Impact of Grid Strength on Sub-Synchronous Oscillations in AC Systems with Type-4 Wind Farms Integrated

The modern power system dominated by renewable energy resources such as Type-4 wind farms (WF) has recently seen significant increase in cases of sustained oscillations at the sub-synchronous frequency range that is typically referred to sub-synchronous oscillations (SSOs) in the existing literature. Although thorough studies have been conducted on prior types of WFs to understand the triggering factors for SSO, however, in the case of Type-4 WFs the triggering factors and causes still remain unclear. Therefore, this paper studies the SSO characteristics exhibited by Type-4 WFs operating within a weak grid. To emulate real-world grid conditions, an extensive AC network modeled after the IEEE 39-bus system is employed. Through simulations incorporating the integration of Type-4 WFs at various locations within the grid, the resulting effects on SSO triggering factors are analyzed. The investigation is structured around three distinct case studies, conducted at buses 31, 37, and 38. These studies involve varying network reactance to explore and establish the relationship between SSO events and the short-circuit ratio (SCR) of the network. The consistent findings across diverse case studies underscore the general relationship between SCR, grid strength, and SSOs. The analysis reaffirms the significant impact of increased reactance on SSO characteristics and confirms that weaker grids are more susceptible to SSOs.