ReGen Powertech is one of the few companies in the world which have started Research & Development from the first day of its incorporation. The in-house R&D is the cornerstone of ReGen. Through innovation, development and continuous product improvement, we develop the products, services and technologies that reduce the cost of energy and bring the highest possible value to our customers. Our wind turbines are equipped with state-of-the-art micro controller/microprocessor and mixed signal based control system. The ‘Main Controller’ along with the ‘Convertor Control Unit’ and Frequency Converter are the central elements of our Wind Turbine control system.
The control system monitors all the necessary parameters and registers them on a compact flash card which in turn is used by the in-house developed SCADA system. It basically consists of remote nodes tied up to all the wind turbines in the wind farms which are connected to a central server at Chennai through the public network. The SCADA system compiles the pertinent information from the logged data and presents it to the different users in the desired format. The information from logged data includes all the parameters of all the wind turbine control systems, such as frequency converter, yaw control, pitch control (including active pitch control system), safety system and other key parameters such as wind speed, wind direction, vibration, acceleration etc. This allows us to adjust the individual system parameters to ensure that our wind turbines achieve maximum output under all weather conditions. ReGen R&D has teams which fine tunes Control Software and Hardware up to turbine level. This makes the turbine efficient both at full load and also at partial load.
Features of ReGen control system
- For maximum efficiency both at full power and partial power the Wind Turbine is rotated at optimum variable speed corresponding to different wind conditions. This reduces undesirable output peaks and ensures high operational efficiency.
- Continuous monitoring of data from weather station to adapt an intelligent nacelle yaw control system.
- Active pitch control system to obtain ideal angle of rotor blades. This ensures maximum output and reduced fatigue on the entire wind turbine
- For maximum turbine safety & reliability, ReGen deploys an uninterruptable ultra-capacitors based power supply for operating the critical pitch mechanism.
- The unique Low Voltage Ride Through (LVRT) features ensure the Grid connectivity in case of short interruptions and also help to reduce unnecessary turbine stoppages due to grid fluctuations.
- Tower and Generator parameters like vibration and acceleration are continuously monitored and the control system is appropriately activated to prevent tower oscillations.
- Temperature monitoring in all the WT critical locations ensures safe operating conditions for all the electrical and electronic subsystems.
ReGen grid Monitoring & Grid connection
Ensuring proper power feed from ReGen wind turbines into the grid requires grid monitoring. Grid parameters such as voltage, current and frequency are measured on the low-voltage side between the ReGen Frequency Converter and the system transformer. The measured values are continuously transmitted to the control system through a reliable Fiber Optic link, enabling the turbine to react immediately to changes in grid voltage or frequency. If the defined limit values for system or grid protection are exceeded, the wind turbine is safely shut down. As soon as voltage and frequency are restored to the permissible range, the turbine is automatically started up again. This reduces prolonged downtimes. Also the LVRT feature built in all turbines ensures Grid code compatibility and grid connectivity for short disturbances.
ReGen storm control
ReGen wind turbines have a special storm control feature. This feature enables the WT to be brought to a safe withstanding condition. The turbine enters this mode only when a specified maximum wind speed is detected for particular time duration.