A Graphical Method to Assess Component Overload due to Harmonic Resonances in Wind Parks

One of the impacts of harmonic resonances in wind parks is to overload wind park components. The process of identifying a problematic component may be time-consuming due to the number of scenarios and different components (capacitors, transformers, cables and generators) that must be analyzed. In this context, this paper develops a first-screening approach to narrow down the number of scenarios that must be studied in detail. It first identifies that the capacitor bank is the most critical component. Then, it uses the operating limits of the capacitor bank and the harmonic distortions measured at the wind park entrance to obtain a chart that maps the problematic operating conditions of the park. Detailed investigations are needed only if the wind park condition is in specific regions of the chart. The proposed chart is attractive for practical applications as it is obtained with a simple equation, without the need to run any computer simulation, and can be consulted with few information from the wind park that is readily available to engineers.