VSI asissted voltage control of a novel Bifurcated Winding Induction Generator

Induction generator is popularly used to harness wind energy. Though there are large number of induction generator configurations, it is found that, out of all these, a novel Bifurcated Winding Induction Generator presented in this paper due to its distinct excitation and power winding has higher efficiency and controllability. The squirrel cage configuration of the rotor is an added advantage for installation. Output voltage of this machine is a function of two factors namely, speed and excitation voltage. The desired value of output voltage at any speed of operation can be achieved by modifying the excitation voltage alone. This is achieved by using an inverter as the excitation source. The control of the inverter voltage facilitates maintain of the required output voltage. The DC voltage for the inverter is obtained from a battery or an active rectifier. This paper, presents the study of the machine characteristics and the hardware implementation of the system to control the output voltage of the induction generator.