DFIG Topologies for DC Networks: a Review on Control and Design Features

The Doubly Fed Induction Machine has been traditionally adopted in adjustable-speed ac power generation drives in order to take advantage of the reduced rating for the power electronic interface. Aside this well-established application where the DFIG is controlled by a back-to-back converter, recent literature records a growing interest towards un-conventional DFIG drives for dc power generation, combining DFIG high control freedom with simplified power electronic interfaces to achieve an overall cheap and fully-controllable system. Despite several concepts have been demonstrated on small-scale rigs, there is a lack of systematic comparison among different topologies and control solutions. This paper bridges this gap by providing a review of recent topologies, their control, design and performance, and operation issues. As major novelties the paper includes off-spec performance comparison of different torque-ripple mitigation strategies, discussion of sizing requirements for generator and power electronics, fundamental aspects of the behavior under voltage dips, and priorities and challenges for future research on the subject.