Wind farm networking with EtherCAT sets new benchmarks due to its high speed: in case of an LVRT, the setpoint values can be specified for all wind turbines in the entire farm network in less than 1 ms and the control of current, voltage, and frequency can be adapted efficiently. The existing fibre-optic-based Ethernet infrastructure can be used for this purpose up to distances of 20 km without a loss of speed. Even the synchronization of the IGBTs of converters within a wind farm can be realized with this technology.
Wind farm networking with EtherCAT is not only faster compared to conventional Ethernet solutions, but also offers substantial cost benefits by eliminating the need for costly switches or hubs. With the EtherCAT power measurement terminal EL3783 integrated into the automation system, momentary current and voltage values can be measured at high frequencies with up to 10,000 samples/s. With the EtherCAT distributed clocks functionality, the measured values of all wind turbines and the measurement at the feed-in point of a farm can be synchronized to a timeframe smaller than 1 μs. TwinCAT supports the standardized IEC 61400-25 communication protocol for wind turbines, which simplifies the monitoring and control of heterogeneous wind farm system environments, including the connection to electric utilities.
Beckhoff technology highlights for wind farms
Universal control platform for wind farms
As wind farm controllers, the Beckhoff Industrial PCs offer the highest performance class. On such a CPU, the wind farm controller can be implemented in cycle times of 100 µs. This makes it possible to react to the future requirements of renewable energies and to support the power grid – as long as the wind farm provides this. MATLAB®/Simulink® models for calculating wake effects can be easily integrated. Communication with power suppliers and grid operators takes place via standardized telecontrol protocols, such as IEC 61400-25 and IEC 60870. Of course the Industrie 4.0 protocols can also be integrated. Multi-core technology makes completing these wide-ranging tasks possible.
EtherCAT networks the wind farm with reaction times < 1 ms
Networking a wind farm is usually carried out with a fiber-optic cable with cable redundancy. For networking purposes, EtherCAT utilizes the same physics but, compared to elaborate switch technologies, provides a much leaner solution both in terms of price and technology. For networking the EtherCAT components, the multi-mode (up to 1.5 km) and the single-mode (up to 20 km) technologies are available. Due to the large number of EtherCAT interface components (serial, PROFIBUS, CANopen, PROFINET RT, various TCP/IP protocols, and more), this networking can also be implemented for wind farms without a Beckhoff controller.
Beckhoff product highlights for wind farms
EtherCAT infrastructure components for networking wind farms
For networking in the wind farm, both media converters and couplers are offered for the fiber optic cabling.
Multi-mode
Single-mode
For the coupling of existing control systems, the following communication modules are used:
EtherCAT Terminals integrate network monitoring and power measurement in the control system
For the purpose of independent power measurement and network diagnostics, Beckhoff offers a very powerful and cost-effective variant:
- The EL3453 measures galvanically isolated 3-phase current (up to 5 A) and 3-phase voltage (up to 690 V). The resulting average values, such as power, frequency, cos φ, and of course current and voltage, are transferred to the CPU after every half a mains period (10 ms).
- The EL3783, which is equipped with the same physical properties as the EL3453, measures current and voltage with a frequency of 20 kHz. From this raw data, all average values can be calculated on the CPU (e.g., with the help of the TwinCAT power monitoring library TF3650). It is thereby possible to perform a grid analysis up to the 110th harmonic.
Standardized protocols simplify the communication with wind turbines
With the growth of renewable energies worldwide, it has become necessary for power generators and grid operators to acquire a way of controlling these “power stations”. For this purpose, Beckhoff has developed standardized telecontrol protocols, which are available as libraries in the TwinCAT automation system.
Application reports and brochures
02.09.2024 | Application reportFast control technology reliably compensates for rotor blade movements caused by wind load
Hvide Sande und Seasight Solutions, DenmarkAccording to Danish company Seasight Solutions, the entire industry is talking about a real game changer in the field of wind-turbine installation. This innovative new approach uses human-sized propellers to compensate for wind loads and keep the rotor blades precisely in position in relation to the hub, allowing the huge components to be assembled safely and quickly without hauling ropes – even on stormy days. However, a sophisticated control concept and real-time-capable automation technology are needed to make this possible, which is precisely where PC-based control from Beckhoff comes into play.
16.07.2024 | Application reportTransmitting high power efficiently over long distances
MathWorks und Siemens Energy, GermanyWhether from offshore wind turbines on the high seas to the mainland, from wind turbines in northern Germany to industrial sites in the south of the country, or from hydropower plants in Scandinavia to central Europe – high-voltage direct current transmission is used to transmit large amounts of energy over long distances. For its solution, Siemens Energy relies on MATLAB and Simulink from MathWorks and PC-based control from Beckhoff.
04.04.2023 | Application reportPrecisely controlled stress tests increase availability
IALB, GermanyMajor points of interest to the German energy industry right now include the service life of power electronics in wind turbines along with determining the environmental and load conditions that play a role in this regard. Keen to find answers, scientists at the Institute for Electrical Drives, Power Electronics, and Devices (IALB) at the University of Bremen are working closely with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) to learn more. The data set for this project is determined on an enormous test rig, automated with PC-based control from Beckhoff.
02.11.2022 | Application reportTest rig for the next generation of rotor blades
Blaest, DenmarkThe next generation of wind turbines will feature rotor blades measuring 100 m long and counting, up to now making them too big for the existing test rigs at Blaest A/S in Aalborg, Denmark. Along with the construction of a new test hall, the company completely redesigned its control and test equipment: EtherCAT P and a custom measuring amplifier box now replace hundreds of lines and increase accuracy through digitization close to the measurement points. With PC-based control, Blaest is now ready for the future.
07.10.2022 | PC Control customer magazineWind Compendium 2022
The Wind Compendium 2022, a special edition of our PC Control customer magazine, is a collection of selected application reports about wind power which have been realized with Beckhoff technology. The wide range of applications with varying degrees of complexity will give you an idea of how versatile the solutions are that can be implemented with the open and universal PC- and Ethernet-based control technology from Beckhoff and the benefits it provides.
