Wind energy has always been developed as one of the vital parts of modern power systems. However, by integration of wind-based generation, the level of fault current is likely to be increased which can damage the wind generators, microgrid components, and upstream grids. Consequently, utilizing viable protecting structures might preserve wind generator structures and other sections of the electric system as well. In this paper, first, the issue of the fault current of wind generators is discussed, and then well-known solution for protecting wind generators against fault current will be classified based on the comprehensive review. Next, various power electronic-based structures which are proper for protection of systems against the fault current, will be debated and ultimately the features of reviewed structures will be compared and summarized in a table for the case of wind energy generator protection.@en

The protection of sensitive loads against voltage drop is a concern for the power system. A fast fault current limiter and circuit breaker can be a solution for rapid voltage recovery of sensitive loads. This paper proposes a compound type of current limiter and circuit breaker (CLCB) which can limit fault current and fast break to adjust voltage sags at the protected buses. In addition, it can act as a circuit breaker to open the faulty line. The proposed CLCB is based on a series L-C resonance, which contains a resonant transformer and a series capacitor bank. Moreover, the CLCB includes two anti-parallel power electronic switches (a diode and an IGBT) connected in series with bus couplers. In order to perform an analysis of CLCB performance, the proposed structure was simulated using MATLAB. In addition, an experimental prototype was built, tested, and the experimental results were reported. Comparisons show that experimental results were in fair agreement with the simulation results and confirm CLCB’s ability to act as a fault current limiter and a circuit breaker.@en

Ferroresonance, as an undesirable disturbance, leads to significant overvoltage and distorted waveforms. This phenomenon can be highly damaging to voltage transformers and other parallel-connected equipment and can entail catastrophic consequences. This paper aims to design and study a solid-state ferroresonance-suppressing circuit (SSFSC) to protect voltage transformers (VTs) together with other parallel-connected equipment in wind generation systems from the adverse effects of the ferroresonance phenomenon. The proposed structure consists of low-voltage circuits, including power IGBTs. The excellent performance of the proposed SSFSC in suppressing ferroresonance overvoltage in wind generation VTs has been authenticated by analyses conducted utilizing a wind generation system model. In order to validate the performance of the proposed SSFSC, detailed analytical studies and time-domain simulations have been carried out employing a MATLAB/Simulink environment. The results verify that the proposed SSFSC can effectively suppress ferroresonance phenomena in VTs and mitigate their accompanying overvoltages with a high operational speed.@en

Power systems are subjected to various types of faults as well as ferroresonance overvoltages. These results in the interruption of the normal operation of the power grid, failure of equipment, electrical fires, etc. To tackle these issues, this study proposes a dual function limiter to control the fault current and ferroresonance phenomenon in power systems. This compound device is a solid-state series transformer-based limiter that includes IGBT switches, capacitors, rectifiers, and a DC reactor. During the grid normal operation, the proposed limiter is not active and therefore is invisible and it operates in the instant of fault inception or ferroresonance overvoltage occurrences. Analytical studies in all operation modes are presented and assessments on the performance of the proposed ferroresonance and fault current limiter (FFCL) are conducted in Matlab. Simulation results confirm the reported analytical studies and FFCL's performance.@en