Smart Wind Farm Laboratory (SWiPLab)

A unique research infrastructure, namely “Smart Wind-park Laboratory” (SWiPLab), has been conceptualized and built up, with the primary objective of intensifying and creating new research possibilities for application-oriented research in wind en-ergy as well as related fields not only on regional, but also on global scale.

The focus lies within the investigation, testing and optimization of Wind Energy Converter (WEC) systems, down to the drivetrain components but more significantly up to whole Wind Farms (WF) including respective control and operational management. Important research aspects are the mutual dynamic impact of WEC drivetrain components, the optimization of the electro-mechan-ical drive, WEC interactions within future power grids (low-/zero-inertia), and (trans-) regional WF interactions, among others.

SWiPLab represents a configurable, modular, and digitally networked laboratory. In its base con-figuration, the lab concept consists of two small-/laboratory scale WFs, each with 15 WEC test benches, i. e. 30 WECs with a total power of 600 kW (see Figure). The unique laboratory setup offers the following key features:

• Sophisticated high-performance real-time system network

  • A high-resolution 3D wind flow model emulates the aerodynamic conditions (wakes and turbulence propagation, location-specific wind profiles) within WF in real-time

  • Wind rotor emulators precisely calculate rotor/blade aerodynamics in real-time and are combined with fast torque-controlled drive systems to excite the WEC generator

  • WF management system enables implementation of novel and computation demanding control techniques such as advanced wake control based on artificial intelligence

• High diversity of 20 kW WEC test benches to emulate major drivetrain topologies (DFIG, PMSG) and to consider major design classes (wind class I and III according to IEC 61400)

• Numerous π-cable models allow flexible configuration and replication of real WF network conditions (e. g. km of mainland connection or inner WF strings) for power grid studies

• 1 MVA grid emulator power converter system for high-dynamic emulation of the supply grid voltage in conjunction with multi-bus grid models on real-time systems

In addition to the SWiPLab infrastructure, the research cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) enables experimental validation on large- and real-scale com-ponent test benches. SWiPLab’s research capabilities are complemented by the expertise of the Institute for Power Systems Technology and Power Mechatronics (eneSys), who puts emphasis on a holistic approach, as well as the newly founded IWES branch office HoMAS.