Estimating wind turbines mechanical constants

Abstract

The performance of wind turbines during transient situations such as the soft-starting process or in transient stability studies is strongly influenced by a broad set of mechanical parameters involved in the turbine dynamics, mainly the inertia constant, self and mutual damping and torsional stiffness. The values of these parameters use to be difficult to find because the wind turbine manufacturer/supplier usually do not supply this information. So researchers are usually forced to use vague estimated values to simulate these transients. This communication presents an analysis of the mechanical component that models the wind turbine rotor, as well as its mechanical coupling to the generator shaft. A discussion will be introduced to question how to calculate approximate but realistic values for the wind turbine inertia time constant, preferably as a function of the blade mass and length, but also the rated wind turbine power. The dependence of the remaining mechanical wind turbine parameter values will be also provided.