronic training rig for grid inter-connection.
Both wind speed variation models will be programmed into
the input controller of the DFIG separately. The switching
parameters of the HVDC system for both locations will be
calculated by the students with support from the project team.
A power quality analysis of HVDC system's output will be
conducted. The outcomes of this research will provide
insights on the impact of input power variations on the output
power quality of HVDC systems and their suitability for
transmitting offshore wind energy.
References
[1] P. Bresesti, W.L. Kling, R.L. Hendriks and R. Vailati,
“HVDC Connection of Offshore Wind Farms to the
Transmission System”, IEEE Trans. on Energy Conversion,
vol. 22, pp. 37-43, 2007.
[2] R. Perveen, N. Kishor and S.R. Mohanty, "Off-shore wind
farm development: Present status and challenges."
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 29, pp.
780-792, 2014.
[3] J. Kiviluoma, H. Holttinen, W.D. Edward, R. Scharff, L.
Söder, N. Menemenlis, C. Nicolaos et al. "Variability in LargeScale Wind Power Generation." Wind Energy, 2015.
Have you obtained ethical
clearance for this project?
Yes on 02.10.2015.
Summary of student tasks
1. Literature review on wind speed variations- common for
both students
2. Development of a numerical model of wind speed variation
for the location- common for both students
3. Create the laboratory model of the system with assistance
from the staff. Student 1 to focus on the wind generator
(DFIG) and Student 2 to focus on transmission (HVDC).
4. Experimental performance evaluation of the systemcommon for both students
5. Result analysis and reporting research findings- common
for both students
Research output(s) for student
1. Ability to read and understand state of the art research in
Electrical Engineering.
2. Numerical skills essential for research.
3. Ability to conduct realistic experiments in a laboratory
environment.
4. Experience in academic writing and communicating
research results
5. Experience of working with a wider project team and
managing their roles within the team.
Are there specific criteria
students need to address when
applying for the project?
This project is suitable for a second/ third year undergraduate
in Electrical and Electronics/ Instrumentation and Control
engineering. The candidate should have:
1. Good background in mathematics
2. An interest in wind energy generation
3. Some knowledge of Electrical Machines and Power
Electronics is desirable but not mandatory.
Anticipated timeline for project
The exact timetable will be discussed with student to
consider the exam, assignment and other commitments.
December-February 2016
Task 1 – 10 hours
Task 2 – 10 hours
March-May 2016
Task 3 – 15 hours
Task 4 – 10 hours
June 2016
Task 5 – 5 hours
Project Gantt chart:
DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNE
Task
1
Task
2
Task
3
Task
4
Task
5
Number of student hours
required (normally 65 hours)
Two research students, 50 hrs per research student.
Are there any additional costs
associated with the student
researcher i.e. travel? Please
provide details of how this will
be funded
No.